Community Forums

Tip10 · 08-16-2019, 02:23 PM

Okay Forest River, are you listening?

Rant on.

New vehicles now days are chock full of driver comforts and safety and convenience features. Some fairly silly and some pretty damn important.

So, WHY, FR do you continue to put out new and modern motor homes with stripped down cheaped out cabs?

With more and more States passing Hands Free laws why do you not include radios with Hands Free capability? It’s a frigging basic safety feature in virtually any vehicle — except, it seems, motor homes.

I’ll give you a pass on satellite capable radios, nav systems and certainly on heated seats and the like. And we won’t talk about TPMS...
But Hands Free —seriously?

You say, well that’s just the way the incomplete vehicles come to us!
NOPE, that’s the way they come to you because that’s the way YOU SPEC THEM. It’s not like Ford and Chevy (yeah I’m talking specifically C’s here) don’t have head units for these vehicles that contain those systems — they certainly do — so spec em to include them.

So here we are with a spanking new 2020 model, and to answer the frigging phone (or call ahead for site reservations, or road conditions, or report highway safety issues...) I have to find somewhere to pull this beast over because to touch the phone otherwise is against the fricking law in my state (and a growing number of others too)!

Okay, Rant Off.

Mr_D · 08-16-2019, 02:35 PM

Buy a higher quality rig that includes what you want or change the radio unit to one that suits you. Very simple.

HJLowell · 08-16-2019, 03:14 PM

Prevost
2.4 Million
Has just what you Want.
They ride nicer also.
They do most everything nicer.[emoji6]

MinntoMich · 08-16-2019, 10:52 PM

Nice rant. The short answer IMO is that the parent organization of Coachmen is Berkshire Hathaway. They are a holding company I think, like AGCO or Cerebus (Chrysler LLC). They look for an underperforming or undervalued assest, buy, plunder and sell whats left or bleed the make dry for every nostalgic nickle its worth. You would be hard pressed to find an organization owned by a holding company that's known as an innovator. Could be wrong. Just MO.

HJLowell · 08-17-2019, 04:36 PM

Price point

Profit.

Its as ir always has been.

You get what you pay for.
Or dont get what you dont pay for.

My new 89 Airstream Classic, class A was
$128,000.

What do you expect for $128,000 today with todays $ value.
Not very much.

What do you expect for $400,000 today ?

Whan a top of the line 45 ft 450 hp.
D.P. in 2000 or 2004 cost $425 to $475
Thousand set up nice ?

If the consumer doesn't do true value $
Research ?

They will be VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Or learn to live with it ???

**Spdracr39** · 08-17-2019, 04:47 PM

Wireless earbuds are cheap and easily solve your issue.

nvs4602 · 08-17-2019, 05:12 PM

Are you surr your radio doesn't have bluetooth? If not I guess I'm glad I bought my class c in 2017 when they did come with a bluetooth equipped radio for hands free driving and satellite radio. It also has a worthless navigation software Built-in. But I would agree about needing more features like heated and cooled seats. Climate control. An outdoor thermometer read out in the mirror.

steve52 · 08-17-2019, 05:17 PM

Your phone is capable of hands free operation with the proper app.

Oversoul · 08-17-2019, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tip10

Okay Forest River, are you listening?

Rant on.

New vehicles now days are chock full of driver comforts and safety and convenience features. Some fairly silly and some pretty damn important.

So, WHY, FR do you continue to put out new and modern motor homes with stripped down cheaped out cabs?

With more and more States passing Hands Free laws why do you not include radios with Hands Free capability? It’s a frigging basic safety feature in virtually any vehicle — except, it seems, motor homes.

I’ll give you a pass on satellite capable radios, nav systems and certainly on heated seats and the like. And we won’t talk about TPMS...
But Hands Free —seriously?

You say, well that’s just the way the incomplete vehicles come to us!
NOPE, that’s the way they come to you because that’s the way YOU SPEC THEM. It’s not like Ford and Chevy (yeah I’m talking specifically C’s here) don’t have head units for these vehicles that contain those systems — they certainly do — so spec em to include them.

So here we are with a spanking new 2020 model, and to answer the frigging phone (or call ahead for site reservations, or road conditions, or report highway safety issues...) I have to find somewhere to pull this beast over because to touch the phone otherwise is against the fricking law in my state (and a growing number of others too)!

Okay, Rant Off.

They answer to your query is simple.
The units come to the market as they do simply because customers buy them that way.
In other words, if the demand for low quality, sub-par RV's didn't exist, neither would these RV's.
Manufacturers supply that which the consumers buy.

Stay well.

Lowdie24 · 08-17-2019, 05:55 PM

I too have a small Class C. Mine's on an E 450 Chassis; while Winnebago was good enough to install an after market radio that does work reasonably well (hands free, Sirius ready, Bluetooth etc) they opted not to offer a navigation package. The main cab front is pretty spartan. We didn't even get automatic external locks (no key fob), and no night time map light for the navigator.

I mean, Really??

nvs4602 · 08-17-2019, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowdie

I too have a small Class C. Mine's on an E 450 Chassis; while Winnebago was good enough to install an after market radio that does work reasonably well (hands free, Sirius ready, Bluetooth etc) they opted not to offer a navigation package. The main cab front is pretty spartan. We didn't even get automatic external locks (no key fob), and no night time map light for the navigator.

I mean, Really??

Wow a least we have those in our E450. Now that just oozes cheap and subservient.

kayak70 · 08-17-2019, 08:50 PM

I just think you need to look before you buy. After the purchase I would just pull out the offending radio unit and replace it. Crutchfield has tons of radio units, great prices and installation tips. It is a very simple task and relatively inexpensive in RV money. Yeah, RV money is what we dump a lot when we have these toys. You can get anything you want in a replacement radio - some will play .mp4 while you drive but I seriously don't recommend that move.

I had a strong dislike for the unit in our previous RV - got a unit I liked from Crutchfield and the install was about 45 minutes and I stopped whining for a while - cost about $250. The current rig 18V24D has decent radio but the NAVI system is not my favorite. Otherwise it is decent with good features. The learning curve for the NAVI was too steep but I finally got it and as long as you do updates every year or more often it works.

cabhrp · 08-18-2019, 07:39 AM

I have a 2018 Leprechaun 319mb with the same issue, would to transmit hands free. Found the microphone in a package with the radio information. $100.00 to install the microphone, all is good now.

Caliwish · 09-01-2019, 10:01 AM

I refused our first 2020 Leprechaun this Summer that came with a basic blue tooth console. The reorder that we got July 1st came with one that does hands free Car Play or the Android equivalent.