Do all brands of Class A MHs have quality control issues?

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by Whlsdn

If you buy the 1/2 million $ and up motorhomes, do they have similar issues out the gate? Or is there a leading brand or two which can be counted on to have fewer QC problems at all price points? I recently found this list and wonder how many of you would agree with these brand rankings.
https://www.rvt.com/blog/trends/rv-m...s-and-reviews/


As for dealer support, I think we all know that's a whole different cesspool.

All I can do is share my experience spending 18+ months researching RVs as the wife and I were trying to decide if we wanted to buy one and if so, which one.

What I learned very quickly is that all of the production RVs have problems, whether it's a Thor or a 3/4 of Million Renegade Ikon.

That said, what I found was this.

In Class B+/C (I know you were asking A's, but for others that might read this). Coach House seems to have among the best reputation, with Leisure Travel and Phoenix Cruiser in the mix. Of the big boys, Winnebego seems to be slightly better than Thor and Forest River, but all three have many problems.

In Class A's, starting from the worst up:

While it's possible to get a good Thor or Forest River (my ACE hasn't had too many problems), they are the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality. It's hit and miss whether you are going to get a trouble free coach or a lemon, with most following somewhere in between those extremes.

Winnebago seems to be slightly better than Thor and Forest River, but only by a small bit. Lots of complaints reported about them as well, and at least when it comes to fit and finish, I saw far more incidents of bad QC in the Winnie's I went through than the Thor/Forest River, but still based on what I've read on forums, I would say Winnie is a bit better in terms of problems.

Fleetwood/Holiday Rambler (same company/floor plans) seem to be better than the mentioned above, but not as good as some of the coaches that cost just a bit more.

At the top (assuming class A's below 500k or so) are Newmar, Tiffin and Integra. They each have very loyal following and it's hard to get a very good read on quality, but based on what I see, I think Tiffin has the most issues, but for those that get them resolved at the factory in Red Bay, they are immensely loyal based on how well Bob Tiffin stands behind the many manufacturing defects (even when the warranty runs out).

With Newmar and Integra, I don't have a feel for which has fewer issues, but they both have QC issues, just like the rest of the RV world, but it would seem like far less than the others I've mentioned (a little less than Tiffin).

In the end, I'm opting to go with Newmar, but it's based on floor plan. If Tiffin had a floor plan I liked, I would get a Phaeton, because Red Bay is only 5.5 hours away vs about twice that to Newmar. I think I might have more issues with the Tiffin, but I expect to have issues whether I buy a Newmar, Integra or Tiffin, so being close to the factory is a big deal and Bob Tiffin standing behind his problems is also a big deal.

With Integra, I have two issues. First and foremost, I couldn't find a floor plan I liked. Second, I'm concerned about the Thor impact. They still have a a good reputation for customer service, but I'm not sure how long that will remain. A number of brands seem to have taken a turn for the worse after becoming part of Thor. On the flipside, Thor claims to be working hard on bringing quality up across the board.

Anyway, bottom line, if you can afford them, then I would suggest Tiffin, Newmar or Integra. Followed by Fleetwood/Holiday Rambler, and finally if you must go entry level for price, then choose the best floor plan in a Thor, Forest River or Winnebago and just go in with your eyes open and know you will probably have quite a bit that needs to be fixed.

[edmck101]

Or you could do what we did last year when we decided to buy our third class A. Found an older coach in obviously good condition, paid $22K and then used the next $12K for updates — tires, batteries, brakes, shocks, stabilizer, furniture, TVs, etc. We've been able to enjoy a lot of driving these past few months without incident. Not for everyone of course, but for those on a budget this plan worked well for us.

[deaton]

Do all brands of Class A MHs have quality control issues?

Quick answer, YES!

A few months ago, one of the members of our FMCA chapter showed up in their brand new Newell. Many of us were amused by the DW, who spent most of the weekend complaining about quality issues. Sure glad I dodged that bullet.

All that said, there is a vast difference in QC issues between brands. We are six months into ownership of a new Dutch Star, and we have experienced very few issues as compared to previous coaches we have owned.

[peeto]

This is very discouraging

[UtahEngineer]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IP_u2JR51_Y

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by edmck101

Or you could do what we did last year when we decided to buy our third class A. Found an older coach in obviously good condition, paid $22K and then used the next $12K for updates — tires, batteries, brakes, shocks, stabilizer, furniture, TVs, etc. We've been able to enjoy a lot of driving these past few months without incident. Not for everyone of course, but for those on a budget this plan worked well for us.

Smart Cookie!

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by UtahEngineer

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! Thank YOU!

[Whlsdn]

Uh... perhaps we all ought to buy old school buses and turn them into campers ourselves. We'd only have ourselves to blame for QC issues and system failures.

[navychaps]

I bought my Winnebago used, and have had few issues. I think the first owner worked out the kinks. Every new rig I ever bought had issues I had to deal with.

[tvp]

The quality control of a RV is just one of the many problems with this purchase . Some one once said a RV is just ...Parts On Wheels
.....taking these parts on a moving frame that is built lightly to reduce weight....and send them down the road at sixty miles an hour is a recipe for failure.
Because the RV is built using three different sources , chassis , Ford ,etc.......parts like frig ,stove etc. And then the box maker like Newmar ,Fleetwood etc. Here is where it gets interesting. You pay big dollars for your brand new RV , dealer is all smiles and friendly he made a sale, ......you have a problem with the drive train or chassis.....well you have to take your brand new RV to Ford not back to the RV dealer where you just picked it up .....no they don't want to see you ....it's a Ford issue.....and if you have a quality control issue inside the RV ......well you have to drive the RV back to the manufacturer, and wait two weeks for them to fix it....the dealer will not take it to them, they are still counting your money.....

Best solution is to buy a two year old , well maintained RV that the original owner has already gotten all the bugs out and all the warranty work has been done , lower depreciation, lower costs, less trouble .......

[B Bob]

We rented lots of low end RV’s from 1980 to 2005 and had very very few quality issues or breakdowns. That includes 5000 miles in a 28 ft class c in 1980. Some od those drove poorly and some really well. Then we bought a beautiful old GMC that was laughably unreliable just like all GM products from the 70’s. But it was very fun to drive, fast and lots of fun to use.

Then I researched for a year what dp to buy and got a very nice Country Coach Affinity that was used. We had lots of repair issues the first couple of years mostly due to PO neglect. The Count Coach factory in Oregon was a tremendous resource for us and helped with problems. We also had many repair places who did poor work. But some did super jobs. Now our coach is 15 years old and has few problems mostly due to use and wear. Country Coach is now owned by Winnebego BTW and they have improved service at the old factory in Oregon.

Yes stuff goes wrong. Typical was out last cross country trip where a switch went out on the back slide. I stopped at HWH in Moscow IA who made the slide unit and they fixed me up at little cost in two hours. Then I drove two fast in a howling wind and had the left side windshield unseat a litttle. A very nice guy in Havre MT fixed it in ten minutes for free. Then a week later my fresh water pump went out which I had expected and had a spare on board which I put in in Ennis MT. Our CC is solidly built and I just don’t let things bug me. I had almost zero issues with the 5 or 6 rental coaches I took for pretty long trips. One of the six handled terrible but the others were easy to drive. The big CC is really the hardest to drive but I am used to it and I don’ Drive in 65mph winds any more.

Learn to do your own homework and make sure THE coach you buy is made well AND drives well BEFORE you buy it. Do NOT rely on a name brand. You need to make sure the one you are getting is good. RV’s are made in small batches as low as one and not anything like cars.

We have several Fleetwoods in our Rv club and one of my best friends drives an old blunder from 2003 with 135000 miles on it. He drove on a ten thousand mile trip last year with no breakdowns. Another member has a Foretravel they bought new in 2005 and has had way more problems than the bounder. That is a brother and sister she owns foretravel and he bounder.

Considering everything I know about manufacturing I think that if you do your homework motorhomes are not unreliable. But they are not cars. So you have to make sure the one you are giving your hard earned money for is a good ONE. Next time try to buy a motorhome you want to keep for a while. After 9 years I am just getting to know my rig.

Happy trails

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by tvp

The quality control of a RV is just one of the many problems with this purchase . Some one once said a RV is just ...Parts On Wheels
.....taking these parts on a moving frame that is built lightly to reduce weight....and send them down the road at sixty miles an hour is a recipe for failure.
Because the RV is built using three different sources , chassis , Ford ,etc.......parts like frig ,stove etc. And then the box maker like Newmar ,Fleetwood etc. Here is where it gets interesting. You pay big dollars for your brand new RV , dealer is all smiles and friendly he made a sale, ......you have a problem with the drive train or chassis.....well you have to take your brand new RV to Ford not back to the RV dealer where you just picked it up .....no they don't want to see you ....it's a Ford issue.....and if you have a quality control issue inside the RV ......well you have to drive the RV back to the manufacturer, and wait two weeks for them to fix it....the dealer will not take it to them, they are still counting your money.....

Best solution is to buy a two year old , well maintained RV that the original owner has already gotten all the bugs out and all the warranty work has been done , lower depreciation, lower costs, less trouble .......

ABSOLUTELY...AGREE 1,000,000,000+%!!! Have done it this way my whole life and have never regretted it! I buy 1-3 year old RV's and cars and boats from Original Owner Private Sellers ONLY!

[tvp]

It's funny .....you buy a $ 500,000 car like a Ferrari and not only does the dealer look after everything but there is a good chance you won't have a problem ......quality control....good parts ....good engineering........A RV ...well not so much, but at the same price.


Wouldn't it be nice if the manufacturer and the dealer were on the same page, use quality parts , good construction, and full service what you sell, no finger pointing, look after the customer first.
It would be nice to be able to go back to the place you just paid $ 500,000 for your RV , hand them the keys and say fix it.....no you have to take it to Ford, or the chassis manufacturer your self as the dealer does not work on the chassis , The AC does not work ....well that could be the chassis guys or the other manufacturer, too much finger pointing, just one source would be great.....fix it and call me when it's done..........ok stop dreaming....that's not going to happen
Lol.

[B Bob]

Whlsdn - I just read your link called RV insight. I do not think this list is complete. Where is Newmar? I have several friends that own Holiday Ramblers but Monaco bought them a few years back. I looked up the RVT web site. Looks like a used motorhome sales site to me.

Back 9 years ago I bought all the books and CD's and looked at all the web sites I could. This web site plus the Open Roads forum are good on line free sources of information. I likely read 3,000 posts on this site alone before buy the Country Coach. I also bought some CD's from an outfit called the RV Consumer Group who published at the time information on individual coaches in great detail. For me it was a valuable source of information.

After all these years of motorhoming I have had friends who owned most different brands. In general a rule of thumb would be to try and get a coach who's factory or factory service is closer to you. Of few of my friends have Tiffin's and all have spent significant time in Red Bay Alabama. Two of my close friends have Holiday Ramblers. The 2003 has a lot less issues than the 2008. But they don't go to the factory. Newmar it seems like is in IA and Winne IA. So if you are close to IA those might be a good choice. Monaco in now IN although they used to be from OR.

If I personally had my coach burn up in a fire and I needed a new one I would look for something before DEF and likely another Country Coach. But I might also look at a Foretravel, Travel Supreme, or a Prevost. If buying new in the mid range I would look most closely at Newmar and Winnebago. Both are in good financial condition and I have been impressed with the way Winnebago took over Country Coach in the service area. I have had very good luck getting service done at the Junction City factory and also from Kevin Waite service in that same area.