ORV quality issues

[Robin25113]

Just a note for this thread:
I own a 2014 23RKS and have made 4 3000 mile plus trips with the unit. We bought this unit because the wife liked the floor plan and I liked the overall sturdiness of the unit structure.
When new, it did spend 6 weeks at the selling dealer for a couple of minor items. Most of the time was waiting for a part. Both were repaired to my satisfaction and have not been a problem since.
I have updated it several times and fixed some things that were caused by me.
Overall, it continues to be a great trailer. Tows great and doesn't leak. Been trough 2 major thunder storms, camped in 115+ desert heat, and did some temps to 20 degrees.
While I have not used it this season, I continue to wash and wax it every 6 months. I keep it ready for the next time I want to use it. My wife calls it my never ending hobby. Always tinkering and making minor upgrades for our use.
Like any vehicle, it still needs periodic maintenance.

In the 14K+ miles and 5 years we have towed and used it, It has never let us down. We still love it. It works for us.

[Highway 4x4]

That's exactly the way mine is and the way I hope to keep it.

[Larry3570]

Oh boy don’t I wish that my clients were as forgiving as most posters here!
Besides aviation background I now work in a zero-failure environment. Some of that is from online backup systems but if any of our workmanship was as shoddy as what I’ve seen in the current RV industry we’d be out of business in a month. And I include $20,000 jobs too. Just a matter of someone at the top being concerned enough to have a good QC system in place. If most customers say “that’s OK, I can’t expect perfection” well, there will be very little perfection.
BTW my ‘94 Newmar’s construction is vastly, vastly better built than my ‘18 Forest River. Newmar was pricier rig but the FR shouldn’t have been allowed out the factory door. No way will the FR be usable in 25 years as the Newmar still is.

[StageCoachDr]

I saw some where that 1 family in 5 has an RV - that is hefty growth and probably a result of retiring boomers. As a result, all RV dealers seem to be backed up 6 weeks to 3 months. The increased demand has also lowered the average qualty in units coming off the line faster and put a strain on RV storage lots.



We have a new RV and I made a service appointment following our recent 7 week trip before we left for the trip. No problem getting in that way and our punch list was taken care of.



It also helps to have at least one DIY handy person in every RV family.

[Bergerk]

Yes! We bought our 2019 24RKS in March and recently completed our first long trip. Multiple small issues have us wondering if we chose the wrong brand. The large fresh water tank is what attracted us in the first place and reading recommendations here convinced us it was the right choice. Could have bought a much cheaper rig but thought we were paying for higher quality. Lesson learned.

[beaunaro]

I owned a Desert Fox toy hauler for two years.
It was the only RV I ever brought home that I never had to repair or even tweak a single thing.
I feel like I got really lucky that this happened.
It was a really good one.
We just sold it on Friday because we went back to a Motorhome.
We bought a Tiffin and it has a few birth defects.
Nothing serious.
We had a great PDI
and the Tiffin factory service has been awesome.

[09 harley]

People won’t pay for quality so we get what we get. If I built trailers that were top quality that everyone says they want I would probably have to price them 10-15K higher than a direct competitor. No one would buy them because everyone wants top quality and cheap. They don’t go together. The solution is to quit buying this substandard junk. Of course we won’t so we will be complaining for a long time. Personally I do all my own repair because I’m more qualified than the underpaid piece work factory employees. If you own any RV you should be prepared to take it to the dealer on a somewhat regular basis or do it yourself.

[ModestMonk]

If you want fighter jet quality you’ll need to pay Fighter Jet prices: 1.5 million $$$$. If you spend that kind of money maybe you can expect perfection. These assembly line units need to appeal to folks that perceive the value exceeds the cost and allow the manufacturer to make a profit.

[J Oliveira]

Welcome to our world. Many of us are too proud to admit the incredible amount of problems that plague our RVS. Since mid 2018 I have bought 6 cars, pickup trucks and work trucks. I have had a $5 a/c vent tab fall off one car. Thats the entire extent of problems for all 6 vehicles. 5 brand new an 1 a couple years old.

[beaunaro]

I completely agree that the QC at many RV manufacturers is substandard.
Especially on entry level models, but many very expensive, “ top of the line” units are built horribly as well.
We owned a 2014 Keystone Alpine that was a nightmare.
Every time you turned around, something else needed repair.
And the dealer repair network needs to have their ear pinched, (like my Dad did to me as a kid), until they treat customers with the efficiency they deserve.

It would behoove the industry to establish an RV Consumer News and Watchdog website whereby owners could report their shoddy construction issues and their lack of dealer support with a promise that the website operators would report and encourage better quality and service.
Hopefully this media service would go a long way toward informing buyers about which inferior products to avoid, thereby affecting the Manufacture’s sales volume and overall forcing some better QC throughout the industry.
Too many new buyers are uninformed, do little or no research, and/or are unable to do their own repairs, etc.
Something needs to be done.
We have found that most dealer’s techs are a joke compared to factory service techs, and create more problems than they solve, are overworked, and under informed, and underpaid.
Of course there are exceptions and if you have a good dealer, who provides superior service, then great...I apologize.
Too many good, smaller RV builders have been bought up by giant Consolidators like Thor or Forest River and others, and what matters to stockholders is profits and dividends, not QC.
Even newer startups like Grand Designs are now slipping in QC since being grabbed up by Winnebago.
Winnebago itself has fallen prey to using cheaper components and more plastic, and thinner tanks, etc.
It’s not the Winnebago of the early 2000’s anymore.

We researched for months before selecting our latest Tiffin Motorhome and selling dealer.
So far our decision has been a good one.
We’ve been treated with respect, had all our many questions answered, had phone calls promptly returned, got exceptional factory and dealer service, got a good discount when we bought, and overall treated to a well made product by folks who take pride in their work.
Are there Tiffin units with problems?
Certainly.
Does Tiffin care about this and go the extra mike to make things right?
So far we think so.
It’s been refreshing so far.

Just my 2 cents and it’s ok if you disagree. We all learn from other’s opinions.
Thanks for listening

[HDTripod]

Originally Posted by Geargut

I've been in contact with them several times and they have put me on disregard. Their response was to go to the dealer. Dealer here is backed up 6 weeks at least. This is a brand new trailer and shouldn't need to sit at the dealer for 6 weeks in the middle of the camping season. I gotta be real honest, a car manufacturer would fail pretty quick if these kinds of problems crept up on a brand new car. Very disappointed.

I and my friends agree!!!! I belong to a Colorado Quad group that does 10-12 camping trips together thru out Colorado. We have over 100 members in the group and fire side chats every night. The biggest issue is QUALITY of RV's universally. Our conclusions is that if Automobiles and Trucks were manufactured the way RV's are there would be a NATIONAL UPRISING! However, RVer's just except it as they way it has been and will probably always be. Long waits for repairs and extremely high costs will continue unless RV groups and organizations get together to let the manufacturers understand there needs to be major changes on their part. I bet if everyone stopped buying and RV for 1 year it would raise the concern on their part. '
Thanks for letting my get my frustrations out in the open.

[c4h4]

I have a fantasy; all the time, i.e. labor we as owners /purchasers spend fixing the problems, it would be grand to send ORV or the Dealer our invoice. document thoroughly and get compensated. It's so hard to accept that your huge payout for the unit requires more and more time and investment to fix what shouldn't need to be fixed...i know, I know, reality bites...just saying it was a fantasy.

[Highway 4x4]

Maybe trailers could be sold as a kit delivered to your driveway.

[SonnyInPhx]

Originally Posted by Highway 4x4

Maybe trailers could be sold as a kit delivered to your driveway.

They would probably be better built that off the factory floor...The reason, You are not going to build yourself a piece of junk.

The people who build them have no dog in the fight. They probably get a bump in pay for the number of widgets they build per day on top of a base salary/hr. So it is in THEIR best interest to turn out as many items as humanly possible with no thought as to how well they assembled that widget. So they don't care that they missed the widget with 3 of the 5 required attaching devices, or that the staple gun they are using is 15 PSI under-pressure and all the staples are not going below the substrate surface. Their only concern is that if they can get X number of widgets done by the end of the week, they get a $10.00 bump to their check. The RV's (using this term generally to mean ALL types) built during the week don't belong to them so they could care less about how well they turned out. QA doesn't want to get backed up and cause a production slow down, so they will hit the "high spots" in the post production inspection and if a few items are off, hey, if they are out of sight, who cares.

But if you were to build your own, you are not going to cut corners. You would ensure that all the required attaching devices hit the mark, that the staples are going below the surface, or you might even get the more expensive screws to hold the floor down. You DO have a dog in the fight, the RV you are building is yours and you (I would hope) would want to take pride in your creation.

In the end, your Kit Built RV might be a lot more expensive than a factory floor model, but you would know exactly what went into it, and the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get it that way.

Just my 2 cents...Your mileage may vary.

Take care and travel safe!