Grand Design Quality

As a GD owner, I'd have to agree with the generic assessment that their quality is a step above many (or most) other manufacturers at a similar price point. This would apply to rig construction itself more than the "systems" within it. The AC unit, fridge, furnace, water heater, stove, pump, etc. are the same as can be found in many other RV's. But the trailer itself has a little better quality finish on the interior, ours has Dexter axles (LCI frame) and good fit/finish throughout.

What they really claim is superior customer service when compared to other manufacturers. Time will tell, but so far I've been pleased. We've had a few very minor issues with ours that we took care of ourselves with minimal effort, but the one thing you can't "repair" is the control board on your water heater. Last trip out, our water heater failed to work. We called GD and they quickly sent us a new control board, claiming that this was the cause of 99% of failures. It took one minute to replace and we're back in business.

Stroll over to the GD Owner's forum and read some of the threads in General Discussion. They have issues just the same as many other campers, but owners appear to be very satisfied.

ajacobs1112 wrote:
HI all, I have a large fifth wheel looking at a smaller Grand Design Reflection fiver. I don't want controversy over this question, but rather looking for those who own or have owned GD products to see if the quality of product as well as service are what I have heard them to be which is outstanding compared to other companies. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Allen

I won't try and compare it to others which I have never owned. Our Reflection is our second fifth wheel, the first being a Glendale Titanium which is no longer in business. Ours was built in their earlier years when GD was only building 5th wheels and the model range wasn't very big. We were impressed with the assembly quality at the time, the fit and finish seemed a notch above but the materials used were standard for the price range. What really sold us at the time was the layout which has been extensively copied by other manufacturers. The only real criticism I had with our particular model was the 15 inch wheels which are marginal IMO, after coming from a 5er that was 2k lighter and had 16's. I haven't heard of a lot of issues with the 15 inch wheels but I switched to 16 inch wheels and E rated tires. I also uprated the springs. We are on our second set of ST's. We had to prematurely replace the first set because of wear due to a bent axle caused by hitting a nasty pot hole on the I5. No other tire problems.

As far as problems go, some of the decals on the front cap are fading and cracking at the top where they meet the roof. I called GD and they sent me a new set which I haven't installed yet and they will probably do the same thing. Still, not bad considering it had been out of warranty for over three years. Only real problems were leaking grease seals on the Lippert axles and the Atwood furnace. The axles were just out of warranty but after some wrangling, Lippert sent me new hubs, bake assemblies and bearings but wouldn't cover the labour. This was a chronic problem and I understand GD has since gone to Dexter axles. After being in and out several times without solving the furnace problem, Atwood eventually gave us a new furnace which has been trouble free. This was all done on warranty. According to a tech who has dealt with a bunch of them, they had a run where the sail switches were too small.

We have had our 303 for almost five years now and are still happy with it.

Grand Design Owners Forum

We purchased a 2018 GD Reflection 303RLS last May and have been camping several times with it. There is no longer problems with wheel bearing grease getting on the brake drums. The oven/stove in my 2018 is new for this year - not the same oven as previous years - it's very nice and not the el-cheapo one like I had in my Coleman. I has a porcelain toilet, LED lighting with motion activated sensors in the bathroom and pantry. It has auto leveling and black tank flush built in. It has a huge basement where I can haul everything I used to put in my truck bed - yes , that includes 42 gallon Thetford portable tank and my huge RTIC cooler, chairs, table, ladder - the list goes on. It is a rear living plan with an island, and opposing slides, a big screen TV with opposite theater seating that recline and have heat and massage. The heat register in the main living space is in the side of the island - no more dirt and sand traps. The refrigerator shelves have holding brackets that keep your food from rolling around. The cabinet doors shut securely and stay shut during travel. We do not use all of the available storage - and we are by no means minimalists! When I'm ready to go, the leveling system retracts and puts the king pin in the exact position when unhooked - so when it's done, I lower my tailgate and hitch right up, no up and down to get the height correct.

I'm a hard one to impress, but I am thoroughly impressed with the materials used and it's fit and finish. I went in it on Saturday after being closed up for a few months, and it still smells brand new inside. I've never been a fan of electric fireplaces, but this isn't just a decoration - it really heats the place up.

I bought from General RV in Orange Park Fl and had a very nice sales experience. So far, no service issues, but I have dealt with the service department for other things.

Of course, people will say that they are all junk, or I just got lucky. All I can say is that I really enjoy using it, and it hasn't let me down.

My advice is to go and see them. Take a tour, they will hook up a battery pack and demonstrate the options. I had a great salesman - will give you his name if you like.

On Edit - go to the Upcoming RV show at the Jacksonville Equestrian center - if you live in the vicinity. I compared to other units at the show and several dealerships and non came close - IMO of course.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

The 2019 Reflections are now using 6K Dexter axles and 16" tires on all models per an answer to my factory inquiry.

We have a 2016 GD Reflection 303rls 5th wheel. We are extremely pleased with it. It heats and cools a lot easier than our last 5th a Keystone Outback. Has less air leakage too. We have had to replace the grease seals on the wheels and propane regulator. If I had to do it all over I'd buy the very same unit.

I've been doing a lot of research over the past year, and have looked at a lot of different higher end 5er's. Im convinced Grand Design is a cut above.

Yesterday I went to two dealers. One who carries Grand Design, amongst others, and the other dealer carries Forest River Cardinals, and Cedar Creek, amongst others.

After about 3 hours going through both dealers, me, and a friend I was with both walked away with the belief that GD was head and shoulders above Cardinals/Cedar Creeks. The Solitudes are awesome, and the Reflections, I believe, are very very nice as well. I would take a Reflection easily over FR Cardinal's or Cedar Creeks.

Mike

You have all been sipping the GD Koolaid they are Not Bad 5er's at all but to say that are a cut above any other brand in their class ..that is Crazy talk I have good friends with Solitudes and they are no better(or worse) or more well built than Any Cardinal or Cedar Creek Or Montana Etc.... You did not look close enough or did not know what to look for,I have been a full timer for 8 years now and seen and been in all of them and they are pretty much all the same in quality etc.. GD has gotten better since Winnebago bought them but in the early years (2012 or so ) they cheaped out on ALOT of things compared to the competition BUT again they are not bad 5er's and would consider buying one

Walaby wrote:
I've been doing a lot of research over the past year, and have looked at a lot of different higher end 5er's. Im convinced Grand Design is a cut above.

Yesterday I went to two dealers. One who carries Grand Design, amongst others, and the other dealer carries Forest River Cardinals, and Cedar Creek, amongst others.

After about 3 hours going through both dealers, me, and a friend I was with both walked away with the belief that GD was head and shoulders above Cardinals/Cedar Creeks. The Solitudes are awesome, and the Reflections, I believe, are very very nice as well. I would take a Reflection easily over FR Cardinal's or Cedar Creeks.

Mike

topjimmy wrote:
You have all been sipping the GD Koolaid they are Not Bad 5er's at all but to say that are a cut above any other brand in their class ..that is Crazy talk

Exactly.

Stroll over to the GD Owner's forum and read some of the threads in General Discussion.

Best advice in this thread - there, you'll be talking to actual GD owners - not friends of GD owners.

Ralph Cramden wrote:

topjimmy wrote:
You have all been sipping the GD Koolaid they are Not Bad 5er's at all but to say that are a cut above any other brand in their class ..that is Crazy talk

Exactly.

Having also spent time in many different brands of RVs, I will adamantly maintain that GD is a cut above others at similar price points. I can't say that they're better than models well above their price point, but apples to apples comparisons on size, features, and price, I'd pick the GD every time. We looked at a very similar Jayco unit (which is a close front runner) and immediately saw the quality difference.

To show that I'm not biased, we came out of a 2005 Forest River Wildcat that we loved. Our reason for changing was because that Wildcat was starting to show its age and our family needed a third bunk. But it was a more robustly constructed unit that was quieter on the inside and more efficient (in terms of cooling and heating). It had more storage and towed real nice. We seriously looked at Wildcats when we were upgrading, but they didn't have a floor plan that suited us.