Forum Discussion

thirtydaZe's avatar
Sep 17, 2015

New FW, Problems adding Up

I'm generally not one to complain much but let me lay this out for you.

Our first camper, about 8 years ago, we bought used, no problems.
Our 2nd camper, a Cherokee, bought new that next year, no problems.
Our 3rd camper, the Pilot pictured in my sig, bedroom windows leaked, needed replaced, fridge face kept sliding off, and really that was about it.

Our 4th camper, our 1st FW, about 6 weeks old, we used it 12 days on vacation.

*the night we brought it home, discovered shower floor was cracked when cleaning it.
*slam latch pulls open when locked.
*nick out of laminate floor from slide our first night out.
*closed wall separated from closet across the length of the camper.
*basement floor was nailed into sheet metal, lifting up, separating from frame.
*piece of aluminum skirt has come unglued from fiberglass in 2 areas.
*the ceiling has 3 nail pops in the living room.

the camper goes in next week for ceiling fan replacement, not sure the issue, but was discovered prior to our walk through. also the dealer has been made aware of said issues.

i realize most of this is cosmetic, but i can't see how they are replacing the shower without disassembling the entire camper.

i know it's said that new campers have their issues, but this is really starting to add up now, are we approaching the lemon stage?
  • Sorry to hear about this as your rig is part of Forest River! We had neighbours that bought a new Columbus fiver which is also built by the palomino division which was plagued by half-azzed workmanship that seems to be a common problem in that division and I can only hope that this isn't a plan by warren buffet to cheap up the company and run forest River into the dirt just to maximise profits! I would suggest you bypass the dealer, document everything in detail with pictures and head to forest River directly so they can answer to their lousy quality!

    Red Green:
    As you get older, you realize you can't always get what you want,
    but if you try sometimes, you can get yet another financial setback.
  • These quality, or lack thereof, posts are far too common. You get a closer idea of why if you look online at video from RV asembly lines. Quality, pride and craftsmanship have been replaced by speed of asembly. How can tis be profitable with so much warranty work? Maybed the industry should slow down and focus on quality. Just a crqazey thought from an old school RV guy. On the other hand if we keep buying this stuff why should they? Sorry for your problems. Let us know how they are resolved please.