Quality getting any better?
Question all this is open question to 5 th wheel owners from what I have read it seems that 5 th wheel workmanship is getting worse not better .I do not mean poor work-workmanship at the dealer level...
Forum Discussion
Quality seems to be an option in the RV manufacturing world. I truly believe that they have NO CLUE when it comes to Quality. It’s all about quantity, cutting corners wherever they can and get as high a price for their product as they can. I believe with almost all RV Manufacturers there is NO QUALTY PROCESS INCORPORATED INTO THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. I don’t think they have a Quality Dept like we had at Ingersoll Rand, Hercules or Continental Automotive, where I have almost 44 years in the manufacturing industry as an Engineer, a Machining Supervisor and a Production Supervisor. I’ve never seen such lackluster manufacturing processes, with no quality processes in place. If a mistake is made, I believe it’s covered up. I really don’t believe these manufacturers have REAL ENGINEERS IN THE MANUFACTURING OR QUALITY DEPARTMENTS.. I’ve not seen it. Workers need to be trained in 5S, lean manufacturing, etc and Manufacturers need to hire actual quality and manufacturing engineers.
Some say the dealer makes it right?!! I drive on a lot, buy a brand new truck or car, I don’t expect it to be in and out of the shop RIGHT OFF THE BAT!! And think I feel good about it because the dealer is working with me!!??. Most RV manufacturers don’t understand the concept of doing it right the first time. It’s pathetic how much money we spend on RV’s and spend downtime getting them repaired as a brand new unit.
I believe most manufacturers just don’t care, build them quickly, send them out the door, defects and all and put the responsibility on the dealer... AND, the manufacturer IS SO STUPID, that they’ll repair and repair during the warranty period, but never learn from their mistakes! They have no real quality steps and checks built into the manufacturing process. I don’t know that they ever will. I’d love to talk with “so called” Quality and production departments and try to understand why they know little to nothing about THOSE processes. Makes me mad to think about it. Quality without Compromise was Continentals Quality statement.. I believe the quality statement from most RV manufacturers is, “huh?” , or, “what’s that?”.
Jim
Some say the dealer makes it right?!! I drive on a lot, buy a brand new truck or car, I don’t expect it to be in and out of the shop RIGHT OFF THE BAT!! And think I feel good about it because the dealer is working with me!!??. Most RV manufacturers don’t understand the concept of doing it right the first time. It’s pathetic how much money we spend on RV’s and spend downtime getting them repaired as a brand new unit.
I believe most manufacturers just don’t care, build them quickly, send them out the door, defects and all and put the responsibility on the dealer... AND, the manufacturer IS SO STUPID, that they’ll repair and repair during the warranty period, but never learn from their mistakes! They have no real quality steps and checks built into the manufacturing process. I don’t know that they ever will. I’d love to talk with “so called” Quality and production departments and try to understand why they know little to nothing about THOSE processes. Makes me mad to think about it. Quality without Compromise was Continentals Quality statement.. I believe the quality statement from most RV manufacturers is, “huh?” , or, “what’s that?”.
Jim
