Forum Discussion

et2's avatar
et2
Explorer
Jul 12, 2016

Come on Fleetwood!

I really wanted to see the new Fleetwood Discovery LXE. So today at lunch time I stopped by our local dealer and looked at a 40G. Just looking from a distance it's gorgeous.

I had read on another forum about how some people claim the latest stuff coming from Fleetwood was getting bad. One complaint was the paint job and the edges being rough in the color transition. Now understand this is a MH MSRP of $310000. I was shocked when I got up close and inspected the paint finish. It was exactly as it was discribed. Very rough at the paint lines, to the point it would snag your finger nail. If I tried hard enough I bet I could have flaked some off it was so bad.

Getting inside there were 5 of the hockey puck overhead lights not seated in the ceiling, they were hanging down about 3/8". The dining table looked like some took sandpaper to to top of it.

We own a 2013 Fleetwood Expedition and the paint job is considerably better. If I were really looking today, I probably would have crossed Fleetwood off my list based on what I saw and have been reading about them. Hopefully they get their act together.
  • We gave up on a move from our fifth wheel to a motorhome after looking last summer , I could go on about each one we looked at but every coach we looked at from upper end gas to entry level diesels had poor quality issues, a few of the things were under powered diesels ,moldings on the floor as you enter the coach that had fallen from the slides, check engine light on during test drive, bad graphics and pain, broken furniture and interior doors, lights that did not work, broken appliances and some really bad floor plans which would be a personal choice but I don't want to sit sideways to watch TV, We Just could not see spending that much money on units that were broken and falling apart on the dealers lots, I have to say I don't think it is just a Fleetwood problem, we looked at Tiffin, Winnebago, Thor products and a few others, We did learn that the higher end units are better and may try again on something higher end a few years older which is what many motorhome owning members here advised back then. It is a shame because I know I would be willing to spend a little more for a quality built unit
  • The sad thing is as mentioned by others, the dealer had this sitting out front as a display to be seen. It just floors me that even they think these things don't matter to people. It doesn't say much for them personally. As I said I, if in the buying mode - I would look to other manufactures.
  • Effy wrote:
    . The whole RV game isn't about the product. It's about the profit. Make em fast and sell em. And no one, from the consumer to the government is making them do anything different.


    I think you mean 'they make em fast and CHEAP and sell em.'

    This is pretty much the whole story. As long as we keep buying junk, they'll keep building junk.

    Yes, it is the dealer sending the junky unit to RV shows. I would think the manufacturer would send a rep to large shows to check on the display. I'm guessing they do not, apparently they are not concerned about their image.

    And yes, I realize importing large RV's is cost prohibitive.
    I just feel better whining about it.. :)
  • "Maybe it will take imported RV's to get our industry back on track?"

    Not likely to happen with such a low volume product and duties would probably be prohibitive.
  • Effy's avatar
    Effy
    Explorer II
    gbopp wrote:
    The really sad thing is, Fleetwood will send a unit like that, to a major RV show like HERSHEY and put it on display without fixing the obvious problems.

    I noticed that the last time we went to the Hershey show. And, it was not just Fleetwood.

    It makes you wonder, if they will display something with glaring quality issues, what did they miss or screw up that you can't see?

    We have a 96 Southwind and I"m happy with the quality. The newer ones we are looking at, not so much.

    Maybe it will take imported RV's to get our industry back on track?
    Similar to the quality Japanese cars that got the attention of the American public, and eventually Detroit. ;)


    It's not Fleetwood sending them to the show per se. It's the dealer. But to your point, now Fleetwood AND the dealer have sent a slipshod unit to a show. So it goes beyond manufacturer quality, it's dealer apathy as well. But they don't have to care. Cuz someone will buy it. It doesn't stop there. Usually I find I know much more about their product than they do. The whole RV game isn't about the product. It's about the profit. Make em fast and sell em. And no one, from the consumer to the government is making them do anything different.
  • The really sad thing is, Fleetwood will send a unit like that, to a major RV show like HERSHEY and put it on display without fixing the obvious problems.

    I noticed that the last time we went to the Hershey show. And, it was not just Fleetwood.

    It makes you wonder, if they will display something with glaring quality issues, what did they miss or screw up that you can't see?

    We have a 96 Southwind and I"m happy with the quality. The newer ones we are looking at, not so much.

    Maybe it will take imported RV's to get our industry back on track?
    Similar to the quality Japanese cars that got the attention of the American public, and eventually Detroit. ;)
  • The Fleetwood today is not the same Fleetwood from 2008 and back, its a whole new company after BK in 2009, the new company just bought the name and the equipment and moved the headquarters from California to Indiana.