rating RVs
This may be in the wrong spot, but hopefully it will end up in the right one. So, we're starting our search. Pretty much thinking 5-er. But, having been to a few mega shows, and reading owner revi...
Forum Discussion
If this is your first FW or TT and think quality issues are exaggerated, just wait until you own one. :( Some owners are more willing to live with issues or can't recognize what's wrong while others can spot every issue that comes up and get them dealt with pdq. Trying to do research to figure out what's good and what's not is not an easy thing to do. Go to an RV show and you'll find they all look basically the same... Learning how to fix things on an RV is a good thing to do.
Then there are often some dumb design things like TVs you can't see from the seating area, nowhere to put a garbage can, closets that aren't deep enough to hang clothes, inadequate lighting, blank panels on cabinets instead of doors, etc.
The vast majority of RV owners do not use RV forums and you will only get a small reporting of the actual problems out there. We spoke to one such TT owner in a CG who had roof leaks from day one. The dealer couldn't fix it (no surprise there) so it got sent to the factory and they only made it worse. He ended up fixing it himself.
FWs and TTs all share the same brands of components like fridges, AC units, entry doors, roof fans, converter/panel, frames, etc. and misc. materials. While there can be issues with these things, it boils down to how well/poorly a factory puts the units together. There is no quality control at the plants and with today's record high demand for RVs, they are slapping them together even faster. Some units like ultralites are built with the thinnest, lightest and least substantial materials to make them lighter and just aren't built to last. Besides the quality of an RV itself, there's also the question of how well a manufacturer stands behind it's warranty, how the dealer handles warranty issues and how well a dealer repairs things (that's *if* they can repair things).
We went through 3 TTs in 3 years and all have had quality issues. One of them got returned under warranty the problems were so bad and it was only the 2nd day of ownership that we discovered the problems. Our current TT has had plenty of issues and still find them after 3 seasons - mostly cabinetry related and electrical but now it looks like we could have water intrusion from under the slide. I could write a book...
With a background in building construction as an engineer, I'm flabbergasted with how poor overall construction quality is. IMO, there's also a lack of regulations on some things, esp. frames. The NEC covers electrical work in detail, but they don't get inspected by a gov't authority and there's nobody to report problems to, unlike in bldg. construction.
If we were to buy another TT, I'd be looking at a Northwoods product like their OutdoorsRV line. They build their own frames in-house, they're one of the few remaining independent manufacturers and they don't use Amish craftspeople.
Then there are often some dumb design things like TVs you can't see from the seating area, nowhere to put a garbage can, closets that aren't deep enough to hang clothes, inadequate lighting, blank panels on cabinets instead of doors, etc.
The vast majority of RV owners do not use RV forums and you will only get a small reporting of the actual problems out there. We spoke to one such TT owner in a CG who had roof leaks from day one. The dealer couldn't fix it (no surprise there) so it got sent to the factory and they only made it worse. He ended up fixing it himself.
FWs and TTs all share the same brands of components like fridges, AC units, entry doors, roof fans, converter/panel, frames, etc. and misc. materials. While there can be issues with these things, it boils down to how well/poorly a factory puts the units together. There is no quality control at the plants and with today's record high demand for RVs, they are slapping them together even faster. Some units like ultralites are built with the thinnest, lightest and least substantial materials to make them lighter and just aren't built to last. Besides the quality of an RV itself, there's also the question of how well a manufacturer stands behind it's warranty, how the dealer handles warranty issues and how well a dealer repairs things (that's *if* they can repair things).
We went through 3 TTs in 3 years and all have had quality issues. One of them got returned under warranty the problems were so bad and it was only the 2nd day of ownership that we discovered the problems. Our current TT has had plenty of issues and still find them after 3 seasons - mostly cabinetry related and electrical but now it looks like we could have water intrusion from under the slide. I could write a book...
With a background in building construction as an engineer, I'm flabbergasted with how poor overall construction quality is. IMO, there's also a lack of regulations on some things, esp. frames. The NEC covers electrical work in detail, but they don't get inspected by a gov't authority and there's nobody to report problems to, unlike in bldg. construction.
If we were to buy another TT, I'd be looking at a Northwoods product like their OutdoorsRV line. They build their own frames in-house, they're one of the few remaining independent manufacturers and they don't use Amish craftspeople.
