RV manufacturers, I am calling you out
I purchased a travel trailer 6 years ago. I am going to say something many of you out there already know: something I know will be controversial, and is seldom said. These RVs are stinking piles of ...
Forum Discussion
I am absolutely amazed at the number of posters who seem to be sticking up for the current level of RV construction quality. I guess some people just want to believe that they bought wisely. Maybe we each do as well as possible when buying but it seems very clear that the level of engineering, design, and the quality of parts are marginal at best. Most RVs seem to die at an early age due to leaks and other similar issues. Eventually so many things go wrong that repairs are just not worth it.
To be at least a little fair to the manufacturers part of the issue is beyond their control. The parts they have are often really bad. I will restrain myself. I have long stories about countless junk and poorly designed parts.
Moving on to the actual RV design and quality, I spent a great deal of time researching manufacturers and consulted with people who had been in the field for years. I think I picked one of the better manufacturers. Even so some of the design issues have been hard to believe. Some of the 12v electrical wiring is grossly undersized. I talked with the manufacturer about this and found that they had no idea about what is needed. You would think an RV manufacturer would understand that 12v wires have to be much thicker than 120v wires for the same wattage. My RV has very little counter top space. A single sheet of marine plywood would make countertops for at least a half dozen units. Instead they used cheap fiberboard that is heavy and is also not waterproof. To make it even worse, they beveled the laminate exposing the substrate along the entire edge of the countertop. As soon as water hit it, it started to swell and delaminate. Should I mention installing an external electrical connection box upside down? Water seeped in and soaked the surrounding wood. Eventually the whole bottom right rear corner of the camper rotted away. It took me days to fix that problem and I had to do a very good repair job in order to support the camper jack on that corner. I had another close call with a running light. What a stupid design!! Behind each running light is a 3/8" hole entirely through the camper. This was for the electrical wiring, but the holes were not sealed. There are a dozen running lights. If any one of them leaks or develops a crack, the wood behind the camper is going to rot out. These sorts of leaks are not easy to see until it is too late and there are major repairs needed.
Current RV construction seems to be of about the same quality as the junker American made cars in the 1960s. The whole industry needs some serious competition from outside the US.
To be at least a little fair to the manufacturers part of the issue is beyond their control. The parts they have are often really bad. I will restrain myself. I have long stories about countless junk and poorly designed parts.
Moving on to the actual RV design and quality, I spent a great deal of time researching manufacturers and consulted with people who had been in the field for years. I think I picked one of the better manufacturers. Even so some of the design issues have been hard to believe. Some of the 12v electrical wiring is grossly undersized. I talked with the manufacturer about this and found that they had no idea about what is needed. You would think an RV manufacturer would understand that 12v wires have to be much thicker than 120v wires for the same wattage. My RV has very little counter top space. A single sheet of marine plywood would make countertops for at least a half dozen units. Instead they used cheap fiberboard that is heavy and is also not waterproof. To make it even worse, they beveled the laminate exposing the substrate along the entire edge of the countertop. As soon as water hit it, it started to swell and delaminate. Should I mention installing an external electrical connection box upside down? Water seeped in and soaked the surrounding wood. Eventually the whole bottom right rear corner of the camper rotted away. It took me days to fix that problem and I had to do a very good repair job in order to support the camper jack on that corner. I had another close call with a running light. What a stupid design!! Behind each running light is a 3/8" hole entirely through the camper. This was for the electrical wiring, but the holes were not sealed. There are a dozen running lights. If any one of them leaks or develops a crack, the wood behind the camper is going to rot out. These sorts of leaks are not easy to see until it is too late and there are major repairs needed.
Current RV construction seems to be of about the same quality as the junker American made cars in the 1960s. The whole industry needs some serious competition from outside the US.
