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
IMO the cost of building a quality RV is not the issue. It is more the attitude of push it out the door. The customer won't notice, at least not at first.
It does not take a lot of sense to realize that if you drill a hole through the side of a camper to pull electrical wires, there is likely to be an issue later on. Sooner or later the cheap plastic cover is going to crack or leak. It does not take more than a few pennies to chalk the hole or better yet use a cheap rubber gasket. It does not take a lot of sense to realize that pressboard is a horrible material for use on an RV. It is heavy, does not hold screws well and does not handle the vibrations. It only takes a few dollars more to use decent waterproof plywood. Even a cheap underlayment plywood would be better than what we get in many units. Do they really need to hang the smoke detector 2' from the kitchen stove? It is battery operated and could easily go elsewhere. In my supposedly quality unit, they put the furnace thermostat on the wall beside the stove top, a foot above and 6" away from the nearest burner. Come on. This is not a matter of money, just idiocy or a lack of concern. Is there a cost reason or any reason to use the same key to open the storage cabinets on almost every RV every built? Why even bother with a lock? How much more would it cost to use a rear drawer support made of metal instead of one of the three styles of plastic supports in common use? Do the manufacturers really need to go out of their way to find a stove exhaust fan that sounds like a plane getting ready for takeoff. Certainly there are low cost fans that are quiet. I know I found a replacement for $12 after a lot of searching. Thousand of dollars of materials, parts and labor go into construction of an RV. An extra $100 would handle a great many of the quality issues.
It does not take a lot of sense to realize that if you drill a hole through the side of a camper to pull electrical wires, there is likely to be an issue later on. Sooner or later the cheap plastic cover is going to crack or leak. It does not take more than a few pennies to chalk the hole or better yet use a cheap rubber gasket. It does not take a lot of sense to realize that pressboard is a horrible material for use on an RV. It is heavy, does not hold screws well and does not handle the vibrations. It only takes a few dollars more to use decent waterproof plywood. Even a cheap underlayment plywood would be better than what we get in many units. Do they really need to hang the smoke detector 2' from the kitchen stove? It is battery operated and could easily go elsewhere. In my supposedly quality unit, they put the furnace thermostat on the wall beside the stove top, a foot above and 6" away from the nearest burner. Come on. This is not a matter of money, just idiocy or a lack of concern. Is there a cost reason or any reason to use the same key to open the storage cabinets on almost every RV every built? Why even bother with a lock? How much more would it cost to use a rear drawer support made of metal instead of one of the three styles of plastic supports in common use? Do the manufacturers really need to go out of their way to find a stove exhaust fan that sounds like a plane getting ready for takeoff. Certainly there are low cost fans that are quiet. I know I found a replacement for $12 after a lot of searching. Thousand of dollars of materials, parts and labor go into construction of an RV. An extra $100 would handle a great many of the quality issues.
