Forum Discussion

Buzzcut's avatar
Buzzcut
Explorer
Mar 19, 2019

Coachmen Trailer rims warning

Just a heads up to those who own a Coachmen travel trailer or who may be purchasing one in the future. We have a 2016 321 Freedom Express Liberty with only a limited amount of trips. I take pride in keeping it very clean and immaculate however the finish on the aluminum rims are starting to deteriorate after only two years. It’s a disgrace that I had to take the Chinese bomb tires off after only a year but now these rims will need to be replaced as well. The manufacturer , Lionshead tire and wheel, were absolutely no help whatsoever and stated that I should not waxed them once the finish started to deteriorate.
I’m just holding my breath wondering what’s gonna need replacing next.??

10 Replies

  • Ride_S40T's avatar
    Ride_S40T
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2019
    trail-explorer wrote:
    Buzzcut wrote:
    Sorry fellows, but if Coachmen uses these inferior rims on their Rv’s that they sell then it is part of their problem, IMHO.


    No, it's not Coachmen's problem. Just like if your refrigerator dies, it's a NORCOLD / DOMETIC issue, not a Coachmen problem.
    If your Axle implodes, same story - it's not a Coachmen problem, it's a DEXTER / LCI / other axle manufacturer problem.

    The RV manufacturer doesn't warranty those items, hence it's "not their issue to fix"


    This whole repair business for RVs blows my mind. If my Bosch ECU goes out on my truck, GM fixes it, not Bosch. Same with parts made in china on my Harley, those companies don't repair them, Harley does.

    IMO, if you stick your name on a product then you should stand behind everything in it. RV dealers save a lot of $$ by shuffling customers off to the manufacturer of a given part and around the mulberry bush everyone goes as they point fingers going in circles. No integrity in those companies who do this.
  • trail-explorer's avatar
    trail-explorer
    Explorer
    Mar 20, 2019
    Buzzcut wrote:
    Sorry fellows, but if Coachmen uses these inferior rims on their Rv’s that they sell then it is part of their problem, IMHO.


    No, it's not Coachmen's problem. Just like if your refrigerator dies, it's a NORCOLD / DOMETIC issue, not a Coachmen problem.
    If your Axle implodes, same story - it's not a Coachmen problem, it's a DEXTER / LCI / other axle manufacturer problem.

    The RV manufacturer doesn't warranty those items, hence it's "not their issue to fix"
  • Buzzcut's avatar
    Buzzcut
    Explorer
    Mar 20, 2019
    Sorry fellows, but if Coachmen uses these inferior rims on their Rv’s that they sell then it is part of their problem, IMHO.
  • trail-explorer's avatar
    trail-explorer
    Explorer
    Mar 20, 2019
    Thread title should be about Lionshead wheels, not Coachmen RV.

    Lionshead supplies wheels to a lot of RV manufacturers.

    Any exposure to road de-icer . salt, etc will cause them to look like c-r-a-p a lot faster.

    I ordered some Lionshead wheels from Etrailer.com. 1 was damaged to to poor packaging at Etrailer. THey sent a return shipping label and replaced the wheel.

    I later ordered 2 more, they also had poor packaging resulted in damage. I got irritated at that point and asked to return all of them, then switched my order to Silver mod Dexstar wheels.
  • GrandpaKip's avatar
    GrandpaKip
    Explorer II
    Mar 20, 2019
    That’s not a Coachmen problem. Those rims are found on bunches of campers. Just more cheap stuff from China. I took mine off and replaced them with plain old white Dexstars when I changed tires. Not particularly fancy, but I’m way beyond any desire for bling.
  • SidecarFlip's avatar
    SidecarFlip
    Explorer III
    Mar 20, 2019
    Buzzcut wrote:
    Just a heads up to those who own a Coachmen travel trailer or who may be purchasing one in the future. We have a 2016 321 Freedom Express Liberty with only a limited amount of trips. I take pride in keeping it very clean and immaculate however the finish on the aluminum rims are starting to deteriorate after only two years. It’s a disgrace that I had to take the Chinese bomb tires off after only a year but now these rims will need to be replaced as well. The manufacturer , Lionshead tire and wheel, were absolutely no help whatsoever and stated that I should not waxed them once the finish started to deteriorate.
    I’m just holding my breath wondering what’s gonna need replacing next.??


    Take them off and polish and clearcoat them. A little elbow grease goes a long way.
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Mar 19, 2019
    I bought new aluminum wheels when I changed out the bombs. They have developed corrosion tracks out from the center despite being garaged except when being used and never exposed to salted roads. I suspect that the stainless steel centers are much of the problem with the unlike metals reacting. In the future, I will look for cheap plastic centers and give the wheels an additional shot of clear coat before use.
  • Tyler0215's avatar
    Tyler0215
    Explorer
    Mar 19, 2019
    Your aluminum wheels are oxidizing. Thats normal. Wash and polish with aluminum polish and they will look like new. Don't use wax.
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Mar 19, 2019
    I got 5 yrs out of the China bombs that were on our Freedom Express before one of them unexpectedly split but never had any issues with the rims, look good as new with nothing special done other than the occasional washing.

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