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Seattle_Lion's avatar
Seattle_Lion
Explorer
Jul 01, 2013

Kodiak 2014 279RBSL Looks like a lemon

My wife and I purchased our first TT about two weeks ago. Since my signature went on the dotted line the problems grow worse. First of all, I have never done any RV'ing; my wife has done some before we met. To assure that we have a good experience, I decided to buy a brand new 2014 TT. We have our first camping trip scheduled to begin this Wednesday. However, things are just not going well:
  • We appeared at the dealer service center on Wednesday 6/26 as agreed, but were told that there was a "small" water leak that needed to be fixed and the dealer would deliver it the next day
  • Thursday rolled around and got a call that the process was taking a bit longer. They would deliver on Friday.
  • The TT arrived on Friday and we received our orientation. We hooked up to a hose on our property using a pressure regulator and filter. All seemed very good.
  • Saturday: we started moving gear into the TT and we were purging the fresh water tank to get out the chlorine. We noticed water coming from the shower. We called the dealer who suggested we try some silicone caulk around the shower. We did this and the leak appeared to be gone. We resumed city water and went to bed.
  • Sunday Morning: The membrane covering the bottom of the TT looked pregnant and water was streaming out of the opening for the low water drain valves. We disconnected city water. There was also water on the floor coming from the shower area.
  • Sunday morning a bit later: We managed to reach the dealer and expressed our frustration and concern. I spoke to the sales manager who seemed more intent on forestalling a law suit than helping me. He did agree to have the TT picked up in the morning.


That's where we are now. We have made substantial deposits to the campground (it is July 4 weekend, after all) and the dog kennel; all non-refundable. My wife says that her family bought many TT's, often used, and never had this much trouble.

As for me, I am very frustrated. At the least, I expected the dealer to find us a substitute we could use on our planned trip. I thought that we could just do an exchange for the same model. The sales manager took great pains to explain that the warranty was between us and the manufacturer (Dutchman, Thor Industries) and not him. In all my years of purchasing vehicles I have never heard that before.

I reminded him that his dealership Fife RV in Fife Washington, owed its customers better treatment. He was completely unwilling to commit to anything beyond taking it in for service.

I don't have any previous experience to compare with this, but I am a very unhappy camper right now. I am concerned that even if they fix the leak, we could get mold below the floor that could prove toxic to us. Since this is the 2nd attempt in less than a week to deal with a water leak, I expected a lot more help from Fife RV in Fife WA.

What is your experience with RV dealers and with TT's like mine? Am I being unreasonable? Do I have some recourse if my vacation has to be cancelled?

(Sorry I got into this whole RV thing)
  • Wishbone51's avatar
    Wishbone51
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    I'm glad that I decided to buy used for my first RV. I heard that new ones have many issues, but didn't really believe it until I started hanging out on this forum.
  • tsetsaf's avatar
    tsetsaf
    Explorer III
    Jul 01, 2013
    While I agree with the first responder here that RV owners need to be able to fix and work on their own rigs I believe this situation is completely different. OP bought a brand spankin new RV that supposedly just passed the dealers PDI only to immediately spring a leak. The suggested fix of using silicone was ill informed and only made your problem worse by forcing the water into the walls down to the floor and out the belly.

    Not sure about the lemon laws in WA but in most states RVs are not covered. OP will need to work with the dealer in a cordial manner to get the issue righted.
  • eabc5454's avatar
    eabc5454
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    Hi:

    I think you should just call Thor. We have had two Thor products and have been very happy with their customer service. Thankfully, we have only had two very minor problems with the new MH, and never had a warranty issue with our TT.

    I'm sorry you're having a miserable experience. I hope they can get it sorted out quickly and you'll be on the road having fun.
  • Fisherman's avatar
    Fisherman
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    The last thing the OP and wife should have to do is take up fixing a brand new RV as a "hobby". There's far too much junk escaping from factories and should be sent back to the factory to be dealt with. it's not a dealer or customer problem. The factory should provide a brand new, "unflooded" model. I would hate to see the mess of mold growing in the first one, regardless of repairs. I would tend to believe if the underbelly looked like a pregnant whale, then there's probably water seepage in between the layers of flooring and into the walls by capillary action. If I was to buy a brand new unused one, the dealer would be doing a full fill and water pressure test along with making sure the holding tanks actually hold it in. For the OP and wife, wish you the best and don't hold back from legal action.
  • DonNH's avatar
    DonNH
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    If a fair amount of water ended up in the bottom of the trailer, I would think the insulation is soaked.
    I would think they would need to remove and replace it to avoid having a bunch of moldy insulation and flooring.

    If so, maybe you could work out something where they strip off the membrane and insulation, fix the cause of the leak, then let you take the trailer for the weekend while the bottom dries out - assuming you don't have to haul it in torrential rains.

    Don
  • chorbelt's avatar
    chorbelt
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    Unfortunately, your story is all too common if you hang around long enough; just look at sushidogs comment about

    "If a small water leak will dissuade you from RVing then this is clearly not the hobby for you, as you will have many other warranty and non-warranty repairs before you are done. Have you ever bought a new car and had a small water leak or other manufacturer defect? This is normal with something this complex."

    You (your wife?) chose RV'ing as a hobby, shouldn't have to take up "Fixing the brand new RV" as hobby as well. Personally, I don't think a box on wheels is particularily "complex", more that the mfr's roll out PoS's with no QC. I know if I just dropped 30K, hell even 10K on something, brand new, the damn thing should not leak.

    About the dealer, yeah, that's common too. You'll hear a lot about dealers who refuse to service something that was bought somewhere else. Never had that problem with Ford. Good luck with Fife RV, FWIW, I friend did buy from them, and he has been happy with their service.
  • JayGee's avatar
    JayGee
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    Sorry you are having trouble. It is unfortunate that so many problems are shipped from the factory with the attitude that the owner and dealer can work it out.

    Talk to the service department in the morning and see when they expect to have it repaired. Hopefully it is something simple and at worst you will only miss the first day of camping. They should give you some priority for your repair. I would then contact the manufacturer tomorrow and let them know your situation. Ask them if they can help you in any way.

    If the leak is repaired and the area allowed to dry pretty quick hopefully there will no mold problem.
  • sushidog's avatar
    sushidog
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    I think you should return it and get your money back, if your dealer is amicable. You are right about not being ready for the RV thing.

    If a small water leak will dissuade you from RVing then this is clearly not the hobby for you, as you will have many other warranty and non-warranty repairs before you are done. Have you ever bought a new car and had a small water leak or other manufacturer defect? This is normal with something this complex.

    Now that the dealer has it, I'm sure that the leak can be fixed and the defective fitting or plumbing replaced. If there was damage caused by the leak, then this should be repaired too. How is this any different from buying a new house and finding a small, easily repaired water leak? Would this discourage you from home ownership? If you decide to keep your camper and your state allows incidental or consequential damages then you have a legal recourse with the RV manufacturer for the campground fees lost (as long as you mitigate the damage by canceling the reservation and getting what you could refunded).

    Remember the dealer didn't build your RV, so did not cause and is not responsible for the leak, only for ensuring it is repaired within a reasonable time (usually within 3 trips to the shop) to avoid having it returned for a replacement under most state's lemon laws.

    I don't mean to sound harsh, as I know you are upset and disappointed, as I would be under a similar situation. However your problem sounds very minor compared to the "bugs" that most people find and have repaired in their new RV. Look forward to more in the near future.

    Chip

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