Travel trailer warranties
So, in the fall of 2018, we bought a new Grand Design Imagine 2600 RL, in Grande Prairie Alberta, hauled it 15 hours home to Princeton BC, and parked it for the winter in the pole barn, for six months. Warranty ticking away here.....next spring, dug it out, back to Grande Prairie, another 15 hours, found the trailer odd looking on one side, pulled into the dealer we bought from, could find nothing wrong other than a distinct lean to the passenger side.
Pulled it back home, and shortly thereafter, a trip to Williams lake, 6 hours away. Then 6 hours home, got under the trailer, discovered flattened springs, 57 hours total travel time, till a suspension failure.
Called Grand Design, they urged me to call Dexter, as Dexter made the springs, did so....they asked me to ship the springs to them, wherever they are in the states, wouldn't warrant them otherwise.
By now, I'm past the one year warranty period Dexter has on their springs and axles, so Grand Design steps up and ships me new springs and hardware, keep in mind they warrant the trailer for three years, BUT ONLY THE TRAILER, not the running gear, which by the way has 3500 lb axles under a 30 foot trailer.
So, in go the new springs, under the pole barn for another winter, no mileage put on, till this spring, when I load up a full tank of water, groceries and head out to a spot about a hundred miles from here.
Within 30 miles, I notice a bent rear axle, sure as ****, it is bent. Get home, call Grand Design, they politely tell me I'm out of luck, too far from the warranty and they'll do nothing, they suggest I call Dexter and I explain that I'm not about to go through that exercise again.
So....monday its off to a real axle and spring shop, 6000lb axles and a dexter ez flex system, new wheels and tires, considerable expense on what is a new trailer with no miles on it.
My post isn't to slag Grand Design, they have been helpful, it's to hilite the **** warranty program RV's fall under. When you buy a new car, all the suppliers for that car fall under the car builders warranty, in the rv business, I'm forced to deal with dexter, dometic, furrion, and everybody else who supplies parts separately from the trailer manufacturer, who has a three year warranty on the shell and interior. This system is garbage, really screws the owners who have legitimate issues by allowing the manufacturer an out when something isn't designed the way it should be.
I understand that bent axles now are more common than uncommon, regardless of the maker, and we get screwed by having our units sit over the winter with the warranty clock ticking away, seems to me that if a trailer has a three year warranty, it should be for the entire unit. Opinions?
Pulled it back home, and shortly thereafter, a trip to Williams lake, 6 hours away. Then 6 hours home, got under the trailer, discovered flattened springs, 57 hours total travel time, till a suspension failure.
Called Grand Design, they urged me to call Dexter, as Dexter made the springs, did so....they asked me to ship the springs to them, wherever they are in the states, wouldn't warrant them otherwise.
By now, I'm past the one year warranty period Dexter has on their springs and axles, so Grand Design steps up and ships me new springs and hardware, keep in mind they warrant the trailer for three years, BUT ONLY THE TRAILER, not the running gear, which by the way has 3500 lb axles under a 30 foot trailer.
So, in go the new springs, under the pole barn for another winter, no mileage put on, till this spring, when I load up a full tank of water, groceries and head out to a spot about a hundred miles from here.
Within 30 miles, I notice a bent rear axle, sure as ****, it is bent. Get home, call Grand Design, they politely tell me I'm out of luck, too far from the warranty and they'll do nothing, they suggest I call Dexter and I explain that I'm not about to go through that exercise again.
So....monday its off to a real axle and spring shop, 6000lb axles and a dexter ez flex system, new wheels and tires, considerable expense on what is a new trailer with no miles on it.
My post isn't to slag Grand Design, they have been helpful, it's to hilite the **** warranty program RV's fall under. When you buy a new car, all the suppliers for that car fall under the car builders warranty, in the rv business, I'm forced to deal with dexter, dometic, furrion, and everybody else who supplies parts separately from the trailer manufacturer, who has a three year warranty on the shell and interior. This system is garbage, really screws the owners who have legitimate issues by allowing the manufacturer an out when something isn't designed the way it should be.
I understand that bent axles now are more common than uncommon, regardless of the maker, and we get screwed by having our units sit over the winter with the warranty clock ticking away, seems to me that if a trailer has a three year warranty, it should be for the entire unit. Opinions?
