On June 21, 2014 we purchased a 2015 Coachmen Chaparral Signature 343 RLTS. It is beautiful but in the 30 days that we have owned it, we have found numerous issues. Kitchen faucet spewed water everywhere, shower leaked into the floor, both sets of landing gear broke when we brought it home and parked it. There is a small hole in the corner of the main slide at the floor when slid in. The worst thing is after bringing it home yesterday from the dealer(repairs), driving in rain, when we got home and slid out, we had water inside on the floors and the slide carpet was wet. I am sick about the money we spent on this rv and the problems we have already encountered. Has anyone else experienced this many problems in a new rv??

I've been looking a lot at a new fifth wheel and hate when I hear stories like yours. My 2006 Cardinal has been pretty much trouble free but I like all the new options you can get now on the new ones. Wonder how much you have to spend to get a quality fifth wheel, I know they all could have small issues but some problems people have are ridiculous!

I would contact forest river (coachmen's parent company) directly. Ask them to take it back to the factory for repairs. I would not mess around with this any more. You might even ask them to make it right by giving you a new rig altogether. Tell them you are concerned about mold in this trailer from the water intrusion. Remember you will catch more flies with honey when you talk to the manufacturer so be nice but firm on the subject. Also come on over to the Forest river forums

anaro wrote:I would contact forest river (coachmen's parent company) directly. Ask them to take it back to the factory for repairs. I would not mess around with this any more. You might even ask them to make it right by giving you a new rig altogether. Tell them you are concerned about mold in this trailer from the water intrusion. Remember you will catch more flies with honey when you talk to the manufacturer so be nice but firm on the subject.Excellent advice and the dealership should be involved too. Dealers buy product lines exclusively and their reputation is on the line too. I'm so sorry to hear that you are having this problem. To be so excited at a big puchase then to encounter these type of problems is very frustrating.

We traded in a 2002 Dutchmen classic that had water issues as well, but it was 12 years old. I'm ready to take it back!!

Will be talking to our dealer and Forest River today. Will update as to what they tell me.

New Fifth Wheel | Good Sam Community

ReneeG
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
WeBeFulltimers wrote:
Have been full timing for 3 years in our Montana and have not had a single problem!

There are quality products out there. Same for our Bighorn, except for a cabinet hinge.
WeBeFulltimers
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
Have been full timing for 3 years in our Montana and have not had a single problem!
RickandLou
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
You are right. It is just so frustrating to spend that much money on an inferior product and I am a very proactive person---hard to take my hands off!! I am just going to have faith that the dealership will do their part.
shadows4
Explorer III
Jul 25, 2014
While I feel your pain, I think you need to give the selling dealer a chance to fix this. Then if they are not able maybe see if you could take it back to the factory to have them go over it. Is this a pain? You bet it is, but you have to go through the proper channels. I know you may want to scream and yell, maybe do bodily harm to someone but try to resist. You will get better results by being nice. IMHO. Good luck, and if that fails, then get mean. Please keep us informed.
1oldtruck
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
Camping world of Tampa removed the slide out of our Coachman Apex to remove the screws that had been broken off during assembly and caused it to leak profusely. The slide works great after the new screws were installed.
ReneeG
Explorer
Jul 24, 2014
Our local news has a consumer hotline and they air stories like this and get resolution. Also, Good Sam Highways magazine has a consumer hotline you can write in and they will help you with consumer issues like this. This may be too big for them to handle but the exposure would help, if you don't get satisfaction.
RickandLou
Explorer
Jul 24, 2014
Basically,no. Not in Ohio anyway. Only if you purchase a motor home & then, only the motorized portion. We're stuck.
ReneeG
Explorer
Jul 24, 2014
Is there a lemon law for RV's?
RickandLou
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
The saga continues--today our dealer, who has possession of our rv, attempted to fix the slide problem. They did what Coachmen told them to do which was to drop the wiper seal one inch. It did not fix the problem. So now Coachmen is overnighting new and improved seals which are supposed to fix the problem. Why didn't they just use these in the first place?? Our dealer also told us they just wanted to put silicone over two holes that are in the vertical seal put there by improperly installed screws. My husband said no--we're not going to just start patching a brand new rv. Dealer said they would have to remove slide to fix this seal. This worries me a little bit--has anyone else had their slide removed and was it put back satisfactorily?? I also e-mailed the president of Coachmen, the quality control head, and the CEO of Priority 1 which is Forest River's financing company. Did not receive one reply. But, we are pressing on with hope for some sort of resolution.
rugermark2
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
tahoemc wrote:
Your sig suggests you unloaded the '12 Dutchmen Denali for a '15 Cougar. That concerns me much as we have a '13 Dutchmen Denali and have experienced a whole host of problems to the point I could be convinced to unload it. Are you any happier with the Cougar

Yes I unloaded the Denali, it just had a lot of problems.

But even after all the problems I still enjoy Rving. Op you will to but only when you get through working out all the bugs.

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