RV Factory has bought Augusta RV

[tinner12002]

I just now seen on Weekend Warriors facebook page that they, The RV Factory, have acquired Augusta RV which is also a factory direct company who recently started to build a toy hauler and has built higher end 5th wheels under the Luxe and Ambition names.

[Lantley]

Taken I do agree there is more warranty concern with the dealer direct sale but no different than buying out of state from a traditional dealer.
If you understand the dealer direct concept the idea is you cut out the middle man and get a better unit at a better price. Having to be more creative with warranty is all apart of the concept and savings.
I see nothing to fear in the end your warranty is not with your selling dealer but with the manufacturer in all cases.
There is always a chance my rig that was bought at a dealer may have to return to the factory for a catastrophic repair . No different with factory direct.

[Y-Guy]

Hey guys, please cut the personal attacks. Debate of the issues is fine. If you want to take into a Private Message, but spare everyone else. Thanks!

[taken]

tinner12002 wrote:
Darn sorry I brought it up...Taken, I know the RV industry doesn't have a good track record for RVs being quality built but you have to have a little faith there or you just might as well get out of the RV/camping/full timing and go back to a stick and brick house. My glass is always half full and not half empty as some so I tend to be more optimistic in life than always trying to paint a doom and gloom picture.

But seriously about the warranty thing. I am simply pointing out that there COULD be a negative in buying from a remote dealer or direct sell manufacturer. Not that it is guaranteed to happen. (Pun intended.) I'm not worried at all which is why I did just that buying 1/3 of the way across the country. I just educated myself about the risks and dealt with things myself as they came up. I also don't wear a seatbelt, eat cheeseburgers or pizza every night, and drink my fill of adult beverages up until bed. So, I'm clearly not a person who worries much. That doesn't mean I don't consider the consequences of risk. :W

[tinner12002]

Darn sorry I brought it up...Taken, I know the RV industry doesn't have a good track record for RVs being quality built but you have to have a little faith there or you just might as well get out of the RV/camping/full timing and go back to a stick and brick house. My glass is always half full and not half empty as some so I tend to be more optimistic in life than always trying to paint a doom and gloom picture.

[tinner12002]

taken wrote:
They can offer more options and customization for sure being manufacturer direct. However, with an already abysmally weak warranty system in the RV industry, do you want to have only one guaranteed location to get warranty work done? I guess if I lived in state but imagine being across the country? It just doesn't seem like a viable business model for product that will more likely than not need brand specific repairs done under warranty...

They say they have a nationwide warranty program.

[colliehauler]

taken wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
I edited my statement above. What my (anecdotal) experience have found was it was more convenient for me. Others that have to take it back when a screw falls out might find it more of a challenge as you suggested.

Yes, and everyone's experience and ability is different. A screw falling out is certainly a sarcastic way of minimizing many issues that new RV's are delivered with. If that was all that ever happened, we'd not be having this conversation. I fixed everything on mine but for a compete slide rebuild which the plant did for me. And really, I'd prefer it that way. Who wants to drag a 44.5' long, 8.5' wide, 20k+ lb RV to the dealer for anything that you can do yourself? Even if it's free, I'd rather do it myself for convenience reasons. Same reason I'd never take a free oil change after buying a new car/truck. However, again, to repeat myself for... what is it... the third time? Not everyone wants or can do that themselves. AND, not ever issue can be handled by the end user. Oh, and to state that an RV tech or non selling dealer can do a repair is certainly true. "CAN" is the key word though and often they are available or refuse. You clearly haven't been around the forums long if you haven't read a million of those stories.

That's why I suggested a Mobil rv tech that can do warranty work. And if ability to take it back to the selling dealer makes a person more comfortable so be it. Most people I know take their rv many miles from home and if they have a problem the home dealer is not an option. So in the long run it does not matter where you purchase it when your a long ways from home. If it was a major problem I would want it to go back to the mfg to be fixed.

I have read just as many stories of people having the same issues FROM the selling dealer of taking months to fix and incorrect repairs. So buying from a local dealer does not guarantee a thing.

[taken]

colliehauler wrote:
I edited my statement above. What my (anecdotal) experience have found was it was more convenient for me. Others that have to take it back when a screw falls out might find it more of a challenge as you suggested.

Yes, and everyone's experience and ability is different. A screw falling out is certainly a sarcastic way of minimizing many issues that new RV's are delivered with. If that was all that ever happened, we'd not be having this conversation. I fixed everything on mine but for a compete slide rebuild which the plant did for me. And really, I'd prefer it that way. Who wants to drag a 44.5' long, 8.5' wide, 20k+ lb RV to the dealer for anything that you can do yourself? Even if it's free, I'd rather do it myself for convenience reasons. Same reason I'd never take a free oil change after buying a new car/truck. However, again, to repeat myself for... what is it... the third time? Not everyone wants or can do that themselves. AND, not ever issue can be handled by the end user. Oh, and to state that an RV tech or non selling dealer can do a repair is certainly true. "CAN" is the key word though and often they are available or refuse. You clearly haven't been around the forums long if you haven't read a million of those stories.

[colliehauler]

taken wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
I have owned 8 RV's and never had a frig or A/C failure, if I do these are not rv brand specific and can be replaced anywhere. If that close dealer gives you the warm fuzzy feeling by all means purchase from them. My seasonal RV is 900 miles from the dealer and will probably never see that dealer again. I do have a issue with a rotten floor in a slide but I can have a RV tech put a new one in. I agree that Lippert and quality don't belong in the same sentence.

Your not reading. I've had my share of RV's as well. 4 new units in the last 6 years. I've also never had an AC or fridge failure. That doesn't mean it's not a frequent even just like any other cheap RV appliance. Your limited experience in the grand scheme of things is again, anecdotal. Look it up.

Your also not reading about my experience. I bought my current RV from a dealer 900 miles away and fixed most things myself because I can. That's not the norm.

So, in the end, this isn't an attack on out of state dealers or direct buy manufactures. Only a statement that buying from one can present additional challenges when things go wrong.

I edited my statement above. What my (anecdotal) experience have found was it was more convenient for me. Others that have to take it back when a screw falls out might find it more of a challenge as you suggested.

By the way I have been a member of the forum 5 years longer then you and have read about every problem so no need for me to go back a reread.

[taken]

colliehauler wrote:
I have owned 8 RV's and never had a frig or A/C failure, if I do these are not rv brand specific and can be replaced anywhere. If that close dealer gives you the warm fuzzy feeling by all means purchase from them. My seasonal RV is 900 miles from the dealer and will probably never see that dealer again. I do have a issue with a rotten floor in a slide but I can have a RV tech put a new one in. I agree that Lippert and quality don't belong in the same sentence.

Your not reading. I've had my share of RV's as well. 4 new units in the last 6 years. I've also never had an AC or fridge failure. That doesn't mean it's not a frequent even just like any other cheap RV appliance. Your limited experience in the grand scheme of things is again, anecdotal. Look it up. It's like saying, "I've always owned a Chevy and never had an issue." While that is great for you, it means nothing about their reliability.

Your also not reading about my experience. I bought my current RV from a dealer 900 miles away and fixed most things myself because I can. That's not the norm.

So, in the end, this isn't an attack on out of state dealers or direct buy manufactures. Only a statement that buying from one can present additional challenges when things go wrong. Do an internet search for folks having trouble with a non selling dealer refusing or dragging their feet on warranty work. Get back to me in 18 months when you've read about 10 percent of the threads about it.

[colliehauler]

taken wrote:
That's great for you but your experience is anecdotal. Lippert makes most of the body components. Frames, windows, doors, slide systems, level up system, lighting, furniture, electronics, etc. They are all cheap and failures are routine. AC and fridge failures are rampant and reported all the time on the forums along with all the other appliances and electronics. The industry is doing record numbers right now and failures are everywhere. Can someone get a good one? Sure. Two in a row? Sure. Is it the norm? Nope. The odds are you will need warranty service.

I have owned 8 RV's and never had a frig or A/C failure, if I do these are not rv brand specific and can be replaced anywhere. If that close dealer gives you the warm fuzzy feeling by all means purchase from them. My seasonal RV is 900 miles from the dealer and will probably never see that dealer again. I do have a issue with a rotten floor in a slide but I can have a RV tech put a new one in. I agree that Lippert and quality don't belong in the same sentence. Unless it's a major structural issue I or a RV tech will fix it without involving the selling dealer. My rv tech can do warranty work as well on site without taking the RV in.

[taken]

Lantley wrote:

taken wrote:
That's great for you but your experience is anecdotal. Lippert makes most of the body components. Frames, windows, doors, slide systems, level up system, lighting, furniture, electronics, etc. They are all cheap and failures are routine. AC and fridge failures are rampant and reported all the time on the forums along with all the other appliances and electronics. The industry is doing record numbers right now and failures are everywhere. Can someone get a good one? Sure. Two in a row? Sure. Is it the norm? Nope. The odds are you will need warranty service.

Warranty is only for 1 year 2 tops. For the most part you are picking up the rig at the factory. A thorough PDI should catch most obvious issues. From there you have the dealer network and mobile service guys.
In the grand scheme of things warranty is not that big of a deal simply because the traditional warranty from a manufacturer with a full dealer network is lacking and leaves a lot to be desired. It is certainly not a deal breaker or reason not to purchase factory direct.
The Augusta units I saw at at the Hershey show were the best fivers there in my book. I'm OK with the factory direct sales scheme.

Most issues don't shake out during PDI and usually don't show up after you get a few trips under your belt. They also are all generally resolved well before the usual one year warranty has expired. I did an enormous PDI even sleeping over in the dealer's lot in case I found anything. Tested every system over and over and nothing was out of line. It took a couple thousand miles and a couple weeks of use before any issues arose. Really, think about it... if an issue is something you could pick up during PDI, it's something the dealer likely could during their PDI before you ever got there. Things break after some use generally. Not before.

Now, to repeat myself, this wasn't a big deal for me. I'm a contractor and was able to fix much of it on my own. When something big enough occurred that I couldn't handle myself, I went back to the plant to have it handled. However, the average RV owner likely wouldn't have the ability to do many of the repairs I did or have the flexibility to return their RV to IN.

[Lantley]

taken wrote:
That's great for you but your experience is anecdotal. Lippert makes most of the body components. Frames, windows, doors, slide systems, level up system, lighting, furniture, electronics, etc. They are all cheap and failures are routine. AC and fridge failures are rampant and reported all the time on the forums along with all the other appliances and electronics. The industry is doing record numbers right now and failures are everywhere. Can someone get a good one? Sure. Two in a row? Sure. Is it the norm? Nope. The odds are you will need warranty service.

Warranty is only for 1 year 2 tops. For the most part you are picking up the rig at the factory. A thorough PDI should catch most obvious issues. From there you have the dealer network and mobile service guys.
In the grand scheme of things warranty is not that big of a deal simply because the traditional warranty from a manufacturer with a full dealer network is lacking and leaves a lot to be desired. It is certainly not a deal breaker or reason not to purchase factory direct.
The Augusta units I saw at at the Hershey show were the best fivers there in my book. I'm OK with the factory direct sales scheme.

[taken]

That's great for you but your experience is anecdotal. Lippert makes most of the body components. Frames, windows, doors, slide systems, level up system, lighting, furniture, electronics, etc. They are all cheap and failures are routine. AC and fridge failures are rampant and reported all the time on the forums along with all the other appliances and electronics. The industry is doing record numbers right now and failures are everywhere. Can someone get a good one? Sure. Two in a row? Sure. Is it the norm? Nope. The odds are you will need warranty service.

[colliehauler]

taken wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

taken wrote:
They can offer more options and customization for sure being manufacturer direct. However, with an already abysmally weak warranty system in the RV industry, do you want to have only one guaranteed location to get warranty work done? I guess if I lived in state but imagine being across the country? It just doesn't seem like a viable business model for product that will more likely than not need brand specific repairs done under warranty...

Hopefully with low production they will build them correctly and not need to go back for repairs. Several high end RV mfg are factory direct New Horizon, Spacecraft mfg, Continental Forks RV come to mind.

That's certainly a nice thought. The problem is they are using the same components as the rest of the industry. So, no matter how carefully and slowly they put them together, a Dometic fridge or AC still is what it is... and so on.

I have owned a few RV'S, mostly Keystone and Forest River and have yet to experience a frig or A/C failure. Most people are unhappy with fit and finish or the above items not being installed correctly. Marginal axles, poorly welded frames, cheapest tires are other issues. Hopefully they will do a better job, time will tell.