Forest River Sunseeker 3010DS Workmanship

[RVA_Jeff]

Purchased a brand new 2015 Sunseeker 3010DS about two months ago. I had read a lot of good things about Forest River here and elsewhere, so I figured this was a good brand. You figure, for a $75,000 Class C MH, it's got to be decent quality, right?

Wrong. I won't go into the laundry list of all the issues I've had, but I can say that the A/C and/or insulation is seriously insufficient for this rig. On 85 degree days, my AC fights to keep it below 80. Took it back to the dealer and they actually told me I might have to add a second unit. Seriously?? On a brand new MH? They say the air coming out is the right temp, which tells me the insulation is the culprit because what other explanation is there?

Adding to that problem is the fact that the thermostat for the AC is in the bedroom. You know, the smallest room in the coach that cools down the quickest. This is thermostat basics 101...you put the thermostat as close to the middle as possible and not near a heat source, not in a room that will cause you to monkey with the vents to get the coach to cool evenly.

Other quality issues such as:

Door to bathroom closes at bottom, has an inch gap at the top. They tell me the door isn't warped, the wall is not straight. Awesome.

In the large cargo area in the back, I took two trips with a 50 pound inflatable kayak sitting on it which has already warped the cheap plastic interior which is back there...there's a big bow in it now. This is supposed to be the place where you put this kind of stuff

There are a host of other minor defects that aren't worth taking the time to write here, but suffice to say I am not pleased. Frankly, my 2006 used Coachmen had a better air conditioning system than this one does. And I seriously wish I had kept it.

[burlmart]

jeff

use this.

from your computer, simply drag the photo name (or thumbnail or the image itself) into the box, wait a second and the image appears in the box and below that is a new web location where a copy has uploaded. copy this entire string of text and paste it straight into the text of your rv.net post.

very slick.

[RVA_Jeff]

Everything looks straight to the eye...which means that the entire wall is not quite level as far as I can tell. It's not a big deal, but not something I would expect to find in a good quality MH with this name on it.

I definitely plan to upgrade the thermostat as well as moving it. It just makes zero sense to put it in a room which can have a closed door making it completely not a reflection of the temp in the main cabin. If you have any ideas about where the best place in this layout is, please let me know. Also, what kind of thermostat are you using now?

[mikhen]

Is that just trim not straight or is it the frame?

Also, we had the AC problem on our previous camper, not keeping it cool. Bought a better thermostat and relocated the T stat, and bingo, problem solved. Location of t stat means alot in the heating/ cooling world.

[RVA_Jeff]

As I said, the gap is not at the top and bottom, it is on the side where the door touches the wall all the way up and down.

Link to photo
https://goo.gl/photos/H4s2dnpzC2rQUfGx6

[tatest]

A single A/C is not usually adequate for a RV of that size in hot climates, but you don't get into 50 amp electrical systems and multiple A/Cs until you get into a higher price category ($75,000 might be a lot of money for the buyer, but is a budget price today for a 30-32 foot motorhome).

The gap at the top of the bathroom door is for ventilation, an inch is typical. There is usually also at least 1/2 inch at the bottom.

During a year and a quarter of shopping before buying, we found ourselves seldom satisfied with the way F-R does things, but it does get them price points 20-30% lower than some of their competition on entry-price lines like the Sunseeker.

[RVA_Jeff]

If there was an easy way to post photos here, I'd do it. The gap isnt at the top of the bottom, that part is fine. The gap is vertical at the point where the door touches the jam when you have the door in the position which encloses the shower. At the lowest point of the door, the magnet holds it and it is flush. At the highest point of the door -- up by the ceiling -- there's a one inch gap where the door does not touch the vertical jam. Hope that makes sense

[OFDPOS]

Duck wrote:
All of my previous Rvs have had the gap at the top of the bathroom door. I think that it is for air flow.
Don

I read it as the gap on wall/door jam where the door meets the door jam top and bottom NOT on ceiling/floor..
How would a wall not being square have to do with the gap on the bottom (floor) and top (ceiling) of the door .. 😉

Most doors are hung with a gap on the bottom for air circulation , carpet, linoleum .

[mark1228]

The noisy AC complaint runs across the RV industry. It is my understanding that changes in Freon by the EPA are what caused noisier AC units. Another change is colored exteriors. It used to be that all units were white but now they come in all kinds of darker exterior colors that make it harder to cool the units.

[mike77leprechau]

I just traded off my Salem TT, the fit and finish and some engineering was subpar. Hope you get your issues resolved.

[phillyg]

Our 2014 FR FW is not well made, either. We also had an AC problem, and the dealer service told us the ducting in the ceiling was "messed up." FR'S solution was to install a 2nd AC. We can now cool the RV but that doesn't excuse the error(s).

[Markiemark32]

RVA Jeff wrote:
I would be very interested in that noise shield...$300 would be a small price to pay even if it reduced the noise by a quarter. Do you have any more information about it?

On the skylight issue, yes...that is a major source of heat into the cabin. I lined it last night with aluminum foil and have sun blockers in the sun-facing windows today. Left the Ac running all night and set at 75. It's supposed to be 92 here today, so I'm going to check it around 2 or 3 and see where the temp stands.

Info on Noise Shield

Approximately $340 delivered.....Pics in thread


Classic Coach Works

AC Board

Markiemark:C

[Biggyniner]

Sadly, if you are on this forum long enough, this seems to be the way of the RV world.

My Brand new Keystone Passport had trim falling off and outside storage doors that would not close right above a certain temperature. The sliding bedroom doors would always fall of the track and the snaps that were supposed to hold them closed always came undone. Very frustrating on a brand new unit, there is more too, just too much to list...

I think it comes down to poor quality control at the factories and a unmotivated/underpaid workforce. My wife during her summer before college worked at the Fleetwood (I Think) plant in Pendleton putting decals on the TTs. She told me that they had a Bondo guy, on staff/full-time, for last minute repairs. She saw him fill gaps and literal rips in siding with nothing but Bondo and these were all brand new TTs...

Sigh.. I have pretty much just resigned to the fact that RVs are going to have fit and finish issues, they will leak, and stuff will break... All we can do as RV consumers is complain and try to stay ahead on the preventative maintenance...

[hindes]

We have a 2011 Coachmen Concord and we had to add a second air conditioner. We live in Texas and on hot days (95 plus) our 1 ac would struggle to keep the coach below 90! I even had the original 13.5 changed out to a 15,000 (at my expense) but and it really didn't help. We like our coach, so I had a second AC (non-ducted) installed last summer and it has make all the difference for us. We only have to use the 2nd AC during the day--it is much colder than the ducked unit in the coach. The second AC is in the front where a fan was--moved the fan to the bedroom vent. I have a separate 30 amp plug to plug into the post for the second AC since my unit is wired for 30 amp. We are very happy now.

Jim

[RVA_Jeff]

I would be very interested in that noise shield...$300 would be a small price to pay even if it reduced the noise by a quarter. Do you have any more information about it?

On the skylight issue, yes...that is a major source of heat into the cabin. I lined it last night with aluminum foil and have sun blockers in the sun-facing windows today. Left the Ac running all night and set at 75. It's supposed to be 92 here today, so I'm going to check it around 2 or 3 and see where the temp stands.