New Motorhome - Expectations

[UMAlum]

Just took delivery of our new class A motorhome two months ago. Expected some issues, but have been disappointed with numerous issues. Most of which were easy visual issues that should have been caught in final inspection, water testing or quality inspections along the build process. A few examples: Water leaking from roof due to lack of caulking, water in basement compartments, missing trim work, water lines not tight so caused some minor flooding, camera wiring loose, cabinets installed improperly, entry door severely sticking, shades not installed correctly, trim work installed improperly etc. Just wondering about others experiences. Do we expect too much when it comes to quality?

[UMAlum]

I have called Tiffin Customer Service several times, I have spoken with the Tiffin Regional Sales Manager several times, I have emailed Tiffin Customer Service and the Tiffin Regional Sales Manager with details and pictures.

I have also emailed Bob in the past. I did not get a response.

I assume yes Tiffin will make it right. It will just take a few months and hours of my time.

My forum post was just asking what others have experienced. As you will notice, I did not note the brand I was referring to or the dealer in the original post.

[Tntman]

To you owners with complaints,Bob Tiffin WILL see to it you are happy with your coach. I have found in the past that the only place to get your coach fixed is in Red Bay. Call Bob and talk to him, he is the ONLY manufacturer who talks to his customers. Try calling Mr. Newmar or Mr. Fleetwood. Maybe you should have talked to Bob before you started derogatory comments about Tiffin. Most people try getting some satisfaction before posting on here.

[UMAlum]

Assuming there is a next time (buying new), I have learned a lot.

I wholeheartedly agree that I should not have to make the trip to Red Bay for them to fix their mistakes.

That was Tiffin's response to me (bring the Motorhome back to Red Bay). Of course on my nickel (food, lodging, gas etc.).

Given I am 800 miles from Red Bay, that is not exactly a desired option as I still have a day job.

I will take a look into someone independent as the Dealer has not exactly given me much faith or confidence in their abilities either.

Thanks

[Dale_Traveling]

Unfortunately we all get caught up in the moment during the initial walk thru and miss 75% of what we should have seen. Might be better to hire an inspector just the same as we would for a used coach considering it seems a three or five year old coach will have less problems than factory new.

[Bruce_Brown]

While a trip to Red Bay may be a good idea, it also may not be the end all. My parents Allegro made the trip, the fixes didn't last the trip home. I ended up fixing it in my garage.

As mentioned before, I'd try to find a good, local place, maybe even an independent guy (or gal) to do the fixes and send the bill to Red Bay.

As a customer you shouldn't have to go through the time, energy, and money to make a trip back to the factory to fix their mistakes.

[Mile_High]

The best is to return it to the service center. You just can't tell what you are going to get from the Dealer.

We bought a new 5th wheel in 2014 and showed up a day early. It was a mess, and there were 30 pages of inspection notes the Dealer generated - some get billed to the transport, some back to the factory (if approved). We were not supposed to see that list, but I copied all of it with my phone. You wouldn't believe what didn't get fixed, apparently because the "factory" didn't approve it. All lip service to me - I just made them fix it all, plus some I found on my own before we took delivery. Even then, we had a year worth of issues before it settled down to be a nice rig.

I know 5th wheels are different critters compared to motorhomes - kind of
🙂

[UMAlum]

We had visited Red Bay last summer and were "impressed" by what we heard about their quality and customer service.

We ordered the motorhome at a RV show in January and had to wait 12 weeks for delivery. We saw the motorhome when it arrived at the dealership (and before delivery to us) and noted to the dealer numerous issues just based on our first 10 minutes inside. At delivery, the dealer had not fixed many of the issues so they stayed on the list (of course they did not tell us that until we saw it first hand).

After our first trip camping the list grew.

We just picked up the motorhome from the dealer (it was there for 12 days). Still open issues... Of course some of the issues that were supposed fixed by the dealer were not, so I waited for 2 hours for them to fix a few of those issues all over again.

I do plan on taking it back to Red Bay before the 12 month warranty time period although I am told Tiffin is good about fixing some things after the warranty period expires... They have plenty of my documentation already...

[Bruce_Brown]

Fixed or not, I'd be **very** concerned with the leaks, especially the roof. Not only is there no excuse for that, there is no such thing as a minor leak. Once the insulation gets wet it normally doesn't dry out too well. What will happen first, it drys out or the black mold starts growing?

I'm not sure I'd wait for a trip to Red Bay. I'd be getting it fixed locally and sending the bill to Red Bay.

And no, you aren't expecting too much. Sure, a few minor things can and will happen. Some of your stuff isn't minor. I'd expect that from an early 90s Fleetwood, not a 2018 Tiffin.

[jplante4]

Take it back to Red Bay, no question about it.

I ran into a fellow in Shreveport on our retirement trip that was on his 3rd trip back to Red Bay. He had been trying to get his new coach back to California for 3 months.

Bloggers "Life Rebooted" had a new one built last year. They documented the entire process. After they were done and the rig all painted, one of their pics showed that a slide was crooked. Tiffin replaced the slide and repainted the rig.

Service is why people buy new Tiffins over a new anything else. Take advantage of that.

[Belgique]

Once I was at a small dealership getting some work done and 2 new Class A's were driven in from the factory. The dealer did a PDI before accepting them. After 4 pages of faults on each one he stopped and rejected both of them. They were sent back to the factory. He told me that he'd usually accept one with 2 pages if they are not big items. BTW, the dealer went out of business.

[jerseyjim]

There is, IMO, no real QC when it comes to RVs of any type. I was , and am lucky. When new, in 2001, I had 17 minor issues. All taken care of by my dealer of purchase.

So many parts, so many systems, and the folks that put them together (slap them together?)are, most likely pushed for production. I'm sure alot of other factors are involved.

I have a good unit. I know what I have, and when it comes time to sell the thing, I will most likely be getting out of the RV world.

[2gypsies1]

From your profile it looks like you bought a Tiffin. Take it to Red Bay for a vacation! 🙂

[mogman]

Shouldn't a lot of those issues, shades, missing trim, sticking door etc, been caught at your pre-delivery inspection and walk through?

[Trackrig]

That's why (besides saving a lot of money) a lot of recommend buying used, not worn out, but used a couple of years so someone else had to deal with fixing all of the sloppy construction issues.

Bill