RV Quality

[Teako]

I have been wanting to buy a RV. But the more I read about all of the different Classes and how many items need to be fixed. It seems to me that most if not all RV's are money pits. I understand things fall apart and some of that is just cosmetic. But if the big 3 Car Manufactures did that they would be out of Business. So why is it the RV Manufactures get away with crappy production? Isnt there anyone who holds them accountable? Am I reading to much into this? Is there anyone who doesnt have that many things go wrong with their unit? I realize that an RV needs maintenance. But after spending thousands of dollars. I would think that you should be able to Drive or pull it for at least a few years before having to spend thousands on getting it fixed. It wont stop me from getting one in the future. Just curious to know these things.

[run100]

In response to the OP's question . . .
Yes, RV's require repair and maintenance. It is no different than owning a home, so you need to understand that going in. Shoot, our home is a bottomless pit of expense and never ending upkeep, but our camper is MUCH less.

The difference in my mind, is the fact we are exploring the U.S. in our camper, so I don't mind keeping it in top working order. In contrast, our house just sits in the same boring place, with the same boring view, day in and day out . . . yet is still falling apart!

[run100]

Lantley wrote:
The avg. run of the mill RV manufactures are thriving.
The RV makers that tried to build units to a higher standard are falling to the wayside.
Sunline,Cameo,DRV,Excel,Lifestyle/Evergreen have all faded away. They all had a stellar reputation for building higher quality units yet they ultimately were not supported by consumers.
In the end most consumers are not willing to pay or can't afford better quality.

Very true. And also add to the list - Western RV (Alpenlite) and King of Road. Both made excellent products, but most consumers weren't willing to pay for the quality. Another point about both of them - their rv's had much more quality than "flash" and consumers tend to go for eye appeal instead of reliable construction.

[Cloud_Dancer]

I designed, and built, one of my houses. In 12 years, I haven't had to repair anything, and haven't had to replace any of the appliances. If I were to appply the same approach to manufacturing motorhomes, people would love my product, but they would buy Tiffin, Winnebago and Newmar. And, I would go broke.

[westend]

Again, its not so much the quality of the materials used, as it is the quality of the persons workmanship putting it all together.

That Amish craftsmanship comes at a price. Heck, give me a whole day to screw in backer strips and every one of them will be straight and plumb. That is, as long as my employer supplies me with the correct length screws.

I don't think it's accurate to put the lack of quality assembly on the backs of the workers. If the Mfg cared, he'd train that worker to do everything right or replace him if he couldn't get with the program. My take is that they try to assemble as quickly as possible and there is no goal of getting it right as can be, just keep moving them out the door.
Another dynamic is the availability of a skilled workforce. I've read that the Mfg hub in Indiana has issues with recruiting.

[DE88ROX]

12th Man Fan wrote:


OK, now I have vented, thanks for listening. And by the way, yes it was my fault I should have looked closer in the walk through.

Not your fault at all. You cant rip apart every pipe joint, Look at every electrical connection etc,

Like i posted, I had a backer board come loose under my sink. when it was installed, the screw head was flush with the top of the board. That would tell anyone that the screw was in all the way and doing its job. But like i said. come to find out when i fixed the loose backer board. the screw was set at such an angle that only about 2 threads penetrated the floor of the TT.

Again, its not so much the quality of the materials used, as it is the quality of the persons workmanship putting it all together.

[rockhillmanor]

I read about all of the different Classes and how many items need to be fixed. It seems to me that most if not all RV's are money pits. I understand things fall apart and some of that is just cosmetic. But if the big 3 Car Manufactures did that they would be out of Business. So why is it the RV Manufactures get away with crappy production?

Keep in mind you will only hear of the "complaints" from people. No one is going to post 'wow I don't any repairs on my RV'.

If you buy used you are only going to be as good as how the previous owner took care of it, maintenance, and staying on top of repairs. Has nothing to do with who made the RV.

I bought used and I have no complaints. The few things that needed repair? Well the money I saved buying used and no monthly payments covers anything that pops up with no complaints from me.

The new ones? It's covered by warranty.

Regarding you comment about comparing to the car industry......your car does not have a stove, micro, fridge, toilet, awning plumbing, shades, bed etc etc etc.

How long have you gone in your house without having to repair something?

So your point is? :B:W:B

[Teako]

Thanks for all the replies! A lot of different views. Answered a lot of the questions I had. That was exactly what I was looking for. Just goes to show you can buy some things that are Rock Solid and then buy other things that turn out to need lots of care.

[goducks10]

If you want to see what the MFGs response to poor quality in the RV business is all about just look at Grand Design. When they started the company they, (3 guys from Keystone) knew they couldn't build the perfect RV. So even though they may build one that's better than some they still knew that their trailers would still need warranty work. So they came up with a solution. Offer the best customer service possible. Seems to be working, although I think they're getting a bit inundated with a lot of warranty work. Happens when you start producing more models and more units all the while still dealing with problematic parts.
It's too bad that they couldn't of decided to build the perfect trailer but they probably knew that they would price themselves out of the market.

[fj12ryder]

^^^^^^^^^^The point of all the references to the auto market is that the auto industry never listened to all the quality complaints until there was severe competition. If there had been no competition we would probably still be driving Detroit duds.

There is no comparable competition for the RV industry so there it is unlikely that they will change. So telling people to complain, or not buy simply won't work, it didn't work for the auto industry and there's no reason to think it will work for the RV industry.

Don't like what's offered? Don't buy it, and have your own custom made. Just be prepared for a bit of sticker shock.

[bikendan]

Lantley wrote:

stallsmi wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
Every time I point out an issue, many come right back defending the junk. As long as folks blame the user instead of the manufacturer nothing will change. It would be best if you look at a new RV as a pile of materials that needs assembly, you will have the correct outlook.

Amen brother! Most forums either blame the user, or claim that repairs allow us to learn more about our units. I am not a repairman and didn't buy a RV to learn how to become one.
And, quality does not necessarily mean higher cost. Many of us oldtimers remember when foreign carmakers taught Detroit a lesson by building lower cost and higher quality cars.

THe foreign car thing and competition sounds good, but RV's are not cars. RV's are an American thing. The large RV's only work on America large Roads and super highways. All foreign countries have cars but few have RV's on the scale of the USA. There is not enough demand or market share to entice foreign competition.

EXACTLY!!!

I really get tired of all the comments about the RV industry needing the same foreign competition that the US auto market got.

Lantley nailed the reasons it won't happen.
Heck the costs for shipping foreign made RVs would make it unprofitable.
And you can't automate RV assembly like the auto industry has.

[fj12ryder]

3oaks wrote:
Another very valid point.

Then those same trailer manufacturers sell substantially better quality replacement parts at a very high mark-up. Bearings, bushings, equalizers, etc. :@

I would prefer to pay a little more to begin with and have those higher quality components come as standard equipment. It would cost less in the long run.

I understand there are builders who will basically custom make an RV to your specifications. Why didn't you go with one of those to get what you want to begin with? Of course that kind of quality costs.

[3oaks]

Lynnmor wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:


Could some things be done better...sure but the idea that they are selling complete junk is simply false.

No, it is very simply true, for example; cheap imported tires, poor quality wheel bearings, and plastic spring bushings. The list could go on and on, but I picked these because they can cause a trip to end anywhere.

Another very valid point.

Then those same trailer manufacturers sell substantially better quality replacement parts at a very high mark-up. Bearings, bushings, equalizers, etc. :@

I would prefer to pay a little more to begin with and have those higher quality components come as standard equipment. It would cost less in the long run.

[12th_Man_Fan]

Last year I bought an RV from one of the companies that I felt produced quality products.

Boy was I wrong. The first 13 months I owned the rig it was in the shop for 9 months. I quickly found out the dealer nor the Mfg. cared about my problems.

This RV has top notch materials but the workmanship was the worst I have ever seen.

Most of the problems were hidden and could not be detected on the walk through but showed up later. Some were very serious issues.

I enjoy piddling with my RV but I don't like fixing things that should never have been an issue but it is fortunate that I can.

I have about 20 hand written pages of the problems and the handling of those issues I was going to send to the companies involved but I have decided it would be a waste of postage.

OK, now I have vented, thanks for listening. And by the way, yes it was my fault I should have looked closer in the walk through.

[Dog_Trainer]

One thing any manufacture has to contend with is the I want everything crowd. Got to have a big screen, big house, 2-3 new cars and trucks and on and on. The only way these folks can have it all is to have credit and the credit companies over extend it.
It means the rv industry has to build to price point and still stay profitable. Remember just a few years ago when the economy tanked how many RV manf. went under.
Point is that in the old days we all had a few hobbies and interests that we shelled out our dollars to participate we spent a great deal of our disposable income in those pursuits.
Fast forward to today and what do we have people that are participating in about everything at least for a while so the price of things does not have to be affordable just at the point where people can get the credit industry to be their partner. Airstream is the proof that better product can be made but they are almost a cult manufacture. So we can stop buying these units that are not well built and send that message or continue to cry about it and buy anyway. Low price and high quality does not add up.

[mayo30]

Lynnmor wrote:
Every time I point out an issue, many come right back defending the junk. As long as folks blame the user instead of the manufacturer nothing will change. It would be best if you look at a new RV as a pile of materials that needs assembly, you will have the correct outlook.

So true and always know you paid either too much or someone paid less.This after rv'ing for over 50 years.But guess what we upgraded our truck and travel trailer this spring.As a friend of mine used to say"Who makes the best junk these days".Just have as much fun as you can afford.