Warranty work on TT v 5r v MH

[CFerguson]

I've been at this RV thing for a while now and it is my impression that (proportionally) there is a lot more warranty work done on TTs as opposed to 5ers and MHs. And less to a MH than a 5er. This makes sense as more money spent seems to = better build.
What do you all see/think about this observation? Does it fit your experiences?

[js218]

Been on the road for 3+ years, rig has never been in for repairs.

[valhalla360]

If anything it's the opposite.

MH's TEND to have more complicated systems and more systems equal more failures. A small simple bumper pull has the fewest system, so is least likely to need warranty work.

Of course, this is TYPICAL. If you buy a stripped down small simple MH and compare it to a large fully tricked out bumper pull, you might see the opposite...

[happy2rv]

I can't say I've observed that trend. I haven't done any scientific studies or anything like that. I have owned exactly two "new" RVs. One Motorhome and one travel trailer. I've also owned other motorhomes. I can't say I had significant warranty issues with the RV portion of either. I had minor fit and finish issues in the beginning with both the trailer and MH. I haven't had any mechanical issues with the trailer, so far. I did have several mechanical/drive train issues with the MH while it was under warranty. Several recalls including verifying frame welds on the factory trailer hitch and replacing incorrectly installed catalytic converters. In addition to the recalls, had an intermittent engine failure that was finally tracked to bad wiring where it went through the firewall.

I tend to think coach related issues would be similar for trailers, FW, and MH from the same manufacturer in the same quality levels. I don't think it would be fair to compare the cheapest entry level MH to the most expensive FW or trailer. However, expensive doesn't mean reliable or trouble free either. Grand Design makes some very expensive and nice trailers, but they seem to have lots of issues.

[Chum_lee]

Overall complexity, IMO, is what generally causes issues (both warranty and wear/time related repairs) with both mechanical and structural assemblies. The more "stuff" you got, the more can/will/does go wrong.

Chum lee

[DutchmenSport]

Nope, not a good assumption. Three travel trailers in a row and only very minor follow-up warranty work.. very minor on all 3 of them, #4 if you include our original Pop-up. Now, get the behemoth Mastodon 5er that we now own from a well beloved RV dealership and from a manufacturer that we trusted, and in the first year of ownership, more things broke, fell apart, or needed fixing than all my other campers combined. And the warranty work was more serious, like brake failures and improperly install entrance doors, and underbelly falling off.

No, there is no rhyme or logic to the assumption. They are all just lousy made these day. The good thing is, the 5er has had some pretty stout fixes done to it. It's pretty stable now! Most I did myself.

[Matt_Colie]

CF,

That is a bad bet....

A good friend wanted a specific coach. He found one at a deal price - Low Mileage and just over a year old. He bought it and it is fortunate that he is a skilled technician because it took him almost the next year to get it to be reliable and usable.

Matt

[gbopp]

I'm just guessing but, maybe it has something to do with the weight of the unit? A TT, especially a smaller one, may bounce more than a 5er or MH.

[MetalGator]

I have found the opposite to be true. I purchased a new 30' TT back in 2011 and never had it back for warranty work. I bought a new Motor home in 2018 and the first year it lived at the dealership getting worked on. The motor home has much more complex systems vs my old TT.