Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)

[skydiver31]

I just bought this Arctic Fox 2014 and pretty disappointed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5W4nWFTf7shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5W4nWFTf7s

How many of you would overlook these kind of things and not worry about it? My biggest fear is that if they were this bad with the interior, what is going on inside those walls?

I need some advice on how to handle this.. I can't help but feel depressed about my purchase. This is supposed to be a BRAND NEW trailer and all of these things bug me. I worked HARD to be able to afford this, and I feel that the crew who assembled this just didn't care -- or were seriously stoned/drunk.

Again, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5W4nWFTf7shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5W4nWFTf7s

[JiminDenver]

westend wrote:
Jim,
If you mean "take it" as in type of travel, I wouldn't sweat it, they can take a lot of movement, if at slow speed. If "take it" means repair, don't take it to a dealer. If you don't want to tackle anything, yourself, take it to a known good craftsman in your area. There is nothing that needs reverse alien engineering in a TT, a good carpenter, mechanic, or electrician can handle any of it.

Dealerships are for warranties, I'll do the rest until I just get too old or the stuff gets too fancy. I dropped off the TT for the inspection and cringed at the thought that the insurance might say fix it and they will open her up like a canned ham.

No what I worry about is the off road stuff. Even the main forest service roads see little maintenance and they are all washboards. The trails off of them are just that, trails. We can't go where a 4x4 TC can but a category 1 or 2 4x4 trail is pretty normal for us. Anything the Expy can go over, so can the trailer. 🙂

[timflood]

Well I have had a Komfort and a Wild Cat and know have a Artic Fox 2014, 27-5L and LOVE IT. It is built better that the others . And yes I did have a few issues but I would BUY Artic Fox again. And I have a friend that spent 7 digits on his motor Home he sounds just like you

[Steve_S1]

So after 7 pages of drama and easy fixes have you actually gone out camping and enjoyed yourself?
If you back in to your site and rub against a tree limb and leave a little scratch will you be able to live with it or go spend a few hundred on a fix?
Take it out, make it lived in and soon none of these little things will bother you.:)

[Passin_Thru]

Call the company yourself and email them pictures of all the problems. Don't complain to us as we can't do anything for you. I don't mean to be harsh, I'm trying to help. Be as nice as you can. Anger won't get you anywhere. Tell them the problem, give them a solution and then tell them how it will cost them money if you were to tell everyone. I owned a Peterbilt and when I had trouble with the dispatchers I went to the Supervisor of lease ops and told him how much money it cost. Got my own way, really good loads and my choice of them because they always told everyone what a nice guy I was. If they knew how angry i got at times..... If you want a new trailer, tell them, they may be happy to give it to you.

[westend]

Jim,
If you mean "take it" as in type of travel, I wouldn't sweat it, they can take a lot of movement, if at slow speed. If "take it" means repair, don't take it to a dealer. If you don't want to tackle anything, yourself, take it to a known good craftsman in your area. There is nothing that needs reverse alien engineering in a TT, a good carpenter, mechanic, or electrician can handle any of it.

[JiminDenver]

westend wrote:

skydiver31 wrote:

westend wrote:

Like i said in the video, use some cardboard on your drills so they don't ever make contact with the material.

That is unnecessary if you know how to use a power tool and would never be done in a production environment.

Jayco Plant area 62 video Maybe that will give you an idea of the pace and quality concerns when building 32 of these TT's in a day.

That was a scary video.. how many mistakes do you think they make when they're working that fast. Even the cleaning lady near the end basically stuck her duster in the cabinet with a single short sweep and pulled it out. LOL

Scary, but that's the way it's done. Fine Amish craftsmanship from the Midwest, lol. I think most of these mfg's pay by piecework so the faster you wield the stapler, the more you make.

Did you see the cabinets get thrown down the chute and thrown on the deck? That is how you get a face frame out of plumb. The installer grabs the cabinet, positions it on the deck, and blasts some screws through it. He doesn't grab a level or a tape measure and become a quality assurance controller, he is only the operating end of a screw gun.

That video is a real eye opener. I bet a video of any other brand would look much the same. Seeing how they are almost tacked together makes me worry about where we take ours.

[samhain7]

Skydiver, you are spending too much time and energy on the posts you perceive negative. There is lots of good advice here.

Just an FYI. My 2015 starcraft issues.
Ripped material on the couch. Couch installed to close to wall so won't fold down. Plastic slider on outside door doesn't fit right. Bathroom door needs to be adjusted. My a/c vent was closed off with aluminum tape (that I already fixed)

After the camping season, the couch will be replaced, and I am going to fix the rest. The trailer works,it runs and it doesn't leak. From some of the stories I have heard, I consider myself very lucky!! I don't spend anytime thinking about the other stuff and I have had three awesome trips with it.
Here is my advice.
Go out to your trailer in the parking spot. Invite a buddy over, sit in the rig and have a couple beers. Bask and focus on your new purchase and all the great memories your are about to create.
Everything will get fixed. One way or another.

[jmtandem]

I've pointed out my own mistake now several times. Yes, this was my first RV. Yes, I'm new at this. Yes, I screwed up by not inspecting it enough. I trusted a reputable manufacturer too much and dove into something I wasn't prepared for. I NEVER expected to come across things I would only see while watching Mike Holmes. The possibility never even crossed my mind.

I learned a lot from this purchase, and hopefully other people will learn something too.

OK, you made a mistake, trusted in a name, and got burned. Big deal. You are certainly not the only person or the first person disappointed with RV quality. Many here believe that 'RV' and 'quality' probably should not be used in the same sentence. You learned something. You need to quit beating yourself up and take it to LaGrande and get it fixed at the factory. I would bypass the dealer and go direct to the factory. So far, Northwood has a good reputation for standing behind their products. Hopefully, you can find that out for yourself. It is time for you to be proactive and move on to the solution not dwell on the problems. If the dealer was intending to fix it that would have already happened. Obviously they want the factory to fix it and that is best for you, too.

I guess I got lucky. I purchased a Pacific Coachworks 30 foot Tango trailer new in 2009 and the only real issue so far has been four new tires. So much for those that say there is stuff wrong with all the manufacturer's RV products! I learned a long time ago in my profession to never say 'always' and never say 'never'. And I am picky! You got unlucky, insist that the factory fix it right.

Maybe your next video will show us the factory fixing the stuff. That would be a fitting conclusion to your issues.

[westend]

skydiver31 wrote:

westend wrote:

Like i said in the video, use some cardboard on your drills so they don't ever make contact with the material.

That is unnecessary if you know how to use a power tool and would never be done in a production environment.

Jayco Plant area 62 video Maybe that will give you an idea of the pace and quality concerns when building 32 of these TT's in a day.

That was a scary video.. how many mistakes do you think they make when they're working that fast. Even the cleaning lady near the end basically stuck her duster in the cabinet with a single short sweep and pulled it out. LOL

Scary, but that's the way it's done. Fine Amish craftsmanship from the Midwest, lol. I think most of these mfg's pay by piecework so the faster you wield the stapler, the more you make.

Did you see the cabinets get thrown down the chute and thrown on the deck? That is how you get a face frame out of plumb. The installer grabs the cabinet, positions it on the deck, and blasts some screws through it. He doesn't grab a level or a tape measure and become a quality assurance controller, he is only the operating end of a screw gun.

[Mike_Up]

dadmomh wrote:
100% incorrect re the Forest River issue. I'd like to see chapter and verse where it supposedly says that. We have had 2 FR products, both purchased at RVW and not any questions or issues re service. Our local idiot/dealer that we tried to purchase from - except he thinks his price is "the best anywhere" - didn't bat an eye when we had a recall. He knew we looked at his Shamrock and bought a ROO...likely knew exactly where it came from. RVW has a network and they will find you a competent service facility. Forest River may "suggest" you buy locally, but I don't see them refusing to sell to RVW or any other dealers.

You are wrong, just because you've never experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I was refused by the local dealer since I didn't buy it from them. Forest River said that is up to the dealer if they will do warranty repairs on unit bought elsewhere. This link states that dealers will give their own customers service and maybe you if they feel like it.

Here

[skydiver31]

westend wrote:

Like i said in the video, use some cardboard on your drills so they don't ever make contact with the material.

That is unnecessary if you know how to use a power tool and would never be done in a production environment.

Jayco Plant area 62 video Maybe that will give you an idea of the pace and quality concerns when building 32 of these TT's in a day.

That was a scary video.. how many mistakes do you think they make when they're working that fast. Even the cleaning lady near the end basically stuck her duster in the cabinet with a single short sweep and pulled it out. LOL

[skydiver31]

goducks10 wrote:
No one buys a car or truck, takes it home and starts tightening bolts and what not.

Bingo. You hit the nail on the head with that one. Since it is my first RV, I subconsciously assumed the quality of new units would be somewhat comparable to the auto industry. Appearance wise anyway, all vehicles of the same year and model seem to come out of the factory in identical condition. When was the last time you noticed two headlights not being level? Or a door handle being crooked? Or interior damage from installing the seats? I've never test driven a brand new car that had problems with it mechanically either.

My inexperience with buying an RV is why I didn't even bother checking for these things. I didn't know that quality suffers across the entire industry. This thread will hopefully help other people not make the same mistake as I did.

[westend]

Like i said in the video, use some cardboard on your drills so they don't ever make contact with the material.

That is unnecessary if you know how to use a power tool and would never be done in a production environment.

Jayco Plant area 62 video Maybe that will give you an idea of the pace and quality concerns when building 32 of these TT's in a day.

[skydiver31]

bnk190 wrote:
6 pages so far and I haven't seen anything about what the dealer will do or if you called the mfg. Sorry to hear about your problems but regardless of what opinions are here if you aren't happy either fix it yourself or work with the dealer or mfg.


As others have mentioned these are all slapped together and quality will vary but you aren't going to find perfection.

The communication is ongoing at the moment, and I won't be sharing the conversation until it has all been dealt with.

And like I said, I wasn't looking for perfection, I was just looking for things to be somewhat square and level.

[dadmomh]

100% incorrect re the Forest River issue. I'd like to see chapter and verse where it supposedly says that. We have had 2 FR products, both purchased at RVW and not any questions or issues re service. Our local idiot/dealer that we tried to purchase from - except he thinks his price is "the best anywhere" - didn't bat an eye when we had a recall. He knew we looked at his Shamrock and bought a ROO...likely knew exactly where it came from. RVW has a network and they will find you a competent service facility. Forest River may "suggest" you buy locally, but I don't see them refusing to sell to RVW or any other dealers.