skydiver31
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Re: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
westend wrote: Other areas to look at: Floor and walls adjacent to shower, vanity sink drains, floor near kitchen sink drain, area around electrical distribution and converter. Some of these trailers have a hole the size of a basketball just to install a 2" drain pipe. I'll check all of those things out today, thanks!623Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
dodge guy wrote: I`m shocked at how poorly built this trailer is, and what`s worse are the people telling you that you are expecting too much! Granted some of that is cosmetic and easily fixable, but the other stuff is just poor quality. actually the whole trailer looks to be of poor quality (sorry!). I guess you are doing the right thing, fix what you can and then off it. which is too bad because AF used to be a reputable company! so much for that though. The worst thing I had with my Forest River was the stereo. I went through 3 before I gave up and installed a car stereo in it`s place. it been pretty much problem free since then. one minor leak I fixed years ago. And because It`s been so Good I`m going to be buying another FR product. A Georgetown class A with the bunk slide. Speaking of stereos, mine didn't even work before I took it off the lot. That was one thing a technician at the dealership actually DID notice before I took it off the lot (thank god!). It was wired wrong and he had to fix it. I didn't mention it in this thread yet because it was such a minor problem that was instantly dealt with, however it goes to show you that they don't even do a quality control check at the factory on the basic items. All they would have had to do was press the power button to see if it made sound, and they didn't. By the way, I still have not heard back from NW. I am probably on their **** list now, but that's something I guess I had to sacrifice. So far I don't regret it.. I'm happy that some people are viewing this as a reality check. I'll be posting my "fix" tomorrow.. I will have the inside of the 110v compartment insulated as well as the door which gives access to it. Insulated door + air space + insulated backing = one badass R-value for that compartment. :D624Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
goducks10 wrote: Read about tis guys issues. He paid way more for his 5'er than you did for your TT. http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f200/2014-blue-ridge-3715bh-54393.html Like I've said before the only thing 4 seasons about trailers is the heated and enclosed tanks. Manufacturers don't care how much heat you need to heat the inside of the unit. They can tout 4 seasons cause it has heated and enclosed tanks. R values don't even have to be all the great either. All that matters is that your tanks don't freeze. You also got the attention of the http://www.afnash.com/showthread.php?13846-AF-getting-trashed-over-at-RV-net You really need to address these issues with Northwood. Really does no one any good to drag this on. Lots and lots of trailers are built crapy. I'm not really sure what your point is about constantly bringing up issues that are common in the RV business. If you think you have the only trailer with shoddy workmanship then you're in for a rude awakening. All 3 trailers I've owned had things just like you're talking about. It ain't no big deal. They all look real good (or should) till you start taking panels off or removing drawers and start looking behind all the bling. Actually, when a RV manufacturer claims R-14 walls and R-18 ceilings, then there should be a little more expected than heated/enclosed tanks. I don't expect to see a huge hole from the outside where I can stick my hand in and play the with "heated" insides. That just makes no sense.. Holes allow heat to escape and allow cold air/snow to come in. Simple as day. Also, the point of all of this is to show people how important it is to fully inspect a trailer before they buy it. Like I have said before, I am not out to bash NW. I am doing something good for the community, and if this encourages RV makers to put more quality into their trailers then that won't hurt either.623Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
It seems the more I fix, the more I realize needs fixing. While I was gluing and screwing the board from the outside(see pictures above), I realized the 110v compartment has no wooden backing along the side. Basically you have a clear line of sight from the outside to the inside of my trailer when the compartment door is open. I will spend the rest of my day trying to insulate the side above the cable.. This would be a huge weak link for snow to get in! It looked like it was framed out properly, it's just someone forgot to put the side board on. Yep.. when I reach my hand around I can feel the stove, wires, plumbing etc. They are all directly exposed to the elements every time I'll be hooked up to power. In Canada that's a big deal when you're trying to camp in the spring/fall. Snow can easily make its way through there! I'll take pictures of how I'm transforming this trailer into a true 4 season unit during this whole fix-up (or at least a Canadian 3 season!). I have noticed potential cold spots in many places ,including a big half inch hole cored out of the foam block just to run 2 small wires to the outside light! I'll be spray foaming that.)406Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
Fisherguy wrote: If you don't wanna pull the stove and have access to the area underneath you could get some alum angle to lull the wood in where it should be and screw it into the bottom of the 2x4. (unless it's come off all around) Sent you a PM. You can't tell from the pictures, but my head can hardly fit underneath the kitchen sink. I actually had to use the camera to get a full view of what was going on. I just took another look, and I think I will do a similar thing that you mentioned except I will do it all from outside, through the small 110v compartment door. Things are looking up! :) Anyone else with an AF should be careful of this: if you are ever feeding that power cord back in, be careful of putting too much pressure inside of there against that backing. That board was held on by only two staples along the bottom. One thing I just realized.. umm.. shouldn't there be insulation in there? That could be a weak point for cold air to get in, especially when the compartment door is open for the 110v connection. I'm going to add some of that too. :)405Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
Fisherguy wrote: I would fix that wood behind the oven, it's not hard at all to remove the stove, undo the propane and remove a few screws and lift it out. What's on the other side of that board BTW? What is the dealer's name? Telling it would be a warning to people looking to buy from them. Good question, I think it may be the rolled up cord for the 110v. I'll see if that's the case next time I look at it and then maybe I can fix it from outside of the small compartment! As for the dealers name, I don't want to make our relationship even more sour just yet so I won't share the name. He seemed like he wanted to help me, even though it will take some time. I'll see how that goes first. I think we're both playing the waiting game with NW right now.406Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
UPDATE: It looks like it's going to take a while to get booked for the repairs with my dealer. On top of that, they have told me that it can take awhile to get NW to act because of their claim form process. I have decided not to let the cosmetic stuff bother me. I'm going to use the trailer for a season and then trade it in for something else, at which point I will do a full inspection on it. The dealer thought i was being very confrontational and was upset that I was upset (??). He got very defensive about my frustration rather than being sympathetic, it seemed. He said there was nothing they can't fix though but from my earlier impression it will definitely take some time (due to delays with NW and booking as explained above). Although the conversation with the owner got both of our heart rates up, I am happy he gave into my persistent request to have the insulation replaced and patched up. His worker screwed some "shark skin" over it with some of that grey gasket stuff and I was very pleased with his work. Meanwhile, I have sealed the crack in the ceiling with a white silicone to prevent humidity transfer between the inside of my trailer and the space between the ceiling and the plywood (it also looks less obvious now). I couldn't get a straight answer on whether or not this will void my warranty, so I just went ahead and did it. In the meantime, I e-mailed NW a week ago with the link to my Youtube video, and all I have gotten back so far is "I will share this with the management team". Am I bashing NW? Hell no. I am just sharing my experience with other people so they take the time to inspect a trailer before they buy it. Maybe they have some really good crews and this trailer just happened to get put together by the new guys. I don't know. I have mentioned numerous times that the materials of this RV are high quality and its the final assembly I'm not happy with. That doesn't mean the next trailer they make will have the same problems, although to make this observation fair I will admit I am getting a few responses which indicate that I'm not the only one seeing these problems (from PM, forum, and other sources). I have discovered a new problem after I left the dealer the other day. Not really sure if this is serious or not, but it would be nice to get some opinions on this: Behind the oven, you can see the board which has opened up. At first I didn't think this was a big deal, but I do have a small concern about it: When I look inside the oven, there is a square cut-out where the thermocouple comes in. Behind the cut-out you can see the wooden board from the first picture. Normally this would be okay because there would be significant space behind the oven, but now that the door is starting to make contact with the heat I am getting a little nervous. If the other side of the board pops out against the open cut-out, that board would become subject to 350+ degree heat when the oven is on. At what temperature does that type of wood ignite at? Maybe it wouldn't be enough to burn, but I sure as hell want to fix that. I am going to back the oven out and see what I can do to minimize the hazard. If the board can't be attached properly because of all those cables pushing it out, I may end up spraying it with some form of fire rated barrier (any suggestions?) On top of this, I have also noticed that the rubbers on top of the shocks underneath the trailer are chipped and cracked. The worker at the dealership said I should be able to spray these with WD-40 and they will be okay. They did take pictures of them though and sent them to NW as well. When worker #2 walked by during all of this and I asked for his opinion, he seemed quite frustrated that I was worried about them at all. "Customers just normally don't see this little stuff, and those rubbers shouldn't be a big deal. Your shocks will be fine" were his last words. Okay, maybe this is all little stuff.. but it all adds up. My list is now exceeding 20 issues, some of them I haven't even brought up in this thread or the video. For example, I never mentioned that there was a felt marker streak on the leather portion of one of the dinette seats. Luckily I have been able to clean most of it away, but you can still see it. This is my favorite youtube comment by the way: "Your complaints are stupid. It is a camper, not a damned piano. It is utilitarian, not a work of art.?" Okay, I get it. Cosmetic stuff isn't a big deal. But when you see this many cosmetic problems, then I start to worry what's inside. This is why I peaked by head around the oven... and of course, lo and behold..That wood is hard for me to reach so I probably have to back the oven out which won't be easy. So far the dealer has been helpful (by patching that insulation back up) and the manufacturer is still looking at pictures and watching my video. I will follow-up with more updates as they come up, but in the meantime I can't just sit around and worry about what's going to happen. I will be fixing what I can by myself, thanks to the suggestions from a few forum members. At least if I fix it, then I know I can be happy with the result.405Views0likes0CommentsRe: Not impressed with 2014 Arctic Fox (VIDEO INSIDE)
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. LOL421Views0likes0Comments
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