A few things falling apart in my new trailer

[JudyJB]

Most factory customer service centers have "campgrounds" where you can stay at no cost. At Fleetwood in Decatur, IL, you just pull into this big gravel parking lot the night before and choose an empty spot. You plug in and spend the night, along with everyone else who is getting stuff fixed the next day. They also have a dump station and potable water supply.

The first time, they fixed everything in two days. The best part was that they issue you a pair of safety goggles and allow you to stay in your vehicle while they work on it, assuming they aren't tearing up the floor or something. They keep you plugged in while they are working on you. So the first time, I sat in my recliner and did work on the internet. I think I also watched local TV. At night, they pulled it out and plugged me into power again.

Second time (six months later) I had to go in was to get a soft spot fixed on my floor, so they had to keep it torn apart for 10 days. I rented a car and drove to my son's house where I stayed until it was all fixed. If it had not been under warranty, it would have been a $20,000 bill because they had to tear out the floor including the subfloor--right down to the metal frame. Turned out it was a broken weld on the frame, so I got a new subfloor and new linoleum. Worst part was having to pack up my kitchen since they had to remove my kitchen slide and sofa. Since I was leaving it, I also had to pack up all my valuables and electronics and take them with me in the rental car. I did leave food in the refrig since it was plugged in while in the shop.

But, they had all the parts there and fixed everything right the first time.

Actually, the second set of fixes was after the warranty had expired, but it was all covered because I had contacted them before the warranty expired. I had noticed the soft floor while I was down in Florida and had taken photos and taken it into a dealer they recommended to verify the problems. Because the work was so complex and involved removing the heavy slides and the flooring, the dealer could not handle it, hence the trip to the factory.

[Princess]

Little update. I mentioned to the dealer contacting the factory and they suddenly became very helpful. We are taking it in Monday and they said they will deliver it to us when they are done. (It's a bit over 2 hours each way) He guesses it might take up to 4 or 5 days. The guy said they will replace the entire cabinet back piece so it looks like brand new. Yay, I was expecting them to just want to rehang the door. We shall see! We are going to take it out for a few days and take long showers and make sure there are no problems with the showers. I will be inspecting every hinge this week too.

Judy, that's really cool that they didn't kick you out of your house will doing the repairs. Thank goodness you caught all that before the warranty expired!

[Deeann]

Good grief, Charlie Brown! What is the brand of this lemon you got? I sure want to avoid buying one of those!

[JudyJB]

Almost everyone who buys a new unit can give you a list of all the warranty issues they had to get fixed, even very expensive big Class As. I had at least 30 items fixed under warranty, but am very happy with my model now.

A large part of the problem is that factories do not make huge numbers of each model, and few of them have really adopted modern manufacturing methods such as are used in the automobile industry. I have visited three factories and have also spent a lot of times in auto factories. RV manufacturers are stuck in about 1990, technology-wise. They made RVs in bunches, but mostly they do things by hand instead of robotics and automated systems. In addition, because of weight limitations, they end up using very thin wallboard and cheap junk. Every slide adds weight that has to be made up somewhere, and often it is in thinner cabinets and cheaper finishes. The big Class As are built on different chasses than trailers or Class Cs, so they can beef up the finishes and even stick in things like real wood and marble.

Yes, they should use better manufacturing method and also be more careful in construction, but then few of us would be able to afford them.

So, Laura, how did all of this work out?