I think We All Knew This

[bdosborn]

The truth about RVs

Bruce

[GPW]

Warning : Rant !!!!

We found out the Hard way … Lost a lot of Money , but learned to NEVER think RV ever again … It’a a Big Racket , like standing in front of a big Hole throwing money in … That’s their intention , you never stop giving them money … A Lot of Money !!!
Reading any independent RV forums (NOT the-factory forums that LIE ) will reveal a plethora of factory caused PROBLEMS encountered by RV owners …

The Industry is designed to take your money over and over again , their warranties arent worth the paper they’re written on … read the Fine print, which says if anything happens , it's all your fault .

You parked in the rain , it leaked … it’s Your fault …

The Dealer LIED about everything he told us , and service after the fact was $150.00 an hour for sloppy , supposedly factory spec repairs , but were not ( another Lie ) . The whole thing was a big SCAM to take abvantage of people who liked to camp … All about the Government , they are likely one of the Main causes of the RV Ruin … Buying up many Thousands and thousands of hastily assembled trailers for FEMA,( for waay more that they were worth , and somebody’s “ politically connected” BIL made a Fortune off that with our tax money ) … trailers that didn’t last a couple months , before just completely falling apart ( some things never worked ) … That and the Poisonous formaldehyde interiors from fresh materials not properly aired out before assembly ( no concern for people's safety ) .. the worst of these were the handicap trailers .. Once fully government PORK funded ,the Industry learned they could slap anything together and market it ...

From experience , best stay far away from anything RV … unless you’re Rich and don’t mind constantly paying and paying …
Our little RV purchase didn’t last out the warranty period before everything went WRONG and started falling apart , and we got to actually use it only ONCE , and it was very uncomfortable , noisy , and poorly planned … A very unsatisfying and EXPENSIVE experience …We would have been better losing our $20K at a casino , at least we'd have gotten free drinks , a lobster buffet , and "treated well" …

" RV’s , "NEVERMORE !!! “

But all that led us here to find /make something BETTER …. which we have … and 4000lb LIGHTER too …

[RJ Howell]

But all that led us here to find /make something BETTER …. which we have … and 4000lb LIGHTER too …

Plus 1! Yep, why I'm here!

[Woodbutcher]

I just helped repair a brand new travel trailer for a friend. The poor quality and cheap materials made me feel better about my own build. Everything was stapled together and I never found any adhesives used. I feel bad for my friend. He shelled out a lot of money for this thing.

[Bill n Robi]

Read that article this morning, not surprised to see it posted here.

Underlying issue is always trying to be cost competitive by using cheap components. I saw that in our store bought TD, fortunately I was able to correct and update ours, lot of help from reading post here! But then again we understood the limitations and do not exceed our intended use.

I think the funniest thing is a "Big RV owner" coming over to say to us, "couldn't live in something that small" - gee you never come out of it so no wonder. Then the complaints start about electrical issues, can't find a cheap dump station, and gas/diesel prices. I've probably helped a dozen in the last couple years with 12 volt system issues, solar charging or AC charging, batteries - these things weren't designed to be intuitive or maintained by the average person. You need to read and learn how to do things if you are going to be out on the road.

Good example - guy next to us wasn't able to use their satellite dish. Turned out their inverter was bad - located under the refrigerator, which had to be removed to find the model number since he had no paperwork, which had to be ordered - total was $650 and took a week and he was happy it was so CHEAP?

I also think that they need to have a training course for sales people - the half truths we got when we first started looking years ago....

[friz]

You get what you pay for. Most products cost of manufacture run about 25 to 35 percent of retail price. Not much room to make a quality product. I dont think that the industry has set out with the intention of ripping people off. They are just caught between reality and customer expectations. I'm not making excuses for them. I would never buy a new RV either.

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[Squigie]

I think one of the biggest factors is the rebirth of the "super-light" and "ultralight" travel trailer (and toy hauler).
When they shed weight without increasing the price, manufacturers sacrifice quality and strength of materials.
That and, of course, the almighty "race to the bottom". The race to have the cheapest price point on the market means cutting ALL of the corners.

Back to light weight...
You can compare similar trailers from the same manufacturer, one being of 'standard' construction and the other a 'light weight'. The light weight model will nearly always feel cheaper, more fragile, and poorly built.

One of many examples of why no one in my family will touch anything built within the last 15 years:
Five(?) years ago, one of my brothers bought a 28-foot fifth wheel trailer for camping and hunting, when he was presented with a good deal from family. (Essentially, a "take over our payments" situation.)
It was nearly new and in good condition.
He used it for one season and traded it on a comparable and similar age bumper pull trailer from a different manufacturer.
That one lasted one season, as well.
He sold it and went to something else - which I'll mention later.

The problems were build quality, material quality, and lack of insulation. ...As both trailers were "ultralight" models.
Propane burn to heat those trailers was substantial. And the walls had condensation issues.
Every time they used one of the trailers, something broke - not just appliances failing, drawer pulls coming off, or electrical issues; but the actual structure. Someone would bump into a wall, and the paneling would crack. They went to convert the couch to a bed for my son once, and the entire cabinet face for the storage under the couch pulled off. The kitchen sink plumbing leaked. All of the blinds broke within a matter of months. The electric-only slideouts (no manual crank on the light weights!) failed to retract several times. The propane piping developed several leaks. The propane regulator failed. The stereo system never worked properly. And on, and on.

The kicker, the final straw, was in the 'bunkhouse'. The second trailer was a variation of a toy hauler trailer where the rear portion of the trailer had five fixed bunks and a side door, instead of fold down bunks and a rear door for ATVs. During a wind storm on a deer hunt when they had already had one problem after the other with that trailer, one of the bunks separated itself from the wall. The bunk and its occupant were dropped onto the person sleeping below.

My brother's solution, after selling the trailer?
He went back in time: He bought second-hand, but new, the largest available Cabela's Alaknak tent, a wood stove, half a dozen cots, and a 5x10' cargo trailer.
"I can sew if it tears. I can feed a fire if it's cold. And I can haul everything around in a much smaller and lighter package..."

[saywhatthat]

What killed of the fiberglass egg was the never rotted would standup to most things .So you never need to replace. There big money in repairs . Here in the USA. When look at most trailers over sea are some type of Composites . Most larger trailer manufacturers are owned by one money managing co.Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway Inc .So it about return.

[friz]

What killed of the fiberglass egg was the never rotted would standup to most things .So you never need to replace. There big money in repairs . Here in the USA. When look at most trailers over sea are some type of Composites . Most larger trailer manufacturers are owned by one money managing co.Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway Inc .So it about return.

I think you can still buy a Casita. The people that I have met that have them, seem to like them.

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[mary and bob]

We own a 17 foot Casita fiberglass camper and love it. We also owned a fiberglass Uhaul camper that we just sold after owning it for 9 years. Our Casita is a 1996 and is in excellent condition. They are still made in Rice Texas and are sold factory direct only, same as the Scamp fiberglass campers that are made in Minnesota. Another excellent fiberglass camper is the Escape, made in Canada, their 5th wheel model is on the cover of the current issue of Trailer Life magazine. Trailer Life has featured other fiberglass trailers in the magazine recently. Other than a couple manufacturers that have gone out of business because of poor management issues, fiberglass campers have become more popular and hold their value much better than conventional stick built campers. Airstream even produces a fiberglass camper, based on a design of a company that they bought out.

[Dusty Mark]

On Monday, we sold the teardrop we built. We'll pick up one of the lightweight campers (Grand Design Imagine XLS 17 MKE), mentioned in this post, on Wednesday. The vinyl-clad cabinets include drawers held together by little staples. Certainly not the quality of my build, but it's a travel trailer, not a house. We like the floor plan and are ready to stand up inside the camper and not have to erect the galley tent on multi-leg journeys to see our grandkids.

I'm sure doing my own repairs will void the warranty, but that's the route I plan to take when at all possible. This could be an interesting journey, but I think we're up to the challenge.

If it's a total bust, I'll build our own "standy." We'll keep you posted...