Disappointed and Concerned

[DocBennett]

My wife and I retired and decided to become full time RVers. We had a camper years ago and did research for 5 years to find "the best" in our price range. We decided on a 2018 Grand Design Reflection. Now after 24 days I am concerned we made a mistake. In 24 days or less we have had the follow issues:
Gray & black tanks mislabeled on control panel
Satellite & cable inputs mislabeled
Window Shade won't pull down completely
Cover at top of shade fell from wall
Sharp nails poked through carpet in bedroom
Shower floor has gap showing when you stand in shower
Water in rear taillight after a rain
Refrigerator has a temp range between 34 & 51 degrees on setting #5. It will not hold a steady temp
Black tank gauge never falls below 1/3 full no matter how you empty it
Thermostat fell off the wall on day 13

With the issues above I can tell you we are very concerned with our plans for full time RVing. The issues above have been or will soon be addressed by the dealer we bought the camper from, but we are not looking forward to spending numerous nights a year in hotel rooms because of poor quality.

[brucedunning]

So sorry to hear of your problems Doc. Most of those issues should not have occurred. I always say that the test of a good company is not what they say before the sale but what they do when things go wrong. Please let us know how things go.

[joesmainship]

It seems to be the nature of the beast and you just have to expect it going in. Make a detailed list for your selling dealer and take it back in, but it sounds like you can remedy some of the small things yourself if you desire. I took care of the carpet staples by getting a hammer and crawling all over the bedroom feeling for staples not fully embedded and hammered them in. If you have the absorption fridge (Elec/propane), an RV fridge fan inside the fridge compartment helped to regulate my temp.The larger issues let the dealer take care of. All campers are pretty much the same but it seems that GD handles warranty issues a little quicker than other companies do. I have a list on my Solitude that I will get taken care of at some point before the warranty ends or sooner if a major problem occurs.

[arhayes]

Sorry you are disappointed but hopefully you will be pleased with the way GD responds. We've been full-timing with ours for 3 years now and remain pleased.

We owned 7 homes in our working life (3 brand new) and had punch lists of things that needed fixing with every one. RVs are no different. It's irritating - but it is life!

Be aggressive with the dealer, but also let GD know of your punch list. Then, if the dealer is not responding quickly enough, follow up with GD to put pressure on them. Most folks dissatisfied with service really had a dealer problem...not a GD follow-through problem. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RamGunner]

Agreed - those are all things that a dealer working in conjunction with GD should be able to resolve.

[TNFSolitude]

I can give input on the fridge temp issue. I sat in on the Norcold refrigerator seminar at the Grand Design owners rally last week. Comments and advice is summarized in post #65 of the thread Our Journey to the Rally under Campgrounds and Destinations. Long story short, set the fridge at 6 and forget about it.

[D2Reid]

DocBennett welcome to the full timers life. We are working on our 7th year and our second 5th wheel. Like you I was aghast at the methodology used to put these things together. I really expected my expensive 5th wheel to be perfect. What a shock. While it is upsetting to you the list in the original post is short and minor in nature. It took us nearly two years to the kinks out of our first 5th wheel, that list was four times the size of yours and included axle problems that cost me 6k to fix. But we did it, got the bugs worked out and used it another 4 years pretty much problem free. There RV's, there will always be something that needs fixing. About the same as a BOAT (bring on another thousand)

We traded it in for a new Momentum. I have my little complaint sheet going for the new one. Sometime before next April we will have to stop long enough for a dealer to get around to these minor repairs, or go to the center in Indiana. The latter being the more desirable, wait time for parts costs.

So I completely understand "Disappointed and Concerned". We are working on our second trip down that road.

Now let me tell you the rest of the story! (couldn't resist)

The most important thing in life is family, seconded by friends. That doesn't change. What your adventure has opened for you is millions of opportunities for adventure, exploration, socialization, study, and some really amazing places just to be. Yes, it's going to cost you some aggravation, inconvenience, concern. Nothing is for free, but the pay off is stupendous.. Now that the tether is off you will see and do some really amazing things.

So while I understand and empathize with your frustration I would like to encourage you to keep "the eye on the prize". Please endure this time, one evening soon you will be sitting by your RV watching a sunset in a very amazing place and then you will know, truly know, why fulltimers endure the hardships.

[JCZhome]

Sorry you are disappointed but hopefully you will be pleased with the way GD responds. We've been full-timing with ours for 3 years now and remain pleased.

We owned 7 homes in our working life (3 brand new) and had punch lists of things that needed fixing with every one. RVs are no different. It's irritating - but it is life!

Be aggressive with the dealer, but also let GD know of your punch list. Then, if the dealer is not responding quickly enough, follow up with GD to put pressure on them. Most folks dissatisfied with service really had a dealer problem...not a GD follow-through problem. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with Alan on all points. I'd just like to add that you put all of the issues in writing and number each issue (easier for communication in the future) and provide Grand Design warranty dept. and the dealership with a copy. Keep notes on who you're communicating with, date and time of all communications at the dealership and with the factory warranty dept. It just makes it easier if you have to go up the food chain and they ask you "who did you talk to?" or "when was that?", etc.

I believe you have a little more than the norm as far as issues go and while many of them are nuscence issues, a couple of your issues are a bit more concerning. Owning an RV is kind of like owning a stick & bricks home.....there's always maintenance and upkeep. But I believe you'll end up like the large majority of us.....you'll gradually get better at taking care of the little issues yourself (learn from these other owners experience and help....ie. carpet tacks/staples) and many of the maint. issues should be a one time fix (carpet tacks/staples).

While it may not seem like it at the present, there is an up side for you and your RV. The fact that it's a Grand Design product and that means that you have some of the best factory support of most RV manufacturers. Grand Design responds quickly and favorably without a bunch of excuses or denial. You will read over and over that while many have had issues with dealerships helping new owners, the factory is quick to support you and your warranty claims. Once all of these issues are behind you and you're enjoying your RV while you hear horror stories from other mfgs.

Regarding your refrigerator.....they are large considering that they are electric and propane. You might want to consider having the dealership add a fan to even out the tempreture..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Norcold-Refr...item2a599cf66c

Good luck in your efforts.....hope we hear of you enjoying your RV in the near future.

JC

[Aridon]

I hate to say it is to be expected but it is. Those issues are really minor and or the items are expected like your black tank reading 1/3.

The only item on your list that I'd be concerned about is the water. Water is the death of these things. Make sure you know where it is really coming from. Most likely it is the seal on the light, just make sure that is the only place it is coming and going from. No you probably can't trust your dealer to do that right either. Pull the light and make sure the water isn't leaking from somewhere if it is wet in there around the fiberglass you need to find the source and seal it all up really well so you don't delmaniate. All it takes is one bad seam or window seal and you can have water in the side walls which will create a massive headache down the road.

I despise the absorption fridges. They are over priced garbage that under perform residential models and do not do well in hot weather as installed. I realize many people use them on propane and that is a big draw. I'd prefer an inverter and a residential though and we simply tell the factory when we order to not include the Norcold or Dometic fridge if they don't offer a residential option. Frankly I think they suck and rather not pay for over priced garbage.

The rest of your list is a few turns of a finger, nail for the trim and or a label maker. All in all pretty minor. While I'd like to see all of the careless mistakes eliminated, it is doubtful that will ever be realistic. Even on our Newmar Dutchstar we had wires that were mislabled so paying 250k doesn't preclude you from mistakes. Trim falling is annoying but somewhat expected. Some brads and or some liquid nails will get it back up there. Houses traveling 60mph + down the highway jostle and bump so finding some trim isn't out of the ordinary. Stuff is going to fall from time to time.