Bad Introduction to Grand Design

[FiverNurse]

My girlfriend and I are travel nurses and decided to take the plunge into full time RV living. I did a tremendous amount of research and (as i assume everybody else here did) found that Grand Design was the best way to go for an RV. The GD community is strong, people have alot of good to say about their customer service and their RV quality. We bought a 2015 Reflection 337 RLS from a GD dealer in Ocala, FL. Within the first week of living in the unit we discovered that both slides in the living room leak and the floors have water damage and need replaced, the A/C in the livingroom throws a "compressor overload" code and shuts off, and we have a leak into the underbelly from the sink in the kitchen. The worst part is all of these issues were definitely there with the last owners. The A/C book has the code circled and notes where they spoke with repair men, the slides have some type of rubber tacked on where somebody did a shoddy job trying to fix the leak, and the underbelly sags and has a big piece of tape on it where somebody cut it to look at the leak. I called the dealer and they said they couldn't do anything because I didnt buy a warranty even though all the issues were there before they had it. I chose to go without the warranty because it was $5000 and I said i would never put that much maintenance into this unit, I would just sell it and get another if thats what needs to be done. Unfortunately it looks like i will have to replace the unit as i do not feel it would be a good investment to fix all these issues on this unit. I am disappointed because I really believed in GD and now im feeling like maybe a Montana or Cougar may be a better investment. Just not really sure what to do at this point.

[Graybuck]

They all have similar issues no matter the brand. Sounds like the Prior owner did not keep up on the maintenance and dumped it on the dealer. The dealer should work with you to make it right as a good business practice, but there are a lot of dealers that appear to be in it for a quick buck. Researching the dealer you buy from is as important as researching the brand.

[FiverNurse]

the dealer has 4.5 stars. I really thought it was a good place to buy from, the reviews are great.

[minnow101]

Assuming you did not do a pre delivery inspection which would of included using the AC, hooking up the water among other critical inspections. Hopefully you can get the dealer to return your money.

[el Rojo]

How long have you had the rig?

[FiverNurse]

At this point its been a little over 2 months

[FiverNurse]

I already tried them and they were unwilling to do anything and even told me they would have the maintenance manager call me back and he never did.

[Graybuck]

Go to the GM of the dealership, start making noise on google reviews. The dealer should want to make this right. Possibly even contacting Grand Design Customer service may help. Biggest challenge for a new RV owner is understanding the PDI process and what to look for when buying a used RV.

[huntr70]

As you've learned, used is used.

You have no idea how or why the previous owners used it or issues they had. You are simply on the receiving end of a bad unit.

At 5 model years old, lack of maintenance will definitely contribute to issues such as you described.

[D2Reid]

I am sorry for your aggravation. We consumers do put quite a bit of trust into dealerships, else we would just bypass them and deal person to person.

A 2015 model would make it about 4 years old. Most warranties are only for 1 year, at which time the manufacturer no longer has any responsibility. I will bet that hidden in your sales agreement is a statement something like "sold as is". Thus relieving the dealership from any responsibility.

I am in a similar, but not nearly as heart wrenching nor severe, situation. I just bought a used motorcycle from a dealership. But being an informed consumer I don't have any expectation that the manufacturer nor the dealer will assist me with my troubles. I have found that the previous owner had cosmetically doctored two deficiencies, the mirror and the rear brake assembly. The mirror is a nuisance but not a big deal, the brake assembly could have been fatal. The rear brake felt a little soft so I went to adjust it, the assembly fell apart in my hands, So long as the assembly stayed in one specifically aligned position it worked, but get the alignment out even 1/4 inch and it came loose.

These problems are all on me because I bought a 4 year old motorcycle out of warranty and the dealer had AS IS in the sales agreement, but I knew this going in. Not that the bike had problems, but that if there were problems I would have no recourse.

Misery loves company.....