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  1. #1
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    Time to upgrade our Reflection

    Hello all,

    We have a 2015 reflection 337RLS, which has been great. We camp 4 times a year or so and really are pleased with this camper overall but feel we need a little more space, (and sleeping space). We are considering a few different trailers from a few different manufacturers but all of them are the same basic floor plan. We are looking at the Solitude 375RES and similar Models from other manufactures as already stated.

    My concerns are;
    1) the new GD cabinets seem to be mostly MDF covered in plastic wrapping that resembles wood. I don’t know when the move was made away from real hardwood.
    2) in light of 1) above I am concerned with overall build quality from the Winnebago version of grand design.
    3) prices do not seem to have come down commensurate with overall quality... ( I might could accept one with the other).
    3) at least one other manufacturer seems to be on the upswing the way GD was when they were young, which makes me think that I had better consider an “unknown” in my due diligence research.

    My question is for any 2019/2020 375RES or 382WB or even the 380FL owners that have also owned an earlier model of GD.
    1) Are you concerned or have you experienced unusually high failures that required dealer repair compared to older model repair rates do to what may be considered inferior quality?
    (I am really interested in a model that has a rear slide tray for a larger rear storage area).
    2)Have any of you experienced any issues with the rear storage area?

    Sorry for the lengthy post (and the negative feel of my post). But I am really concerned about the direction that GD is going. They are feeling a little like every other mass manufacturer out there.

    Thanks, Bryan

  2. #2
    Commercial Member huntr70's Avatar
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    Don't know where you ever would have seen a GD with real wood cabinetry.

    The only thing that was ever real finished wood were the door fronts, and they still are.

    Everything else has always been vinyl wrapped.
    Steve- Inventory Manager at Tom Schaeffer's RV, Shoemakersville, PA www.tomschaeffers.com
    [email protected]
    2011 RAM 3500 SRW Outdoorsman Edition 4X4, 6.7 Cummins--TWEAKED!
    2021 Reflection 310RLS

  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper chemist308's Avatar
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    Grand Design never really made high end rigs. That's why their MSRPs were so low compared to Jayco Eagle and the others in 2018. They did, and still do, as the name implies make some of the best floor plan designs I've seen. I've learned that fails are the appliances. Stands to reason that will happen regardless of the manufacturer, because everything I've looked at uses the same ones, with a deviation of 1 or 2 appliances in each rig. So, what can fail on a Grand Design that's truly a Grand Design failure. Well, imagine the trailer with nothing in it. In addition to the cabinets, you're down to:
    * Slides
    * Walls
    * Roof
    * Plumbing
    * Electrical
    * Windows / Doors
    * Framing / Hitch
    * Flooring

    When you look at it that way, you're left with 3 common faults:
    * Sealant failure - delamination
    * Cabinet doors getting wet - they might look a little rough after 2 years of f/t
    * Slide failure - bad mechanisms leading to retraction problems or poor fit leading to delamination

    The single worst common failure is delamination. If you want to avoid that, why not pick a rig with Azdel?
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
    2020 Ram 3500 SRW
    https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7803/4...56f2161a_m.jpg

  4. #4
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chemist308 View Post
    Grand Design never really made high end rigs. That's why their MSRPs were so low compared to Jayco Eagle and the others in 2018. They did, and still do, as the name implies make some of the best floor plan designs I've seen. I've learned that fails are the appliances. Stands to reason that will happen regardless of the manufacturer, because everything I've looked at uses the same ones, with a deviation of 1 or 2 appliances in each rig. So, what can fail on a Grand Design that's truly a Grand Design failure. Well, imagine the trailer with nothing in it. In addition to the cabinets, you're down to:
    * Slides - made by Lippert
    * Walls
    * Roof - made by Alpha Systems
    * Plumbing
    * Electrical
    * Windows / Doors - Made by Lippert
    * Framing / Hitch - made by Lippert
    * Flooring - made by Congoleum

    When you look at it that way, you're left with 3 common faults:
    * Sealant failure - delamination
    * Cabinet doors getting wet - they might look a little rough after 2 years of f/t
    * Slide failure - bad mechanisms leading to retraction problems or poor fit leading to delamination

    The single worst common failure is delamination. If you want to avoid that, why not pick a rig with Azdel?
    Actually, you're down to only the installation of many of the above (see above).

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  5. #5
    Big Traveler Txfivver's Avatar
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    Hi Bryan and welcome to the party! In the last 3 years I've owned a 2017 Imagine 2950RL (my first GD), a 2018 Reflection 28BH, and now my 2019 Solitude 375RES. I love the Solitude by far the best and plan to full time in it in a few years. Yes it has had a couple of minor issues but the dealer and GD took care of them very quickly, never more than a week at the dealer. You would love the layout of the 375, very roomy and has a big wow factor when people walk in it. I have had no issues with the appliances at all and the Coleman mach ac units do a great job in the Texas heat and are very quiet. I had the washer/dryer installed and the Onan propane generator as well, highly recommend them both. I plan to have the Morryde IS and disc brakes installed within the next year. You will read some about suspension and tire issues on here but I have had none of those issues, I think the G rated tires on the Solitude fixed that. I'm doing the suspension just to bullet proof the trailer for full timing, it has so much storage that it's easy to overload it. The rear slide out tray is an awesome feature as well, very overbuilt and rated at like 600 pounds capacity, you can't hurt it. Sorry for the long post but If you're interested in the 375 I'd highly recommend it. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info.
    2019 Solitude 375RES Onan 5500 Splendide W/D Samsung res. fridge
    2020 Ford F450 Platinum dually 6.7L 4:30 gears
    B&W Companion for Ford puck system 20K lbs
    Jeff

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by huntr70 View Post
    Don't know where you ever would have seen a GD with real wood cabinetry.

    The only thing that was ever real finished wood were the door fronts, and they still are.

    Everything else has always been vinyl wrapped.
    Thanks Huntr,

    I didn’t realize that the wood was always vinyl wrapped. Thanks for enlightening me.

    Bryan

  7. #7
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    Chemist and Second Chance, thank you for your replies. I suppose I hadn’t thought of it in the terms that you both successfully lay out for me to consider. I will be taking a little more time to do research more on the underlying structure than I was. Apparently I don’t know what I don’t know! LOL.

    Bryan

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Txfivver View Post
    Hi Bryan and welcome to the party! In the last 3 years I've owned a 2017 Imagine 2950RL (my first GD), a 2018 Reflection 28BH, and now my 2019 Solitude 375RES. I love the Solitude by far the best and plan to full time in it in a few years. Yes it has had a couple of minor issues but the dealer and GD took care of them very quickly, never more than a week at the dealer. You would love the layout of the 375, very roomy and has a big wow factor when people walk in it. I have had no issues with the appliances at all and the Coleman mach ac units do a great job in the Texas heat and are very quiet. I had the washer/dryer installed and the Onan propane generator as well, highly recommend them both. I plan to have the Morryde IS and disc brakes installed within the next year. You will read some about suspension and tire issues on here but I have had none of those issues, I think the G rated tires on the Solitude fixed that. I'm doing the suspension just to bullet proof the trailer for full timing, it has so much storage that it's easy to overload it. The rear slide out tray is an awesome feature as well, very overbuilt and rated at like 600 pounds capacity, you can't hurt it. Sorry for the long post but If you're interested in the 375 I'd highly recommend it. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more info.
    Thanks TX,

    I will likely be in touch as we get closer to decision time.

    Bryan

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