Quality Control

[ajg617]

If it's any consolation, the dealer we just ordered from said the have seen a drop in quality with the other brand they sell - not so much with GD.

[dryfly]

gosh - I just posted on that article over on another RV forum....

bottom line - things won't improve until...
1. people stop buying the junk RV manufacturers are putting out;
2. there is a big downturn in the economy and folks stop buying RVs for economic reasons (ala early 2000's);
3. someone steps in and starts building a quality product (kind of like what happened to automakers years ago when they flubbed things up and foreign companies came along and built a better product - at a cheaper price).

Larry has summed it up perfectly. In reading the posts on this forum it seems that one can get lucky and get a reasonably good trailer or unlucky and have multiple problems. As far as factory warranty issues, it all depends on your individual dealer and their service department. Even when the "current issues" that are affecting manufacturing go away, I don't look for improved quality control to appear unless the scenarios Larry mentions occur.

[Keebler]

Of course "perfect" is unrealistic. That said, do not even expect anything close to automotive quality. I understand, the mass market is not willing to spend what it would take to get automotive quality in a fifth wheel. That said; I'd love to see the RV manufacturers at least implement a level of process controls (like proper routing of wiring and plumbing) that would cost zero. For a second step, take a look at the things that would cost hundreds of dollars (not thousands; point being we'd be willing to pay a few hundred dollars more for) to get rid of parts that are total junk or used in a way that is questionable design; like proper plumbing fittings and pipes.

Not trying to steer anyone away; we love the RV experience. Just don't expect this to be like your car/truck.

[CaptTPT]

It seems there must be a thousand trailer manufacturer’s out there. I am choosing GD because after doing a ton of research I have come to the conclusion they are constructed to a much high quality and standard than the vast majority. The real question I am asking then is has that quality and standard held during the pandemic when the demand has been high and most other manufacturers have simply thrown them together to quickly meet the demand? Maybe this is an impossible question to answer. I don’t know, but just looking for opinions from new unit owners. Pretty hard to get any reasonable answers from dealers.

[Keebler]

It seems there must be a thousand trailer manufacturer’s out there. I am choosing GD because after doing a ton of research I have come to the conclusion they are constructed to a much high quality and standard than the vast majority. The real question I am asking then is has that quality and standard held during the pandemic when the demand has been high and most other manufacturers have simply thrown them together to quickly meet the demand? Maybe this is an impossible question to answer. I don’t know, but just looking for opinions from new unit owners. Pretty hard to get any reasonable answers from dealers.

I am not convinced GD quality is that much different than anything else at the same price point.

Regarding things being manufactured during a pandemic, i have no insider information, but think about these points about what every RV manufacturer is facing during these times:
> Demand is high; probably increases the focus on quantity shipped versus quality shipped.
> Disruption in the availability of workforce; probably increases the likelihood of an inexperienced workforce.
> Disruption in parts; probably increases the likelihood of a questionable substitution

I think all of these issues were there before the pandemic; question is how much more of a factor are they.

As you say, probably the best information is what can be shared by folks with new units.

[tfgd21bhe]

That was what I thought too after doing my research but.... You will be disappointed if you think GD is a much higher standard of quality. They are as good and possibly a bit better than the majority at their price point but in my experience not even close to much better. I just had to replace axles after one bent because the axles GD used were too small and aren't even made by Dexter any more. And no the trailer was only loaded to about 90% of GVW so it wasn't overloaded and I never hit a curb or anything else other than standard road potholes.

Expect poor quality and QC control and you won't be disappointed and if you're lucky you might even be pleasantly surprised.

[llr2800]

I had a few issues with my 21 Imagine, different but probably comparable severity to my prior Flagstaff.

In my opinion you need to be at least a little handy to own any camper as they will have issues.

I have not had mine back to the dealer and hope to keep it that way. I did use the same dealer for the Flagstaff and had it in one time. I would not have used them again but they are the only GD dealer within 100 miles.

Overall I am satisfied but things could always be better.

Issues:
All lower marker lights were cracked - GD shipped replacements to me.
Main door almost impossible to open and close. I tweaked the strike plate, much better but still not good. I probably need to remove it for a proper repair and not sure if it is worth the effort.
LF storage door almost wouldn't latch, opened in travel. Shimmed up the strike plate and is ok now.
Furoin AC short cycling, seems to be a Furoin design issue.
Bad air admittance valve, still trying to find one small enough for the location.

[CaptTPT]

I appreciate all of your comments. It’s interesting if you do a search for the “best” trailers out there the GD name keeps coming up in most of the reviews. If the build quality is no better than any other trailer out there I guess I should broaden my search.

[WhittleBurner]

I appreciate all of your comments. It’s interesting if you do a search for the “best” trailers out there the GD name keeps coming up in most of the reviews. If the build quality is no better than any other trailer out there I guess I should broaden my search.

I don't think there is a trailer out there being built that doesn't have problems with it, even the high end trailers. Some are put together better than others. The big difference is how the customer is taken care of after the sale. Not by the dealer but by the manufacturer. That is where GD ranks better than most. To judge for yourself go to some forums from other manufacturer's and see what is being said about them. That could give you an idea of what trailer would be right for you.

[dryfly]

I appreciate all of your comments. It’s interesting if you do a search for the “best” trailers out there the GD name keeps coming up in most of the reviews. If the build quality is no better than any other trailer out there I guess I should broaden my search.

Personally I doubt there is a "best" trailer out there. Certainly some are better than others though. It's just finding them.

Maybe one of the reasons GD trailers are well thought of is there are just so many of them on the road. It seems like every other travel trailer I pass is an Imagine, and tons of Momentum toy haulers. There is no doubt they are a popular brand.

Along with that comes the fact that if someone expresses their opinion on which is the "best" trailer they are probably going to respond with the brand they own. So, you are going to get a lot of opinionated responses for Grand Design.

I believe you will find a lot of happy GD owners on this forum and others. Mixed in with that will be folks that have had nightmare like experiences.