User Tag List

Page 3 of 9 FirstFirst 12345 ... LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 84
  1. #21
    Left The Driveway
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    14
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by sande005 View Post
    Since it is that season, I'll add the two that again forced their way into my world:

    1. On the hose for feeding antifreeze into the water system, why put a pex fitting and cap on the end that is impossible to get into an antifreeze jug??? Last two years I cut the top off the jug (messy!) to get the hose into it. This year I trimmed the raised "grips" on the fitting itself, which just made it narrow enough to fit in the jug.
    2. On my 2670MK - really, I have to take out 8 screws, a panel, and two edging strips to get at the water pump and it's feed hose for the above antifreeze?? Hinge the panel with a latch, or make it a slide/pull out....(yep, a project for next year...)
    I had the exact same issue with the hose for the antifreeze. I have only winterized it once, but did the same with with cutting the jug. I see why they wanted to cap the line, but there has to be a better option of a fitting or even include a chunk of hose with a threaded adapter that screws into the place of the cap. Such thoughtless design choice. Fortunately on my 243BH, I only need to remove a drawer to get at the pump.
    2020 Transcend Xplor 243BH

  2. #22
    Setting Up Camp
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    28
    Mentioned
    1 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Just a "tip of the iceberg" response. GD, independent, and dealer checklists all said generator worked. There had never been a drop of gasoline in the fuel tank, wonder how it was checked?? Many, many other problems with checklist but funniest one was that all said the ice maker worked fine... If only there were an ice maker!

    Lots of repairs needed when brand new. In the WTH vein, shower door track not tipped toward shower, black tank completely level so it doesn't drain properly and the vent doesn't eliminate odors.

    Worst idea in our Momentum 376TH with garage under bedroom is passive vents that open on the underside. No real air circulation, gas fumes fill bedroom above because the bed raises and open areas at the head of the bed allow the fumes to travel.

    WTH #2 - while it's nice to have heat ducts out of the floor, the downside of having them under cabinets is that the ducts themselves run behind cabinets and result in shallow drawers and shelves that many kitchen items don't fit on.
    Dee and Scott
    "Houseless" since 2012
    2018 Momentum 376th
    2011 Ford F-350 King Ranch Super Duty dually
    1999 Yamaha Venture full-dresser
    Kya the cat

  3. #23
    Setting Up Camp
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Southeastern Pennsylvania
    Posts
    17
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by JohnJCES View Post
    I don't want to "dis" or disrespect Grand Design, but I am curious about what little to big things new owners of new Grand Design travel trailers and fifth wheels have found in their first month or so of ownership. I mean, some of the things my wife and I found in our 2020 Reflection 230RL make us ask, "what were they thinking?" As a side note, I did write a letter to GD about some of these things and the positives. I did get a return call, wasn't home, they left a message and asked that I call back, which I did, but was on hold for over 30 minutes. No answer. Finally left my number but no full call back. Oh well!

    Here is my list:

    1). Just winterized my new fifth wheel. The lower drain lines, hot and cold, are DEAD CENTER underneath the trailer. So, you have to crawl under, unscrew the caps, get squirted on because you forgot to release the pressure, crawl out, crawl back under... do this a few times while you blow out and then add antifreeze... What were they thinking? I have owned four other TTs and the low drain lines on those were brought out near the sewer outlet or easy to get to. I did add a couple of 1/4 turn valves and I am trying to best figure out how to bring them down to near the sewer outlet. The belly is drooped and putting 45 degree shark bites and bringing it to the level of the sewer cap makes it pretty level... not a gentle slope. Still engineering this to prevent removing or modifying the underbelly material.

    2). Rear window came unlatched. (This occurred again on our first camping trip along with the right bedroom window getting unlatched).

    3). The dining table floor supports, the tube type, were WAY too close to the back bench. My wife is five feet tall and about one hundred pounds and she was squeezed in with the table being inches from her. For me, I was being cut off and there is no way an adult male could eat, sit or do anything on the back side of the table. I reattached them to the floor at an acceptable distance.

    4). The glass door covering the entertainment center is latched with only a magnetic latch. This is a 'nice' touch that GD added to the 2020 I believe but it fell down after bringing it home for the first time. I found the magnetic latch not centered and canted at an angle so that only one magnet was touching the metal plate. I fixed this by re-centering and squaring the latch. However, it still falls down and being glass it will probably break or the hinges will fail due to bouncing. I need to find some sort of quarter turn external latch to prevent this from falling down. Probably a poor design idea… a heavy glass door in a moving, bouncing vehicle with a weak magnetic latch. I did find a dual magnet latch and installed that but doubt it will hold this heavy glass. The best bet is probably to remove the glass.

    5). After coming home from the dealer for the first time with our new trailer, we noticed the recliners were not centered and appeared to have moved. Upon checking I found just three metal brackets, which used to hold the recliners in position, were loose with one inch standard self drilling screws used to screw these brackets to the floor! These little one inch 6X32 type metal screws just aren’t strong enough! I used much larger self-drilling screws through the chair’s frame into the floor. Little bitty screws with three brackets on 100 total pound chairs? This is a design/installation failure! What was GD thinking?

    6). In almost every review and even mentioned in the Grand Design user forums and known to us before we purchased the trailer, was the bathroom faucet has been quite a negative. It is too short and not tall enough to provide a truly quality hand wash or razor shave. For an MSRP of close to 47K or so, I would have paid a few bucks more for a quality faucet and shower head. We replaced it with a taller “bar” style faucet.

    7). First trip home, the barn door bottom guide broke due to the barn door swinging into the bedroom. This plastic part is just a pressure fit and any bouncing would cause that door to swing into the bedroom and back. I replaced the part and glued the outer guide into the main base. I will add a strap to the bottom of the door to prevent this part of the door from breaking again.

    8). The straps at the top of the barn door AND the bathroom pocket door are way too long. When traveling, those doors slide back and forth slamming into the straps bouncing the doors almost off the tracks. Our solution, until I can make shorter straps to hold the doors more securely was to put a stuffed animal under the strap. My wife thinks it is cute. I would like shorter straps!

    9). I LOVED that the trailer came from the factory solar ready. I would have used heavier gauge wires, but 10 gauge wiring is adequate when using an MPPT type solar controller. After several days of solar install and anxious and ready to connect the solar panels, one of the plug’s conductors was bottomed out and would not make contact. I had to disconnect everything and remove the entire box and replace the one connector.

    10). Light above the stove is in the 120 volt microwave. Therefore you have no light above the stove when dry camping unless you have a generator running. Our other trailers had a 12 volt light above or near the stove so that you can see what’s cookin’! There are a few posts on adding an LED pancake light under the microwave, so another project!

    11). Had a leak in the city water inlet. Found two issues here. Loose connection at the rear, not quite finger tight, (don't tighten those too much) and then a piece of plastic between the washer and the plastic check valve.

    Now, don't get me wrong, we really love the trailer! It's just all these little things that make me scratch my head and ask, what were they thinking?

    What have you guys found??

    John
    We bought our TT used 2 years old. The original owner had dealt with a bunch of issues. GD is marketed as a step above the rest. Many ways I agree but there are things they cheated out on.

  4. #24
    Left The Driveway
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Ladysmith, BC, CA
    Posts
    8
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by JohnJCES View Post
    I don't want to "dis" or disrespect Grand Design, but I am curious about what little to big things new owners of new Grand Design travel trailers and fifth wheels have found in their first month or so of ownership. I mean, some of the things my wife and I found in our 2020 Reflection 230RL make us ask, "what were they thinking?" As a side note, I did write a letter to GD about some of these things and the positives. I did get a return call, wasn't home, they left a message and asked that I call back, which I did, but was on hold for over 30 minutes. No answer. Finally left my number but no full call back. Oh well!

    Here is my list:

    1). Just winterized my new fifth wheel. The lower drain lines, hot and cold, are DEAD CENTER underneath the trailer. So, you have to crawl under, unscrew the caps, get squirted on because you forgot to release the pressure, crawl out, crawl back under... do this a few times while you blow out and then add antifreeze... What were they thinking? I have owned four other TTs and the low drain lines on those were brought out near the sewer outlet or easy to get to. I did add a couple of 1/4 turn valves and I am trying to best figure out how to bring them down to near the sewer outlet. The belly is drooped and putting 45 degree shark bites and bringing it to the level of the sewer cap makes it pretty level... not a gentle slope. Still engineering this to prevent removing or modifying the underbelly material.

    2). Rear window came unlatched. (This occurred again on our first camping trip along with the right bedroom window getting unlatched).

    3). The dining table floor supports, the tube type, were WAY too close to the back bench. My wife is five feet tall and about one hundred pounds and she was squeezed in with the table being inches from her. For me, I was being cut off and there is no way an adult male could eat, sit or do anything on the back side of the table. I reattached them to the floor at an acceptable distance.

    4). The glass door covering the entertainment center is latched with only a magnetic latch. This is a 'nice' touch that GD added to the 2020 I believe but it fell down after bringing it home for the first time. I found the magnetic latch not centered and canted at an angle so that only one magnet was touching the metal plate. I fixed this by re-centering and squaring the latch. However, it still falls down and being glass it will probably break or the hinges will fail due to bouncing. I need to find some sort of quarter turn external latch to prevent this from falling down. Probably a poor design idea… a heavy glass door in a moving, bouncing vehicle with a weak magnetic latch. I did find a dual magnet latch and installed that but doubt it will hold this heavy glass. The best bet is probably to remove the glass.

    5). After coming home from the dealer for the first time with our new trailer, we noticed the recliners were not centered and appeared to have moved. Upon checking I found just three metal brackets, which used to hold the recliners in position, were loose with one inch standard self drilling screws used to screw these brackets to the floor! These little one inch 6X32 type metal screws just aren’t strong enough! I used much larger self-drilling screws through the chair’s frame into the floor. Little bitty screws with three brackets on 100 total pound chairs? This is a design/installation failure! What was GD thinking?

    6). In almost every review and even mentioned in the Grand Design user forums and known to us before we purchased the trailer, was the bathroom faucet has been quite a negative. It is too short and not tall enough to provide a truly quality hand wash or razor shave. For an MSRP of close to 47K or so, I would have paid a few bucks more for a quality faucet and shower head. We replaced it with a taller “bar” style faucet.

    7). First trip home, the barn door bottom guide broke due to the barn door swinging into the bedroom. This plastic part is just a pressure fit and any bouncing would cause that door to swing into the bedroom and back. I replaced the part and glued the outer guide into the main base. I will add a strap to the bottom of the door to prevent this part of the door from breaking again.

    8). The straps at the top of the barn door AND the bathroom pocket door are way too long. When traveling, those doors slide back and forth slamming into the straps bouncing the doors almost off the tracks. Our solution, until I can make shorter straps to hold the doors more securely was to put a stuffed animal under the strap. My wife thinks it is cute. I would like shorter straps!

    9). I LOVED that the trailer came from the factory solar ready. I would have used heavier gauge wires, but 10 gauge wiring is adequate when using an MPPT type solar controller. After several days of solar install and anxious and ready to connect the solar panels, one of the plug’s conductors was bottomed out and would not make contact. I had to disconnect everything and remove the entire box and replace the one connector.

    10). Light above the stove is in the 120 volt microwave. Therefore you have no light above the stove when dry camping unless you have a generator running. Our other trailers had a 12 volt light above or near the stove so that you can see what’s cookin’! There are a few posts on adding an LED pancake light under the microwave, so another project!

    11). Had a leak in the city water inlet. Found two issues here. Loose connection at the rear, not quite finger tight, (don't tighten those too much) and then a piece of plastic between the washer and the plastic check valve.

    Now, don't get me wrong, we really love the trailer! It's just all these little things that make me scratch my head and ask, what were they thinking?

    What have you guys found??

    John
    I would suggest that the designers have never spent a night or a weekend in the riggs that they have designed and had built; I noticed a large number of ds (dumb sh*t) installation items that really made me scratch my head; obviously no one at the factory has ever had to crawl under a wet and dirty RV site to either reach a gas line or some other item required 8' articulating arms.

    Ask I have stated several times before, quality assurance both by the factory and the dealership has a lot to be desired, many items are just not checked before deliveries. Each and every dealer should have an allowance to provide a fully tighten and ready for customer hand over, this is clearly not emphasized by GD to their dealers.

  5. #25
    Rolling Along
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Michigan and Florida
    Posts
    550
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by sande005 View Post
    Since it is that season, I'll add the two that again forced their way into my world:

    1. On the hose for feeding antifreeze into the water system, why put a pex fitting and cap on the end that is impossible to get into an antifreeze jug??? Last two years I cut the top off the jug (messy!) to get the hose into it. This year I trimmed the raised "grips" on the fitting itself, which just made it narrow enough to fit in the jug.
    2. On my 2670MK - really, I have to take out 8 screws, a panel, and two edging strips to get at the water pump and it's feed hose for the above antifreeze?? Hinge the panel with a latch, or make it a slide/pull out....(yep, a project for next year...)
    The FR 5th wheel we had before our solitude had the water pump in the main room inside in a cabinet under the wardrobe closet. The cover to the cabinet had HINGES in all four corners.... Screws had to be removed to get at it. My antifreeze sat on the floor inside making a mess everywhere....

    I LOVE-LOVE my Nautilus. Winterization is fairly painless now, there are just more places winterize...after I permanently fixed the stripped valve fitting with hose clamps so it cannot come apart again!!!

  6. #26
    New Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    1
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    [QUOTE=JohnJCES;260642]I don't want to "dis" or disrespect Grand Design, but I am curious about what little to big things new owners of new Grand Design travel trailers and fifth wheels have found in their first month or so of ownership. I mean, some of the things my wife and I found in our 2020 Reflection 230RL make us ask, "what were they thinking?" As a side note, I did write a letter to GD about some of these things and the positives. I did get a return call, wasn't home, they left a message and asked that I call back, which I did, but was on hold for over 30 minutes. No answer. Finally left my number but no full call back. Oh well!

    We have a 2018 GD Imagine 28RBH. In the first year of ownership we had the trailer a total of 4 months. It started with the check up at 3 months I was told had to happen for the warranty and a recall for coleman AC. The first trips resulted in:

    Replacement AC
    Replacement Roof (the dealership took it upon themselves as the bubbling was too bad)
    Replacement Axels (asked about brake check up, found out there was no grease from the factory. GD has since changed suppliers)
    Replacement rear ladder (lot damage, they caught it with the fork lift)
    Replacement sound system (BT wasn't connecting, and would go into a sound from Satan that wouldn't stop until power was disconnected)
    Trim throughout coming off (Typical on any trailer)
    Fridge shuts off randomly (still not diagnosed)
    Replaced regulator and hoses on propane after leak was discovered
    Replaced front shroud (litterally began peeling back against the tongue of the trailer. (GD says it was a flaw they have on some trailers)
    Continuous derailment of the bedroom door has caused irreparable damage to door. They won't replace, but at least they readjust and add another screw (as a stop) everytime.
    Replaced the rolling shower curtain that ceased to retract
    Bubbling of the faux wood stickers on the pop out is set to be replaced in the next couple weeks.
    Thermostat has always been hard to get to sense touch, recently it stopped all together. set to be replaced in the next couple weeks.
    Sewer Valves wont seal. (bought the aftermarket valve everyone recommends)
    Re-repairing the downspouts/raingutters. (the original roof replacement left gaps in the gutters that now leave AC condensate to run off on the pop out as well as the little downspouts have become detached)
    Replaced rear turn lamp (lot damage, hit with another trailer)
    Jack stand repair, washer broke weld off and dropped jack stand while driving ( removed and welded the washer inside back on myself.)
    Water Pump has been replaced. (wouldn't prime and ran continuous)
    Tongue jacked was replaced. (while sitting in the storage "dealers lot" the rubber on the switches was removed and the switched got water inside them shorting them out)

    Shortly after one of the storages (this is what we started calling taking the trailer for the weekend and returning it to the dealership for a couple weeks between trips) we happened to sit on the opposite side of our trailer from the usual and when the wifey went to take a shower water poured out the back of the trailer. Come to find out the connections in the wall for the shower spout were loose and had filled up the cavity. The shop opened it up and corrected the issue. I have no idea if we have damage I can't see or mold. We just have to hope.

    That's about all I can think of at the moment. Normal trailer ownership story right? The dealership damages certainly doesn't help. DG still highly recommends this place. When the warranty (they've extended 3 times) is up, we'll go somewhere else.

  7. #27
    Setting Up Camp
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Rimrock,AZ
    Posts
    27
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    We purchased a 2017 Solitude 310 GK new and have had non of the problems mentioned, but, GD states they have something like 288 checks on every RV before it leaves the factory., They need 289, someone with bare hands, no fair heavy gloves, to run behind and across every place a nail or staple has been nailed. The bloody hand from protruding nails and staples will quickly end partially nailed staples or nails that stand proud just waiting for some unsuspecting hand to be tortured.

  8. #28
    Big Traveler Wicked ace's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Southeast PA.
    Posts
    1,411
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    What was GD thinking with the pump and converter install? I was in the basement yesterday with the intention of installing an electrical surge protection device. What a mess! Wires and water lines criss-crossed and knotted with all kinds of slack and loose ends. Tie-wraps for wire and pipe hangers and not even heavy duty ones...really? Another project on the horizon I suppose.
    The real reason I posted is while under there I saw the water pump just stuck in with the water lines twisted and nearly kinked. I saw it has a 10 amp blade style in-line fuse wired and buried in the rats nest. I unscrewed the pump and turned it around and rerouted wires so the electrical connections and fuse were in front and accessible.
    Also I took note there are two 30 amp blade fuses on the converter. At least that was installed with the business end facing out. I had no idea these fuses were there, no mention by anyone, nothing in the documentation to point it out. At least with the water pump why didn't they add a fuse in the electric panel?
    One other really questionable point is the electric mains cable from the plug to the panel is 10awg. I have a 50 amp service, this wire size is rated for 30 amp. At a minimum #8awg should have been installed by code. This is a model that specs out 50 amp service from the factory, no other choices so there is no excuse.
    The brake wires at the axles are next. What I see there is just asking for trouble.
    Last edited by Wicked ace; 10-18-2019 at 06:04 AM.
    2018 F150 XLT 301a, Screw, 4x4, HDPP, Max tow, Andersen Ultimate w/ Curt Double Lock hitch.
    2019 Grand Design Reflection 150 series 260RD.... SOLD!!!!.

  9. #29
    Big Traveler
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    1,539
    Mentioned
    13 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Wicked ace View Post
    What was GD thinking with the pump and converter install? I was in the basement yesterday with the intention of installing an electrical surge protection device. What a mess! Wires and water lines criss-crossed and knotted with all kinds of slack and loose ends. Tie-wraps for wire and pipe hangers and not even heavy duty ones...really? Another project on the horizon I suppose.
    The real reason I posted is while under there I saw the water pump just stuck in with the water lines twisted and nearly kinked. I saw it has a 10 amp blade style in-line fuse wired and buried in the rats nest. I unscrewed the pump and turned it around and rerouted wires so the electrical connections and fuse were in front and accessible.
    Also I took note there are two 30 amp blade fuses on the converter. At least that was installed with the business end facing out. I had no idea these fuses were there, no mention by anyone, nothing in the documentation to point it out. At least with the water pump why didn't they add a fuse in the electric panel?
    One other really questionable point is the electric mains cable from the plug to the panel is 10awg. I have a 50 amp service, this wire size is rated for 30 amp. At a minimum #8awg should have been installed by code. This is a model that specs out 50 amp service from the factory, no other choices so there is no excuse.
    The brake wires at the axles are next. What I see there is just asking for trouble.
    Ace, you should take a photo of the #10 wire from plug to panel and call GD customer service with your vin and report this. If you go to GDRV.s website and go to the service and warranty page you'll find a spot to report this with photos. My experience has been that a lot of these reports go across Jerry McCarthy's desk. He'll make something happen. It's a serious safety issue, a fire waiting to happen. Shoddy, careless electrical work is a real pet peeve of mine, especially when an error could seriously harm the end user. Maybe at the least their electrical "craftsmen" will hear about it.

  10. #30
    Site Sponsor Migizi's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Redmond, OR
    Posts
    23
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Wow, this thread was quite a read and eye opener with regard to quality control and the lack thereof... I've not experienced any substantial problems with my 2016 Solitude, not even small ones. We do a lot of campground hosting and I talk with a lot of GD owners who seem to share a lot of the same quality complaints in this thread. Loose plumbing fittings are a big one that seem to surface. My brother-in-law with his 2018 Solitude had loose drains in his kitchen island that resulted in dish water running down the pipes into his tank area under the floor. There is fiberglass insulation down there that is now soaked full of dish water, maybe molding. He didn't know that was happening until his kitchen floor was wet one morning after doing dishes. Fortunately, he is still under warranty and the dealer claims they will repair...

    I recall a few years ago when my wife and I saw our first GD RV at a camper show in Boise, ID. Wow, we were instantly in love with the Solitude line of RVs. Then later we noticed one on the road and marveled at the unit thinking "wow, can't wait to get one". Then in 2017 became proud owners ourselves without any problems and love our 2016 Solitude. We see a lot of GD RVs out west these days and wonder how they can keep the same level of quality that they put in our older model and it sounds like maybe they can't with all the production. Sad to hear and I hope they can get back to the quality they once had in the past. We're keeping our 2016 Solitude until we give up camping and that will probably not be anytime soon... (BTW - can't imagine calling my 2016 RV an older model, but for the sake of this thread, it is...)
    Larry and Vicki
    2016 Solitude 305RE - Sailun S637 ST
    2017 3500HD Silverado LTZ
    TranferFlow 50 Gal Aux Tank
    Andersen Ultimate Hitch

Page 3 of 9 FirstFirst 12345 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

DISCLAIMER:This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Grand Design RV, LLC or any of its affiliates. This is an independent site.