2016 solitude 375 RE

[Waterman824]

Well folks we have had a lot of problems with our new 5th wheel that we purchased in August 2016. We are full timers and have only been to three different resorts since we started, starting 10 miles from dealership we picked it up at in San diego, then straight to Pahrump NV then to Parker AZ. Here are the issues we have dealt with so far.

Even though the RV is supposed to be equipment with the Weather-Tec extreme climate package the RV gets down to 56 degrees when outside temp is at 44 and thats with the fireplace on high all night, I don't know anything about the weather-tec package but it seems to me that the RV should be at a warmer temp that if it was insulated for extreme climate?

We replaced the sail switch on furnace as for it was still having issues not activating off and on. Found the squirrel wheel on furnace set screw was not tightened when installed by MFG so cage was loose and moving up and down, little concerned about unnecessary ware on it being its been like that since we purchased the RV, we set the screw and its fine now.
Tags on the three drain valves for tanks were reversed and handle colors reversed as well so when we originally used the flush to flush black water we had the wrong valve open.
Leak in wall that was going under cabinet in bathroom and shorted out wall outlet in bedroom and soaked carpet and wall is fixed, the rubber grommet on hot water line was installed sideways and wore to cause it to leak.
We had to pull the internals of cabinet apart to let area under there dry out properly , now cabinet well not go back together like it should and we are still concerned about mold growing under carpet and inside wall.
Inside stairs put off a loud squeaky noise even with rv jacks up as Grand Design suggested we cant get them to pull out to shave down.
When black tank gets about 3/4 full there is now a loud hammering noise in wall while flushing toilet, repair man went on to roof to check vent and it seems to be fine, there is no leaks in wall behind toilet or shower. Any idea of what can be causing that hammer noise? As i stated its only when black tank is 3/4 full, rest of time its quite.
While repair guy was up on roof he noticed a hole in roof exposing wood on roof. near the latter. He showed me the material of the roof that he has in his van and i see its extremely durable. We have not been or stayed anywhere that has trees over the rv or even been up on the roof, we have only been to three parks and have towed very little since we purchased the RV. Our opinion is that the tear has been there since we bought the rv not sure how it could of gotten there any other way, Anyway its a new RV we don't expect a patch job on a new RV, we are expecting a new roof.
Center island in kitchen has been somewhat loose since we purchased the RV. We asked the dealership when we were buying it, they said they would fix it, then they said it was normal, we found out today that its not normal and should not be that loose.

So basically our experience on this RV has not been great and our opinion of the quality of workmanship put into this unit is poor. We have lost confidence that the RV is going to be reliable for the long term.

We have emailed JD at Grand design this afternoon about these issues asking what they were willing to do for us. I sure hope it all works out okay. Leaving it at a Dealership long term is not a option for us.

 

[huntr70]

Good luck with a roof replacement under warranty.

Odds are, it was done under transport to the dealer.

We have to physically inspect every unit coming onto the lot for driver damage. If that roof damage was not reported upon delivery, then there will be no warranty work. If it was reported, the unit should have never been delivered to you before the roof was replaced.

You have to look at it from the other end.....who is to say it was not you who damaged it? Any proof it was damaged before you took delivery?

 

[Waterman824]

The delivery of this unit was a joke. It was not even detailed, plastic was still on carpet in bedroom etc, there was a dent in the back trip when we looked at unit on their lot that we brought to their attention they did not even know it was there, they did order a new trim stip and installed for us after we took delivery. I think its safe to say dealer did not inspect the roof if they did not even notice the dent that was very apparent.. ( I well call dealer to see if they have a delivery inspection report they can supply us with ) And yes I figured it might go to the he said she said prove it. I hope that is not the case and they just do the right thing. I still have not heard back from JD.

 

[Dave and Monica]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but I need to ask why did you accept the camper and tow it off their lot. Unfortunately things get fixed much faster when they don't have your money yet. I doesn't sound like the dealer did any PDI whatsoever...all the more reason not to have accepted it as I understand that the dealer charges GDRV to do the PDI.

Dave

 

[Waterman824]

They were in the middle of doing a large RV show and had limited employees to do the work, the strip was ordered and took 2 months to get in and we were told they would come to our site to repair which they did, they also said they would come to our site to do detail and remove plastic which they finally did schedule but it took them a few months to do so by then we removed the plastic off carpet and hired a company to do detail work. The hole in the roof was just now noticed. I have called The dealership Holland RV in Santee and San Marcos CA to get the pre delivery inspection report and they are supposed to contact us, but i just found out online that their service department burnt down in October 2015 so unless they have a electronic file backed up somewhere of it they probably no longer have the report so we well see. As for the other issue go those would of not been noticed by us as a consumer until actually using the RV but in my opinion should of been noticed in quality control inspection by the MFG, basic things like setting and tightening the set screw and squirrel wheel for furnace, stickers and handles on flush valves wrong, a long known issue with jacks dropping and a anti stiction fluid needed to be added to solve the problem are things that should not be missed and taken care of before the MFG let the RV go out for sale. The leak is something know one could anticipate but was do to someone at the mfg installing the fitting incorrectly. The Weather -tec pack is still in the air but i do not think this rv is well insulated like they claim, i have read a lot of post and people with these RV's seem to be very happy with how warm they are staying in much cooler climates than we are in. I am trying not to get to upset about the situation but our experience with the Dealer has been horrible not just service but the tactics they used to sell it were not honest, and then all the quality control issues then the hole in the roof, we well leave it at that.

 

[Waterman824]

PS. they had $12,000 as our down payment when we were not happy with the tactics used before we took delivery they told us if we cancelled the contract they would keep a percentage of our money, forcing us to make a decision to either loose a large part of our down payment and hiring a Attorney to get it back or hope they do the right thing, we should of walked away :-( So now we are just hoping that either Grand Design or Holland RV well do the right thing and get all this rectified.

 

[huntr70]

It really is a shame that there are dealers out there like that.


Just an FYI...new Grand Designs do not come in with plastic over carpet. They come in cleaned up after PDI at the factory.

I suspect something hokey going on with that dealer.

 

[Waterman824]

I emailed the owners of Grand Design we will see what they say. I am starting to think that GD did not do a PDI either. especially if they are suppose to remove plastic off carpet in bedroom as part of their PDI. To many things wrong and some that should of never been overlooked.

 

[clc530]

I had a lot of problems with my 369RL to the point that I sold it but I can not say enough about the people at Grand Design they are the best it just that they have a new concept with only getting good dealers and like most dealers after the sale to hell with you, would I ever buy another GD yes if I were in the market for one but not a first year model I would wait until it had been made for at least a year and then buy that new model. But I would pick it up at the factory and take it over to Tim for them to go over it. As I said before the people that I have worked with a Grand Design have been the best they do care about you and there product. All RV's have problems because when you pull a house down the road something is going to go wrong but until the RV industry starts making there RV like on assembly line and not piece work you will have a better product. To all the people at Grand Design thanks for all your help

 

[Waterman824]

I received a phone cal from the VP at GD yesterday and a email from one of the owners. Then a call from JD. They are working diligently on getting the issues resolved. This is very appreciated. I well report back once all repairs are completed.

 

[Waterman824]

 

[Waterman824]

This is where we are at with GD right now, We sent them a email and our waiting for a response.

 

[Dave and Monica]

As you are not a 'Site Sponsor', you have limited privileges on the forum and cannot post or open attachments. Did you send the photo of the roof/front cap transition to GDRV?

Dave

 

[Waterman824]

Yes I did send the pics to GDRV

 

[Waterman824]

I wanted to give everyone that has been reading this thread a update. GDRV Has been great to deal with. After receiving No or terrible customer service from other Companies over the years its easy to get bitter and offensive right off the bat. GDRV has worked with us and have gone the extra mile to take care of us. We are not completely out of the woods yet but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and we are confident that GDRV well get us there. After the great customer service we would recommend GDRV to anyone looking for a quality built RV but more so because of the exceptional way GDRV conducts their business.