lots of disappointments with this 2020 399TH

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Jacksharp1959

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Sep 29, 2016
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11
Location
Walla Walla WA for now
Taking the month of June off for a trip in the north west with the Wife, Daughter and SIL and grandkid. Really wanted to do this as our plan is to go full time in this RV and we wanted to get the kinks worked out. We bought this rig in 2021 used and it had a few things done to it that made it attractive to us.

The main downside to me was the couches were removed in the Garage and are lost to the world. 2nd owner told me he would send me the details for connecting with the original but that has yet to happen. Anyway, this trip:

Trim falling off all over this thing. For supposed to be the best built, I would argue it is not much better than anyone else.
Main slide obviously out of adjustment as it doesn't close the rear of the slide all the way and opens it a little too far in the rear of the slide putting pressure on the inside corner trim. Also, the slide Trim on the front of the main slide rubbed and kinked and pulled itself off when you opened the slide. I called Grand Design to see if I could take it to them when I was in the area to get them to look at it and I would pay to fix it. They refused and said I would have to use a dealer and gave me the one nearest me (WA). They were really nice and recognized they had a guy with money to spend on toys and said they could fix everything as well as give it a once over to tell me what it might need as far as service/Maintenance.

They didn't. Every fix they did has come undone this trip. I mean come on guys, can't you even fix a piece of trim? When I get back, I'll be at them and expecting a redo with a different tech. I do not expect to get satisfaction from them. I am finding RV Dealers to be less competent than Car dealers (whom I used to work for).

Rear toilet ball valve broke. In just 2 years. Did find a dealer in Missoula MT (Brett's RV) that had a great parts department and he has arranged for the part to be shipped to my next destination. He did try to sell me a $700 backup camera system but I said no. I can do just fine for now with my Wife on one radio and me on the other (or cell phone if we have service).

Top Stair tread just popped right off as I was walking down them. I do weigh 230lbs but I figured they should be able to hold that. My SIL is a carpenter and he fixed it for me way better than the cheap ****** glue and brad nails GD used.

Trim on Kitchen slide coming off in two places. again, cheap ineffective glue along with bad quality control to make sure it was aligned properly.

As usual, no schematics or documentation with any component in this system. The Jensen radio I think was an add on and it has 2 additional power amps. But the head unit itself is crap. Bluetooth feature is unreliable and hard to connect. You need to have the app on your phone. Screen is dim and hard to read. I am planning on pulling it out and replacing t with a unit.

For a $100,000 plus unit, when you have to bend down every time to see if the igniter on the stove pilot actually ignited the pilot, that's pretty sorry. If I built a house or apartment like that, I'd be a laughing stock. When people tell me GD is the best made, I respond with well, the bar is really pretty low isn't it.

Waiting to see what else breaks this trip and already thinking about the next one. Oh and had to replace both batteries on my 2012 F350. They only lasted 11 years. ...LOL.. ok yes I am being facetious.
 
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FWIW, Grand Design is not "the best made", or "the best built". You won't get those for what you paid for your trailer. Double that price and add some for that. Grand Design is a mid-level priced trailer. And you're the third owner, so some of the issues you're finding could be the result of the 1st 2 owners attempting things that didn't work out well. That happens. Got to be a reason a year old trailer has already had 3 owners.
 
......And you're the third owner, so some of the issues you're finding could be the result of the 1st 2 owners attempting things that didn't work out well. That happens. Got to be a reason a year old trailer has already had 3 owners.

Thats was the first thought in my head when reading the OPs post. +1
 
Sounds like normal stuff. That's how it goes with RV'ING.
I don't even consider taking a unit back. Either fix it myself or work with a tech, luckily I've not had to go down that path. You will have the satisfaction of being involved with having it fixed right!!

YouTube is your friend, look up your problem, there's a fix for you to watch.
Best of luck!
 
Sounds like normal stuff. That's how it goes with RV'ING.
I don't even consider taking a unit back. Either fix it myself or work with a tech, luckily I've not had to go down that path. You will have the satisfaction of being involved with having it fixed right!!

YouTube is your friend, look up your problem, there's a fix for you to watch.
Best of luck!

Im not sure that everyone who RV's shares your version of "satisfaction"....

Lets face it, they don't tell you that you need to become a master RV Tech when you buy one of these things. Heck, they hardly care if you know how to hook one up and drive it off. Just show them the money, sign the papers, and good luck as you go.

Besides, I know as I get older I'm starting to lose my "satisfaction" too. ;)
 
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While Jo Ann and I were researching, we went to every RV show and dealer we could. One large dealer near us has an auto dealership next to the RV dealership. The sales people would rotate between the two dealerships - one week selling new cars, the next used cars, the next RV's. Unfortunately, they didn't believe in spending any time (money) on training their sales people. I later found out that they are part of a group of dealers, so I keep the list of that group and won't even set foot on any of their lots.

We bought our Reflection from a dealership that sells more than just Grand Design, and the people we met there don't know much about what they are selling. They didn't know that this trailer has a residential refrigerator, not a 12 volt residential-style one. They out-and-out lied to us about a missing window shade. GD took care of that once they were aware of the missing shade. Their only answer to our questions is "bring the trailer back to us and we'll take care of the problem."
 
I think every manufacturer is going to claim their rigs are the best quality or quality built. We bought our reflection based on floor plan and decor, but did look at quality compared to our old Jayco. This is our third season out. Always something to tinker with or repair. I just figure it comes with the territory. I’m not a mechanically inclined, but I ask for help here or research on the internet. I don’t like being prideful, but I am proud of what I’ve learned and the things I can do if I don’t get emotionally engaged and upset over the problem.
 
Trim on Kitchen slide coming off in two places. again, cheap ineffective glue along with bad quality control to make sure it was aligned properly.

I use household vinyl cove base adhesive to reinstall loose trim. Hold in place with painters tape overnight.

For a $100,000 plus unit, when you have to bend down every time to see if the igniter on the stove pilot actually ignited the pilot, that's pretty sorry.

After you light the pilot light next time, partially close door until the door glass reflection shows the flame burning. I often accidentally turn the pilot out when shutting down the oven. I hate getting down on the floor to see if the pilot stays lit every time too. If you look close when opening door you can see the spark.
 
Taking the month of June off for a trip in the north west with the Wife, Daughter and SIL and grandkid. Really wanted to do this as our plan is to go full time in this RV and we wanted to get the kinks worked out. We bought this rig in 2021 used and it had a few things done to it that made it attractive to us.

The main downside to me was the couches were removed in the Garage and are lost to the world. 2nd owner told me he would send me the details for connecting with the original but that has yet to happen. Anyway, this trip:

Trim falling off all over this thing. For supposed to be the best built, I would argue it is not much better than anyone else.
Main slide obviously out of adjustment as it doesn't close the rear of the slide all the way and opens it a little too far in the rear of the slide putting pressure on the inside corner trim. Also, the slide Trim on the front of the main slide rubbed and kinked and pulled itself off when you opened the slide. I called Grand Design to see if I could take it to them when I was in the area to get them to look at it and I would pay to fix it. They refused and said I would have to use a dealer and gave me the one nearest me (WA). They were really nice and recognized they had a guy with money to spend on toys and said they could fix everything as well as give it a once over to tell me what it might need as far as service/Maintenance.

They didn't. Every fix they did has come undone this trip. I mean come on guys, can't you even fix a piece of trim? When I get back, I'll be at them and expecting a redo with a different tech. I do not expect to get satisfaction from them. I am finding RV Dealers to be less competent than Car dealers (whom I used to work for).

Rear toilet ball valve broke. In just 2 years. Did find a dealer in Missoula MT (Brett's RV) that had a great parts department and he has arranged for the part to be shipped to my next destination. He did try to sell me a $700 backup camera system but I said no. I can do just fine for now with my Wife on one radio and me on the other (or cell phone if we have service).

Top Stair tread just popped right off as I was walking down them. I do weigh 230lbs but I figured they should be able to hold that. My SIL is a carpenter and he fixed it for me way better than the cheap ****** glue and brad nails GD used.

Trim on Kitchen slide coming off in two places. again, cheap ineffective glue along with bad quality control to make sure it was aligned properly.

As usual, no schematics or documentation with any component in this system. The Jensen radio I think was an add on and it has 2 additional power amps. But the head unit itself is crap. Bluetooth feature is unreliable and hard to connect. You need to have the app on your phone. Screen is dim and hard to read. I am planning on pulling it out and replacing t with a unit.

For a $100,000 plus unit, when you have to bend down every time to see if the igniter on the stove pilot actually ignited the pilot, that's pretty sorry. If I built a house or apartment like that, I'd be a laughing stock. When people tell me GD is the best made, I respond with well, the bar is really pretty low isn't it.

Waiting to see what else breaks this trip and already thinking about the next one. Oh and had to replace both batteries on my 2012 F350. They only lasted 11 years. ...LOL.. ok yes I am being facetious.

I know every little thing seems like a hassle, and you need to vent so everyone knows about it...that is what the internet and forums are for.

However, you openly admitted in your first sentence that you are at least the second, if not third owner.

How can you continually put blame to the manufacturer when at least one or two people have owned it before you?

You have no idea what they did to it before you got ahold of it.

If you could build a house that could maintain it's rigidity and structure as it drove down a road, that would be a feat in itself.
 
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