Another post about bad craftsmanship

[Steelernut]

That's nothing compared to what we went through with our brand new 2020 Montana 3791 RL. First trip out we literally had a river of water running down the steps and across the kitchen floor. Took it back to the shop they assessed it and said that the window between the dining room slide out and the living room slide out at the steps was leaking. Replace the window got it back took it out same thing. Took it back they put in another window into it. Went back out camping same issue. Took it back determined that it was not the window, but the manufacturer failed to put the slide out seals in the tracks for the slide out. Trailer ended up having to go back to the manufacturer which they had it for 3 months. So in the first 6 months it had been back to the manufacturer and back to the dealer seven times. The craftsmanship and the quality sucks. Thor industries has gotten too big for its britches.

[Trailer Trash]

This thread is very timely as we are evaluating buying another RV to replace our Montana. Money is always part of the equation but the bigger part of the decision revolves around buying a quality built RV that we can trust. Between tires, trim, wiring and general unit construction we are at a loss for what to do. Redwood? Alliance Paradigm? Buy a vacation property? Any suggestions? It seems changing 5th wheels every 4 years regardless of brand is the best RV strategy?

[Montana Man]

Originally Posted by Trailer Trash

This thread is very timely as we are evaluating buying another RV to replace our Montana. Money is always part of the equation but the bigger part of the decision revolves around buying a quality built RV that we can trust. Between tires, trim, wiring and general unit construction we are at a loss for what to do. Redwood? Alliance Paradigm? Buy a vacation property? Any suggestions? It seems changing 5th wheels every 4 years regardless of brand is the best RV strategy?

This is our last new trailer. I would normally be open to a new one but not with build quality what it is. Ours is about dialed in and I really don't want to go through fixing another new unit. You will have to decide how you want to travel and proceed carefully.

[DaveK]

All brands are problematic. If I was going to buy a new 5er, I wouldn't know which brand to choose. If you own an RV, you must be prepared to fix issues. I must say that the stress of RV issues will be a major contributor to the day that we stop RVing. No way could I enjoy full time RVing.

I don't intend to buy another RV either unless it is to downsize.

[Wpkass]

Originally Posted by sonofcy

WOW, if that was the only thing wrong with my trailer I would be ecstatic. My trim is failing at the corner (very hard to fix) and pulling away from the wall. Leaked when brand new, now fixed, just had a $1,000 baggage door fail, I replaced, fireplace replaced, chair replaced, several blinds failed and replaced. I still haven't taken the trailer to a dealer, I do all my own work. This is why most of us are handy and carry a LOT of tools.

Same here - all kinds of problems that I could have taken in for warranty. Knew that it would be a crap shoot going that route so I just did it myself. Not sure I’d buy new again and I would not buy a Keystone Montana product again given my definition of luxury RV is some what different then theirs… workmanship and quality do matter at some point.

[DaveK]

I talk to owners of other brands and it's basically the same story. The majority of dealer repair shops are bad. I try to find mobile techs if I can't fix it. After the year factory warranty, you're on your own.
Many of the parts on RVs come from a few suppliers, so various brands use very similar products: Lippert, Dometic, Furrion, Suburban, Atwood, MorRyde,

[simonsrf]

Our 2006 2985 RL had major quality issues. Nothing has changed, and nothing will change. This is an old story with Montana.

[DaveK]

Very expensive strategy trading every 4 years. I'm going to keep what I've got as long as I can, 2019 Montana HC 330RL. After 7 more years RVing, I'm sure I won't want to tow a 5er anymore.

I'm thinking ahead as I get older. IF I buy another RV it will be to downsize and probably a used Class C, something more simple (fewer slides).

I'm looking at the same options you are as I get older.

[Mikelff]

With regard to the OP, I went to HD and they have furniture chip repair “pens”. Look similar to a sharpie but it is actually wood stain. Just need to match color. I have two different colors to match variations in color. Just use it like a magic marker and fill in with the stain. You can also wipe it while wet if a shade too dark. Works great. I’ll do this about every 6 months fixing nicks and you could never tell unless you knew where they were.
As far as rv quality issues I agree the industry could do a whole lot better with regard to quality control. Most of the time its what quality controls??? I bought used as most of the screw up were fixed by the previous owner, and by the dealer I bought it from, which was out of state. The current dealer I use has treated me great. Not cheap, but they have always made it right if they screwed something up. Some repairs that didn’t get done or they missed were done for free. A GOOD dealer makes all the difference in the world, and they are rare and hard to find. The search for a good dealer is worth the effort. Like others, I try to do the simple repairs myself but I’m turning 70 this year so As things get more difficult more may go to the dealer. Most stuff is already fixed so I’ll keep this 2018 358BH High Country till I’m done RVing. Things will always need fixing when you are bouncing a rv down the road in hurricane force winds. Happy Camping!

[wed]

It’s the whole market there are not enough good workers for the industry.

[bshgto]

Steelernut has the answer..........
"The craftsmanship and the quality sucks. Thor industries has gotten too big for its britches."
But to many people want to play and haven`t got a clue what their looking at or how it works and they know that so it won`t stop until consumers stop buying.

[Montana Man]

Originally Posted by wed

It’s the whole market there are not enough good workers for the industry.

That is so in many cases. In the case of building trailers, if management mandated quality over production things would change. If quality control inspectors did their job the worker bees would fall in line. I've had to prove this basic philosophy many times over. A bad worker can do good work if utilized appropriately.

[SLB]

Amen!!!