Nobody "designs" these things! For one thing these companys ( which are fewer and fewer now) dont have the $$ and never did have the $$ to actually "design" something. They are piece assembled by people that dont know what REAL design is.
A company also doesnt change "designs" every few years just for cosmetic appeal. A classic "design" not only retains its value based on its NEVER CHANGING cosmetic appeal...but is "engineered" to appeal to the people that actually WANT that end product.
A Volkswagen Beetle was "designed"...a Chevie Malibu isnt!
A properly "designed" motorhome doesnt come out of the factory already OVERLOADED on the front axle...when its almost totally EMPTY!
2000 Country Coach Allure; Cummins ISC 330 HP; 71/2 - 8 MPG regardless
2002 Jeep Liberty
I keep seeing some of the blame on the constant breakdowns being attributed to the constant motion of the motorhome. I am a retired commercial fisherman who spent the better part of his life on a 42 foot boat in Northers B.C. and Southern Alaska. We lived in the open sea and the boat was subjected to 10 to 40 foot seas constantly for a period of 4 to 7 months a year , 24-7. The vibration was constant from the screamin Jimmy and the Isuzu which ran the freezer system and was never shut off except for oil changes. I did not see or experience anything near the amount of repairs or maintenance that seem to be required on RV's. As our lives depended on it , only quality parts were used and all work was checked and rechecked to make sure it was done right the first time. Electronics rarely failed and wiring was rarely an issue. Myself, I do attribute most of the breakdowns to low quality parts and components , and a low standard of workmanship that would not pass at a boatyard. Some of the work I have seen done at RV Repair shops would horrify most any shipright. I looked at some new 200,000 dollar rv's that were basicly falling apart before they even left the dealer's lot. Wire crimps that you could give a light tug and they came apart, etc. Myself, I do not think the flex of the coach or road vibration has much to do with the deterioration of the coach. Throw in 20 feet of airtime off the tops of the waves, and a constant dousing of salt water,,,, then maybe.
In short, I think we - the owner/operators - must take some responsibilty for the issues.
If a person is overly concerned, they should not drive....period. I'll enjoy my vehicles and try to stay up-to-date on any issues.
THose two comments hit 95% of the problems right on the head. I've been RV'ing for 36yrs, pop-ups, TT's FW's, Class C and now a Super C and have never had any major issues, and we have seen 44 of the continental 48 and just about all of Canada. My class "C" averaged 8000 miles per year. I've gone back for minor warranty issues but absolutely nothing major.
Grandma in front of her retirement home..
She lets Grumpy drive!!
I think about this at times. We also started out with a pop-up, travel trailers and then our first Class A gasser. Fortunately, we've had few problems with our current rig and most I've just fixed myself. My neighbors see me tinkering on the motorhome and they tell me it's my hobby within a hobby.
As has been noted, if I tried to sell it, I would almost have to give it away so I tinker, keep it nice, and we use it. Guess the pleasure does exceed the pain, at least for now.
2002 Winnebago Journey DL,36GD, 2008 Explorer 4WD toad. Blue Ox Aventa II, SMI Air Force One braking system. Lucy the rescued lab/springer mix. Smith Mountain Lake, VA
I'd suggest that the high number of complaints you see here is due to the fact that trouble-shooting is one of the primary uses of this site. People won't typically post "Hi there, nothing happened today."
Just a thought.
2001 Coachmen Leprechaun 314SS (Acquired in July 2008)
Ours handles great and it has been a good reliable unit so far....so far.
What has me thinking second thoughts sometimes is the expense of just owning it if nothing breaks at all....I mean, you add maintenance costs, insurance costs, fuel costs, upgrade costs, tow car, tow brackets, tow bar, braking system, and the worst bugaboo of all --depreciation.....and this is one expensive hobby.
We love to travel and that's why we do it. It is the best way to see the USA - not doubt about it.....and you can't take it with you. Also, I saw on the news a couple of nights ago about how many hotels and nice renatls are getting bedbugs now ----- and I will keep RVing - thank you very much.
2003 Newmar DSDP 4005 dual slide king bed Spartan 350 Cummins 2004 Jeep Liberty 4X4 tow, SeaEagle boat in basement
Hi!
Mine has been paid for for years, very little wrong with it. I do almost all of my own work, and enjoy most of it. I don't have enough storage capacity to overload it. I'd dump it in a heartbeat if I felt like the OP.
As already stated, it,s a hobby within a hobby.
Dave & Rose C
90 Safari Ivory 34' DP 04 Saturn VUE V6
When you come to the site, RV.net, & this is in no way ment to be saying anything bad about the site, when you click up class a forum you will see an almost never ending host of problems with our m/hs. Some are small things that are just going to happen just from wear & tear, but the big items, like the one from a good while back where the overhead compartment fell while going down the highway onto the driver & only by Gods grace did they not get killed because of it.
This site is about people helping people. Lots of times the problems are relatively minor fixes once you know where to look. We help by offering suggestions on where to look, and/or what we have done to fix the same or similar problem. Without this site, we might consider having someone else do the work, so we're actually saving time and money.
Another, the recall DieselDon has reported about the control arms breaking at the rear. Hes talking about 04 & new models, not old 70 or 80 built units where you would suspect to have some problems & high end units at that.
Even new things break. Designers design things, engineers tinker with the designs to make them work and builders build what the engineers determine will work. Once completed, the design is supposed to work as the engineers envisioned. Sometimes it doesn't work that way. RVs are no different than, and in some cases are better than, any other motorized conveyance.
I'm 58 years old & drove trucks for the better part of 20 years up & down the east coast & know what the highways are like. I would think that whoever is designing chassis would have at least rode or driven a few miles & should know themself what conditions the roads are. That being said, why would anyone design a chassis knowing full well once a camper mfg is through with their work, it is going to be over loaded.
I'm sure there are quite a few units out on the highway that this is not a problem, not built bigger than what the chassis is designed for, but you take older units, say even in to the late 80s even some of those are over loaded before the owner even loads up their belongings.
As a truck driver, I can only assume you NEVER drove a rig overloaded! I doubt it. As a LEO I've done my share of truck inspections and shutter to think of what would really happen to the trucking industry if we were to enforce what you are implying in this post.
Its just unbeleavable when you go to class a forum & see all the problems encountered just from owning a m/h, then you realize that reguardless if we have to work on our units everyday to keep them on the road it will not swagger our love for camping or seeing the world riding in one.
Has that love blinded us enough, that some of us are not seeing we are getting an infearior product.
I dont know on that, but what I do know, the 1988 Georgie Boy Encounter 34, the wife & me have owned for the past 3 years, untill last Saturday morning early when it was totaled, was the most ill handling thing I have ever sat behind the steering wheel in & I have drove some might ragged trucks but none can compair to that m/h.
Any trip we went on, in less than 200 miles my chest would be hurting from my arms having to saw the steering wheel to hold it in the road.
That only comes from a poor design chassis & a camper MFG overloading it with body.
I don't know about your rig, but I can drive mine all day and still arrive at my destination relaxed and rested. I love driving and my rig is tight and quiet. I have over 110,000 miles on her and she still purrs quietly down the road.
Do we need to look into things closer, to find out why it is like this, or are we all afraid to because in the end if we say something we might not can find a camper to buy anymore.
Whats more important, finding, solving the problem or just letting it go & see how many will be killed.
Unfortunately you sound like a very negative person. I hope it is only because you are happy to get rid of that albatross you called a motor home. I like to look for the positive side of things, and being able to spend a weekend, a few days and sometimes a few weeks, enjoying this wonderful country of ours with my friends and family is something I will gladly trade whatever aggravation is generated by having to repair my rig. Most repairs and/or breakdowns are the result of a lack of maintenance or attention to warning signs.
Neil
Finally, your signature seems to imply you are somehow involved in racing. If that is so, then you must be aware that race cars break, have tires that go down, crash occasionally and sometimes have designs that don't work as intended. We don't live in a perfect world, but with each others help, we can make things more fun and enjoyable........ JMHO....Dennis
Dennis and Debi
Monaco Dynasty Baron 40PFD
Towing a Chevy HHR W/
ReadyBrute
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