As someone who has been shopping I have lots of suggestions.
1. There is no such thing as a "RV queen bed". It's either a queen or it isn't. Fix it.
2. The roof thing (water damage) scares me to tears, fix it.
3. most (but not all) of your salesmen don't know anything. They don't know anything about the units, they don't know which units are in stock, they don't know which units are where or what they cost, they don't know what motor is in it, they don't know why some features are appropriate for some people and not others. And many of them clearly need hearing aids, because they aren't listening to what I just said. It's 2012, there is no excuse to not be a professional and know at least a little about what you are supposed to be selling. Very few salesmen have taken the time to listen to what our situation is (or that family or this person, I've watched) and then make suggestions. They just say "let's go"
4. Many of the bathrooms (esp in TT) are a joke. Seriously, has anyone ever sat in some of these? The earlier suggestion about forcing the designers to live in one (even for a day) is a darn good one.
5. Quit putting cheap barely make weight axles and tires on these things. $20 to go one step higher on axles would make these all a lot safer. Almost every RV out there is overloaded. fix it.
6. Quit using made in china******trailer tires that explode.
7. The pricing structure is a joke. We all know (thanks to the internet) that MSRP is about 25% too high. why don't you either add some quality in and reduce the price or simply reduce the price. We all understand that everyone needs to make profit. But you don't need to make all your profit in one base. What happened to the auto industry (all the info online) is rapidly coming to RV's, you can either get in front of it or get run over by it.
8. DRIVING LESSONS. Sorry, but a lot of RV'ers scare me to death. They can barely drive their rig (MH or trailer), they are way overweight, poorly balanced and simply afraid of the size. Every time I go look I hear stories from people about how they just turn on the blinker and move over after a few minutes (55yr old woman in a 42ft DP), or how they brought their trailer someplace they should never have been (person at church, suburban with 30ft toyhauler on a 4wd only road) or afraid to go the speed limit (all over this forum). Not everyone, some people are super good with their RV's but be honest and admit that the RV community needs some serious help here.
9. Oversized vans that have a little RV type stuff (class B+) should cost about $50k brand new, not 100k. Seriously, I can't believe people buy those. (they must they are on every dealer's lot).
Yes, this. I really wish that we could more often choose cabinetry colors and have a wider assortment of choices for the upholstery. Don't even get me started on the bedding, but at least that's easy to replace.
The trailers I see from Europe and Australia don't have this problem, many of them look great.
boondockdad wrote: tomman58: do you really think anybody cares about your opinion of somebody's opinion?
X2
X3
...but then how could you point out how stupid everybody else is!?!
Seems like you do.......
I guess getting stuff from China is ok
Thinking you can get something for no money will ever happen
and you'll pay for the extra quality
Right.
2008 Silverado D/A,CC 4x4 ,3.73,IBC LTZ+
2012 Jayco 322 FKS
2 Trek bikes
Honda EU2000i
It must be time to go, the suns out and I've got a full tank of diesel! Lifes short enough without bitch'n about it!
After making this thread, I still stick to one of my core points: Engineer the roof from leaks with both materials used and design. This isn't rocket science here. Caulk is 1500s technology (when they used molten tar for boats.) These days, we have microsealant based tapes, labyrinth seals, various types of epoxies/fillers/hardeners/resins, and all sorts of chemical and engineering solutions to the age old water intrusion problem, even with seams and joints that flex and bend like the ones on an RV. If it can't be sealed at a seam, stick a flange or cap over it (like the one piece fiberglass caps on some class C motorhomes.)
The second thing I'd add would be to use decent composite materials. Azdel doesn't rot or delaminate. This provides a secondary barrier, because should a leak happen, it means that the problem is finding it and stopping it, not the secondary whammy of trying to figure out how much damage was done.
I would also add a third item, and it relates to security. This is mainly curb appeal, but it would give some peace of mind: Upgrade the locks on the doors. It is time we moved past easily openable FIC keys and CH751 cylinders and had decent locks similar to what auto makers have been using for decades. The "laser key" design in some European cars has been around since the 1970s and used for keeping public coin lockers secure. Abloy locks which take even speedpickers 10-12 hours to pick have been around since 1917. Why not have the locks on the handles upgraded to something reasonable. Heck, the cheap Kwikset Smartkey, delicate as it may be offers top tier pick resistance.
We pay large dollars for a rig that we spend nights in and use to store our stuff, shouldn't they have as much security as our cars? Of course, it is easy to use a "master key" like a large screwdriver, but why stick with cheap CH751 keys which can break in the locks, versus automotive locks from STRATTEC and other places that can work well for decades in all kinds of weather?
Quote: Please NO MIRRORS, I know my MH is small, putting mirrors up inside is not fooling me that it is bigger. They are ugly.
Strange. All the mirrors I look into look GREAT!
5ths are getting taller to fit the trucks that are getting taller but manufacturers insist on a 3-step entrance. These can be quite steep and difficult for young kids or people with bad knees.
mlts22 wrote: After making this thread, I still stick to one of my core points: Engineer the roof from leaks with both materials used and design. This isn't rocket science here. Caulk is 1500s technology (when they used molten tar for boats.) These days, we have microsealant based tapes, labyrinth seals, various types of epoxies/fillers/hardeners/resins, and all sorts of chemical and engineering solutions to the age old water intrusion problem, even with seams and joints that flex and bend like the ones on an RV. If it can't be sealed at a seam, stick a flange or cap over it (like the one piece fiberglass caps on some class C motorhomes.)
The second thing I'd add would be to use decent composite materials. Azdel doesn't rot or delaminate. This provides a secondary barrier, because should a leak happen, it means that the problem is finding it and stopping it, not the secondary whammy of trying to figure out how much damage was done.
I would also add a third item, and it relates to security. This is mainly curb appeal, but it would give some peace of mind: Upgrade the locks on the doors. It is time we moved past easily openable FIC keys and CH751 cylinders and had decent locks similar to what auto makers have been using for decades. The "laser key" design in some European cars has been around since the 1970s and used for keeping public coin lockers secure. Abloy locks which take even speedpickers 10-12 hours to pick have been around since 1917. Why not have the locks on the handles upgraded to something reasonable. Heck, the cheap Kwikset Smartkey, delicate as it may be offers top tier pick resistance.
We pay large dollars for a rig that we spend nights in and use to store our stuff, shouldn't they have as much security as our cars? Of course, it is easy to use a "master key" like a large screwdriver, but why stick with cheap CH751 keys which can break in the locks, versus automotive locks from STRATTEC and other places that can work well for decades in all kinds of weather?
DOUBLE DITTO.
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.
Keep on rollin'!
Magnus
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