Jayco Visitors Center Observations

Camping Couple · 08-08-2014, 03:25 PM

I was in Middlebury Indiana working today. I was down the road from the factory an decided to pay a visit to look at the 2015 models at the visitor center.

One of the first things I noticed was all the TT and fifth wheels now have a skylight bubble in the main area similar to the one above the bathtub but they are about 4 feet long. It's pretty nice now there is more natural light inside. My concern would be another possible entry point for water leaks.

The Jayco logo has been redesigned. I wanted to take some pictures but was told I could not take photos. I don't understand that one. It's not the assembly line. I didn't want to ruffle any feathers....no pun intended

I noticed quite a bit of cosmetic flaws, exterior and interior. You would think that Jayco would want the best looking rigs at the visitor center. One example was the corner molding inside a fifth wheel was hanging and the ceiling material was sagging. Looked like a roof leak. Another TT, the tile looking backsplash was falling off the wall. I think a lot of the problems we all read about here on this forum get overlooked by the dealers. So anybody purchasing a new TT, take the time and really look over your trailer prior to towing it off the lot. I think someone here had a PDI sticky on that.

I noticed the door locks are now going to a keyless entry setup. The door itself is thinner and the screen door is really flimsy. May by a design/material change. The frame seemed to be a plastic or composite material.

I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the frameless windows. They look pretty easy to break if they have to be forced open or closed.

Lastly, Jayco should just install quality vent fans in the bathroom. For the money these trailers cost, that 4" fan is a joke.

I'm going to be down there again next week.....I'm going to try and get pictures.

Tex1961 · 08-08-2014, 04:21 PM

I have only been on this forum since around January of this year. Your post got me energized enough to reply about some thoughts that I have been having. Before I joined, like most I trolled around reading everything there was to read about Jayco TT's. 99% of the posts were pretty much mundane everyday things. Sure there were some about problems that some were having. HOWEVER, I have been noticing a trend over the last few months. More and more users have been posting problems about their TT. Maybe it is just me but there seems to be an alarming trend going on here. And the majority of the postings are about newer models.. I have no scientific proof of these observations, just something that seems to have jumped out to me..

So.. With all that being said and the OP.. I wonder if there is something going on with Jayco.

**WVDusty** · 08-08-2014, 04:41 PM

Tex1961. Wait until late winter and the complaints seem to go away i am a member of other camping forums and every summer when everyone is using there TT's you will start reading allot more complaint stories. Obviously when they are being used is when they will break. But by late winter everyone has forgot about what at the time seamed like a huge problem then and now cant wait for spring so they can go camping again. Just my 2 cents.

Tex1961 · 08-08-2014, 04:51 PM

Dusty, you may be right. I never thought about that. Like i said, just an observation.

Camping Couple · 08-08-2014, 05:19 PM

Hey Dusty, you are right. My opinion is that when you use the TT in the summer, your sitting around looking at it and using all the mechanicals. You'll notice every little thing. I had another discussion with someone here who said it was loud in his TT when it rained out. My argument was a TT isn't a permanent structure. I won't go into it. I think Jayco TT is a great quality product. Any TT will have flaws, cosmetic and mechanical. That's why I said above to take the time and walk through the TT before driving off the lot. I know some stuff may be stupid to complain about at delivery but I would rather have these things addressed at that time rather than during a camping trip. I know the warranty is there but the warranty doesn't pay for your gas or time to brig it back to the dealer.

Mikeos · 08-08-2014, 05:40 PM

When there , go down the road a few miles to Ever Lite. Got the tour of the factory about a week ago and like the Ever lite TTs
Owners are on the floor and work in the factory !
Mike

Grumpy · 08-08-2014, 05:43 PM

JAYCO is the 3rd largest RV manufacturer in the country. With the number of units they sell the complaints on this forum are little or nothing. You only hear from the owners with problems, not the thousands without.

troutslayer · 08-09-2014, 12:07 PM

I am on another forum as well as this one and have noticed an increase in "issues" as well. I think it has something to do with the fact that all of these RV manufacturers are experiencing tremendous growth right now. In my opinion, the rapid ramp-up in sales has created problems in the plants because you just can't hire and train people that quickly. Just another opinion

tslarson · 08-10-2014, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camping Couple

I noticed quite a bit of cosmetic flaws, exterior and interior. You would think that Jayco would want the best looking rigs at the visitor center. One example was the corner molding inside a fifth wheel was hanging and the ceiling material was sagging. Looked like a roof leak. Another TT, the tile looking backsplash was falling off the wall. I think a lot of the problems we all read about here on this forum get overlooked by the dealers. So anybody purchasing a new TT, take the time and really look over your trailer prior to towing it off the lot. I think someone here had a PDI sticky on that.

I think this statement sums up part of the problem with the whole RV industry (not only Jayco). Allowing the public to see your product with obvious defects should never happen. It seems that the manufactures just don't care about that, and that attitude has trickled down to the dealers, or they are just over whelmed by the huge amount of minor/major defects to fix and ignore them unless the customer complains. I used to work for a large boat dealer in Minneapolis and come boat show season we would spend weeks detailing boats to display at the show. Everything was perfect, teak sanded and oiled, everything polished, any defect repaired, right down to any small scratch, everything working perfectly. I went to the Minneapolis RV show last winter, and walked through a 100 or so trailers, both high and low end. It was amazing to see dozens and dozens of defects in plain sight for all to see. huge scratches, dents in siding, trim falling off, and off, and off, missing parts, missing door knobs, the list could go on and on. It is like they don't care about what the public sees. I don't get it, it just creates more obstacles to overcome to make a sale.

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