2017 Jayco Melbourne issues

[TWG]

I bought a 2017 Jayco Melbourne just under 2 months ago:
• Test drive day
o fuse for backup camera was bad and had to be replaced for camera to work
o the motorhome also had to be jump started before we could drive it
• Day of purchase / pick-up
o the backup camera would not work again; dealer changed out the entire radio
o realized upon arriving home that the slide would no longer go out. Took it back to the dealer the next day, 1.5 hours away, to be told there was a wiring issue AND found out that they couldn’t even reach the fuse box for it when the slide was in; they had to take platform off of bed to get to the box to put in a new fuse.
o When the slide was fixed, the TV no longer came on, so they had to rewire the TV, claiming it was a loose wire in the wiring cabinet.
• 1st (overnight) trip out
o realized DVD player would play sound, but no picture, and there was no sound for TV coming thru the cabin sound system either. Took it back to dealer for both to be corrected.
• pre-2nd trip out
o chassis battery dead after 1 week in storage
• 2nd (overnight) trip out
o realized that cable didn't work, but assumed it was the hookup at campsite.
• pre-3rd trip out
o both chassis and house batteries dead after one week in storage, and YES, all was cut-off
• 3rd (overnight) trip out
o realized that cable didn't work, now realizing it is the coach after testing different sites and cable lines
o also discovered water seeping out from under "kitchen" cabinet corner
• pre-4th trip out
o chassis battery dead after 3 days in storage; house battery ok because we are now having to manually disconnect it due to it constantly draining, and YES, we know where the house cutoff switch is and how to use it
• 4th (overnight) trip out:
o water leak continues, source unknown but appears to occur after someone showers;
o also, went to turn on outdoor shower and, literally, BOTH handles crumbled and broke off in my hand

Clearly scheduling another visit to dealer to look at battery issues, water leak, and shoddy outdoor shower handles.


Is this the customary experience for others and the Jayco product???
Does anybody else see these kinds of quality (or lack thereof) issues? This was my lifelong dream to purchase an RV and I *thought* Jayco was the brand that would live up to my dream. Instead, I am feeling that I got a lemon and am OVERLY dismayed so far at the LACK of quality in the delivered product as well as the dealer's repair. And differentiating between "cabin" and "chassis" does not make sense, because if they are going to BUILD on it, then they should INTEGRATE with it.

What is the general consensus...invoke lemon law on this brand new "home"...I keep hearing, once there is a water leak, they are never the same (nor truly fixed).

[Pfflyer]

Sorry you are having that much trouble. So far on our 2016 Melbourne only minor issues. Our Chassis battery will last about 3 weeks before it dies so it sounds like something is really draining the battery. Maybe the battery isolator is bad and the coach is draining both batteries. There are drains on the coach battery even when you hit the master cutoff switch. The power step and CO2 detector are a couple of items that remain powered even and draw small amounts of power even when you turn of the master switch but would think it would last more than a week.


I do have a question though. We only get sound through the cabin speakers when watching DVD's and sound from the TV speakers when watching cable and over the air stations. Did your dealer get yours to play though the cabin speakers when watching cable and OTA stations?

[TWG]

Pfflyer, thank you for your response. I hope the quality is better than my experience has been so far. The dealer did get the TV to work thru the cabin speakers for both DVD and OTA...I can't answer about cable yet because we have not been able to get that to work. It is on the list for return trip to the dealer.

Regarding the battery, I am hoping it was a bad battery since they had to jump it for the test drive. We shall see...

[koko]

So sorry to hear about your problems. We've had ours since May, traveled in it dozens of times, and we haven't had any major issues. The only two: our solar panel monitor is not working - the solar is. When we turn on the generator, the wall plug breaker in our bathroom pops off every other time (wierd). Other than those two things, all has been well. Both issues are covered under warranty.

Our TV, DVD, cable, etc. all working well, including the speakers for all. We added a TV in the bedroom, and it works well, too. We haven't had any battery issues - bet your battery is just bad! I would be devastated if we were having the issues you've mentioned, especially since it's such a hassle taking it back time after time for a fix! We like this unit so much, and I hope that you will be able to resolve all of your issues so that you can enjoy your dream, too.

[Pfflyer]

I'm sure you know but thought I would ask but to watch cable, you need to turn off the powered antenna. That is something that wasn't discussed during the walk through.

[che57vy]

I found the splitter for tvs is also powered by 12v. If you leave house battery on.

[Pfflyer]

[QUOTE=TravelWriteGirl;468729]Pfflyer, thank you for your response. I hope the quality is better than my experience has been so far. The dealer did get the TV to work thru the cabin speakers for both DVD QUOTE]

Thanks for letting me know about the speakers working when watching cable or OTA TV stations. Played around today and figured out what setting to use. Much better sound now. I could not find any documentation to where this was possible other than DVD watching. I am not even sure if the dealer knew it was possible.

I hope you get everything working and you can enjoy your coach.

[Levinehikeski]

I don't believe there is a lemon law (like in the auto industry)
Write up a good thorough list of issues, and take it in, if they can't fix them, don't pick it up/take it back. Let them tell you when it is ready, then wait a week, then go and see if the batteries are good and only drive away when it is correct.

[TWG]

Yes, well, it seems that every time this dealer touches it, I get home and something else is broken. And you are right, unless I leave it for at least 3 days, I won't know if the battery is TRULY fixed. NOT fun when I want to be using it.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by TravelWriteGirl

What is the general consensus...invoke lemon law on this brand new "home"...I keep hearing, once there is a water leak, they are never the same (nor truly fixed).

I did a little bit of digging into this (but out of curiosity as our coach is fine, so far) and what I could see was that some states have a lemon law and others don't.

Now take this with a HUGE grain of salt, but I don't think the issues you've outlined would qualify for a lemon.


Your concern for all of the problems is legit, but the only two that I'd be spun up about are the water leak and battery drain. I'd be on them to fix the leak, like a goose on a june bug.


Good luck!

[TWG]

Thank you, yes, after research, in California a "lemon" has to be inoperable for 3 months plus some other criteria. So, you are right, no lemon, but very aggravating and scary to see one issue after another in a brand new coach and that only 8 items can be worked in a warranty visit. That makes it hard on customers who have to drive quite a distance to an authorized repair center. NOW, aside from the battery drain, the check engine light won't turn off...hoping it's safe to drive to the dealer on Friday.

[pconroy]

I'll guess that you're probably thinking the same things we all thought at one point or another:

"I spent this much money and this is the quality I get?"
"If this many things are wrong, what else will happen?"
"Are there no decent dealers out there who can fix it?"

I'll share a couple of my thoughts. First, yeah, this does seem to be the current state of quality affairs in our motorhome makers. There are some builders out there who strive for quality but they're small and cost more than the average Jayco, Forest River, Thor, etc.

On number two - I think over time you learn how to fix the minor stuff yourself. And just sweat the major stuff. You can buy extended warranties for the big stuff (but those are controversial). They do give some peace-of-mind. Remember what you have is essentially a house that's going to get bounced, rocked and slammed down roads for years to come. Stuff's going to break.

For the last one, I've found a local RV Repair guy who's been extremely helpful. And frankly, I'll call him before I call any dealer, to fix something that I cannot. The downside is that he's usually booked up solid. Probably because he's good. Maybe you too can ask around for recommendations in your neck of the woods?

[TWG]

Thank you, pconroy. Good insights. Yes, I'm already learning to do the small things myself, but when it comes to batteries and leaks, I think those best performed by a pro, lol.

I appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge.

[LindaInTexas]

We have had a few issues with our 2017. One of the stabilizers would not retract. The rest of the issues are from sloppy construction. They use alot of shortcuts that would not pass in the regular brick and mortar housing units. Wires that are not screwed down, but only stuck into the outlets. This away they don't have to spend time picking up a screw driver, they just stick the wire in.... Places were there was no sealant, allowing water to get in....
I remember once the speakers in the house came on when we were watching tv, but it hasn't done it again. How do you make that happen again? The instruction manuals are useless. My husband can't even figure how much water our water heater holds...

[Pfflyer]

Linda, Did you get a separate owners manual for the water heater. It is most likely a 6 gallon tank. I didn't even know you could listen to the TV through the house speakers until I read someone here do it. I thought it was just for DVD's. Anyway I only played with it once while parked here at the house but I think you have to change a setting on the DVD player to rear audio or something like that. The wires stuck in the back of the outlets may be a more secure method for high vibration environments verses the screw terminal but I am not sure.

[pconroy]

We have a Greyhawk, not a Seneca, but I too got sound from the ceiling speakers once and then fiddled with the radio to turn them off. Now I'll be dogged if I can remember what I did.

Not sure if we have the same radio, mine's the Jensen JRV2115N. The manual is useless, but I goofed with it for a few minutes and I think it's related to the "Zone 2" settings on the radio.


I'm trying to get a DVD to play from the Jensen player and route picture and sound to the inside TVs. Which works - but right now, the only way to get sound back to the TVs is to have the radio volume up.

Which is dumb - if Mom and Dad want to quietly watch a movie in bed, we can't because the cab dash volume has to be up. Nutz...

[TWG]

Adding to list of Jayco Melbourne issues since purchase in Sep 2016:
• Test drive day
o fuse for backup camera was bad and had to be replaced for camera to work
o the motorhome also had to be jump started before we could drive
• Day of purchase / pick-up
o the backup camera would not work again; dealer changed out the entire radio
o realized upon arriving home that the slide would no longer go out. Took it back to the dealer the next day, 1.5 hours away, to be told there was a wiring issue AND found out that they couldn’t even reach the fuse box for it when the slide was in; they had to take platform off of bed to get to the box to put in a new fuse.
o When the slide was fixed, the TV no longer came on, so they had to rewire the TV, claiming it was a loose wire in the wiring cabinet.
• 1st (overnight) trip out
o realized DVD player would play sound, but no picture, and there was no sound for TV coming thru the cabin sound system either. Took it back to dealer for both to be corrected.
• pre-2nd trip out
o chassis battery dead after 1 week in storage
• 2nd (overnight) trip out
o realized that cable didn't work, but assumed it was the hookup at campsite.
• pre-3rd trip out
o both chassis and house batteries dead after one week in storage, and YES, all was cut-off
• 3rd (overnight) trip out
o realized that cable didn't work, now realizing it is the coach after testing different sites and cable lines
o also discovered water seeping out from under "kitchen" cabinet corner
• pre-4th trip out
o chassis battery dead after 3 days in storage; house battery ok because we are now having to manually disconnect it due to it constantly draining, and YES, we know where the house cutoff switch is and how to use it
• 4th (overnight) trip out:
o water leak continues, source unknown but appears to occur after someone showers;
o also, went to turn on outdoor shower and, literally, BOTH handles crumbled and broke off in my hand

February 2017: Bathroom mirror fell off, dinged a good blemish in counter, and broke into pieces on the floor. Now stabilizers are making a HORRIBLE noise when going up and down. Had to try to twice to get one side to retract last trip out.

[Jopopsy]

Wow, that's a LOT of issues for a premium MH that is still essentially brand new.