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Old 08-04-2016, 12:55 PM   #1
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Not a real happy camper

I have a 2016 Greyhawk that I purchased new and picked up in December 2015. I retired at that time and I have been on the road a lot since. I have had many things go wrong, some minor, some not so minor. I have a nonprofit and I use my rig to transport dogs pulled from kill shelters here in Texas to rescues that will save their lives. I have put 28,000 miles on my unit since I picked it up in December. I tried to get into the closest dealer to my house and it was a 6 week wait. The drop-off time available was right at the beginning of a planned family trip, so I could not take it in. I called again and got a 4 week wait. I made a list of everything that needed to be done and called again yesterday, there was a 3 week wait, and I am now out of warranty since the mileage is over 24K.

Some of my problems are:

House battery discharges completely while driving down the road (the selling dealer said the alternator charged it while driving, but it does not). When it dies, the in-dash stereo/navigator goes out as well.

Transmission doesn't shift easily out of 4th on small grades. In fact, even when the rpm's drop, there is a loud roaring noise that makes it sound like the engine is at 5000 rpm's. I don't know if it is the transmission or something with the engine.

The weather stripping around the side door won't stay put and pulls out, flapping against the side. One was so bad I actually put it off. I was told in a campground that this is normal with Jayco.

The power side mirror switch doesn't work.

The Jensen radio sucks. Sometimes, the nav won't come on, the buttons do nothing, and the volume button doesn't affect the volume. When I hit the turn signal, the volume explodes out of the speakers. Sometimes, when I start the motor, the nav will tell me to turn right, even though there is not destination set and the nav is supposed to be off. When you buy something this expensive, you wonder why Jayco bought such a cheap stereo (as confirmed by Jensen). Hell, buy the better one and mark it up a few more hundred since I am already spending this much anyway!

As far as workmanship, the closet rod won't stay in, it appears the have been cut about a half inch too short. The side door has to be slammed hard to make it close. The drawer under the stove slammed out so hard on a switchback that it actually pulled the screws out and the slide fell apart. The table slips out of the locked position while driving. The screws that hold the trim in below the door (that you step on getting in and out) won't stay tight. I have to tighten them every time I stop. And, best yet, all of the staples popped out of the wall that has the light switches by the door, allowing the wall to bow out.

For everyone that says Jayco makes a great product, I can't help but think if you only take a couple of trips a year and only drive it a couple of thousand miles a year, maybe it is among the better ones. But, if you drive any time or distance, it seems to fall apart very easily. I know I am upside down in it, but I may think about trading it. Anyone have any suggestions of whether other manufacturers make a better product?

Oh, when I called Jayco, they basically told me "too bad... the warranty is expired". When I called the extended warranty company, I was told that the repair facility would just have to call to see if anything was covered. I do enjoy driving it, being in it, and having it, but talk about frustration!

Thoughts?
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Old 08-04-2016, 02:25 PM   #2
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Was the dealer and/or Jayco aware of your issues before the warranty ran out? Did the dealer at least get to look at it to document the issues? If not there may not be much you can do.

Your extended warranty is only as good as the company it was purchased from. Some of those really good, a lot of them are really bad.
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Old 08-04-2016, 03:27 PM   #3
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I bought it in Florida and kept trying to get into my local dealer, but every time was 4-6 weeks away. Not only that, but I was given a time of day and told I had to be there at that time since they didn't have much room. So, no, they have never seen any of it and I know I am hosed there.

I don't usually buy extended warranties, but since this was my first purchase of something like this, I let myself be talked into it. They weren't much to talk to on the phone, so we will see how that goes.

Jayco did tell me today that they would email me something about the charging of the house battery so I could check it out myself... Yeah, I don't do mechanical things like that...lol. But honestly, so far it appears their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.... not necessarily at the corporate, but the dealers... at least the one in North Texas.
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Old 08-05-2016, 08:01 AM   #4
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With those sort of ghost in the machine electrical issues going on, and the battery not charging, I can't help but think they are related. First thing I would check is the ground between the battery and the frame, and all ground wires to the affected devices. You likely have poor grounding due to corrosion, or possibly even loose connections or bad cables. That would include the battery terminals. Check both the coach and chassis batteries.

Your rig is about 8 months old, based on your original comments. 24k miles in 8 months is huge. Don't know how long you expect to keep this particular unit, but the drivetrains in these vehicles are hauling a huge load compared to a car. They don't usually reach a few hundred thousand miles overall. You'll likely wear this out quickly at this rate. RV dealers are notorious for having long wait times for repairs, and a lot of owners find it easier to just do the minor repairs themselves. RVs are usually designed and built to keep the weight at a minimum so the chassis isn't overloaded with the personal stuff most people end up carrying around in them. They are nowhere near as robust as the average house. So, staples pull out and screws back out and wires rub and hinges bend and and and .... you get the picture. For the most part, RV manufacturers use similar methods for construction. Some hold up better than others for sure, and the Jayco is typically a bit better built than most. But if you want to find a really hand-built and solid RV, you can find one on occasion. A few manufacturers really build rock solid units. But they are very costly, and often expensive to operate (heavy, low fuel mileage).

Just a few thoughts.
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Old 08-05-2016, 09:00 AM   #5
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Thank you for the response. I understand what you are saying, and after much research between two of us, I went with the Jayco because it seemed to be better reviewed. I understand some of these things are minor, but 8 months seems like a very short shelf life no matter how many miles are driven. I would never have bought an RV this expensive if my plan was to park it 300+ days a year and pay storage just to have it sit. I wanted something I could drive. The mileage did surprise me, but I don't like to just sit at home.

I am going to work on looking at the wiring, but I am just not a mechanical person. I have a mechanic who works on my cars...lol. He is a professional, but it is something I just never wanted to learn. Guess I will go out now and nail the wall back together......
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Old 08-05-2016, 09:26 AM   #6
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The loud noise your hearing when you gear down is most likely normal. It's most likely your fan clutch engaging. It happens on both my F350's when gearing down to pull a long hill. The first time this happened to me I was pulling a fully loaded toy hauler over a mountain pass and I thought the engine was going to blow, It is quite disturbing if you have never had it happen before.


When we got to a spot where I had cell service I pulled over and contacted my tech at the dealership. I described what we were doing and he immedatly knew what I was talking about. Being still concerned I later got on some truck forums and again got the same response.


It still does it to this day and have never had any issues. On some hills with heavy loads I just manually shift into a lower gear and lock it in to place. Too much shifting heats up the tranny fluid.


I know your frustrated with you dealership repair timeframes. That's kind of the way it is.


Loose screws and what not are going to best be handled on your own, I know you likely don't feel that way but the reality of it is that your driving a home down the road and things are going to vibrate loose.


When I take delivery of a new coach I put a box of round toothpics, a small bottle of woodglue and a new screwdriver with a square bit and a phillips bit in the coach. One by one when I'm camping for the first few weeks I will first find the loose screws and remove them. I break off a couple of short lengths of toothpicks and insert them in the hole with a drop of woodglue and then a drop of woodglue on the screw and snug it back into place. I do this on all the cupboards. All the latch hardware and all the trim pieces I can find. Many of these screws are put in to the point where they are stripped by the manufacturer and the wood has no grab left to it.


Then on the outside of the coach I will start inspecting all the seams and use a new tube of sealant and go over each one with a light coat. I remove the cover that your talking about over the trim and remove those screws and instead of woodglue I use a dot of sealant to protect from water instrusion down the road. When I put the trim cover back on I use a couple of dots of sealant (clear, white or black to match) every foot to two feet and that will help hold it in place once it dries.


It's a lot of work to do all this but if you just do a little bit each time you take a trip or spend a little time each day eventually you will get it all done. Your screws will not work out nearly as often. You will become very familiar with your coach in the process and you will make it yours.


Another thing you may not know about your extended warranty. If you find it's not going to work out for you the money is refundable for the unused portion of the warranty. You will have to call them and get a cancellation form and they will prorate a refund for you. That's the very first thing I'd do if your unhappy with that as well.


Anyway, I know this isnt' the answer you were looking for, but it sounds like you enjoy your rig. I'm just trying to help you see through the fog to a brighter future.


You did ask if they are all like this. For the most part yes. even the million dollar motorhomes vibrate and things come loose. It's just part of the environment they operate in. Jayco is a good product at the price point it is at. And even though you may have up some of the warranty, I still believe your appliances and what not will be covered under their separate manufactuer warranty should those have issue.


I hope this helps a bit.
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Old 08-05-2016, 05:25 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NativeTexan View Post
House battery discharges .

Transmission don't know if it is the transmission or something with the engine.

The weather stripping

The power side mirror switch doesn't work.

The Jensen radio sucks.

As far as workmanship

Couple of thoughts - I'm thinking I'll be taking my in periodically direct to Jayco for service. Folks who do that seem to come out satisfied.

I'll do that even tho' I don't have a warranty for our 2016 Greyhawk because I'm second owner.

Agree - house battery discharge is major deal. I'd put that at the top of my list.

Our tranny is fine, but that would be more of a Ford thing than a Jayco thing.

Our weather stripping by the door is always popping out. I just push it back in. I'll get around to a fix someday.

I've grown to tolerate the Jensen radio. I think your choices are two: tolerate it or replace it.

Workmanship on ours is OK. I've had to re-stick the shower wall. The TP holder ripped off by day 2 because the screws were just in the thin fiberboard. Trim strip on the back of the slide out fell off.

Yeah - I can see how any reasonable person would be angry to drop this kind of cash and get this kind of workmanship. But I read so much about the quality issues, I guess I consider all of the stuff I've run across so far to be pretty minor making me lucky.
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Old 08-10-2016, 05:10 PM   #8
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We have the same issues with our 2015 Greyhawk, our service department have changed out the coach batteries several times. They said Jayco just puts in the cheapest batteries. They also said that running down the road won't charge our batteries although thats not what the salesman said. They say you need to plug in your coach for several days to charge up the batteries with a regular house plug in. We're also dealing directly with Jayco because our generator won't run the A/C while the coach is in motion. Terrible customer service!! If Jayco doesn't help you might try the BBB, Jayco is a member. Also look up the Magnusson/ Moss warranty act, it's a federal act that protects consumers. Good luck to you, you sound like a very nice person!

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Old 08-10-2016, 09:03 PM   #9
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Our Greyhawk came with an Exide Marine battery. Maybe not top notch but I don't think it's the cheapest either
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