Do you have any Regrets? is the quality still there?

[taviking22]

Our sig RV is our 4th Jayco product. We had previously had very good service from our former three Jaycos. When we purchased our Pinnacle we wanted what we thought would be a top of the line RV from Jayco that would last for many, many years. Maybe my expectations were to high.

This summer I have had to: repair/reseat the barrel pin on our right front landing gear's bevel gear; replace a sheared driveline bolt on the dinette slide; and repair a shorted motor wire lead on our Schwintec entertainment slide. All these were done while enroute to Alaska in May. Fortunately, I was able to do my own repairs!! All totaled it resulted in about 1 1/2 days to do the fixes. The biggest job was on the Schwintec slide. In the 2012 model you have to do an almost complete disassembly of the slide to get to the motor! Thank goodness I had a driver/drill along. (Don't leave home without it!)

I do need to preface this by stating I have put nearly 30,000 miles on this trailer, with 20K of them coming from 2 trips to Alaska over some of the roughest roads in Canada.

Do I think these breakdowns were the result of poor workmanship or cheap parts? I don't know. How good is Jayco's QC? I don't know. I do know that I did get very good service from my previous Jayco purchases, but they were not exposed to the more extreme mileage and road conditions that this Pinnacle has experienced. But, I did pay $50K for the Pinnacle and about $25K for the previous Jayco model 5th wheel 4 years before.

My wife has said over and over, thank goodness we didn't buy a cheap model RV and that I am OCD about maintenance!

Would I buy another Jayco? I don't know. I do know that I would definitely look at other makes of RVs. I would also look at other RV forums to try to get a handle on the kind of repair problems other RVers are experiencing.

My gut tells me that RVing puts your rig regardless of make or model at risk of breakdowns. My heart tells me that Jayco is still a quality manufacturer. Maybe my Pinnacle was built on Monday!

[dewey02]

Coming to a Jayco forum is probably not the best place to get an impartial opinion.
Kind of like going to a Beatle Fan website to ask if they weren't a very good band (but they were! )

That said, people on this website have more experience with Jayco products than probably anywhere else you can find. But they also may have less experience with other brands than you'd find elsewhere.

As with anything on the internet, you will find both ends of the spectrum. Jayco seems to have a fairly good reputation and seems to be good at honoring their warranty. You must be VERY careful about the dealer that you choose, however. There are some unscrupulous dealers out there that will try to weasel out of warranty work, or do it shoddily.

Brand loyalty (for the most part) is probably over-rated. Currently, I own a Chevy and a Ford car, and a Dodge truck. All have been good vehicles and I have no complaints with any of them, and they are FAR beyond their warranties. I have faith that my StarCraft (made/owned by Jayco) will also give me years of great service.

[Harleyman]

We have had our trailer for a year now. We have pulled it over 2,000 miles and had many nice trips with my family of five and many times we have an extra three kids jumping and beating the trailer. I am amazed that it still looks, smells, and works like new. I have been very happy with my Jayco so far.

[Paintinfool3]

I have had a number of issues with mine odds and ends and have spent numerous hours working on fixing them but I still love jaycos product and the style and I hope to not have to buy another one for a long time to come

[southernlancaster]

just bought a 2016 eagle, my first travel trailer......just returned from a 6000 mile 3 week trip cross country trip, it was our second outing..... Buy what works for you and don't look back!!! so far only minor issues with my trailer nothing big....

[Tommyboy57]

We bought a 2011 Jayco second hand this past January. The 18foot 165 model. Fiberglass, no slides, no warranty. I was blowin away and still am by the quality and craftsmanship. That said based on what I have been reading I am not so sure I would buy a Jayco from 2013 up to present. Just based on pictures and comments that is. I would do it again on a fiberglass, no slide model from 2012 down. Unless somebody convinced me otherwise.

[davidki]

Ok, I found this thread and decided to sit down and read thru all 5 pages and I have to say.... I feel most of the feedback is excellent. A lot of what I expected and it looks like a bunch of happy campers. So, I'll throw in my 2 cents.

We purchased our 2013 Jay Flight 26RKS in September of 2012, due to some issues we really didn't even get out in it but once the first year... and a few times last year locally.. this year so far we have been out once... so, I think that will qualify for the neighborhood of 6 or 7 trips, and our total mileage has been less than 1,000 miles. My wife as a teenager grew up traveling summers with her family from California to Canada and Mexico mostly on 2 to 3 month jaunts... much different than our use. their last trailer was a late 60's early 70's Airstream 30' and she said it was great.. but when we started to look at them when we started to look at tt's she said that they were no where near what she remembered.. she does not like the "European Styling" and I don't like the lack of a slide... I stared doing research on them and what I found was shocking.. just do a search on the issues with the clear coat de-lamination on the exterior and that will quickly turn you away.. I don't need to get in to it.. but for me, I was not ready to spend $60,000 on an Airstream based on what I read.. As for holding their value... I guess it's all how you look at it.. now a MSRP of $70,000 can be bought for between $50 and 55,000 Used that trailer will bring $35,000 in 5 years.. that's a big hit...

Moving on, Our Jayco has been fine, like others little issues now and then, I'm still dealing with a "Monitor Panel" that isn't working right ... took it back in to the dealer... "Its out of warranty" even after the servcie department had said that the problem was from day 1. Answer was, buy a new panel.. did at a cost of $70.00 unhooked the old and plugged in the new and same issue... now they want me to bring the TT back to look again at it since it is "Out of Warranty" it's $110.00 an hour Oh well, I'll take it in and see what they come up with.. but, they do agree, it has been a problem from the start.. Dunlap RV is a large Jayco dealer, I think he now has 5 stores.. I'll let the owner Brad know I"m bringing it in again and see if he can get to the bottom of it.

Im not mad, it is partially my fault for not taking it back in earlier, but when a tt sits in storage (we have an enclosed RV garage with power) for 6 months or more a year it's not like you just get it out to deal with this stuff... again, my fault.

I decided to read this thread because like others we seem to look at other models and think that it may be nice to go a bit larger or a different configuration.. but I am in agreement, the build of the 2012 (2013 model year) we have just feels more solid than the new ones on the lot these days... I know the goal has to get the weight out, but it looks like it actually gone up but feels cheaper.. So, that leads me to keep the one we have and deal with it.. WE special orderd ours with the upgraded AC, thermal package, elite package and like I said it feels solid.

We pull it with a 2007 GMC Sierra 2500 HD, Crew cab, 6.0l gas and 3.73 rear end, we use a good weight distributing hitch and with the tow haul mode once we get up and running on the interstate it is as stable is it can be. Would I like a diesel, sure but not at $60,000 these days for the new ones..

One thing I seemed to have missed in this thread if any of you were to change what manufacture offers the quality, features and layout of the Jayco JayFlight that you might be willing to look at in the $30,000 - 40,000 MSRP LIST price range.

[tugboat95]

This is my first Jayco I've owned although we owned one when I was a teenager. I bought mine used. Its an 08 feather lite sport. (A cheap trailer). Which means it was built in 2007. Previous owners obviously took good care of it. I was told it was garage kept. That being said ITS 8 YEARS OLD. And nothing is wrong with it. I have towed it 3000 miles already this season. It needs some attention to the roof now and I'm going to reseal all the seams next month, but everything works and looks like New. But this is preventive maintenance as far as I'm concerned. Jayco builds a good product. I really want my Next one to be as Jayco, But price and floor plan will have a lot to say about that.

[tkhollywood]

Sometimes yes, but that's probably because of the payment. Other than that no, we love the layout and are somewhat pretty satisfied with our TT. Outside of some issues that were finally corrected by Jayco at the factory. As I can see it, I don't think any trailer regardless of make or model will be flawless. We have a couple friends that have bought different products last year as well , and I can say both of them have had issues that needed attention as well. Just find the unit that will work best for you and your family and enjoy all the memories you will make.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Tommyboy57

We bought a 2011 Jayco second hand this past January. The 18foot 165 model. Fiberglass, no slides, no warranty. I was blowin away and still am by the quality and craftsmanship. That said based on what I have been reading I am not so sure I would buy a Jayco from 2013 up to present. Just based on pictures and comments that is. I would do it again on a fiberglass, no slide model from 2012 down. Unless somebody convinced me otherwise.

Based on what I have seen, starting with the 2011 models, I tend to agree with you.

[Crabman]

Also have to remember 2009-11 were bad years for the RV industry during the "financial crisis", so many fewer units were built, and likely there was no rush to build them. Mine being a 2010 model was built in September 2009, one of the worst years for RV sales ever. And its been a solid unit thus far.

[crockettlarry]

This thread is 4 years old since last response. I've placed a deposit on a Jayco, my 4th trailer. Dealer is waiting for me to pull the trigger. Has the thinking changed in 4 years?

Larry

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by crockettlarry

This thread is 4 years old since last response. I've placed a deposit on a Jayco, my 4th trailer. Dealer is waiting for me to pull the trigger. Has the thinking changed in 4 years?

Larry

Welcome to the forum.

My thinking hasn't changed:
We bought our 2015 Jayco after shopping around because we believe it offers the 'best bang for the buck.'

Why did you put your deposit on a Jayco?

[crockettlarry]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

Why did you put your deposit on a Jayco?

Dealer stock only on 27BH, at a a dealer I like. I wanted a few days to think about it after numbers came through on financing.

Larry

[Paintinfool3]

No my opinion hasnt changed I still love our camper and still feel like the quality is as good as most if not all

[ORT]

Originally Posted by crockettlarry

This thread is 4 years old since last response. I've placed a deposit on a Jayco, my 4th trailer. Dealer is waiting for me to pull the trigger. Has the thinking changed in 4 years?

Larry

We bought our 2019 about 6 months ago and have been on as many trips. I think we have the same issues most talk about. Loose screws and our oven turn knobs would fall off (super glue did the trick).

To us jayco was the best bang for our camping buck. Pretty good quality and a decent warranty (as long as your dealership has a good service department). And a really nice interior because some of the rear living units are horrible!

I think my overall biggest issue is our 265RLS has the 13.5 BTU AC and when we camped at cherrystone for our week long trip it was probably the hottest week of the year (100 plus avg everyday) and the AC couldn't keep up. Every other trip its been fine so depending on the size of the camper I'd maybe recommend the larger AC unit.

All in all i'd recommend and we actually did to a nice couple we met at the Hershey RV show. Good luck with your decisions and purchase!

Happy Camping

[RAurand]

Originally Posted by Paintinfool3

No my opinion hasnt changed I still love our camper and still feel like the quality is as good as most if not all

X-2
Love our 28BHBE.
I would recommending getting rid of Rainer Tires (China Junk) and upgrading to GoodYear Endurance or Maxxis tires though.

[crockettlarry]

Thank you all for Reviving this threads for me. You might have seen in another thread that I did pull the trigger on a 2019 Jay Flight 27bh. I haven't been camping yet but I am in love with this thing.

The 13.5 air conditioner they also because I am very hot natured. However, I can get by with a good fan, so hopefully that won't be a problem. Worst case scenario, I can change the AC myself.

Fortunately, my trailer came with endurance tires right off the bat.

Larry

[Ohiofinlander]

We have had a couple issues with our Whitehawk(including the underbelly flying off while driving down a busy state route), but all is good and it was replaced in two days. We are really enjoying our Jayco! The good outweighs the bad. I'd recommend it, and have already.

[eagle55]

Just got our new Jay Feather 20 BH and camped with it for a week in the Yukon Canada with temps down the freezing at night and are happy. Nothing broke, no leaks, the fridge, furnace, everything else seems fine too. This is my third new rv in almost 40 years and I can say that the others had at one time or another issues and so will this one too. I find however a lot problems are "pilot error" too or simple neglect. Use common sense and treat it right.