Out of Warranty - Finally! ? !

[GretasDad]

I just completed my 2-year warranty period with over $15k of repairs during that period covered under warranty by 4 different shops. (Plus over $3k of repair/replacements out of my own pocket). In a weird way, I'm almost relieved to be OUT of warranty so I can select my own facility and make decisions without negotiating the gauntlet between the factory and the dealers.

I wanted to share my thoughts to new RV owners.

For context, I've owned 3 fifth wheels, 2 gas Class A's and 2 diesel Class A's over 25 years of RV'ing. I'm now retired and really like my Pinnacle - even after 2 years of warranty challenges. Frankly, I don't believe my Jayco experiences are that different from other brands or types. Some are better - some worse.

I believe quality varies widely even within a brand product. I've taken the Jayco tour (and the Tiffin tour) and I think the quality of the end product is always a gamble. Some of my issues these last 2 years were a result of decisions by executives at Jayco. For example: Putting inferior Chinese tires incapable of handling a loaded rig in the real-world. Or continuing to produce weak wall structures 7 years after identifying the problem. Some of my issues were a result of an assembly line worker being sloppy. For example, not noticing that the roof staples were not going into anything solid. Some of my issues were a quality failure by a Jayco vendor providing them a product to install that wasn't well made. All of these ultimately trickle down to the buyer.

Getting work done on RV's is a huge challenge. While similarly mass-produced, RV's are more like kits than cars. And the expertise of service personnel varies widely. With a huge shortage of RV techs, search the employment ads and see how many are available and the number that show "no experience required - will train." That new trainee may be learning on your rig.

Each of your problems (and there WILL be issues) will require different skills that every dealer may not have the expertise to handle. Some dealers will admit this - others will not. I had to "fix" almost every repair done by these dealers after I got home. Some were small issues, others were (or could have become) big problems. I recommend RV owners try to become their own technician within their own limitations. As they say "If you want it done right...".

The Jayco factory warranty staff was a challenge too but I found that a calm, professional and common-sense argument usually produced results. Not always. Remember, their job is to reduce warranty claim payouts. The dealer wants the warranty work if Jayco pays them - which they do pretty quickly, I'm told. But just like the sales department told you that your Nissan Titan would pull that 40-foot fifth wheel, the service department will tell you they can fix that problem "quickly".

Would I buy another Jayco? Yes. I worry about the Thor takeover and what that will do to the end product and customer treatment. I have one of the last units produced before the sale to Thor. But I believe Jayco is producing a better than average product within the range that consumers are apparently willing to accept (and pay for) in an industry that has never been known for exceptional quality and is now growing at unprecedented rates.

Sadly, given the current facts and environment at Jayco and the industry, I don't predict product quality is likely to escalate in the foreseeable future.

Buyer beware. Always.

[stateboy]

Thanks for taking the time to share your insight. We are at the beginning of our camping venture. We own a 2010 Jayco PUP at the moment but are considering a new or newer, larger unit that will have a toilet and possibly bunk beds. We decided to foster children later in life and adopted three siblings, now 3, 7 and 8. We want to see to it that they know the Lord and to see all that their previous life would NEVER have permitted them to see. It's a repeat of raising four when I was younger. I hope being mechanically inclined and reading through the experiences of others like you will make our camping more fun and less work (on excessive repairs) along the way. Thanks!

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[RedHorse1]

“If you want it done right...”
I couldn’t agree more.
The happier campers are more self sufficient ones.

[Scott91370]

I tell you what, this makes me not want to never buy a new one. Our 19H was bought second hand by us and I soon found that the a/c gasket had been leaking - I didn't know what I was looking for when buying used - and since it is considered a maintenance item insurance wouldn't help with the fix. I called a couple of shops and without looking at it both were in the region of $6,000, could be more could be less. So me being the crazy DIY'er I decided to tackle it myself. WOW!!! I have a thread he for it if you'd like to see how much work it is (cost was about $1700). Well afterwards I noticed the floor in the front was soft. Makes sens since the water had to go somewhere. I pulled it apart just enough to get the soft spot out, 6ish feet of the total floor. Not as bad a job since it was all at easy working level and I could run the a/c while doing it. cost for this was way cheaper at about $300. Never asked a shop but I'm sure it would have been a couple thousand.

Neither are perfect but it is satisfying when I climb inside and I don't feel like I'm going to fall through the floor or get electrocuted because I'm in a puddle of water.

I would recommend anybody wanting an RV of any kind to decide how much disposable income and time they have. When you can use them they are great but for a lot I think going the rental route would be a much better option. It would take many nights of renting one to catch up to the cost of purchase, insurance, repairs and regular maintenance.