Good riddance Jayco Precept 31UL!

[Nebster]

Good riddance Jayco Precept 31 UL - After one year of ownership and endless warranty service calls, I’ve had enough – traded it in at a huge loss!

Since many of you have helped me with advice, I thought I’d share my experience in the hope of sparing you some my hardship.

We searched for gas motorhome that we liked and thought that Precept 31 UL floorplan was excellent for our needs. So, we bought a 2018 model “brand new” in July 2018 out of state (500 miles away) as our local dealer did not have one we liked. At pick up time, we identified 14 issues that needed to be fixed immediately, not minor, mind you. Here are some highlights:

- Front fiberglass grill was so poorly cut, it seemed someone used a chainsaw, so dealer had to do body work.
- Two different color headlight assemblies – one silver the other side charcoal – dealer had to order a new one and ship it to me.
- TVs would not work – dealer had to take half the coach apart to find cable was not connected under the bed.
- Took our first shower and water was pouring underneath – drain was not connected at all.
- No A/C in the front on the passenger side – duct was not connected at all. Further inspection revealed that ALL of the flexible ducts were crushed. Evidently, during assembly, workers made it a point to step on every single flexible duct and crush it.
- Serious “creaking” noise behind and below driver at acceleration and deceleration. Dealer went crazy looking for issue and could not find it; assured me all suspension, frame, etc. was safe, so I accepted it and decided to deal with it under warranty (see below).
- Dashboard was jumping up and down like it was on bungees. Inspection revealed that wooden supports for the dashboard were ALL crushed sideways and did not support anything – dashboard was floating in air. I had to do woodwork myself on brand new motorhome!
- Miscellaneous issues with Garmin Furion display, cabinets, etc. I could go on and on, but you get the picture!!!

We figured 2-year warranty was good so we took it home and then contacted local dealer for remaining issues, but they would not work on it (read: honor warranty) since I did not buy it from them without my paying for work first and then seeking reimbursement from Jayco! Call to Jayco revealed they “do not control dealer policies”. Next dealer was 100 miles away. Took it to them and they helped me with warranty work (headlight assembly, etc.).

Creaking issue was still there, but dealer (100 miles away) could not fix it so they send me to Ford (chassis maker of F53). Ford dealer (80 miles away) looked at it carefully and could not find the issue (admitted creaking was there, but could not find the actual problem), so he sent me to the dealer. Dealer bounced me back to Ford. After another trip to Ford (85 miles one way!!!) I insisted they find the problem and would not take “no for an answer”. They attached an acoustic sensor and after long period of trial and error, found that one section of the frame that holds the “house” was not welded and would move/flex/rub at every flexing. Ford said not their issue, but Jayco. I had them mark with yellow paint the section with problem and contacted dealer. Dealer said they do not do any welding – contact Jayco. During call to Jayco, they said contact dealer, but dealer would not touch it. Bounce back and forth, back and forth. Jayco finally said for me to find another (non-dealer) shop that could provide welding estimate, send it to them and they will think about possibly providing repair authorization. Where do I find such a shop!? Finally, I took a welder and crawled underneath and welded the @#$%#@! Not very pretty, but it held – no more creaking! (I wonder what else was not welded!)

Only a few months later, rear A/C quit. Dealer (100 miles away one way!) said to bring it in for diagnosis. In two minutes, they said yes, it is dead, and they will have to request new one from Jayco and to come back. A few weeks later, dealer called me to say A/C was in and to come over for replacement (200 miles again).

After replacing A/C, the propane detector started screeching. Dealer looked at it and said no propane leak, so they charged me $42 for “diagnosis” as that was not covered under warranty. Took it home and detector still screeching. Took it out and diagnosed myself that the detector was faulty. I insisted that they drop-ship me new one directly and I would hook up 2 wires and 4 screws. Had to send them the old one back.

Had problem with steps not retracting and extending properly. One more trip to dealer (200 miles!!!) to “diagnose” the problem – they took a picture (of what I wonder) and told me they would order a new motor and call me when in. A few weeks later, another 200 miles to dealer to replace the step motor and related parts.

Shortly after that, the switch that activates the front engine driven A/C quit. Took it to dealer (200 miles!!!) who said they will order it.

These are only some of the stories and I have more for those that are interested. Could not take it any more so I traded it in!

Anyone out there want to buy an almost new, totally restored 2018 Jayco Precept 31UL – it is sitting at a dealer lot after I lost a small fortune on it. Thanks a lot Jayco!!!!

[Learner]

That is sad.

[SouthCo]

Originally Posted by Nebster

Good riddance Jayco Precept 31 UL - After one year of ownership and endless warranty service calls, I’ve had enough – traded it in at a huge loss!

So what did u trade it in on? Just curious...

[rkymntsno]

Originally Posted by Nebster

Good riddance Jayco Precept 31 UL - After one year of ownership and endless warranty service calls, I’ve had enough – traded it in at a huge loss!

Since many of you have helped me with advice, I thought I’d share my experience in the hope of sparing you some my hardship.

We searched for gas motorhome that we liked and thought that Precept 31 UL floorplan was excellent for our needs. So, we bought a 2018 model “brand new” in July 2018 out of state (500 miles away) as our local dealer did not have one we liked. At pick up time, we identified 14 issues that needed to be fixed immediately, not minor, mind you. Here are some highlights:

- Front fiberglass grill was so poorly cut, it seemed someone used a chainsaw, so dealer had to do body work.
- Two different color headlight assemblies – one silver the other side charcoal – dealer had to order a new one and ship it to me.
- TVs would not work – dealer had to take half the coach apart to find cable was not connected under the bed.
- Took our first shower and water was pouring underneath – drain was not connected at all.
- No A/C in the front on the passenger side – duct was not connected at all. Further inspection revealed that ALL of the flexible ducts were crushed. Evidently, during assembly, workers made it a point to step on every single flexible duct and crush it.
- Serious “creaking” noise behind and below driver at acceleration and deceleration. Dealer went crazy looking for issue and could not find it; assured me all suspension, frame, etc. was safe, so I accepted it and decided to deal with it under warranty (see below).
- Dashboard was jumping up and down like it was on bungees. Inspection revealed that wooden supports for the dashboard were ALL crushed sideways and did not support anything – dashboard was floating in air. I had to do woodwork myself on brand new motorhome!
- Miscellaneous issues with Garmin Furion display, cabinets, etc. I could go on and on, but you get the picture!!!

We figured 2-year warranty was good so we took it home and then contacted local dealer for remaining issues, but they would not work on it (read: honor warranty) since I did not buy it from them without my paying for work first and then seeking reimbursement from Jayco! Call to Jayco revealed they “do not control dealer policies”. Next dealer was 100 miles away. Took it to them and they helped me with warranty work (headlight assembly, etc.).

Creaking issue was still there, but dealer (100 miles away) could not fix it so they send me to Ford (chassis maker of F53). Ford dealer (80 miles away) looked at it carefully and could not find the issue (admitted creaking was there, but could not find the actual problem), so he sent me to the dealer. Dealer bounced me back to Ford. After another trip to Ford (85 miles one way!!!) I insisted they find the problem and would not take “no for an answer”. They attached an acoustic sensor and after long period of trial and error, found that one section of the frame that holds the “house” was not welded and would move/flex/rub at every flexing. Ford said not their issue, but Jayco. I had them mark with yellow paint the section with problem and contacted dealer. Dealer said they do not do any welding – contact Jayco. During call to Jayco, they said contact dealer, but dealer would not touch it. Bounce back and forth, back and forth. Jayco finally said for me to find another (non-dealer) shop that could provide welding estimate, send it to them and they will think about possibly providing repair authorization. Where do I find such a shop!? Finally, I took a welder and crawled underneath and welded the @#$%#@! Not very pretty, but it held – no more creaking! (I wonder what else was not welded!)

Only a few months later, rear A/C quit. Dealer (100 miles away one way!) said to bring it in for diagnosis. In two minutes, they said yes, it is dead, and they will have to request new one from Jayco and to come back. A few weeks later, dealer called me to say A/C was in and to come over for replacement (200 miles again).

After replacing A/C, the propane detector started screeching. Dealer looked at it and said no propane leak, so they charged me $42 for “diagnosis” as that was not covered under warranty. Took it home and detector still screeching. Took it out and diagnosed myself that the detector was faulty. I insisted that they drop-ship me new one directly and I would hook up 2 wires and 4 screws. Had to send them the old one back.

Had problem with steps not retracting and extending properly. One more trip to dealer (200 miles!!!) to “diagnose” the problem – they took a picture (of what I wonder) and told me they would order a new motor and call me when in. A few weeks later, another 200 miles to dealer to replace the step motor and related parts.

Shortly after that, the switch that activates the front engine driven A/C quit. Took it to dealer (200 miles!!!) who said they will order it.

These are only some of the stories and I have more for those that are interested. Could not take it any more so I traded it in!

Anyone out there want to buy an almost new, totally restored 2018 Jayco Precept 31UL – it is sitting at a dealer lot after I lost a small fortune on it. Thanks a lot Jayco!!!!

Where did you buy this from? Where are you located at? I have a friend in Florida that is going to be purchasing a 2020 Jayco Precept 31U within the next three months. I think you got a total lemon. I can't blame you for taking a loss. I probably wouldn't have lasted that long.

[Finemess]

Originally Posted by SouthCo

So what did u trade it in on? Just curious...

Me too,
We have had a few small issues, nothing major and we have found a deal relatively close to home that is easy to deal with

[Vicr]

When you say you contacted "Jayco" were you contacting the dealer or Jayco Motorize Service?

[Grumpy]

Sorry you had the issues, but this is due to POOR dealer prep. Many of those issues should have been addressed before you even arrived. Based on what you found when you arrived it is obvious that the dealer never even went over the unit prior, which they are supposed to do. I've said this before, every unit we purchased was in their delivery bay, and all systems were running to show us that everything was working, motor-homes included. When we bought our SENECA the Tech even told us they had to order a new TV because the one in the bedroom was working sporadically. So again if the coax was messed up they didn't check it prior to your arrrival. Look at the invoice there is a dealer prep charge that is probably close to $1,000 and the dealer DIDN'T PREP IT, but charged you for it.

As to the local dealer not working on it, JAYCO has always "preached" buy local..

[Rice1951]

Nebster, it is sad that you went through all that you did and still didn't end up with the coach you thought you were buying. As Vicr asked did you contact Jayco Motorized CS? With all the miles you put on you could have made arrangements with Jayco to have it taken back to Middlebury and taken care of your list in one fell swoop. Hindsight is always 20-20 but if there are other owners out there with similar problems I suggest they bypass the dealer and go directly to Jayco. My experience has been that they will make it right if you give them a chance, especially if you are polite and respectful. I get that distance from the mother ship is probably the biggest determining factor but under certain circumstances Jayco will make arrangements for factory pickup and delivery to and from your home.
There are some good dealers out there but they are few and far between. Dealers generally sell more than one brand and are rarely expert in any of them. Manufacturers, on the other hand, are only dealing with one product and will have access to the parts they need for any warranty work.
You didn't say what your new RV is but hopefully your experiences will be much more pleasurable. Good luck.

[hawkster]

I agree with Grumpy somewhat as the dealer should have caught the issues. But, being a retired factory guy (office equipment) the factory should have built the unit properly. The dealers job should be easy as everything should work. Every system from the radio to the Jack's to the AC and everything in between should be tested on the completed coach before leaving the factory. It's evident that's never happened on our coaches.

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by Nebster

We figured 2-year warranty was good so we took it home and then contacted local dealer for remaining issues, but they would not work on it (read: honor warranty) since I did not buy it from them without my paying for work first and then seeking reimbursement from Jayco! Call to Jayco revealed they “do not control dealer policies”. Next dealer was 100 miles away. Took it to them and they helped me with warranty work (headlight assembly, etc.).

Sadly this is not limited to Jayco and their dealers. This is how the entire RV industry operates. Most people expect things to be the same as if they were having a new car serviced under warranty, but that is not the case. "You didn't buy from us, you wait or don't get it fixed at all".

[Jerry Burks]

After all the misery description, here a positive experience:
Our 2018 Alante31V had (and still has) some quality problems. The most disturbing was for me the badly rusted chassis and that was fixed (cleaning, rust conversion and under-coating) by the dealer as warranty together with a bunch of other small niggles. I posted about that earlier.


New issue arrived 2 days ago while traveling in Minneapolis some 2000 miles from home and our dealership: after heavy rain, we had water running across the floor from under the kitchen cabinets. Yesterday same thing happened again.

I visited a local Jayco dealer (Gander RV Service of Forest Lake) and they told me I could bring the motorhome end of next week which would have sucked because we wanted to leave tomorrow. After some discussion and saying "please" the helpful service rep agreed to squeeze in the job this morning. We contacted Jayco service and 2 hours later I could pick up my motorhome with the warranty repair approved and nothing to pay. Turned out the butyl gasket around the water heater was missing and had allowed water to come in when raining hard. Should not have happened but the fix was quick, everybody was helpful and we did not lose any days of our trip.
Obviously we will have to get the cabinets repaired when we get back home. Some of the lower frame "wood" has now swelled to the point of bursting the cover film. Oh well.

[Michael Francois]

That list sounds exactly like ours for our 2016 Alante AY -- almost to a tee! But don't think servicing from your selling dealer is any better -- it's not, in my case. I agree with many of the comments. Jayco could be an industry stand-out if it did three things:
1. A better job of in-process manufacturing quality control and inspection before delivery;
2. A mechanism for delivery drivers (most are driven cross-country, for West Coast delears at least, and have about 2500 miles on them when they are sold) to log and report to dealers and the factory and defects and problems noted on the trip (they can't help but notice some of this krap, stuffed in the can for 4 days on a fast trip);
3. Set firm inspection and dealer prep standards before delivery to the customer (difficult because Jayco has no leverage for enforcement, but perhaps doable with incentives for performance, rather than punitives).
That's my two cents. We've hung on with the Alante, and eventually and finally everything is working, and when something doesn't it's usually just wear and tear, and we fix it. We WILL NOT go back to the dealer, because we are not into pain, but for stuff I can't fix, we use a really good independent truck & RV repair shop that's been golden now for two years -- but he swears everyone to secrecy so he doesn't get overbusy!