Many problems with our New 2019 Jayco Alante 29S

[Woldum]

I am in the process of submitting this letter to Jayco. I will let you know about any follow up about how they tried to help resolve our many issues.



Issues with our New 2019 Jayco Alante 29S


I am writing today to inform you of the various issues we have already encountered with our brand new Motorhome, which is now currently at a Ford Service Center and is un-drivable! I will start at the beginning though, because you should be aware that there are MANY issues leading up to this that we have dealt with that stem from defects withing the manufacturing process. We are at this time very disappointed.


June 18th 2018 - Wiper Blade not installed properly
On June 18th, the exact same day we took possession of our Motorhome from the dealer, as we were driving to our very first campsite it started to rain. So of course I turned on our windshield wipers only watch in horror that the passenger side wiper blade turned swinging around sideways allowing the metal arm to make contact with our windshield causing a LARGE ARC SCRATCH in our brand new windshield! The clip to hold the wiper in place was missing! This happened on the very first wipe! We immediately had to pull off the road and use duct tape to tape the wiper to the arm so we could drive back to the dealership. We had to pull off the road repeatedly so we could wait for the rain to pass so we could continue driving. We had to wait for the next morning to get it fixed. But the large scratch remains and is a constant reminder that somewhere someone building our camper failed to install the clip on the wiper blade. We must live with this visible reminder now.(video and pictures to follow)







June 18th 2018 - GPS Sound Stream Problems
Because we had to turn around and head back to the dealership to get the windshield wiper fixed we ended up discovering that the Sound Stream GPS is HORRIBLE!!


Just TRYING to type in a campground name so we could get directions to it... impossible! You want to type in just 1 letter, you end up getting 2 or 3 of the same letters, so you try to delete the extra letter(s), and you also end up deleting the 1 letter you wanted to keep... now.... repeat this process again, and again, and again, and again, repeat this x20 for EACH LETTER you need to type! By the time you are able to type in the correct campground name 30 minutes have passed! This is entirely unacceptable!


We are also wondering if the radio is even connected to an antenna, we hardly get any radio channels!


The radio search is also horrible! We need a scan function! Not just a “preset channel” scan! This is a Motorhome vehicle that TRAVELS, and at some point you will travel outside of radio station areas forcing you to search for new stations. Right now the ONLY WAY to scan for NEW CHANNELS is to do so ONE/TENTH of a POINT AT A TIME!!!!! 100.1, 100.2, 100.3, 100.4, 100.5, etc... IF (and that is a BIG IF... because you hardly get any channels!) you can find a station then you can program it into presets... but should you travel outside of that area again you will be forced to search for new stations again, ONE/TENTH of a POINT AT A TIME!!! (video to follow)



I feel strongly that the fair punishment for whoever made the decision to put this device in any vehicle and also for whoever is responsible for making this device should be that they are now forced for eternity to only use this devise for their own GPS/RADIO needs! This is fair because you are forcing your customers to use it, so I think that is only fair that YOU USE IT! Tell me what you think of it after using it. Would you wish this upon your worst enemy?!?! I think not!


When I ordered our motorhome the only info we had on it was the 2018 year models, which came with a Garmen GPS, why did you change from that device to this horribly inferior device?


June 25th 2018 – Bedroom AC unit soaking our bed
We were packing our new motorhome for use, it was a hot day so we needed both AC units to work. At one point I looked at the bedspread on our bed and very alarmed asked “who peed on our bed?!?!” We discovered that the AC unit above the bed was the culprit. Since then we have not used the AC in the bedroom for fear we would soak our bed again. (pictures and video to follow)



July 5th 2018 – Refrigerator can only get down to 50 degrees causing FOOD POISONING! (throwing up, diarrhea and upset stomach)
I just never imagined that I would need to be worried about my brand new supposedly functional refrigerator. We had problems with food spoilage and foul smells, I just assumed something was wrong with the food and threw it away. The night I was throwing up I figured out all is not well with the fridge. The next day I put a little thermometer in there to find out that it would not get any colder than 50 degrees! I called the Norcold company wanting to find out if there were any tricks to get the fridge to be colder, and they said “That was improperly installed” and that I needed to immediately get it into a service center so that it could be fixed. I tried to get an install date ASAP but the local Jayco dealer couldn't get us in until July 23rd. No other RV dealer would fix our refrigerator because they said “we are not allowed to sell Jaycos, therefor we are not allowed to work on Jaycos” We are currently working for the Summer in the state of Wisconsin, and so we NEED to use our Motor home while we are living here for a few months. We had no use of our refrigerator for that whole time!


July 23rd 2018 – Motor home needs to be TOWED TO FORD SERVICE CENTER!!! (Pictures to follow)

Finally the appointment to get our refrigerator to be fixed is here, so I start to drive towards the Jayco Dealership.... only to find out that withing 3 miles of my starting point I am forced to get off the road! The engine lite is on, warning beeping, dash message saying “Lower power!” so I pulled over at the Walmart parking lot instead of heading to the dealership. I was just trying to get this thing off the road and out of the way of traffic, I ended up limping into the parking lot only able to go 10 mph because it simply would not go more than that. I immediately turned off the engine and called for road side assistance. There was a large puddle of “something” under the engine. Our motor home is still awaiting repair at the Ford Service Center. We were forced to find other accommodations because that had been our temporary home while my husband is working this summer. We also have to now make a NEW appointment to fix our refrigerator and who knows when that can be completed?


So here we are today, a little over 1 month into using our brand new Jayco Alante 29S... we have windshield damage, we have an un usable GPS/Radio system, we have had food poisoning from improperly installed refrigerator, we have had the engine die.... what will be next?

[Woldum]

Video of windshield scratch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Ym...nBUKzcpigsJ3pw

[Road125]

What a story...We order a Jayco Alante 29S (2019) like you a the biginning of july, we are supposed to receive it by the end of august,your story really scares me. Now I have doubts about whether I will really buy it

[Grumpy]

Sorry to hear about your issues, but how does NORCOLD know it's "IMPROPERLY INSTALLED" without seeing it? Was it cold when you did your PDI? Dealer should have had it running then.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Road125

What a story...We order a Jayco Alante 29S (2019) like you a the biginning of july, we are supposed to receive it by the end of august,your story really scares me. Now I have doubts about whether I will really buy it

Welcome to the forum.

Two of the scary aspects of the story is that dealers (and new owners) often don't perform a thorough PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) plus new owners don't spend their first real use the unit near the dealer (some dealers have a spot on their property for this).

Hopefully you will do a thorough PDI when your unit arrives. You could also print off a copy that's on our site (it's many pages long) and let the dealer know you will be following that checklist when you check out your unit.

[Woldum]

Originally Posted by Road125

What a story...We order a Jayco Alante 29S (2019) like you a the biginning of july, we are supposed to receive it by the end of august,your story really scares me. Now I have doubts about whether I will really buy it

Well, even though you may not have thought you had to do this, make sure to check if you have windshield clips in addition to everything else you are checking on. That was the first huge disappointment, and it has continued to now and we are wondering if Ford is going to cover the warranty for the engine work, or will Jayco?

[Woldum]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

Welcome to the forum.

Two of the scary aspects of the story is that dealers (and new owners) often don't perform a thorough PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) plus new owners don't spend their first real use the unit near the dealer (some dealers have a spot on their property for this).

Hopefully you will do a thorough PDI when your unit arrives. You could also print off a copy that's on our site (it's many pages long) and let the dealer know you will be following that checklist when you check out your unit.

We did do a PDI, but again I didn't know that I needed to check and make sure the windshield wiper clips were there and we didn't find out until it rained.



I didn't know I was supposed to bring a refrigerator thermometer to check the temps in the fridge before taking ownership. The dealership had turned it on and told us it would take about 24 hours before it reached proper temperatures. It wasn't at proper temperatures by the time we were done with our PDI.



If Norcold says it was an installation issue, sure they might have been trying to cover their butt... but what if it was an installation issue, I still don't know because I'm still trying to get it in to get fixed.



We were headed for a campground close by, but yes it was about 45 miles away. We turned back around and headed for a campground less than a mile away from the dealership, and it was at that time that we discovered the GPS issues trying to type in that campground name. The radio issues weren't discovered until we were headed home, because at the dealer they just showed us that the radio "worked" you know, you turn it on, the sound works, they had a few presets into it that worked in that area... but ya the rest of the details we were left to find out as I drove out of that listening area.


The AC leaking on the bed... the engine getting hot and refusing to drove after 3 miles after just 1 month of use.... So ya, I guess all this is my fault? I personally don't think so.



Look. I am a faithful Jayco owner. This is my 3rd Jayco, but first class A. I have not complained over little things, most of the time I learned how to fix the little issues myself. But this list is bothersome to say the least.


I only want a few things...


I want a non damaged windshield. That was not my fault. All I did was turn on the wipers when it started to rain.



I want a refrigerator that works and doesn't cause me to be sick. This is not an unreasonable request.


I want the AC unit in the bedroom to not soak us if we choose to use it.
Again, this is not an unreasonable request.


I want the Motorhome to drive more than 3 miles without breaking down after only 1 month of use. This also is not an unreasonable request.


So I've tried to find the PDI and I don't know where the one you are mentioning is located, can you please provide a link?

[Woldum]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Sorry to hear about your issues, but how does NORCOLD know it's "IMPROPERLY INSTALLED" without seeing it? Was it cold when you did your PDI? Dealer should have had it running then.

Dealer told us it would take 24 hours before it was fully cold. We didn't try to use it until after that. I still don't know if it was an installation issue because I have not been able to get it in to be repaired.

[bdreinv]

Lemon law you do not have much time to act! If it starts out this way usually does not get any better.We are almost three years into owner ship of our Eagle RSTS.Will finish up final warranty this week!

[bdreinv]

We are in Phoenix 48 hours to be cool enough for food. Fill cold cans and ice first! Should work for you. Thanks

[BadBeans]

Any update on your plight Woldum? I have been looking at purchasing a new 2019 Alante and was curious to know how you’ve been treated and if Jayco/Ford was able to resolve your issues?

[RogerFoster]

'Wanted to know the location of the main (sofa & dinette) slideout controller and motor. After recently getting delivery, our slideout stopped working and the dealer repaired it. Upon doing some reading, it appears we should have the knowledge and tools to manually operate the slider if we're stuck somewhere.

We found the bedroom slideout controller under the bed, but not the main one. Also have videos for the bedroom slide motors if we need to brake-unbrake them. Can't find the controller for the main slide and have found no way to see it's motor. Help would be very much appreciated

[hawkster]

Doing a thorough pdi is a good idea for the new owner to learn how to operate the many systems on the motorhome. But, all the systems should work from the factory. It should not be the owners or dealership responsibility to debug. That lies with the factory. It's a sad state of affairs that it is this way now. How far does this go? We have to check for clips on wipers, rust on frame, leaks, carry a fridge thermometer, and torque wrench to check the tire lugs? It's getting ridiculous.

[Jerry Burks]

Originally Posted by hawkster

........How far does this go? We have to check for clips on wipers, rust on frame, leaks, carry a fridge thermometer, and torque wrench to check the tire lugs? It's getting ridiculous.

It is. My "new" motorhome was partly in a bad condition but not as bad as described by the OP (knock on wood, who knows what will still come up). Looks like built under time pressure by people lacking proper training or skill.

But I guess (like for many other consumer goods) we, the buyers are partially responsible for the mess. Competition is fierce and buyers push down prices. I suspect the profit margins are not that great, given all the stuff that goes into a motorhome and the labor for the mostly manual assembly process.

If a manufacturer came up with a higher quality line of products it might cost maybe $10k or 20k more for something built with care and expertise using quality components. Then most customers go for the cheaper product that technically has the same specs.

[Jopopsy]

Originally Posted by Jerry Burks

If a manufacturer came up with a higher quality line of products it might cost maybe $10k or 20k more for something built with care and expertise using quality components. Then most customers go for the cheaper product that technically has the same specs.

That's essentially Airstream's marketing right there. They say it takes 300 hours to build a trailer instead of the industry standard 50. Better quality overall trailer build; yes they use the same ACs and stoves/ovens as everybody else, but the unit itself is supposed to be of much higher quality if you can do w/o slide outs. Which are prone to break.

I'm sure they have problems too, but I wonder if they are better built overall?

[JaycoChix89]

Most of this sounds like dealer negligence. The windshield should be covered by your dealer since this sounds like a mistake they made with overlooking this area when checked. The engine has nothing to do with jayco. Jayco received the engine already on its chasis straight from FORD so that would be 100% Ford related issue. The AC and fridge need to just be brought in and checked and given an opportunity to fix the items. It does suck to have to deal with these right after you purchased the unit. The dealer should have expedited your service to get you in faster to get you taken care of quicker. I hope you get everything worked out quickly! If you did purchase an aftermarket warranty it should cover your stay in the hotel you are having to deal with.

[Woldum]

Originally Posted by BadBeans

Any update on your plight Woldum? I have been looking at purchasing a new 2019 Alante and was curious to know how you’ve been treated and if Jayco/Ford was able to resolve your issues?

Hi, sorry for delay, we are on Maui now on vacation so haven't been keeping up with emails at all.


So update on our plight...
The motor engine issues were solved by Ford warranty work. Basically a leak in the coolant fluid container, they replaced the defective parts. It was in the shop for 2 weeks waiting for parts. Works great since then. No more problems.


The A/C over the bed issue has not happened again and we have used it when needed. That particular day it was hot hot hot, and very humid. The doors were left open as we were moving everything in from our old camper allowing hot humid air into our camper for a few hours. I think what happened is that the A/C was working hard that day, and the very humid air had caused ice crystals to form in the A/C right above the bed. Later on when I turned off the A/C that allowed the ice to melt, and that soaked our bed. When using A/C now we usually use only 1 or the other (the noise from AC is loud, so we use the one where we are not hanging out since they both vent through same vents) and we keep doors and windows shut so we have never recreated the same situation that we had on that first day.


For all of the other issues we needed Jayco warranty work... We were in an area (Eau Claire, WI) where the local Jayco dealer only sold travel trailers, and so was reluctant and unwilling to fix our class A issues. When we tried contacting other Motorhome service centers in the area we were told and I quote "They don't allow us to sell Jaycos, so we don't work on Jaycos." We tried making an appointment (scheduled many many months out) with the dealership we bought it from (Des Moines IA RVDirect) and that was such a waste of time!!!! They did NOTHING!!!! The best result was from Camper World in Las Vegas NV, at least they were able to fix the most important issue, the leak... detailed below.


I will say that our Alante was in the shop for MULTIPLE MONTHS (at least 4 months total)... for the multiple times (3 separate times) we had it in for warranty work. This was especially inconvenient since we were in between houses while traveling for across the country for work. The time when the engine had died luckily for us we still had our old camper and had to move back into that for 2 weeks. Then we had to stay with multiple relatives while waiting for warranty work to be completed from both Rvdirect and Camperworld between September – January.


The windshield... Yes, everyday I viewed those window scratches in my brand new camper I was super annoyed and upset because that was there as a direct result of that clip not being installed... but that month we were staying in a campground next to a huge softball complex, with softball tournaments and all... well long story short we ended up with a LARGE CRACK starting near the top of our windshield, we could see a sight of impact that something hit our windshield! Someone (probably unsupervised kids or drunk adult) was playing with a bat & ball and that most likely cracked our very large and expensive windshield. We had to make a claim with insurance. So no, Jayco never addressed or fixed or compensated us in anyway for the windshield scratches because we were not in a location where we were able to bring it in for warranty work. We ended up having to replace the whole thing anyway $1000 deductable at our own expense. Traveler Tip: DON'T stay in campgrounds near softball tournaments with drunk parents and tons of unsupervised/rowdy kids.


The Refrigerator: We ended up discovering that all fridges installed in slide outs have a similar problem... They are not able to vent them through the roof like they do in other layouts, therefor ventilation is always going to be a problem. We have found solutions that are working for us for now. We have fans running on the inside of the fridge, and also we are still planning to install a fan for the outside of the fridge in the venting wall outside. We also have found the the fridge runs colder if you run it on propane. It is less effective when run on electricity. That week when I had food poisoning it was particularly hot hot hot. How we were parked also mattered, our fridge was located on the southern SUNNY (i.e. HOT) side of the camper. So since then, making sure to orient the fridge on the shady side, making sure to run fridge on propane when it is really hot outside, and adding the fans at least to the inside we have solved the issues for now. We have an inside thermometer and always check it to see how it's performing.


Des Moines RVdirect did nothing at all regarding the GPS/radio system. Camperworld Las Vegas was able to detect the problem and order us a new unit. The radio station tuning isn't great still. Admittedly it is very hard to even hear the radio when traveling over the roar of the engine. Someday we plan to insulate the "dog house" but we have had it in the shop for so long and between our work and travel we haven't had time to tackle that project.


Prior to bringing the RV in for warranty work, a few other issues I had not yet mentioned developed.


#1 our water pump INTERMITTENTLY continually cycles on and off, sometimes as much as 60 times in less than 1 hour. It is so frustrating to constantly hear "BRRRRRRT BRRRRRRT BRRRRRRT" all night long, so basically I never leave the water pump on unless we are actually using water. We did check every single water faucet to make sure they were all tightly off but still it continues to happen intermittently. It seems to start up most of the time late at night after we have used the toilet and bath sink. But of course when it was in the shop both times (in Des Moines IA, and Las Vegas NV) it didn't show a problem and so that problem has never been fixed. I continue to keep the water pump off when not using water, which I am used to by now so not such a big problem. Luckily the pump switch is conveniently located right near both kitchen and bathroom so easy to reach over the toggle it when we need to use water. I don't ever leave us hooked up via the city water connection for fear that a leak is undetected and I don't want my waste tanks becoming full without us being aware.


#2 A LEAK IN THE ROOF OF THE SLIDE, water dripping from the inside of the roof of our slide during rain right onto our couch and kitchen counter tops from multiple locations. RVDirect in Des Moines never could recreate the leak! So they did NOTHING! They told us to make sure to level the camper (DOH! I guess using the auto levelers isn't a way to level the camper?!?) which I always did anyway. So ya, during the next big rain storm and rain is still dripping on my couch from the roof of the slide I was pretty pissed they were so dismissive and didn't even try to fix the problem. Long story short Camper World at Las Vegas was able to find that there were some rivet or screw that had not been sealed up. They sealed them all up, and so far we have had no leaking, but we have been in the southwest where there is not as much rain. Right now while we are on Maui we have our camper in covered storage, and I will ALWAYS have it in covered storage unless I am personally IN it and able to check for leaks.


So, there ya have it. Mostly resolved, much time involved. Frustrations yes. However, in every other regard we still do like our new camper. Now that many of the bugs have been worked out (aside from the water pump and fridge which we have found our own personal fixes for) as long as it does not have to go back into the shop again we will be satisfied.


Regarding who you buy your motor home from: If you want to save money (we did) and you want to buy from RVDirect, fine, understand what you are dealing with. They will NOT help you if you need service! Between waiting for your appointment, and then taking it to them and getting it back, don't be surprised if they literally fix NOTHING you sent it in for. Then you will have to wait again for multiple months before you can get another appointment, and maybe or maybe not they fix anything? I got too frustrated after just 1 such event, and found out that Camperworld would take care of our warranty work. Don't be stuck in an area like we were with no service available for many100's of miles. When you pick up your camper, BE where the service is... for many MONTHS. We were not able to do that. So basically from the time we picked up our new camper in June until last January we were dealing with trying to get warranty service completed from multiple service centers.

[Woldum]

I also have a theory/question... I am asking if anyone else has anything to add on this.


Does Jayco sell "seconds" to RVDirect at a discounted price? By "seconds" I mean units that were found to be defective (like how clothing manufacturers sell "seconds" to places like T.J.Max and Ross) and they send them out and sell them anyway? Leaving it up to the customer to get it brought back in for warranty work?

[ALJO]

With regards the Norcold Ref. Heat rises from the condenser and usual vent through the roof. With a slide out the heat discharges out a side vent which is a slower move off air.
Install a few PC fans (ball bearing type) under the condenser will increase the airflow and is very effective. The RV mfg. industry doesn't listen often to the suppliers of accessories and go their own way what fit their drawings.
Hopeful you get all your problems solved and be a happy camper.... good luck!

[Woldum]

Originally Posted by RogerFoster

'Wanted to know the location of the main (sofa & dinette) slideout controller and motor. After recently getting delivery, our slideout stopped working and the dealer repaired it. Upon doing some reading, it appears we should have the knowledge and tools to manually operate the slider if we're stuck somewhere.

We found the bedroom slideout controller under the bed, but not the main one. Also have videos for the bedroom slide motors if we need to brake-unbrake them. Can't find the controller for the main slide and have found no way to see it's motor. Help would be very much appreciated

I don't know where they put it on the 26x, on the 29S it is right with all the rest of the main controls and gauges (turn on/off generator, water pump, check battery, tank levels, propane levels). We just have 1 slide and 1 controller for it.