NEW RV and MECHANICAL PROBLEMS

[Julesb6264]

We are new to RV’s and on our maiden journey with a brand new 2019 Redhawk. So far.... the electric has failed, water leaking in one of the storage bins, fresh water tank censor fail and now odor from the black tank. Pretty discouraged...

Obviously I need to bring it back to get serviced But I am curious if others experienced these problems right out of the gait. Is it Jayco, my RV or just to be expected? Thank you.

[norty1]

Expect minor problems in a new unit. They can be made increasingly frustrating if you are on your first rig.

Make a list of the problems and read up here or other places on how others address them. For instance the black tank odor and sensors not sensing properly is a common problem,

Now electricity leaking all into your storage compartment, LOL that is how I first read it.

Learn all you can and see your dealer when your trip is over. maybe call for an appointment well before you get home.

[Jagiven]

X2, these things are all hand built, so there will be issues. You'll be in a few times probably to fix a few items.

The water leak in the cargo hold, might be easy. Mine did that. The gasket had a funny kink in it. The dealer just replaced, it has never leaked again.

Black tank odar is a sticky internal vent under the sink. It is common issue on a new camper.

What's you electrical issue?

[Julesb6264]

hi jagiven,
The electric failed to work when plugged in. I was able to have a mechanic take a look and he replaced the cheap plastic connectors (there were a few that had disconnected and fallen off). Just discouraged....I bought new hoping to avoid issues. Hopefully the 6000 miles we just drove has revealed and shaken loose the problems and after a service call everything will be fine.

[Riverman]

Get used to constant problems and repairs on an RV.... it's the nature of the beast. New or old, it doesn't matter anymore. If you haven't had problems.... you will.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Julesb6264

I bought new hoping to avoid issues.

I know its not what you expect and not what you want to hear, but these things are constant work.


Yeah, you'd expect $80,000, $100,000 or more to actually buy you something. You've heard Jayco had the best quality.


I know. We all have too.


Fact is, these things are going to have problems. Lots of them. Expensive ones too. We just replaced the Air Conditioner on our 2016 unit. $800 and that's only that cheap because we did it ourselves!


Our most expensive failure has been the generator at $3500.


People who get into this game just have to know up front, this is like owning a boat. You can't do it on a budget. And you'd better be prepared to fix a lot of things yourself.


Bummer, I know.
But, in my opinion, that is the way this life unfolds...

[JohnWedell]

I have excepted the fact a long time ago that the people that build his things really don’t care. it’s not theirs and that’s just the way it is. If problems arise I try to fix it myself. if I can’t I go to my dealer and he will happily repair it for me. I’m very fortunate that I have an excellent dealer near me. If I let it bother me I would probably never buy another RV ever again. It has been noted by many others as production goes up quality goes down. I hope your problems do not get you down and eventually all the bugs will be worked out. in the meantime enjoy your RV. Happy camping

[rndsommer40]

If your hot water heater is behind the cabinets that is probably the culprit. I took out the dummy panel and all fittings on the heater were hardly on hand tight. Same thing with water feed line on back of the toilet was loose and leaking. That's why buying a used unit in some cases is better. The first guy fixes all the headaches for the 2nd buyer.

[Trapper2020]

All rigs of any class have some problems when picked up new. Used ones seem better but stuf wears out and then the repairs could cost more. Always bring a set of tools with you and do not be afraid of working on unit , even if still under warranty. Taking simple fixes to dealer cost you in lost time with rig. Also bring along some auto fuses, both old larger ones and new small ones. Only a matter of time until one needs replacing. We just got back from picking up our new unit which we immediately took out west on a ten week trip. We had the following issues:
Leak under bathroom sink. Easy to fix myself
Frig would not work on propane when we got to Estes park. Mfg. only warrants it working below 5500 feet altitudes. Fix was to remove igniter and increase gap distance to 3/16”. Easy fix that was hard to find proper gap fo.
Back up cameras and leveling jacks went out. Cause was blown 5 amp fuse located in dash wiring behind steering wheel. Dealer in Billings fixed for us and showed me location.
Rear leaf spring mounting bold almost wore hole through black tank by the third week of driving unit. Dealer in Billings cut bolt off. I used epoxy to fill start of hole when home. Everyone should check to see if they have this issue.
One igniter on stove quit working. I fixed by adjusting gap and location of igniter.

That’s it. My opinion not bad at all for first ten weeks on road. Now it is time for front end upgrades to improve the ride.

Take care

Enjoy the journey