New to this world & Quality control shocked!

[bansai]

It's good to have high standards, as long as they are in line with realism. Very few things in life are 'flawless'. Especially things that are built by flawed humans, which we all are to one extent or another. Good luck with whatever you end up deciding on. I tend to agree that you are setting yourself up for disappointment no matter what product you end up going with. On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with letting Jayco know how high your standards are. Maybe it won't all fall on deaf ears... who knows.

Even the space shuttle blew up a couple times.

[LOCAL_SEO]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

To be brutally honest with you, if I received a letter like that, my reply would be on the order of, 'Thank you for your interest in our product. We wish you the best with whatever brand RV you choose.'

I my opinion, you've doomed yourself with unreasonable expectations, that seem to be, as you said "... as crazy as they may be ...". Flawlessness, like beauty, may be in the eyes of the beholder. From your tone, any flaws in today's factory built RVs, will an unacceptable stress for you.

So, hopefully, your pockets are deep enough to have a custom coach built with you overseeing every step of the design and construction. Otherwise, it seems to me, you are not destined to be a 'happy camper.'

That's one way to look at it AZ, and that's ok. So be it if that's their response. Remember this is a new world to me, so where is you may be used to what goes in in this industry and have obviously come to accept it as ok, not so much for me. When I have spent large dollars on any purchase I indeed have received exactly what one would expect, things work as should.

Indeed I may have to adjust expectation to move forward in the camping world.
Minor easy fixes I can live with, some of the nightmares I have read about not so much. When I read about 3-6 months sitting in a shop to be repaired, well thats just sick. To purchase a product and not be able to use it and possibly find more issues while your warranty runs out and you make payments is mind boggling to me.

I'm really just interested to see what they say. Who knows, maybe someone steps up to make sure I don't deal with a nightmare scenario. Either way I had nothing to lose sharing my concerns after all the reviews I have read.

[RVermont]

From Jayco press release, talks about the marketing and why it is a different group of dealerships. Good luck in what ever you choose.

[RVermont]

Envoy: Newest Entry in Upscale Class C Market | RV Business

This is the actual posting

[LOCAL_SEO]

Thanks Rvermont, looks nice!

[howlin4you]

Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy

You have every reason to be concerned with the purchase of a new RV of any brand. This link will give you the first in a series of 8 articles from an industry expert concerning the current state of the RV industry.
Opinion: The RV industry death spiral – Part 1 | RV Daily Report

I wouldn't put a whole lot of weight behind these articles, this guy seems like he has an agenda and doesn't mind bending the truth to support it . Some examples -

Earlier this year, they discovered that although their RV label says the vehicle is rated to hold 18,000 pounds, the three axles on the rig were rated for 5,200 pounds each. So, in reality, their 18,000-pound RV could only safely hold 15,600 pounds.

That's not how it works, you need to figure in pin weight (or tongue weight in the case of a TT). This guy is supposedly an "industry expert" and he doesn't understand this basic concept.

Look on any consumer forum anywhere on the Internet and the advice regarding the purchase of new RVs is consistent – don’t buy new.

That's a really ridiculous statement that the author cannot back up with evidence.

People who bought a new rig often had their adventure delayed for 24 months because the RV was constantly in the shop correcting dozens of problems

Really? This happens "often"? While the definition of often can admittedly be subjective I doubt any common use of the word could be applied to how frequently people have to wait 24 months to enjoy a new RV. I think a better word would be rarely, or hardly ever.

It is beyond frustrating for consumers to be told that their warranty claims are being denied within the warranty period

If that were to happen that's a lawsuit. While it may happen it's not widespread.

I stopped reading after Part 2. There is some truth in there but too much BS spread around for me to bother with it.

[Rustysocket]

Buying a new RV for the first time is hard for most people. It is a significant expense and short of buying a home the only other purchase of that magnitude for most to use as a frame of reference is purchasing a car.

In my opinion this is where things tend to go sideways in regards to expectations.

I don't care what RV you buy your are going to have some problems... for most it will be things like a leaky fitting here and there, some loose trim pieces, or screws, possibly a appliance failure. For an absolute hands off experience your really need to shop your dealer first rather than a particular brand of RV. The dealer is key. Find a dealer who can take care of you and buy what they sell.

When you go on a internet forum... your going to hear about problems. Every week there is a new member on this forum with one or two posts, ranting and raving about how angry they are... they maybe get some help, maybe not.. and then they are gone. Never to be heard from again. So i think its important to remember that as well.

Jayco is a quality brand, and delivers a good value at the pricepoint.

My last two rigs have never been back to the dealership, as it is simply easier for me to take care of the minor fit and finish items on my own. A lot of it depends on your frame of mind and whether or not you enjoy those kinds of tasks and are able to do basic troubleshooting with a calm head.

It's not for everybody, but I wouldn't trade my experiences in as the good outweighs the bad.

If i were the OP I'd look for a well maintained used rig to get their feet wet, with no warranty and a small budget for some household tools and a open mind.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by LOCAL_SEO

When I have spent large dollars on any purchase I indeed have received exactly what one would expect, things work as should.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Just bear in mind that these units are built quickly. Most of them are probably pretty good, a few not so much.

You also need to consider what you'll do for service-after-the-sale. Odds are your unit will not be perfect from Day 1 and odds are also high that some time during the warranty period, you'll need work done.

Brace yourself for possibly more frustration. Many service centers are packed, overloaded and staffed with technicians with a wide variety of skill.

There are stories of folks who've had their units in, waiting for warranty repairs, for weeks or months.


I agree w/ bansai - I've had two new homes stick built and all had problems that I had to deal with.

Your motor home is a 'house that gets slammed and bounced around' like nobody's business as it drives down the house.

I really enjoy our Jayco Greyhawk. Most everything is fine. The few things that aren't I don't care about. But this thing *is* work.

Maintenance, routine and unexpected, need to be factored in.

Just my two cents.

[sennister]

Well I guess based on your desire for better fit and finish I would probably not look at Jayco or a lot of the other brands out there. The good news is there are several brands out there that would suit your needs.

Featherlight
Prevost
Foretravel

[gabe7924]

Jayco made these units so that they could sell to La mesa RV and not just Camping World. Camping world three a fit over it so Jayco discontinued the model. I just purchased an Envoy 100 and am very pleased so far. I was set in a Jayco Redhawk, but decided to go with the Envoy instead.

[TxLoser]

I'm on my second unit since getting into this stuff. First unit was a Forest River product. As I researched my first purchase I learned pretty quickly that all these units can and will have issues. Not necessarily major show stopping issues, but things will come up. These are essentially built by hand in short order. Lots of room for human error. I knew going into my PDI on my current unit, I'd find problems. No big deal. Had the dealer note those items, fix a couple on the spot, and then schedule it in for maintenance a few weeks out after a couple trips. This way I can come in with a list of write ups, and get it all squared away in one shot.

To add some more perspective, I spend a good chunk of my time in the pointy end of a private jet. Mostly newer airframes. Some with only few hours on them. During a week of flying, I will always have things break. Most are little things in the interior. Some are more costly computer or electrical things. It's an RV with wings. Maybe that perspective helped me not getting too worked up about the issues that come up in RV'ing. Part of the hobby is getting those tools out and fixing those things you can as they come up.

[LOCAL_SEO]

Glad to hear your happy! How long have you had the new unit?

[gabe7924]

Only about three weeks now. Camped a couple of nights on our way back from the dealership. All is well so far

[LOCAL_SEO]

Originally Posted by sennister

Well I guess based on your desire for better fit and finish I would probably not look at Jayco or a lot of the other brands out there. The good news is there are several brands out there that would suit your needs.

Featherlight
Prevost
Foretravel

Actually if I didn't like the finish of the Jayco I wouldn't be here. Just trying to avoid headaches I have been reading about. From what I gather just about all th manufacturers, prevost included have issues just the same. Nice to see many of you had only minor issues which I can live with.

Looks like that pre inspection is mighty important which is why I will happily pay a reputable inspector.

[LOCAL_SEO]

Originally Posted by gabe7924

Only about three weeks now. Camped a couple of nights on our way back from the dealership. All is well so far

Awesome, very glad to hear!

[LOCAL_SEO]

Btw what were the deciding factors between the redhawk and envoy 100?

Did you purchase from La mess?

La mess is 10'minutes from where I live and north trail (local Jayco dealer) is about an hour an 20. Anyone with experience or thoughts on these two dealers?

[gabe7924]

We actually really like the front upper window. Everyone says it will leak, but I have faith that in 2017, they should be able to make a window that doesn't leak. We also liked the interior decor much better than the Redhawk. Everything else seems to be about the same.

[sennister]

Originally Posted by LOCAL_SEO

Actually if I didn't like the finish of the Jayco I wouldn't be here. Just trying to avoid headaches I have been reading about. From what I gather just about all th manufacturers, prevost included have issues just the same. Nice to see many of you had only minor issues which I can live with.

Looks like that pre inspection is mighty important which is why I will happily pay a reputable inspector.

Which is exactly my point and others here if you look at the posts. The point is that if you want a perfectly built rig with no problems buying a $1-3+ million dollar RV is where one could expect to find not a single flaw. This is because at this price point you are getting higher quality components and craftsmen (and women) taking more time to properly assemble the rig. It isn't going to go from a frame to a complete unit in a day or two. Wiht mass produced campers/RVs assembled by a crew trying to crank out as many units as possible to keep costs down. If they didn't do this then the sub $100K RV would cost 5-10 times as much.

However even still things can break on a RV running seven figures just as they can on a sub $100K RV.

You are right that a PDI is very important. If you don't know what you are looking at, by all means get some independent help. For the most part our PDI was a younger tech going through every system on the camper and showing us how it works. We skipped most of this because the new water heater, furnace, AC, stove and many other things operate exactly the same as our old camper. This gave us more time to go over the camper on our own looking for issues. We found very few. However I should also state that some of this is because of the dealer. Our dealer spends 4 hrs on every camper where their techs go through and inspect for any faults correcting them even before we start the PDI. In our case we ended up buying the unit that was on the floor at the RV show because it was optioned out the way we wanted. These units get a full 8 hr refresh following the show. Do I know they did this? Well I know they spend some time doing something. The reason is that while at the RV Show we signed paperwork on buying that unit so we knew we were getting that one. So I actually started going over some things while at the RV show. There were things that I noticed like a couple nails that hold trim work around the bathroom door were not flush. Something little like that I probably wouldn't have bothered complaining about at PDI because I have a hammer and a punch so I can set them and can fill any holes with a bit of wood fill. When we did the PDI I went to those locations. Guess what, it was already done. I never once pointed it out to the saleslady or anyone at the dealer. But I saw it. This is why I mentioned earlier in this thread that almost more important to how good Jayco is, you need to look at how good is your dealer. Some people are not handy. Some people will go to have someone work on their cars, trucks, campers and homes. Personally I do all the work myself so it doesn't bother me as much. Others have different expectations. If you do want something perfect that is fine but whatever brand you go with, if you have a crappy dealer then I doubt you will have a good experience. I don't care if you spend seven figures on a Prevost or under $100K on a Jayco. In both cases you are going to rely on that dealer to work on any issues that are present when you pick it up or come up while under warranty or after that once the warranty expires.

[LOCAL_SEO]

Just noticed you were from Carbondale Gabe. Brings back some old memories of Southern IL, as hazy as they may be.

[LivingOneDayataTime]

Jayco is no longer making them. They made these editions as a final inventory to dealers and non dealers. They are going to have a new name and part of the new greyhawk prestige line...Separate from Greyhawk. They have different interior selection from Greyhawk, a window in the cab and some other upgrades. Personally, when I purchase in a couple of months, I'm sticking to 29mv because I like that floor plan.

This info is from Jayco customer service. I'm typing from phone and can't cut n paste their reply.

I do want to add, always do an internet search of the dealer you plan to visit. Will save you headaches by reading how others were treated and how after the sale the dealer did or did not take care of them.