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Old 06-19-2017, 01:56 PM   #1
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My Autumn Ridge Disappeared!

I bought my 2017 Autumn Ridge 266RKS three months ago. We love the floorplan and are very happy with it. Today I went to the Starcraft web site to check a few Specs and I was surprised to see the 266RKS is no longer listed! Even using their Search function didn't work! Actually they now only show 6 floorplans for the Autumn Ridge...there used to be more than that when I was researching RV's back in March of this year. Looks like the merger with Thor has prompted some drastic changes in their lineup.

I also sent an E-mail to Starcraft a week ago about a suspension problem and have gotten no response. A bit disheartening. Does anyone know if Jayco dealers (or Thor) will do warranty work on Starcraft units?
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Old 06-19-2017, 02:07 PM   #2
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. Looks like the merger with Thor has prompted some drastic changes in their lineup.
Sales volume, or lack of, is what affects what they build.

http://www.rvbusiness.com/2017/04/st...ith-18-lineup/
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Old 06-20-2017, 04:12 AM   #3
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It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$. Hopefully since Starcraft & Jayco are cousins, Thor will allow Jayco dealers to work on Starcraft and visa versa. Probably won't happen because it just makes sense, lol.
Happy camping everyone!
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Old 12-13-2017, 02:44 AM   #4
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Makes one wonder how long Thor will keep Starcraft around ..... gone are the pop-ups,whats next?
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Old 12-13-2017, 05:26 AM   #5
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Makes one wonder how long Thor will keep Starcraft around ..... gone are the pop-ups,whats next?
What Grumpy said "Sales volume, or lack of " and I couldn't agree more.
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Old 12-13-2017, 07:09 AM   #6
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..... gone are the pop-ups,
As they are with most brands, milenials don't buy them.
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Old 12-13-2017, 08:36 AM   #7
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It has been almost 10 months since we bought our Starcraft Autumn Ridge, and in that time we have had it out camping about a dozen times and traveled over 5000 miles. We bought it at a Camping World dealer which was about 250 miles/4 hours away. They treated us very well and did everything we asked during the pre-buy, such as add a second battery, and replace one slightly damaged window shade. They assured us that any Camping World dealer in the U.S. could service our unit without a problem.

After our second trip we had two issues that needed attention. One had to do with the suspension and the other was the entry steps could not be tightened. I called another CW dealer much closer to our home and they said they could make an appointment for service, but it was 6 weeks from the date I called and then was told I would have to leave the trailer for 4-6 weeks for the repairs to be completed! My E-mails to Jayco asking if I could have the repairs done at at a Jayco dealer went unanswered. I then had the suspension issue fixed at a local shop and repaired the step myself. Turned out one of the step mounting bolts had been over-tightened and the bolt had been pulled through the plywood floor.

I am thankful that no other problems have come up that need attention because the lack of Starcraft dealers that can service my trailer seem to be few and far between. Had I known this before our purchase I would not have bought a Starcraft. I don't know why Jayco never answered my E-mails, nor why Jayco dealers will not service my unit. Many places on my trailer, such as the storage doors, there are Jayco stickers with the Jayco part numbers.

Seeing the limited number of Starcraft floorplans for 2018 it appears the Starcraft brand is slowly being eliminated. Time will tell.
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Old 12-13-2017, 10:52 AM   #8
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Your request for service should have gone to STARCRAFT since they are operated as separate companies and would be paying the bill. They have been known to authorize independent service centers to do the work just as JAYCO has.
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:38 PM   #9
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I did E-mail Starcraft, along with Jayco, and Starcraft responded by telling me to take it to Camping World since it was the closest Starcraft service center. Jayco never responded. There is only one year left on my 2 year warranty, so hopefully I won't need any warranty work done.

Something else that I have discovered is a discrepancy in the Owner's Manual regarding various components. One example is the OM says the axles and suspension are made by Lippert, yet the axles themselves say Dexter Axle. On the same decal it says Jayco-Starcraft, with a Jayco part number. The wheels also say the brakes are made by Dexter, not LCI as stated in the OM. Kind of confusing, but then it's an RV after all!
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:42 PM   #10
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Something else that I have discovered is a discrepancy in the Owner's Manual regarding various components. One example is the OM says the axles and suspension are made by Lippert, yet the axles themselves say Dexter Axle. On the same decal it says Jayco-Starcraft, with a Jayco part number. The wheels also say the brakes are made by Dexter, not LCI as stated in the OM. Kind of confusing, but then it's an RV after all!
You got the better deal....
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Old 12-13-2017, 12:50 PM   #11
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It has been almost 10 months since we bought our Starcraft Autumn Ridge, and in that time we have had it out camping about a dozen times and traveled over 5000 miles. We bought it at a Camping World dealer which was about 250 miles/4 hours away. They treated us very well and did everything we asked during the pre-buy, such as add a second battery, and replace one slightly damaged window shade. They assured us that any Camping World dealer in the U.S. could service our unit without a problem.

After our second trip we had two issues that needed attention. One had to do with the suspension and the other was the entry steps could not be tightened. I called another CW dealer much closer to our home and they said they could make an appointment for service, but it was 6 weeks from the date I called and then was told I would have to leave the trailer for 4-6 weeks for the repairs to be completed! My E-mails to Jayco asking if I could have the repairs done at at a Jayco dealer went unanswered. I then had the suspension issue fixed at a local shop and repaired the step myself. Turned out one of the step mounting bolts had been over-tightened and the bolt had been pulled through the plywood floor.

I am thankful that no other problems have come up that need attention because the lack of Starcraft dealers that can service my trailer seem to be few and far between. Had I known this before our purchase I would not have bought a Starcraft. I don't know why Jayco never answered my E-mails, nor why Jayco dealers will not service my unit. Many places on my trailer, such as the storage doors, there are Jayco stickers with the Jayco part numbers.

Seeing the limited number of Starcraft floorplans for 2018 it appears the Starcraft brand is slowly being eliminated. Time will tell.

welcome to the "RV warranty" where you fix it yourself before the warranty runs out... it is sad to read all of these... they should drop the price by $5k and get rid of the warranty the buyer would come out ahead most likely... but there is not money in that ... good for you to fix it and now at least you know it is fixed right...
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Old 12-13-2017, 03:29 PM   #12
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My current Autumn Ridge is my third travel trailer. My previous RV was a Class A motorhome that was a maintenance nightmare. In the first year it had to have the roof replaced, the transmission replaced, the generator rewired, the front suspension replaced, and the list goes on and on. So it is refreshing to have owned my current trailer for a year with only two minor issues.

It just bugs me that having so many Jayco parts throughout the trailer that Jayco won't let me have it worked on at a Jayco facility. It sort of looks like the Chevy vs GMC world of repair. I once bought a Chevy S-10 pickup with the Chevy logo on one side and the GMC "Jimmy" logo on the other. Go figure.....
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Old 12-13-2018, 08:52 AM   #13
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My Starcraft Autumn Ridge 235fb was built during the economic downturn and was actually built on a Jayco production line! During the downturn, Starcraft shut down their line and moved production to Jayco's twin sister line the 23/24fb. The 2011 Starcraft 235fb and Jayco 24fb are identical in almost every way. (bathroom has the shower and storage cabinet reversed). No reason a Jayco dealer shouldn't be able to fix a Starcraft.
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Old 12-13-2018, 12:27 PM   #14
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What I don't understand in all of this is why is the appointment 6 weeks out and the time required an additional 4~6 weeks. Is the 4~6 weeks the time required to get the necessary parts?
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Old 12-13-2018, 04:21 PM   #15
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My Starcraft Autumn Ridge 235fb was built during the economic downturn and was actually built on a Jayco production line! During the downturn, Starcraft shut down their line and moved production to Jayco's twin sister line the 23/24fb. The 2011 Starcraft 235fb and Jayco 24fb are identical in almost every way. (bathroom has the shower and storage cabinet reversed). No reason a Jayco dealer shouldn't be able to fix a Starcraft.

Well, Jayco let a StarCraft dealer do warranty work on my Jayco when it was under warranty.
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Old 12-23-2018, 07:33 PM   #16
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Exactly what Grumpy said. Back in 2012, we fell in love with, and tried to order an Autumn Ridge (can't remember the model number) we saw at a show. We couldn't order it. A conversation with the StarCraft regional rep enlightened us to the fact they were building what they had orders for till the end of March that year (this was very early May), and then the floor plan was to be discontinued. It didn't make their percentage of sales, so it got flushed. Fortunately, that's the point we found out Jayco owned StarCraft, and Jay Flight had the exact floorplan in the 19RD and the rest is history. We've had her six years, and still love it! Now, the 19RD has been discontinued, too.
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