A close one

[Phil2008]

We returned a couple of days ago from a wonderful 5 days at Five Islands in Nova Scotia. While there we nearly had a mess on our hands. First instance was while coming out of the bathroom I noticed water on the floor. We looked around but could not find the source. The next time was when my wife was washing up the dishes and she stepped back into some water. At first she thought the dog peed but then realized it was water from somewhere. I was outside closing the outdoor kitchen. After cleaning up inside I went and checked the outside kitchen and noticed there was water under the sink. We cleaned up the water under the sink and closed it up and no water. Upon closer inspection we noticed the cold water line was cross threaded. I shut off the water and threaded the hose on properly. When closing the kitchen I also noticed that the sink drain was rubbing against the struts causing the sink to push upwards when closing. I spoke with the dealer and they will fix the problem. I have two questions. First where is the quality control? I have had a number of small things wrong with my trailer since purchasing in June, things that should have been caught had there been a proper pre inspection. Secondly why would there not be water shut offs to isolate various areas in trailer. It was lucky we had been in the trailer when the leak occurred and not outside visiting. We could have had a real mess on our hands.

[ALJO]

First where is the quality control?

In the RV industry there is none, it would slow down the production line. The simple solution to that is; "You buy, You Finish" That's where the RV Industry is., if you like it or not. Be lucky Jayco has a two year warranty.
Most are handy and are able to do repairs them selves, dealers can be very price and time consuming.
But it is always a good idea to check things over, as RV's bounce a bit on the road.
Good Luck with RVing!

[suzhou]

We purchased ours in April 2016 and have made about 6 trips. I've had it in to the repair shop twice for water leaks. I believe they found the last one and have not had any more. If you read lots of threads here, which I strongly suggest you do, you will see many cases of owners doing their own repairs or finishing touches. My list is quite long. Most are little things that are not critical but some can be, like yours, if left undone. If you are handy and like working on things or fixing to your own taste then it's not too bad. I do. If you have to take it in for service for every fix or tweak that needs to be addressed then you will not get much use out of your trailer for the first 6-8 months. Not good but seems the norm.

[bedrck46]

Originally Posted by ALJO

First where is the quality control?

In the RV industry there is none, it would slow down the production line.

Just my opinion.

as long as the consumer accepts these issues and just says "that's the way it is or its easier to fix it myself'. Then the issue of LACK of QC will continue.

It all starts at the top. Management. As long as Management lets it happens then it will continue.

[NVGun40]

Originally Posted by ALJO

First where is the quality control?

In the RV industry there is none, it would slow down the production line.

It cannot be said there is no quality control in the RV industry. There are inspections for everything. One must first understand that by nature, we humans are over all lazy. We constantly seek out the easiest, fastest, path of least resistance. So factory quality control is relegated to the surface test. "Does it work?" Yes. move on to the next item. Rarely will a manufacturer (whether it be an RV, and automobile, or any other thing) actually spend the time and money to test all of their product in a rigorous consumer use multiple facet style. They may test the first couple and once they get the desired performance from the one, they set their production line and simply copy from the successful one and then may randomly pick another out of the manufacture process for a "surface scan".
It is this human nature of laziness which causes us to have laws governing things which could impact public health and safety.
It is a good thing Jayco has a two year warranty. However, the odds are still in their favor (monetarily speaking), the overall number of warranty servicing versus the total output falls cheaper for the "bottom line" than if they were to build each unit with the strictest most stringent testing/quality control in each and every step of the process.

[Rustysocket]

I too was victim of the Dog peeing on the floor and discovered a loose fitting on the island faucet during a trip when Dog was at the kennel and thus required to investigate further.

It's a dilemma without a realistic solution. I don't believe there is a reasonable economically feasible solution for any manufacturer to fully test every possible system in every unit to the extent that we would like to see and keep the price points from skyrocketing. Many of these issues would still slip by as it would almost require someone living in a unit to discover every one.

I am of the camp that it kind of is what it is and just like when one builds a new home there are things that need to be taken care of along the way that are not discovered until you actually move in and start using the unit. I appreciate the fact that Jayco goes the extra step and offers a two-year warranty on their product. For many purchasers a one year warranty doesn't really buy them much time to take care of issues as they purchase during the season, use the unit for a couple month's , winter sets in and the unit is stored, then when the season starts up again they are faced with getting the coach in under a deadline during the busier portion of the year before the warranty runs out. Having a two - year warranty allows time to get things taken care of.

I also believe that if you are the type of person that can't be bothered to tighten a few screws and require a trip to the dealer to do so.... you probably should not purchase any RV.

[Marcm157]

I have heard horror stories of trailers coming back from dealer warranty service in worse condition then when they went in. I've heard these stories more often then those where folks were happy with repairs. I understand that's the nature of forums for any product type but I will still do whatever I can to correct minor issues myself just to avoid a potentially bad dealer experience. I enjoy doing my own work anyway.

[travelingjw]

We are preparing to purchase a 23 MRB. Prior to purchasing I have and will spend hours on these sites preparing for these issues. I used to be a carpenter and recognize that the engineers design and then the assemblers assemble, often having to fix or adjust things along the way. I actually plan on having a tool kit to help out other travlin friends as I really enjoy fixing these minor things.

[norty1]

Bring some other tools also. I'll send my camping schedule!

Just kidding but that's a great way to make friends on the road, especially if you have the skills.

[RAurand]

We never travel ANYWHERE without taking my tool box along.
It's a box that is 8" X 14" X 8". Holds enough variety of tools to make most minor repairs.

[Phil2008]

I agree whole heartedly that there always be some minor issues with most anything you buy nowadays, the quality is just not there. But at the same time considering what you pay for a new trailer I would expect to have less issues, just my opinion. As long as it is nothing serious I will try and fix the problem myself.

[Rivercityjeff]

This post begs the question. If the 2 year warranty is the reason to buy Jayco and you still lose days to service repairs (lack of QC) then, why not buy a comparable Starcraft, save $5000, and accept the down time for service repairs?

We bought our current Jayco because of the floor plan. It's Starcraft cousin was very tempting.

Our next RV will be a $80-100K Class A. We will certainly shop the competition and consider an extended warranty.

[Wrascal]

There are those that say when you buy second-hand that you are purchasing someone else's problems. But there is also the possibility that all the problems have now been resolved.

I purchased my 2008 unit two years ago. It needed batteries, tires and propane. Thats it.

[bansai]

My 500K brick and stick home had pages of warranty related fixes too and I don't drive it down the interstate at 65 MPH. I expect lots of minor issues. I could have spent 120K on a 30 foot AirStream... or 5 Jayco's. At this price point, we get exactly what we paid for. I'm still very happy with mine and I've had to do dozens of small tweaks and fixes in the first couple months. Jayco cannot afford the QA/QC that we would love to see - but would price them out of their target market. Their are other brands if you have deep enough pockets, and the airstreams aren't flawless either. That's just my 2 cents when I hear complaints about problems that literally take less than a minute to fix yourself.

[Rivercityjeff]

Originally Posted by Wrascal

There are those that say when you buy second-hand that you are purchasing someone else's problems. But there is also the possibility that all the problems have now been resolved.

I purchased my 2008 unit two years ago. It needed batteries, tires and propane. Thats it.

There is frugal wisdom in this approach.
As a matter of fact, a large RV dealer's service manager told me the best RV to buy was a 1-2 year old because the original owners had addressed the problems and taken the initial depreciation hit.

[mike837go]

I've had 2 water issues so far....


The compression nut on the kitchen sink trap wasn't tightened (Some grey water on the floor under the sink). Tightened properly by hand.


A small freshwater leak somewhere (random 2 second pump run after no water use for more than an hour or two) finally revealed itself. The valve for the toilet was assembled poorly. Technically that is a Thetford warrantee issue, not Jayco. But for a $40 part, who's going to file a claim and wait 2 weeks for the dealer to fix it?

[Jagiven]

We had a couple warranty issues the first few years. All but for one I could easily fixed. I had a few things after the first trip or two, which were fixed ASAP. A couple water leaks that showed up the second year. By that point we probably had 4K-5K miles on the TT. They vibrate something fierce inside while going down the road. I fixed a few loose compression fittings myself. But I live 15 miles or so from the dealer, at that time my HTT sat on the city street when not in use. So I would arrange for them to fix my list of stuff under warranty and let it be stored on their lot. The dealer was great to work with. Most of the time I had it back in less than a week.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by RAurand

We never travel ANYWHERE without taking my tool box along.
It's a box that is 8" X 14" X 8". Holds enough variety of tools to make most minor repairs.

+1

Except that we have a complete and dedicated tool kit that lives in the trailer. It has basic hand tools and an assortment of extra screws and various other fasteners. I also lug along my amended mechanic's tool set for the "bigger" jobs, and usually a set of drills/bits. If I can't fix it with all that, I use my credit card! LOL!!

I agree that some trailers should have come from the factory in better shape, but then if they were "perfect", they would be prohibitively expensive. Even the prohibitively expensive rigs have problems similar to our lowly Jaycos.