Is Thor using lower quality components than pre Thor Jayco was?

[jloco]

I'm curious as to the components Thor is using in the new Jay Flights since acquiring them in July of 2016. I'm reading about residential fridge problems with 'insignia', (pre Thor used GE) also, Dometic AC units instead of Coleman (reading more freezing up problems about these) and Dometic water heater (bad boards) vs the Atwood HWH.

Are all the different brand RV components basically the same quality across the brands? Or are some brands better than others?
I'm wondering if Thor has switched some component brands in the Jaycos to lower costs and increase profits.
Atwood, Dometic, Coleman, Carefree

[tcoilburner]

My personal feeling is quality control is slipping a little under Thor’s ownership.

[Grumpy]

Dometic/Attwood is one in the same just like Airxcel owns Coleman, Suburban, Dicor MCD etc. All component manufacturers have been used interchangeably for years.

QC is slipping do to consumer demand, I ordered it today, but I want it yesterday. Just like the RV industry is short about 10,000 employees.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Dometic/Attwood is one in the same just like Airxcel owns Coleman, Suburban, Dicor MCD etc. All component manufacturers have been used interchangeably for years.

QC is slipping do to consumer demand, I ordered it today, but I want it yesterday. Just like the RV industry is short about 10,000 employees.

Agreed, but the boom has been ongoing since before the Thor acquisition. Just wondering why suddenly they’re using different components.

[Murff]

Originally Posted by jloco

Agreed, but the boom has been ongoing since before the Thor acquisition. Just wondering why suddenly they’re using different components.

Uhhh... to inflate their earnings, perhaps?

Murff

[barryg]

My guess would be inventory consolidation use the same parts on more models cuts down on costs in a variety of ways

[michael.g]

If your only concern is GE vs. Insignia, it's not much of a concern. GE hasn't built a quality product in a long time. Lots of folks have complained about the GE residential refrigerators in RVs. Our current TT was built in 2017, after the Thor acquisition. It has a Stainless Steel GE Residential Refrigerator with Ice Maker. Knock on wood, it hasn't given us any problems yet.

Our TT is a destination trailer, so it has all residential appliances (refrigerator, stove/oven and microwave). All the other components are the same as our 2009 Greyhawk. Jayco used to put Sharp TVs in their RVs. Our Greyhawk had 3 Sharp TVs. Within 2 years, Jayco switched to Furrion. Sharp is a better brand than Furrion. That was done before the acquisition by Thor.

Thor owns several RV manufacturers, including Airstream, since 1980 I believe. Airstream is still going strong and is still considered one of the best in the industry.

-Michael

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by michael.g

Thor owns several RV manufacturers, including Airstream, since 1980 I believe. Airstream is still going strong and is still considered one of the best in the industry.

-Michael

And AIRSTREAM uses DOMETIC air conditioners. Also GE appliances was bought out by HAIER (China) in 2016

[oh355mbqs]

My brother owns an Airstream, we live about 20 minutes from Airstream also. He bought the camper as a wreck and rebuilt it. I helped him some, I can tell you that the Airstream used all the same brand components that my Keystone Laredo camper that I owned at the time, Keystone is also a Thor brand just like Airstream. Furnace, stove, air conditioner were all the same brands. Maybe the suppliers have different levels of quality they offer, if not, all the same stuff in the qaulity Airstream as in my 2 Jaycos and one Laredo camper.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by michael.g

If your only concern is GE vs. Insignia, it's not much of a concern. GE hasn't built a quality product in a long time. Lots of folks have complained about the GE residential refrigerators in RVs. Our current TT was built in 2017, after the Thor acquisition. It has a Stainless Steel GE Residential Refrigerator with Ice Maker. Knock on wood, it hasn't given us any problems yet.

Our TT is a destination trailer, so it has all residential appliances (refrigerator, stove/oven and microwave). All the other components are the same as our 2009 Greyhawk. Jayco used to put Sharp TVs in their RVs. Our Greyhawk had 3 Sharp TVs. Within 2 years, Jayco switched to Furrion. Sharp is a better brand than Furrion. That was done before the acquisition by Thor.

Thor owns several RV manufacturers, including Airstream, since 1980 I believe. Airstream is still going strong and is still considered one of the best in the industry.

-Michael

That was just an example. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I'm starting to think that Thor IS having a negative impact on the quality of Jayco. It seems I'm seeing more complaints with post Thor rigs both here and on the Jayco owners FB page. It could be my imagination though! LOL!

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by jloco

That was just an example. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I'm starting to think that Thor IS having a negative impact on the quality of Jayco. It seems I'm seeing more complaints with post Thor rigs both here and on the Jayco owners FB page. It could be my imagination though! LOL!

That's because the market "boomed" just about the time of the buyout. That's probably one reason JAYCO sold out, they needed the capital for the expansion

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

snip...... they needed the capital for the expansion

Bingo!

The timing for the sale/purchase was right for both parties....., especially for this particular privately held company (Jayco).

Bob

[MNWild]

WE just brought our 2nd Jayco a 2018 BH and from our first one a Jayco 2011 X19H everything has gone down hill.
Have had the BH in once for repairs and have to bring it back again when more parts show up.

[DutchBrad]

Thor has not helped Jayco per the tech that has come out twice so far to fix my 2018 Jayco Bungalow. He said the dealers he has talked to have been overwhelmed with issues. I expected more from our trailer. Very poor craftsmanship, lack of basics - caulk the stupid windows, water line leaks, the front AC was physically attached to the roof, but the rest of the AC unit was freezing up because it was never connected to the ducts. Been pretty disappointed. Did a bunch of research, and was worried about Thor, but figured with our floorplan (40BHQS) coming out in 2015, it would miss any "cheapening" of the model. I was wrong....

Our trailer was built a month early, in the new Eagle plant, by a bunch of newbies. Nothing wrong with newbies, but CHECK THEIR WORK!!!!!! I was not interested in being the R&D division of Jayco...... But on the plus side - they have said how sorry they are!!

Dutch

[Loboclone]

My Jayco was built a year before the Thor buy out, it is still junk. Pre Thor buyout junk.

[Overogal]

We just were in Middlebury and took a factory tour of the class c plant. One couple on the tour had just bought a brand new Seneca ($100,000 plus) in April and was having a lot of problems with it already. He said mostly QA issues, little irritating things that never should have been designed that way. He was very unhappy and I would be too. We bought ours in 2015 when Jayco was still Jayco.

[Rustynuts]

Same experience with our new Seneca. Get it home and they didn’t even plumb a fresh water tank drain! I have replace hundreds...yes hundreds of broken screws (heads popping off) on compartment doors, ground lugs to chassis, fender wells and so on. Have also used a lot of zip ties securing wiring and lines that are just hanging in the wind. Toilet base gasket that tha was installed with half the seal in the drain opening and the list goes on. I end up fixing this all myself not only so it gets done right away and we can use it but to make sure it’s fixed right. Just discovered today why our fridge doesn’t stay cold even on 9....the upper angled sheet metal baffle that is installed in the top vent was installed upside down so instead of directing hot out up and towards the vent it is directing it up over the top of the fridge! Oh and such a great job sealing up holes with foam.

[Overogal]

That is just awful! Those are all careless QA mistakes that should have been caught in the factory! I am thinking the RV industry needs maybe some oversight. It seems the newer your unit is, the worse it was made. Always, always buy the extended warranty that's offered! It has saved us $4000 so far on our 2015 Jayce Eagle Premier.

[Trailma]

I won’t buy another Thor product. Quality control is nonexistent and the folks building these units don’t give a crap. Brand new 2018 unit. Bed collapsed bc it was screwed to the wall and not to studs, using 3 screws. Since the hydraulic lifts were installed backwards, it completed tearing up what bed frame there was. Had to buy lumber and build a bed frame so I could sleep. The black water valve handle broke off as it was installed in a position that put it in a bind. Connections in the battery box not secure, and I could go on... Brand new unit purchased in June. Valuable lessons learned. Jayco Flight 2018 29RLDS.

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

We ordered a family-owned Jayco 2017 16XRB after a lot of research and closely examining one at the Middlebury headquarters. A big selling point was galvanized steel wheel wells. There was also a cheap dinky fan in the bathroom vent. It would take about 6 weeks to build our custom trailer.

Very soon after our order Jayco sold out to Thor.

We received a Thor Jayco 2017 16XRB. It has no fan - no big deal - but it also had plastic wheel wells instead of galvanized steel. That was big and could have been a reason to buy a different brand of small hybrid. Thor Jayco said too bad but they can make any changes they want whenever they want so there. The city water inlet was mounted crooked and the local dealer replaced it with a regular brass garden hose faucet inlet. That was our first lesson in going toe to toe with these people. We have had our trailer 2 years, 17,500 miles, and we are scheduled for the last of a few warranty work orders: a new front bed platform that got water damage from a hidden non-detectable un-chalked seam.

Overall the Thor Jayco hybrid has been very good with appliances that work well, almost reasonably good construction, and things mostly within our ability to make it the way it should be. The suspension is good and it rides and tracks really well. The wheel well disappointment has worn off, we've customized our unit beautifully and really enjoy it - even more than we thought we would.

Personally, if I were Mr. Jayco I would be a little embarrassed to brag about the great quality. Sure, it has a sturdy roof but it also has the toilet paper holder and practically everything else installed with a million 1" self tapping screws. Some missed their mark, others were a hidden injury hazard. They have been replaced. And the illogical placement of the dump tank valve cable handles - they apparently come in a five foot length so just attach the gate value and put the handle five feet away. Wow. With a little work my black tank cable is now the way it should be: 19" straight out to the side next to the dump pipe. But in Mr. Jayco's defense, all the manufactures use many of the same methods, materials, appliances, typical employees and unrealistic build times. Perhaps they could benefit from some Japanese or South Korean competitors.

If I bought another RV I would consider Jayco first, but would carefully research the quality and technology available in the many worthy competitors' units. Imagine a little Toyota or Honda hybrid... : )