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Old 05-17-2017, 06:44 AM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Washington
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THOR #6433
Don't buy their product

So I am hopefull that everyone else has good experiences with Thor products but my experience is that they are awful. My wife and I bought a 2017 freedom elite 30fe and have nothing but problems. We have owned boats and campers before so we realize there will always be something to work on but we have mold because they did not seal the roof, frig won't work off battery now and melted the grey water hose because they didn't connect the heater hoses. Tried on 4 occasions to get someone to call me back and haven't heard anything from them. Mold with tiny children isn't a good mix
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Old 05-17-2017, 10:50 AM   #2
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37TB
State: Pennsylvania
Posts: 412
THOR #4486
Try this person at Thor as she has been fairly responsive, at least for me.

Jaime Rienks
Warranty Customer Service
Thor Motor Coach, Inc.
606 Nelsons Parkway
Wakarusa, IN 46573
P.O. Box 1486
Elkhart, IN 46515
Phone: (877) 855-2867
E-mail: jmrienks@tmcrv.com

Based on the seriousness of the issues you are having, you may want to consider a trip to Thor in Indiana.
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Old 05-17-2017, 11:57 AM   #3
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Model: A.C.E. 29.2
State: Tennessee
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THOR #3487
Thor builds

We bought a new Thor ACE two years ago this month from Camping World and have had no warranty claims with 16,000 miles of trips. Go figure.
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Old 05-17-2017, 12:00 PM   #4
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I'd also try to get into Thor's factory service and have them take a look (not sure if you can: Don't think I've ever seen/heard of any Freedom Elite owners taking their units back to Thor).
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Old 05-17-2017, 11:28 PM   #5
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Model: Forest River Forester 235
State: Indiana
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Sorry to learn of your problems. Our 2017 Freedom Elite, now at 5200 miles, has been virtually problem free. No warranty issues and the few small items requiring attention have been addressed at home. When I have contacted Thor with questions and on one occasion for a part they have been very helpful. I concur with the recommendation to take your coach back to the factory for examination and repair. I've heard this works very well. Good luck!
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Old 05-18-2017, 03:15 AM   #6
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Thank you for replies. Finally heard back today from Thor they pretty much told me to pound sand and to just work with the dealer. Their response was just that everything is fixable and couldn't grasp the concept that a vehicle with 2k in miles mostly from the delivery shouldn't have these problems. The dealership was pretty disgusted by Thor's response we will see where this goes.
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Old 05-18-2017, 02:19 PM   #7
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New camper issues

I bought a 2017 Thor Chateau. The dealer did not open up the water line when I picked it up and so there was still winterizing in it and the pump ran for an hour with no water in it. They ask me to take the panel off and turn the water on. The roof looks like some drunk put them caulking on it because it's all zigzag and not in a straight line. The heating blanket on the black tank fell off and melted onto the muffler which stunk and hung off the RV. I had to crawl underneath it at the camp site to duct tape it up so it wouldn't totally fall off. There are gaps in the cocking of the cab where it looks like it's already rusted and it's only 2 weeks old! They charged me for scotch guarding and it was never done because one small tomato fell on the bench seat and left a stain. It's going back to the dealer on the 14th . Hopefully they can write these wrongs from the factory.
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Old 05-18-2017, 08:38 PM   #8
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Sorry to hear the issues but it seems more common place than not with Thor. There will be people (Thor trolls) that will say that they make the 'best product' and that they have had 'no problems' with their rigs.

We also bought a brand new rig (two years ago this Memorial Day weekend) and have not been able to use it for the majority of that time!

Well, I'm hear to say if that is so, why in the hell have they been giving us the middle finger since we filed a lemon lawsuit against them almost a year and a half ago???

My question is, if they are so 'great', why do they NOT stand behind their product and do the honorable thing, especially as we too are raising our grandchildren and all we want from them to be 'made whole again'!
Good luck, but you are pretty much on your own. If you have a chance to return it before you get to far into it, DO IT NOW and walk away!!
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Old 05-18-2017, 10:32 PM   #9
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Unfortunately the RV manufacturing industry is pretty much unregulated, and profit driven. My last coach was a fairly high end 41 foot DP, and the first 18 months was pretty much spent with factory reps fixing, repairing, and generally completing the construction process, bolting and screwing things together that did not get done on the assembly line. They also had connected the electrical incorrectly, causing battery drain, and un-grounded circuits. Though the Thor Gemini has not had those problems, it has had its share of warrantee issues, too. I think next Tuesday, another appointment with the dealer, should resolve most if not all the construction and assembly defects, and I have only had it for about seven months. I know folks that have an almost two million dollar Prevost and they have hardly been able to go anywhere with it the first year, because of mostly electrical problems. My point is, the RV manufactures have little incentive to improve their QA, when they can't produce enough units to even meet demand. They are perfectly satisfied to throw RV's together using the least expensive materials and paying assembly workers as little as possible, as long as their dealers continue to complete and fix the assembly problems and issues they create, as well as allowing the consumer to complete the testing process for their assembly methods. If you look at their profit margins, its financially the most effective method of protecting their bottom lines, though frustrating as hell to the consumer and the selling dealers.
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Old 05-18-2017, 10:55 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by Laco View Post
Unfortunately the RV manufacturing industry is pretty much unregulated, and profit driven. My last coach was a fairly high end 41 foot DP, and the first 18 months was pretty much spent with factory reps fixing, repairing, and generally completing the construction process, bolting and screwing things together that did not get done on the assembly line. They also had connected the electrical incorrectly, causing battery drain, and un-grounded circuits. Though the Thor Gemini has not had those problems, it has had its share of warrantee issues, too. I think next Tuesday, another appointment with the dealer, should resolve most if not all the construction and assembly defects, and I have only had it for about seven months. I know folks that have an almost two million dollar Prevost and they have hardly been able to go anywhere with it the first year, because of mostly electrical problems. My point is, the RV manufactures have little incentive to improve their QA, when they can't produce enough units to even meet demand. They are perfectly satisfied to throw RV's together using the least expensive materials and paying assembly workers as little as possible, as long as their dealers continue to complete and fix the assembly problems and issues they create, as well as allowing the consumer to complete the testing process for their assembly methods. If you look at their profit margins, its financially the most effective method of protecting their bottom lines, though frustrating as hell to the consumer and the selling dealers.
Well said.

I recently talked to a dealer and asked them why they quit selling a certain manufacturer's motor homes (mid range class A gas to mid level DPs) and was informed that the manufacturer was sending them units with defects and then refused to reimburse the dealer for the repairs or provide a credit on pricing. The dealer said it got so bad over a couple years that they stopped carrying and selling the line of RVs. To take their place they brought in the Newmar line of motorhomes.
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Old 05-18-2017, 11:46 PM   #11
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sorry, but...

A) no dealership just 'brings in' the Newmar line, their is a BIG requirement level for ANY dealer ANYWHERE in this country to handle this brand... just look and see how FEW there are...

B) it sounds more like 'spilled milk' talk by the dealer/salesperson as a 'downplay' about the former line... of course, any salesperson worth their salt makes their current/new line sound so much better than the previous IF YOU BRING IT UP!
(of course, MAYBE the dealer 'lost' his contract with the former brand... they'll never disclose that though!)

it's sales talk, plain and simple.
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Old 05-19-2017, 01:20 AM   #12
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Model: Ace 29.2
State: Georgia
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THOR #6481
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laco View Post
Unfortunately the RV manufacturing industry is pretty much unregulated, and profit driven. My last coach was a fairly high end 41 foot DP, and the first 18 months was pretty much spent with factory reps fixing, repairing, and generally completing the construction process, bolting and screwing things together that did not get done on the assembly line. They also had connected the electrical incorrectly, causing battery drain, and un-grounded circuits. Though the Thor Gemini has not had those problems, it has had its share of warrantee issues, too. I think next Tuesday, another appointment with the dealer, should resolve most if not all the construction and assembly defects, and I have only had it for about seven months. I know folks that have an almost two million dollar Prevost and they have hardly been able to go anywhere with it the first year, because of mostly electrical problems. My point is, the RV manufactures have little incentive to improve their QA, when they can't produce enough units to even meet demand. They are perfectly satisfied to throw RV's together using the least expensive materials and paying assembly workers as little as possible, as long as their dealers continue to complete and fix the assembly problems and issues they create, as well as allowing the consumer to complete the testing process for their assembly methods. If you look at their profit margins, its financially the most effective method of protecting their bottom lines, though frustrating as hell to the consumer and the selling dealers.


The person I bought my ace from upgraded to a toy hauler ordered it new from cw. He was supposed to take delivery of it this month but he told me cw told Thor they were sending back units that were not assembled correctly they were not fixing things that should have been fixed before shipping.they are inspecting all units and refusing to take delivery of there not up to par
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Old 05-19-2017, 01:55 AM   #13
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Problems with the RV industry

All of the problems with the RV industry today, is why I will never buy a new RV of any kind. The last new RV I bought in 2012 and it was junk right from the word go. I took a $16K lose on it and bought a used one owner class a. I had 2 brand new class a's in the 90's one for 8 years and never had a problem with either of them. It was to bad that National RV went out of business.
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Old 05-19-2017, 01:53 PM   #14
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State: Florida
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THOR #5725
I am not one for large corporations at all, but if CW actually puts their foot down and won't deliver (or more importantly pay) for units this might be the impetus for increased quality from Thor- the consumer complaining independently doesn't have a chance. It does seem from a number of posts here that Thor is backed up on delivery, all in the name of quality control... We will see.
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Old 05-19-2017, 03:57 PM   #15
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Problem is no one is going to 'put their foot down' if they see it as impacting profits, just won't happen. Its going to take some regulation at the factory level, for assembly QA and some enforcement with teeth. With the demand for RV's as high as it is, you can count on the industry not self regulating.
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Old 05-20-2017, 01:03 AM   #16
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Model: 2016 Siesta Sprinter 24ST
State: Florida
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THOR #2812
Most or almost all the complaints here seem to be about units purchased at the same nationwide chain of dealerships. . A dubious statement that CW is sending units back that have problems has to be weighed against the posts where a unit has spent several month's on a CW back lot waiting for parts that were never ordered.
My unit when new needed some warranty repairs, Thor and my dealer's response (Carpenters in Pensacola) was always timely and the occasions where I have contacted Thor directly have been positive. I have had an RV for about 35 years, from a TT to a 36ft DP and now the Siesta. You don't have to be a troll to be a satisfied customer.
The warranty begins with the dealer and it seems most of the problems originate there also.
Overall, I agree there is a significant lack of quality control at most RV manufacturers. The new RV buyer is most at peril.
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Old 05-20-2017, 05:52 AM   #17
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I am not sure why anyone would buy new. It seems like once you finally get all the bugs close to worked out, you sell it. We buy used with extended warranties. So far it has worked for us. We LOVE our Thor Hurricane, but perhaps our expectations are a little different than most, having graduated from tents, a tent trailer, a travel trailer, a Minnie Winnie, and now our Hurricane. So far, no regrets.
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Old 05-20-2017, 11:08 AM   #18
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This is our second Thor, a Windsport 29M, our first Thor was a 41' DP Tuscany. We owned our Tuscany a little over five years and the ONLY problem we had was a bad rear camera, took the dealer 30 minutes to repair. It's obvious that quality has taken a dump in the last few years with the industry as a whole.

I've been RVing for 39 years, started with a pop-up tent trailer, went to a slide-in truck camper and have had several different types since then. The quality problems seemed to start with the last big recession when a lot of manufacturers went out of business. Since the recovery of the RV manufacturers quality has been a major issue and obviously they have no incentive to improve. Studies have shown that when quality improves customer satisfaction improves and profits improve from not having to build things twice, sad the industry doesn't understand "build it right the first time"!!!

If foreign manufacturers came to the US and do what was done to the auto industry things would change right quick and in a hurry!!!
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Old 05-20-2017, 11:55 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperD
If foreign manufacturers came to the US and do what was done to the auto industry things would change right quick and in a hurry!!!
I don't think it would take a foreign manufacturer: Just one or two that produced quality units for a fair price (wouldn't matter where they are located). When they start taking sales away from the others is when the others would start reigning in quality.

That is what happened in the auto industry: It wasn't that foreign manufacturers arrived, its that they got their quality control much better than the US ones (Toyota was here a long time before they really took off: They embraced Ed Deming when the US manufacturers kicked him out).
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Old 05-20-2017, 03:20 PM   #20
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The car industry and the RV industry are very different animals. Cars are more of a necessity, RV's not so much. There have been instances of some RV manufactures that built higher quality RV's with some real QA. Guess what happened when the demand skyrocketed? Production was increased to meet demand, and QA went out the proverbial window.
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