Another point of view

[LandKO]

Lately I’ve seen quite a few dissatisfied Thor owners on various links in this form that are venting their dissatisfaction with the RV they bought. Some complaints are about quality of build and others about components in their units and even some about the layout of their unit.
I too, have experienced some faults in the product I purchased such as a pinched, shorted wire in the hot water heater control box, a broken toilet seat, a partially installed remote door lock system that cannot program a key fob due to missing components.
Having previously owned a Travel Trailer that had similar faults, I learned how to fix most things myself. Having some previous auto mechanic and aircraft mechanic skills, I consider myself a jack of all trades and master of none. I found the pinched wire and repaired it. I didn’t like the toilet that came with the unit, so I found one I liked and replaced it. I do realize tha not everyone has the skills, or the desire to do their own repairs
Having said all this and having just returned from a 2500 mile round trip, I have to confess, I was impressed with how my RV held up on the trip.
Some of the roads I had to travel on were in some cases, no better than a gravel road. Potholes, pavement falling apart, poorly patched repairs. And I’m talking about some Interstate, US highways and State roads. In some places, even the semi’s were dodging bad roadway.
I fully expected at some point in this trip, for something to fall off, break or just disintegrate.
To my surprise, everything held together and as it sits today the RV seems no worse for the wear
I agree that Thor (and other RV manufacturers) have a build quality issue but it seems that the design of these units are fairly solid.
If I ever decide to trade off for another RV, I will consider another Thor.

[Elite Washington]

I feel the same way, while I wish everything was perfect it’s not and it’s all in how you take things. This past weekend the gray line from the main sink started leaking and didn’t want to waste my time fixing it at the campground. So we had to wash dishes and everything in the bathroom sink. A little inconvenient but the positive was the black tank got a great unscheduled flushing. I now have a thought that if we just do that normally on the last camping trip of the season it will make winterizing a lot easier . To the roads they are havoc on any vehicle especially one made of a lot of wood and light weight materials. My wife and I love our lay out; enjoy having good quality time and memories with the kids. Can’t let the minor inconveniences of a luxury item get you so worked up.

[pstandiford]

Originally Posted by LandKO

Some of the roads I had to travel on were in some cases, no better than a gravel road. Potholes, pavement falling apart, poorly patched repairs. And I’m talking about some Interstate, US highways and State roads. In some places, even the semi’s were dodging bad roadway.

So what part of Indiana were you driving through?

I agree with you 100%. We had some problems with our unit but found a dealer that would work with us on the repairs. We would drop it off for a week and they would fix items on the list. Then we would pick it up and travel for a week or two and drop it off for more repairs. We consider ourselves lucky to have found them. And keep in mind that we didn’t buy the MH from them.

[LandKO]

Originally Posted by pstandiford

So what part of Indiana were you driving through?
.

Haven’t been in Indiana lately.
But, I have been in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas.

[JamieGeek]

I agree. I also know when an issue is beyond my skill set--sometimes I'll take on the challenge and sometimes I'll get out the phone/checkbook.

Our leaky wall is a good example: On many Axis/Vegas units the wall beneath the front windows gets water damage from various leaks. Not having the wherewithall to disassemble the wall I had the factory service guys in Wakarusa do it. You can't tell the wall was disassembled and reassembled at all...

So far we're at 16k miles or so and are about to embark on a few long distance (for us) journey's. If something does break during the trip I usually can fix it (during the trip, if not after).

Still loving our Thor...

[Lt Keefer]

Totally agree with the state of our roads here in the US. It seems like they have been neglected for the last 10 years or so. We did 3600 or so miles in May and early June through 10 different southern and eastern states and except for the Delmarva Peninsula the roads were atrocious.

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that your RV is happily keeping you happy!
How long did it take; to get the kinks worked-out?

[Miramar Owner]

I whole heartedly agree with the sentiments on this thread. I've had some issues but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Most recently the outside sink (outside kitchen) began to leak from one of the clamps leading from the macerator pump. I removed the fridge and the floor where it sat to get to the piping. The clamp was loose...I repositioned the pipe, put a 1 inch board under it to remove some of the tension and retightened the clamp. Put everything back and it's good to go.

I've had issues with my home too. Ice damming caused a leak, furnace fan went out, oven quit and the list goes on...and it doesn't bounce down the hi way.

If you don't want to deal with problems in your home...rent. If you don't want to deal with problems in your RV...stay in a hotel.

I love my Miramar!

[LandKO]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Glad to hear that your RV is happily keeping you happy!
How long did it take; to get the kinks worked-out?

There were the kinks, and there were the mods. I’ve got the known ones taken care of in about 10 months. Who knows what’s yet to come

[RichS]

I have a 2016 Freedom Elite 28H. We have had a few items also. I am having my AC replaced with a 15000 BTU. My other one had cooling issues. . Having it replaced by the extended warranty and paying the difference for the 15K. I to have a RV maintainence person I can trust. My awning motor is also being replaced under warranty. I have replaced my radio with a Kenwood and my tv with a Samsung.

We are only weekend warriors so we plan on trying to pay off our unit and keep it. Using the extended warranty hopefully we will have everything running good and I should gave a good unit for years to come.

There is nothing like a paid off unit and having all the broken items replaced.

[pmorris92223]

2018 Hurricane 35M, we're pretty happy with the coach. Love the layout, replaced the 'L' couch with theater seating, added a fireplace and various suspension changes for sway, ride and handling. Took it to the dealer once for an awning replacement under warranty and a leveling system problem. I usually try to fix the small things myself or I have an RV mechanic I trust and let them fix what I can't or won't. I generally stay away from our dealer for the obvious reasons. If I have to pay for something that might be under manufacture warranty it kinda depends on what and how much. I don't want to be waiting weeks for a somewhat minor repair. That all said, we've had few problems and would probably buy Thor again.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by LandKO

There were the kinks, and there were the mods. I’ve got the known ones taken care of in about 10 months. Who knows what’s yet to come

Bravo...

[paulwadley]

My first rv was a 2016 Winnebago ERA class B that we bought in August 2015. It had many many issues and I too felt buyers remorse. After about 14 months of back and forth for repairs everything worked out great. Then in March 2018 we decided to trade it in for a larger rv and went with the THOR Siesta 24SS with 2 slides. Had only a few minor issues during the warranty period which the dealership took care of. This rv has been more than great for us. In April we went on a 6700 mile southern state trip and had no issues until we got home with a flat tire due to a bad weld from the factory on a rim. Two weeks after we got home we were off for another 1000 miles round trip to Tombstone Arizona for 4 days. Upon return home another bad rim issue. Now with two replacement rims we went on a 2400 mile round trip to Yellowstone for 7 days. I would not hesitate to look at another THOR product if we ever decide to move up again but for right now this rv works great for us.

[HaRVey]

Love our 2018 Palazzo 33.2! Had some minor issue's which I addressed myself with the help of free parts direct from Thor.
A few not so minor issues (loose generator flywheel bolts, Frieghtliner PDM recall, now in for leveller jack hydraulic hose leak).
Lots of personalization mods and improvements,
But so far, no major issues which have caused us to cancel or shorten a trip or regret our decision! (Thank God and knock on wood...)

[Muggs]

The FB groups get real irritated if you say you are happy with your unit as we are. The roads in SC are worst we have seen so far.