Hurricane 34J model is a disaster!

[Forest Grump]

I'm would find it very interesting to find out what suspension upgrades you made for 5K, that don't seem to work and also why this might be a Thor quality issue.

FYI I made about 2k or less in suspension upgrades and it handles and steers beautifully.

[Hudsoner]

Originally Posted by Forest Grump

I'm would find it very interesting to find out what suspension upgrades you made for 5K, that don't seem to work and also why this might be a Thor quality issue.

FYI I made about 2k or less in suspension upgrades and it handles and steers beautifully.

I am about $1000 + in the hole and have a almost perfectly steering unit. Most trucks can pass me without having any effect, I can feel some of the older, square semis a little.
I am now working on the ride comfort (the hard hits in the front at bridge expansions, etc.), and hope to solve that problem for less than 1 grand!

One could almost get a Kelderman suspension system for 5k!

[petef]

I found so much unquality control I was shocked it could be so bad. They use the wrong screws for many applications for example. Electrical is awfull, and boxes are put in the way of a slide system to kink hoses. I found screws in my light fixtures just rattling around.. it has taken me about a year to "fix" the rig. Thor will be out of business if the Japanese or Germans decide to build big RV's and ship them here, just like Detroit got trashed in the 70's for crap products.

Originally Posted by movingtara

We have a new 31S with numerous problems. While waiting at Thor waiting for their service department to resolve the problems, a futile effort, we toured the factory. What you see on Thor videos on their web site does not at all resemble what you see on the tour.
The factory is filthy. There is debris all over the floor and in the units being built. We actually witnessed kitchen cabinets that we installed (finished) they were crooked and not level. There is no quality control - none. Quality control is left to the owners to resolve through a non responsive service and warranty department.
Apparently Thor's business model is to have dealers or owners correct all the problems and eat a substantial part of the costs. We have been waiting for a new awning that was defective from the factory for 6 weeks. Thor's response is "it's being shipped."
I can't really blame the dealer. They have all sorts of problems with Thor service and parts supply.
I will never buy another Thor product.

[Hudsoner]

Originally Posted by petef

or Germans decide to build big RV's and ship them here, just like Detroit got trashed in the 70's for crap products.

The German are already kind of here. Mercedes Benz bought Freightliner in the mid 80's. Some of the Freighliner diesels are made by Mercedes, probably more to come?

[Forest Grump]

Originally Posted by petef

I found so much unquality control I was shocked it could be so bad. They use the wrong screws for many applications for example. Electrical is awfull, and boxes are put in the way of a slide system to kink hoses. I found screws in my light fixtures just rattling around.. it has taken me about a year to "fix" the rig. Thor will be out of business if the Japanese or Germans decide to build big RV's and ship them here, just like Detroit got trashed in the 70's for crap products.

I've totally been through mine and really have yet to find a wrong screw or any screws in any of the light fixtures. I've also been through the entire electrical system and found no problems. I also found where the plumbing and wiring enter the slide and was impressed, no problems. So I guess I got a good one! Lucky me. I went through just about every nook and cranny installing bigger batteries, cut off switches, solar, sub panel, transfer switch etc.

[petef]

Originally Posted by Hudsoner

The German are already kind of here. Mercedes Benz bought Freightliner in the mid 80's. Some of the Freighliner diesels are made by Mercedes, probably more to come?

yes, but not in the big frame rigs.. lucky fuel is so expensive there they don't have our gas hog chasiss... but if they did the US RV industry would be gone. I recently saw a Fiat Van camper with Europe plates on it traveling around out here

[martinek.steve]

I stocked my hardware supply with all the loose screws from THOR. Maybe there is a difference in attention to detail depending on where the unit was built. Even the THOR tech that was working on our unit, to get the action items repaired, commented in his repair record that the wrong screws were used in several instances.
I agree with PeteF, in our Class C Sprinter Siesta, the 2 biggest problems were with cabinetry and electrical.

I also agree that if THOR ever runs into any competition form a quality manufacturer, no matter the source, they will be hurting. The biggest problem may be that consumers, similar to what happened with car manufacturers, are just too complacent and throw their hands up in the air. This allows the manufacturers to control the market with poor quality product with limited incentive to improve quality. Just think how much market share THOR could have if they had a quality product.

As a THOR owners page, perhaps it's time to start making more noise and not be satisfied with sub-par product ?

[JamieGeek]

Everyone keeps using those terms:

Quality Control

That implies that the manufacturer has a feedback loop: Production ends with an inspection/analysis station looking for things wrong (auto manufacturers use chassis rolls and take the cars up to freeway speeds during the end of line tests--quite impressive standing next to a car running that fast).

Thing is: No RV manufacturer does that, its all open-loop (using more engineering terms). Once the thing is assembled there are no checks it simply gets shipped (this is all quite obvious given the quality of the coaches).

So stop using "Quality Control"...there is none.

[fivejackie]

We must have been lucky with our 27K. There were a few items our dealer had to take care of. The slide was running over a misplaced cable and the windshield seal had to be replaced. The tire pressures was 95# and lowering the pressure to 80# improved the handling.

[Spacelink]

Originally Posted by Joy

Geeze .. after reading this thread, I am beginning to think Thor motorcoaches are simply not what they advertize them to be. I have been recently researching the Thor coaches because we have been considering a new-to-us purchase .. now I am convinced more than ever we are going to have to re-think this manufacturer.

Joy, definitely give them a HARD look!!! As with anyone selling things they are going to present the 'prettiest picture' for the consumer. My frustration is that we sunk $100k into a product that IS Inferior, continually breaking and we have literally NOT been able to use it for since last year this time when the slide failed catastrophically for the 2nd time. And, we've only owned it since May '15 and much of that time was in the shop!!!
Another thing that we've discovered is the fact that Thor (or any of it's affiliates) is NOT listed with the BBB while most of the other RV manufacturers are.

[Spacelink]

That's the TRUTH!!! NONE, ZERO, ZIP quality control.

[Spacelink]

AGREED!! I think that we as owners should put the heat on this industry and in particular, this manufacturer. They are caught up in 'making the money' but when it comes to customer service, quality and satisfaction they outright suck!
My biggest issue, besides the fact that we've owned this rig for just over 1 1/2 years now and it has been 'out of service for a full year now, NOT including the prior issues is that they refuse to acknowledge that the vehicle is a LEMON!!!

[Muggs]

I guess we were lucky. Our 16 Vegas 24.1 has been completely trouble free. We dI'd buy it used with less than 2k miles. I added a reflex steering damper and set tire pressure and it has done great for 5200 miles now. We thought very seriously about going bigger but it meets our needs in an easy to drive size. All of these issues we read about and input from people we meet did influence our decision to skip the Jayco Alante 31L or Hurricane 27k we were considering. We may go bigger in future but it will be quite a while.

[Laco]

Ok I'm going to throw in my 2 cents. Though there are a number of issues with our Thor Gemini, and some related to poor QA and a lack of testing, this is not our first MH, and our experience with a 'high end' pusher, though some of the materials used were superior, was no better. It literally took us two years to recover from its manufacture. I also know of a couple of million dollar + Prevost's that have so many problems and issues, that the issues I have going on pale in comparison. My point is, paying more will not solve the QA problems. As long as RV sales remain strong, RV manufactures have zero incentive to incur higher costs to make your life easier. Consumers for years have, by continuing to buy RV's in record numbers, indicated their willingness to help invent and perfect todays RV's as manufactured. The suggestion someone made to buy a slightly used RV that has already been debugged is really about the only way to avoid the nuisance issues with any new RV. Buying used has its risks too, as the appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing etc. all have finite life spans, and as they age will become more problematic.

[Hudsoner]

Originally Posted by Laco

The suggestion someone made to buy a slightly used RV that has already been debugged is really about the only way to avoid the nuisance issues with any new RV. Buying used has its risks too, as the appliances, HVAC systems, plumbing etc. all have finite life spans, and as they age will become more problematic.

And that is what I did. My unit was a little over year old, and I have not had any problems with it except a few minor issues like some screws coming loose, etc.
Not only did I get a trouble free motorhome, I also saved quite a bit of money compared with buying new!

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Everyone keeps using those terms:

That implies that the manufacturer has a feedback loop: Production ends with an inspection/analysis station looking for things wrong (auto manufacturers use chassis rolls and take the cars up to freeway speeds during the end of line tests--quite impressive standing next to a car running that fast).

Thing is: No RV manufacturer does that, its all open-loop (using more engineering terms). Once the thing is assembled there are no checks it simply gets shipped (this is all quite obvious given the quality of the coaches).

So stop using "Quality Control"...there is none.

Perhaps buying direct from a smaller manufacturer that will have to fix problems themselves anyway may diminish some of the poor quality issues? Don't know, but it seems they'd have a greater incentive to get things right from the onset.

I personally think that a comprehensive Quality Assurance program focused on eliminating defects prior to and during manufacture may be more useful than simply trying to find and correct problems after the fact.

Also, buyers influence the process, although I don't see the need to blame them. An example is the poor handling quality of so many motorhomes that require suspension upgrades. Why do manufacturers build them that way, and why do buyers keep buying them? Some here argue that's not poor quality because we know what we are getting, but I personally see that as QC/QA semantics. Bad designs and manufacturing shouldn't be rewarded with a purchase, but they shouldn't be built in the first place.

[jcurtis200]

We purchased a new Hurricane this year. Overall a great experience but like many of you found Thor's inattention to quality on a new product a little surprising. It was never cleaned on the inside - dust and screws everywhere. We've had a number of minor problems - bathroom door had a huge gap between the door and the molding, front window seal loose and some window resin drip. Thor has been great at addressing the problems and getting them fixed quickly. We've put 6400 miles with multiple camping trips and everything has worked great. I've had to clean up the HDMI cables, tie down a few wires, tighten a few screws, etc. Seems if you're going to own a motor home you need to get comfortable fixing minor things.

[Jerry B.]

I believe it’s all part of the RV experience. Frustrating at times but it’s all good when sitting under your awning overlooking a beautiful lake watching the sun set over the Smoky Mts [emoji102] [emoji2]

[TurnerFam]

While I understand the aggravation with expected quality control, but sometimes we disparage companies and products by throwing out names... which is a little premature for my taste.
Take for instance the comments that Thor's stock, or 'Harris' brand, batteries are somehow 'junk' just because you've had some issues. I believe that batteries are a mystery to many, which causes them to jump to conclusions about their value. How you use the battery bank, how often and how much you charge them, and how you maintain them all have a great impact on their operation...

Our coach came with 4) 6v stock batteries. We've never had any issue with them, and have only provided the simple maintenance they require - keeping an eye on the water levels(which is not hard and have needed topping off very, very rarely), and keeping them from overly discharging down to levels below 11.0 volts, but mainly always above 11.5-11.8 at rest. I've 'equalized' the battery bank only several times over 4 years, and only when the battery bank seemed to not provide the inverter output as long as they had seemed in the past.
Otherwise, the battery bank performs very well, and after 4 years and over 86,000 miles, including MANY, MANY overnights on the inverter, and many, many thousands of cycles, they still do their job. I really don't care what 'brand' they are... they are simply 6v batteries. If I had to replace them, I'd find the same brand and model again.

Then again, since we've traveled so much, lived in our motorcoach for the first 2 1/2 years, and travel in it quite often, the batteries rarely sit around for months without getting attention. Maybe many RV batteries that sit through all the winter months, or only get used infrequently even during the season, aren't so lucky.


Travel, camp .... enjoy!

[The Gritz Carlton]

I just hang my hat on the "One Percenters" hook and enjoy my coach. I get so tired of reading the Thor Bashers go on and on and on this forum. For each of you...there are thousands of owners that have great experiences, love their coach and never say a word. The Plant it's made in is a huge factor. The line worker that's disgruntled is another. Odds are, with any product...a bad apple will eventually get out (Lemon Laws were implemented for a reason)...it just wasn't your lucky day. Sell it and move on...repeating your frustration over and over and over again is not the path to healing.