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It is unfortunate that RV manufacturers don’t take steps to complete quality control measures during all stages of coach construction, especially when you know many of the workers are probably poorly paid and likely poorly trained as well. What could roll off the assembly line would be a product that should easily make it through the minimal 1 year warranty period without issues. Maybe the industry retains the Dealer Network with promises of lots of warranty and after sales support profit not to mention the sales incentives themselves. Only a one year warranty should be a major clue to “probable” quality.
What surprised me most with my first purchase was the wait times just to get any service work done and the fact that so many coaches have serious problems off the line. It really hurts an industry selling “travel adventure and freedom” when, in many cases, it turns out to be more stress and even higher expenses for some.
The other thing that surprised me is how different the owner experience typically is between the auto and RV industry. I suspect we are all spoiled by the auto industry (although some would argue not) with multi year warranties; detailed/specific owners manuals and usually same day repairs when we need them (with advanced appointment).....plus, in many cases, you can get through the longer warranty period with mostly nothing needing repair.
So I think the biggest thing is folks that are not “handy” with tools, electrical, mechanical or automotive systems at all, are the ones most potentially being blind sided going from Auto to RV ownership experience. You quickly learn that knowing how to do your own repairs (when possible) and getting advise from a forum of helpful people traveling in the same direction, can go a long way to helping everyone cope with the RV industry “freedom” unspoken surprises. I have been very lucky with my old ACE......can’t complain about too much from its Sept 2012 purchase to date......but like death and taxes it is just a matter of time. So until things change, we all must continue to learn and help each other as we go down that RV road together.
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