Thor Forums

[Chance]

Jamie, that's not the bigger picture I see.

My point was that there is no valid technical reason (that I know of) to require the buyer to have to deal with an alignment on a brand new vehicle.

I agree with you that any added cost is probably a major reason they don't do it, but I personally think there are others. I think that by shifting alignment to the buyer, manufacturers and dealers are intentionally distancing themselves from motorhomes that inherently may have poor handling.

I also think that if major manufacturers like Thor, Winnebago, etc. took on responsibility for alignment as motorhomes came off the assembly plant, that it could be done much cheaper overall (looking at it globally). They probably make more units daily than some small alignment shops see in a week, so justifying equipment costs shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Look at it this way: If new owners were given an option to pay $100 to have their motorhome aligned at the factory knowing that they would need to have it done otherwise, how many wouldn't? I doubt many would pass on such an option.

But if Thor, Winnebago, etc. aligned the motorhome, and the buyer was still dissatisfied with steering, handling, stability, or whatever, then it would be harder for manufacturers to shift responsibility to third parties.

Ultimately it's about money, but I doubt the cost of the alignment itself is the real issue. Efficiency alone would suggest aligning one motorhome after the other as they are completed would reduce alignment costs.