How Thor disappoints us all

[eclarkmx]

Today it's my first anniversary with my Challenger 36 TL.

I was looking at videos and came across the factory tour video. I laughed at all the emphasis they put on saying that all the electrical wiring is done using harnesses.

The portion of the vehicle could probably be considered harnesses (when connected properly or when they don't do patching or use jumpers that should not exist according to their own engineering group.

The residential portion of the wiring is even worse. I think they hire people that are not electricians that just find the quickest way to put a cable, most of the time not even holding them to the floor or walls.

How do I know this? I have spent the last year putting it together in the right way because I'm a full-timer.

I have written other postings mentioning all the issues I have corrected on the vehicle and people have asked why didn't I just used the warranty or even gave the RV back. The answer... because all of the RV manufacturers do the same unless its a very high-end vehicle and most of us cannot afford a half a million or more motorhome.

So if you are planning in buying a Thor Motorcoach you need to have in mind that you will need to get your hands dirty because those "certified technicians" are worse than the factory.

Look at the Videos in youtube from people like RVGeeks or Tito and get to do your own repairs.

[Bob Denman]

I'm sorry that you're disappointed; you don't speak for me!
Has it been perfect? Hell no!
Am I still finding things that need correction? Hell yes!

Does it still make us smile? You betcha!

[safari]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I'm sorry that you're disappointed; you don't speak for me!
Has it been perfect? Hell no!
Am I still finding things that need correction? Hell yes!

Does it still make us smile? You betcha!

I luv my Gemini (Transit) too

[Bob Montgomery]

You certainly don't speak for me. We have had a few issues but they were minor.

[dcbenny]

Only issue I have had in 3 years was needed to replace Lippert jacks control board.

[Jegdrum5050]

You are not speaking for me. I’m a happy camper!

[Pete'sMH]

Not speaking for me either.

[Laco]

Though ours has not been perfect, the problems we have had were minor, annoying, but minor, and those that we discovered during the first year were fully covered by Thor and repaired by the dealer.

[Chance]

I’m disappointed I haven’t had the chance to be disappointed.

[schreinertms]

I have had my share of issues but none were major other than a slide that went crazy which turned out to be the fault of Camping World in Harrisburg. They forgot to reinstall the set screw and the one slide motor came loose while we were camping in North Carolina. All the other stuff (which there were at least 40-50 things) were related to poor craftsmanship. I have since fixed them all myself. The latest was a pots and pan drawer that Thor bragged about in one of their advertisement videos. With all the weight in the drawer, the bottom of the drawer collapsed. Turns out it was only stapled and not glued. Now its both and can handle the weight.
All in all, my wife and I enjoy our coach and look at it the same way as our house. Something will always break and need fixing. Keep in mind that these RV's are subjected to an "earthquake" every time you drive them down the road and nothing we do to secure them will last forever.

[jpmihalk]

As full-timers who bought our coach for that specific purpose, we already knew what we were getting into. Fortunately, I am pretty handy and my wife was a former ASE auto tech (why we picked a gasser) so there isn't much we can't fix or at least mitigate. Yes there have been some things that either broke or were poorly constructed but overall we are very happy with our choice. We purchased our Hurricane over a year before retirement and full-timing so we could get all of the bugs out prior to the permanent road trip. We did have some warranty work done but it was all in and out in a day, nothing major.

As a side note, we also did the Thor factory tour where the Hurricanes/Windsports are built. Some things were good to know, others made me scratch my head as to why it was done the way it was. But at least I know WHY some of the things are the way they are, based on the order of component installation.

[Beau388]

Less see - after 14 months after the purchase the patio awning lights started to fail. Thor sent me a replacement string and reimbursed me for having them installed. I blew a fuse for the 12 volt dash receptacles and my dealer found and replaced the fuse, free. My old Harris house batteries are still working fine, as is everything else in the coach. We just returned from a two week (very hot) trip to visit friends in El Paso. Both A/Cs and dash preformed flawlessly. Both slides when in and out as required and the jacks self-leveled as desired. 2,300 hours on the generator and it still working in the 100 F plus heat.



Sorry to hear you have such bad luck with your coach, but just realize there are thousands of happy Thor motor coach owners who have had no or few problems. Thor does not release the amount the spend on warranty repairs, but I have heard from the people (salesmen) giving the tours that it is less 1% of the list price of the coach. I have taken seven plant tours (3 of the Airstream facilities) and will be going back and most everyone on the tours has owned more than one Thor RV and has had few problems with their Thor RV.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by Jegdrum5050

You are not speaking for me. I’m a happy camper!

Ditto

[Ron1Z]

Just passed the one year mark on my Windsport 29m and only a few minor issues that Thor sent the replacement parts for, and ours was a floor model for 60 days.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Happy here as a pig in slop!! Lovin' the 35SF.

[BradnKaren]

Still loving our Challenger 18 months into ownership! Has it been smooth sailing? Nope. We have had our share of issues. Thor and a good service contact took care of most items, some above our expectations. DH handled some small stuff.

We've made some modifications and improvements, and it's just about perfect. The only complaint I have currently is that we can't quite cool down the coach to my liking in the heat of a Florida summer. But I have not yet run out of potential fixes and I'm not giving up yet!

We spend every free moment in our Challenger, and if we can't go anywhere, we use it in our own driveway.

[Thehobe1]

The build quality is quite poor but no different than most others from what I have heard.

I have been impressed with Thor for trying to supply parts that I am willing to install rather than taking the RV down to a repair center. Both my Axerra radio and LED headlight accent lamps need replacing upon delivery and not disclosed during my "walk thru". The batteries in the coach had also been damaged by the dealership's lack of attention while on the dealer lot.

I cannot believe that Thor does not align the steering using the excuse that you have to fully load it up. I purchased mine 2000 miles from where I live and had to drive this new to me, vehicle working diligently to keep it in the lane on my long drive home.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

Happy here as a pig in slop!! Lovin' the 35SF.

Do you think that you'll ever get to be "As happy as a Tornado in a Trailer Park!"?

[Muggs]

I guess you can count me as not disappointed by my Thor unit. I cannot say that it exceeded expectations as it is our first RV of any type.

We bought a 2016 Thor Vegas 24.1 with under 2000 miles from local dealer. Unit was clean and looked completely unused by anybody. I did have an initial concern that maybe it was a lemon someone traded in. So far that is unfounded, we took possession just after Memorial Day 2016, Chassis date was 2015 with house date later. Is on e450 with 6 speed. Unit now has over 16,000 miles on it.

The only modifications to date are replacement of OEM steering damper with Roadmaster Reflex and addition of 750 watt inverter.

Problems so far have been all normal wear or stupidity:

Replaced water pump, started to get loud and pulsated. I carry a spare anyway. $65 is worth peace of mind on road.

Replaced converter power supply board after unit was plugged into mis wired 30 amp, fixed the wiring to receptacle too. $160 drop shipped to farm in NC we were staying at.

Replaced Trimark door latch with steel pin unit. After reading of this issue I left window unlocked in case needed. It broke while inside, 3 minutes to open assembly, 10 minutes to find pin and spring as it launched into grass. Drove home using deadbolt and bungie cord.

At Fort Wilderness, saw drip off drivers side spring shackle. Turned out drain basket nut loosened under shower. Pulled everything apart through hatch and added rubber coupling with hose clamps around assembly. Should never leak again and has not to date.

That is extent of issues. I decided there was no magic involved in systems and cancelled the extended warranty. The convertor issue would have cost me $100 at dealer but time is more valuable to me.

I change oil/filter myself in V-10, also grease all fittings. Do same with generator. Tanks have been zero issue as unit is active enough and never really sits without some type of use. Unit is always plugged in at either house. Unit makes great escape when too many inlaws around.

A lot has been said about handling/tire wear. After initial learning curve, either my wife or me are quite comfortable driving with or without 5500 lb racecar trailer. I have towed all the way to 80 MPH and unit handles fine (trailer tires are LT type and rated for 100 MPH). Tire wear is excellent (Michelinn LTX MS2) and very likely age out before wearing out. Initial owner must have have corrected any alignment issues as front tires are wearing fine.

We average between 9 and 11 MPG unless I am in a hurry to make a race.

It is remarkable how comfortable these mattresses are. Wife has back issues and I am fat at 235 and we both are quite comfortable. We have learned to use filler all the time because the 35 lb English Sheppard tends to fall off otherwise. Getting woke up by by crash and scramble of the 35lb female falling on the 75 lb old guy was pulse quickening. No fight, but what a racket.

I am sorry to hear so many people with issues, quality control seems to be hit or miss. I go through entire unit every 90 days looking at connections and such. Tightening basket nut under sinks looking for any potential issues.

I do know people personally with major issues with multiple brands. This makes me hesitate to go bigger but not so much as overall simplicity and ease of use we see with this unit. The only part of RV ownership I do not like is washing it, especially the roof.

[The Gritz Carlton]

This thread pretty much confirms what I've always said...the very small percentage of owners that have serious issues are the highest percentage of those that post their experience.