Sold damaged rv as new

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by mountainsam

I'm a fighter and demand satisfaction (seldom get it ) but I think pete's MH is right unfortunately. If it had been in an accident serious enough to cause problems top to bottom you can kiss the next several months, if not the entire year goodbye. Time to wash your hand of it and use a magnifying glass on the next PDI. Good Luck

But if you let them get away with fraud: it just makes them bolder...
If ti were me: I'd battle them on the principle.
But that's just me...

[TurnerFam]

I feel for the original poster, as it seems all of us have experienced warranty issues, even soon after we drove off the lot.
The reality about a 'new' vehicle, though, is that it is simply one that has never been sold to anyone else, not somehow 'used' or 'an illegal sale' because it has what the owner is assuming as 'hidden damage from an accident'. That's a big leap and assumption.

I think that everyone is jumping to conclusions and crucifying a business and/or a dealer for a situation that even the owner themselves is not sure about, but is just using 'hear say' from another 'rv guy'... let's not jump the gun and act as though this is somehow 'normal' for any of the parties supposedly involved.

It's the owner's job, just like the dealer, just like the transport company, and just like the factory's quality control department, to check out the unit fully before signing any documents.

It's easy for some of us to 'blame' someone else when we don't know all the real facts.

This is exactly the situation that proves the need for a full and complete PDI(post delivery inspection) by the new owner, BEFORE they leave the dealership. After the owner leaves, it's just as easy to assume that they were responsible for the so-called 'accident', as anyone else would be.

If the unit is under warranty then the factory should certainly take care of 'factory related' warranty issues. End of story. No blame needed.

enjoy : )

[jmcjaw2]

Very quick to defend Thor and assume everyone else involved doesn’t know what they are talking about. What is your affiliation to the company? So glad the reputable rv repair shop we went to gave us pictures and a written statement of damages. If Thor had done a decent job repairing the damage when done perhaps no one would have noticed. How is damage from an undisclosed accident warranty work?

[fhenn]

I would think that the accident happen in the RV dealers parking lot and was never reported..

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by jmcjaw2

Very quick to defend Thor and assume everyone else involved doesn’t know what they are talking about. What is your affiliation to the company? So glad the reputable rv repair shop we went to gave us pictures and a written statement of damages. If Thor had done a decent job repairing the damage when done perhaps no one would have noticed. How is damage from an undisclosed accident warranty work?

Could you clarify something:
Did Thor fix it: or did the Dealership?

[bigben]

First off I have zero affiliation with Thor other than being an owner with 35 months and 38k+ miles on our coach. Next, the responses that you report from Thor Warranty are so out of character from our experience, I'd tell you to call back and ask for Tom Overton. Tom is solid and I cannot in any way, shape or form imagine him representing Thor in such a manner.

A little background on your coach please. 1. Is there still a hole in driver's side roof. 2. Does the roof remained caved in? If that is the case, were those there when you purchased? If not, I'd file a claim under my insurance.

Not to sound like a "Thor affiliated" person but I gotta say if those things are in fact still present, it is not a stretch to understand Thor's saying they are not covered by the warranty.

One last recommendation, again recommend you call Thor and ask for another dealer in your area that can do the warranty work.

Like I've said for the last 3 years, you must be your own best advocate. We've had issues and have resolved every time. We are no longer covered by Thor Warranty, yet when I need assistance I continue to call. Latest issue with charging system is best example. Thor assisted and sent me documentation that enabled me to understand and repair the electrical system myself.

All of this is based on our experience and I am truly sympathetic to your coach having such serious issues.

[Laco]

Originally Posted by fhenn

I would think that the accident happen in the RV dealers parking lot and was never reported..

I would tend to agree. The dealers are forever moving coaches around their lots, which are very tight and space limited. Not everyone that moves them around is all that qualified to drive oversized vehicles. As big and heavy as they are, you can do a lot of damage at low speeds.

[Mike in AZ]

This is a very interesting thread.

Years ago I purchased a new Dodge pickup. This was when Dodge came out with what was, then, a brand new look. I was one of the first in my area to have one, and I loved it.

About 6 weeks later, the dealer called me. An audit had revealed that my truck had been damaged in transit to the dealership. Extensive body work was done. The report said the vehicle had rolled over (while loading or unloading on the carrier, presumably). Thing is, I could not find any sign on that truck of any damage. The body work was that good.

Dealer said, by law, they needed to take the truck back and give me a replacement. I wanted to keep it anyway but they were very, very insistent.

Worked out for me - got a new identical truck, with new miles (mine already had about 2k on it from me driving it) and I talked them into giving me a free b3d liner for my inconvenience.

Purpose of my bringing this up is, if your RV was damaged and repaired, it’s apparently a very big legal issue to sell it as new to you.

In Arizona, at least, RVs are considered the same as any motor vehicle for purposes of registration fees/plates, Insurance required, etc. So I think you may have some real muscle behind any legal actions you take or threaten to take.

[Yvonnemarc]

Normandy Farms, great place and only 20 min from home. Easy get-away and I can still go to work from there.

[Blackjeepjk]

I’ve had very similar issues with my coach and campingworld. Thor has been very good about letting me take my coach to my own repair shop and refund expenses.
Two things- work has to be approved before starting and I have to pay up front and Thor reimburses. Done this about 8 times so far in my first 11 months of ownership.

[bigben]

Originally Posted by Blackjeepjk

I’ve had very similar issues with my coach and campingworld. Thor has been very good about letting me take my coach to my own repair shop and refund expenses.
Two things- work has to be approved before starting and I have to pay up front and Thor reimburses. Done this about 8 times so far in my first 11 months of ownership.

[Miramar Owner]

As many others have said you may have legal recourse. It depends on your willingness to deal with the frustration, how much time you want to spend without use of your RV and the depth of your pockets if you lose.

I believe the best route is the factory. They have already acknowledged the issue and set a date so warranty should not be a problem. Everyone I have heard of that actually took it to Thor (not a dealer) was more than satisfied with the repairs.

[Miramar Owner]

Originally Posted by jmcjaw2

Very quick to defend Thor and assume everyone else involved doesn’t know what they are talking about. What is your affiliation to the company? So glad the reputable rv repair shop we went to gave us pictures and a written statement of damages. If Thor had done a decent job repairing the damage when done perhaps no one would have noticed. How is damage from an undisclosed accident warranty work?

It is warranty work if it occurred before the unit was first sold. Thor will make the repairs and go after the dealer or transporter if they want to recover their loss.

This whole thing comes down to wether your desire is to "make a point" or resolve the issues and get the repairs. Ultimately I wouldn't care who did what to who...I would just want my unit repaired properly under warranty.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Miramar Owner

This whole thing comes down to wether your desire is to "make a point" or resolve the issues and get the repairs. Ultimately I wouldn't care who did what to who...I would just want my unit repaired properly under warranty.

I agree: with another option...
How about a zero-dollar replacement with an undamaged rig?

[m1noel]

Originally Posted by jmcjaw2

Can anyone please help. Bought “new” 2017 Thor challenger 37lx last May. Been having problems with leaks, generator, jacks, springs, etc. Finally worn down by CW/Thor refusal to fix anything we went to an independent rv dealer to pay for warranty work. Informed all issues result from rv being involved in impact on upper passenger side and not being repaired properly. Seals broken, gaping hole in drivers side roof, roof is caving in, etc. Thor’s response “sounds like mom & pop store” that doesn’t know much. Take it back to CW who has worked on it on 4 different occasions and did not acknowledge a problem existed. Thor customer rep actually told us “rv’s are not made for full time use” and this is why we are having problems. They gave us an appointment for 4/16 and called back to change to 5/14 (after the warranty expires) with no options. Already paid for seasonal in MA starting 5/1. Not sure what to do now. Hoping for a resolution short of litigation but don’t know where to start or if I should just hand off to an attorney now. Any help/advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I'm sorry, but cant see how and impact on the upper passenger side would result in issues with generator, jacks, and springs. Not that there may not be issues with these systems. Do you have pictures of the damage you could post here, and have you sent them to Thor?

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by jmcjaw2

Can anyone please help. Bought “new” 2017 Thor challenger 37lx last May. Been having problems with leaks, generator, jacks, springs, etc. Finally worn down by CW/Thor refusal to fix anything we went to an independent rv dealer to pay for warranty work. Informed all issues result from rv being involved in impact on upper passenger side and not being repaired properly. Seals broken, gaping hole in drivers side roof, roof is caving in, etc. Thor’s response “sounds like mom & pop store” that doesn’t know much. Take it back to CW who has worked on it on 4 different occasions and did not acknowledge a problem existed. Thor customer rep actually told us “rv’s are not made for full time use” and this is why we are having problems. They gave us an appointment for 4/16 and called back to change to 5/14 (after the warranty expires) with no options. Already paid for seasonal in MA starting 5/1. Not sure what to do now. Hoping for a resolution short of litigation but don’t know where to start or if I should just hand off to an attorney now. Any help/advice is appreciated. Thank you.

Keep a record of everything.

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

It sounds as if your State's Attorney General should be informed of this!

This smells like a bunch of broken laws...

Yeah, sounds good. Keep records too.

[Bob Denman]

I wonder if any conclusion to this problem has been reached yet?

[BradnKaren]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I wonder if any conclusion to this problem has been reached yet?

We'll probably never know. Whenever a post has the words "litigation" or "lawsuit" it's a fair bet something like that happened, in which case the plaintiff is generally advised not to talk about it.

Also possible is that the dealership worked a resolution with the buyer and the deal includes a gag order preventing the buyer from further discussing the issue.

In either case it's a bummer that we don't get to hear what happened!

[Bob Denman]

You're probably right...
But we can still hope for a successful conclusion!