Thor Warranty Rabbit Hole

[makitso]

I am not sure if this applies to all RV manufactures but sure does for Thor.

I purchased a new 2021 Thor Four Winds 31WV unit in August of this year. On our first outing three warranty problems were noted. I brought two of these issues to the Lazydays dealership in Tucson in early October 2020 and am still waiting for a replacement Coleman air conditioner.

The issue here is that when you buy an automobile, say a FORD, and the radio, made by Motorola, fails, the dealership requests a warranty replacement directly from the FORD.

In the case of Thor, or maybe all RV manufacturers, Thor only obtain approve for the warranty from the manufacturer. The actual replacement must be ordered from the Lazydays dealership to a parts distributor who then requests the part from the manufacturer.

I have been waiting three months for an A/C replacement with no part in sight.

[ducksface]

If any of this was a surprise, you didn't do very much research. There isn't an rv forum in the entire world which wouldn't have told you how it works.

How would you like us to help with this?

[Pete'sMH]

I’m also not sure either the dealer nor Thor is really at fault on the replacement air conditioner. When I wanted to buy a second unit in the fall there were none to be found. COVID related supply issues and record production of new RVs has sucked the supply chain dry. I ended up buying a used unit. And Ford isn’t any better. The replacement for my stolen catalytic converter has been on back order for a month and counting.

[makitso]

Originally Posted by ducksface

If any of this was a surprise, you didn't do very much research. There isn't an rv forum in the entire world which wouldn't have told you how it works. How would you like us to help with this?

I guess I was naive about this. Never had a lick of problem or warranty work on our previous 2008 Four Winds unit. And, the dealership sure did not explain this to us.

I am not looking for help just blowing off steam.

[paulwadley]

Hi Makitso

Welcome to the forum. We have all been there like you. Take a deep breath and remain calm. Buying a motor home is a lot different than a car as you are finding out. It can be frustrating. Try to enjoy the new ride once you get it back in your hands.

Paul

[Lt Keefer]

I know what you're talking about. When I bought my first new coach over 20 years ago, the dealer and manufacturer treated me like royalty. When I took my coach in for work, I was kept informed via telephone of the status of parts and the progress of the work. When I picked up the coach after service was performed it was washed, full of propane and gasoline. The service manager did a thorough briefing as to the work performed and the results. When I bought my Thor in 2018 camping world told me that only one location would provide service and to not bring it back for 3 months regardless of the trouble. When I called Thor for help, they said my check had cleared and they were paid so they didn't give a rat's behind. Granted, I knew I was buying a cheap motorhome but I thought their service after sale would at least be on par with Wal Mart. No such luck. With all the manufacturers that shuttered their businesses in the early 2000s and restructured after bankruptcy the industry has changed. On the selling side, the expansion of nationwide dealership companies like Gander/Camping World, Lazy Daze and I'm sure others, the only thing that matters to them is the bottom line. If the company books show a profit and the stockholders receive a dividend, then they are successful. They don't give a damn about the customer. They are only concerned about the potential customer. The one that doesn't know better, yet.

[makitso]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

COVID related supply issues....

You know, everyone uses this as an excuse for poor service. In the case of Coleman and a warranty AC, they don't make any money on warranty parts only on new units in new RVs. So, guess where the units go.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by makitso

You know, everyone uses this as an excuse for poor service. In the case of Coleman and a warranty AC, they don't make any money on warranty parts only on new units in new RVs. So, guess where the units go.

Nevertheless, they aren’t available.

[Laco]

How well your warrantee items are taken care of, has a lot to do with the dealer. When we bought the Gemini, it had the typical new coach issues and problems. I never had a problem getting it into the dealer, and they took care of every warrantee issue I had. If there were any problems with Thor, I never knew about them, as the dealer made all the contacts and arrangement with Thor.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by makitso

I am not sure if this applies to all RV manufactures but sure does for Thor.

I purchased a new 2021 Thor Four Winds 31WV unit in August of this year. On our first outing three warranty problems were noted. I brought two of these issues to the Lazydays dealership in Tucson in early October 2020 and am still waiting for a replacement Coleman air conditioner.

The issue here is that when you buy an automobile, say a FORD, and the radio, made by Motorola, fails, the dealership requests a warranty replacement directly from the FORD.

In the case of Thor, or maybe all RV manufacturers, Thor only obtain approve for the warranty from the manufacturer. The actual replacement must be ordered from the Lazydays dealership to a parts distributor who then requests the part from the manufacturer.

I have been waiting three months for an A/C replacement with no part in sight.

Actually, the dealer gets authorization from Thor to perform the work under warranty and then orders any necessary parts from Thor. Thor then sends the parts to the dealer and the dealer performs the repairs.

In the case of an AC unit, if Thor has one in stock they will ship it to the dealer. If they don't have it in stock it then gets ordered from the parts manufacturer (Coleman or whomever). That is where the time can come into play.

Oftentimes it is easier to deal with the component manufacturer than to go through Thor. Have you tried contacting the AC manufacturer? Thor, more than likely, provided you with their contact info as part of your warranty package.

[GVP-The Boxcar Children]

I'm eating an $1100 "warranty/extended warranty" claim because neither the delivering dealer Sierra RV nor the extended warranty folks will take any responsibility for the matter. Going to small claims court isn't worth the effort.



Not to worry though-my efforts through "word of mouth" when it comes to inquiries from folks about RV dealers has cost mine a number of sales already.
Gary
GVP

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by makitso

I am not sure if this applies to all RV manufactures but sure does for Thor.

I purchased a new 2021 Thor Four Winds 31WV unit in August of this year. On our first outing three warranty problems were noted. I brought two of these issues to the Lazydays dealership in Tucson in early October 2020 and am still waiting for a replacement Coleman air conditioner.

The issue here is that when you buy an automobile, say a FORD, and the radio, made by Motorola, fails, the dealership requests a warranty replacement directly from the FORD.

In the case of Thor, or maybe all RV manufacturers, Thor only obtain approve for the warranty from the manufacturer. The actual replacement must be ordered from the Lazydays dealership to a parts distributor who then requests the part from the manufacturer.

I have been waiting three months for an A/C replacement with no part in sight.

Air Excel (Coleman) was shut down from April to June by the Kansas Governor as a non-essential manufacturer. Setting up the new production line to include "social distancing" and retraining the workers took another two months. Also they are stopped production of nine of their best selling roof top air conditioners. To add to the pain the EPA stopped the production and import of R22 refrigerant . The replacement is R410a which require quite a few changes to the older models of rooftop A/Cs. The older units will be replaced by the new "quiet series", a new line of "power savers" and a new soft start model.

[makitso]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Actually, the dealer gets authorization from Thor to perform the work under warranty and then orders any necessary parts from Thor. Thor then sends the parts to the dealer and the dealer performs the repairs..

That does not appear to be the case here. Thor approved the warranty claim and then the dealer ordered the AC unit from their parts distributor.

[ducksface]

Originally Posted by GVP-The Boxcar Children

I'm eating an $1100 "warranty/extended warranty" claim because neither the delivering dealer Sierra RV nor the extended warranty folks will take any responsibility for the matter. Going to small claims court isn't worth the effort.



Not to worry though-my efforts through "word of mouth" when it comes to inquiries from folks about RV dealers has cost mine a number of sales already.
Gary
GVP

Post the part of the contract they say excludes the fix and post what you think is broken.

Let us save you a lot of time by helping you interpret their position.
There's a 2:1 chance (per your post) that you're wrong.

[Roo]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

I know what you're talking about. When I bought my first new coach over 20 years ago, the dealer and manufacturer treated me like royalty. When I took my coach in for work, I was kept informed via telephone of the status of parts and the progress of the work. When I picked up the coach after service was performed it was washed, full of propane and gasoline. The service manager did a thorough briefing as to the work performed and the results. When I bought my Thor in 2018 camping world told me that only one location would provide service and to not bring it back for 3 months regardless of the trouble. When I called Thor for help, they said my check had cleared and they were paid so they didn't give a rat's behind. Granted, I knew I was buying a cheap motorhome but I thought their service after sale would at least be on par with Wal Mart. No such luck. With all the manufacturers that shuttered their businesses in the early 2000s and restructured after bankruptcy the industry has changed. On the selling side, the expansion of nationwide dealership companies like Gander/Camping World, Lazy Daze and I'm sure others, the only thing that matters to them is the bottom line. If the company books show a profit and the stockholders receive a dividend, then they are successful. They don't give a damn about the customer. They are only concerned about the potential customer. The one that doesn't know better, yet.

Nail on the Head Sir. And that is the sad reality of this industry.

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

With all the manufacturers that shuttered their businesses in the early 2000s and restructured after bankruptcy the industry has changed. On the selling side, the expansion of nationwide dealership companies like Gander/Camping World, Lazy Daze and I'm sure others, the only thing that matters to them is the bottom line. If the company books show a profit and the stockholders receive a dividend, then they are successful. They don't give a damn about the customer. They are only concerned about the potential customer. The one that doesn't know better, yet.

I totally disagree. Yes there are some bad dealers around but there are also plenty of good dealers and independent R/V repair places around. The main problem is the lack of buyer research. RVs are mobile homes and the purchase of one should be done like the research of a sticks and bricks home. Buying a coach is not the same as buying a car or truck nor is the warranty and service the same. I have owned several class A motor coaches over the past 29 years and have never had a warranty or service problem. I have had things break, things stolen and many upgrades made to the coaches. I have darkened the doors of many RV repair places and am happy to report all met my expectations. I can recommend Youngbloods RV in Mayfield, KY; White Motor Company in Forest City, Arkansas; MHSRV in Alvarado, TX; Iron Horse RV in San Antonio, TX and Wagoners RV in Castroville, TX as I have recently had service at these locations.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Roo

Nail on the Head Sir. And that is the sad reality of this industry.

Sorry to see that you already feel that way.
But Welcome to the Forum anyway!

[Roo]

Originally Posted by Beau388

I totally disagree. Yes there are some bad dealers around but there are also plenty of good dealers and independent R/V repair places around. The main problem is the lack of buyer research. RVs are mobile homes and the purchase of one should be done like the research of a sticks and bricks home. Buying a coach is not the same as buying a car or truck nor is the warranty and service the same. I have owned several class A motor coaches over the past 29 years and have never had a warranty or service problem. I have had things break, things stolen and many upgrades made to the coaches. I have darkened the doors of many RV repair places and am happy to report all met my expectations. I can recommend Youngbloods RV in Mayfield, KY; White Motor Company in Forest City, Arkansas; MHSRV in Alvarado, TX; Iron Horse RV in San Antonio, TX and Wagoners RV in Castroville, TX as I have recently had service at these locations.

True. You are right to some extent, there are some good ones out there, but few and far between.

I did get an extended warranty with our coach because I KNEW we would have issues with the coach..... (getting warranty work approved/done, well, THAT is a whole different thread). It is still a PITA to get an appointment, taking time to take coach in, waiting for them to get approval, doing the work, getting updated, etc, etc, etc.....

So as such, I try to do what I can myself. BUT, the scary part of doing things yourself to these things is that you really see how badly they are put together..

I say this because our 2 year old coach is in shop now for warranty work (that i wasn't able to do myself). Aluminum frame on bedroom slide has cracked welds, and..... missing welds.

[ducksface]

I'm all about personal responsibility.

If some people don't have a responsibility to themselves I can't imagine what they think their responsibility is to others.

Typed words speak.
The spaces between the words veritably shout.

Some people buy rv's, then shout.

[Roo]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Sorry to see that you already feel that way.
But Welcome to the Forum anyway!

Thanks...

And yes, this industry is lacking quality control in a big way, but with that being said, these rigs are subjected to some pretty harsh conditions. Driving down the highway @ 50, 60, 70+ mph on some of the worst roads, and in some cases dirt roads. Constantly shaking, rattling, vibrating, etc... Imagine if your house was subjected to an earthquake as often?

Like the old saying goes though, "Gotta pay to play" or stay home.......