Quality Control of Thor - Page 4

kannon · 08-03-2017, 04:09 AM

Something not brought up yet is the GOOD dealers who have to fix all this crap under warranty.They simply don't have the time to fix all these issues that should have been done right in the 1st place.

steve76 · 08-03-2017, 04:19 AM

I just bought my 22FE and haven't yet picked it up but all these posts are really depressing me. As far as Thor, I've looked at many others before buying and Thor units in the size I looked at in other manufactures was a little above. Perhaps Thor needs couple things at their factory: 1) better quality control people and guidelines, 2) better training program.

tnedator · 08-03-2017, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannon

Something not brought up yet is the GOOD dealers who have to fix all this crap under warranty.They simply don't have the time to fix all these issues that should have been done right in the 1st place.

It's not just Thor dealers. Get on any forum and you read the same. Especially all these cheaper, entry level manufacturers. Twice I've come close to pulling the trigger on Forest Rivers, but overall, there forum has more horror stories than Thor. Yes, we see many long lists that contain a lot of piddly things that shouldn't get out of the factory, but when it comes to leaks and other major things, I've read far worse and what would appear more common on Forest River.

Every Winnebago I've walked into on the lot and trim and stuff hanging down.

Tiffen, to their credit, fixes their manufacturing defects after the warranty expires, but they are so flooded at Red Bay with all of those out of warranty repairs due to crappy QC, that they've recently implemented a policy of cutting off fixing out of warranty factory screw ups at four years, is I believe what I read. But, again, their crappy QC aside, they at least go a long way to honor their screw ups.

Thor isn't the only one with this problem, it's just that with they and Forest River owning so much of the low end market, they are the most visible and worst examples of lack of QC right now.

tnedator · 08-03-2017, 04:43 AM

P.S. I'm a know nothing guy waiting for my first RV to arrive. I have no doubt I'm going to be pissed off by manufacturing defects on my ACE when it arrives and am just hoping it's nothing major, and especially that it's not related to leaks.

But, what I do know after spending over a year researching and talking to people, is that you can't by entry level RVs from any company and not have a very high likelihood of having problems - possibly lots of problems.

lugnut · 08-03-2017, 02:26 PM

Could not agree with you more. Bought a new 2016 Thor Windsport 34F. My list would be to long to post. Absolutely no quality control. Back and forth to dealer for almost a year. One problem after another. Would never buy another Thor product! So much could have been prevented with a little quality control at factory! Sloppy workmanship!

SuperD · 08-03-2017, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnedator

P.S. I'm a know nothing guy waiting for my first RV to arrive. I have no doubt I'm going to be pissed off by manufacturing defects on my ACE when it arrives and am just hoping it's nothing major, and especially that it's not related to leaks.
K
But, what I do know after spending over a year researching and talking to people, is that you can't by entry level RVs from any company and not have a very high likelihood of having problems - possibly lots of problems.

Sometimes you get lucky and your list is very short, mine was, guess it just depends on who happens to build on your coach. Kinda like the Monday and Friday cars in the old days!

**EA37TS** · 08-03-2017, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnedator

P.S. I'm a know nothing guy waiting for my first RV to arrive. I have no doubt I'm going to be pissed off by manufacturing defects on my ACE when it arrives and am just hoping it's nothing major, and especially that it's not related to leaks.

But, what I do know after spending over a year researching and talking to people, is that you can't by entry level RVs from any company and not have a very high likelihood of having problems - possibly lots of problems.

The list on my coach was approx 12 items which were all small. I sent Thor and the dealer an emailed list of items and we agreed to wait until the eleventh month (middle of winter) to have the items worked off. With the exception of one item during the shakedown none of my items were show stoppers. The one item during the shakedown was handled by a mobile tech after Thor approved the mobile and reimbursed me 90.00 for payment.

I will say my local dealer from whom I purchased did a very good job on their pre-delivery prep and we spent 4 hours doing the PDI. All item found during the PDI were corrected before we signed the paperwork, accepted delivery and drove off the lot. Total time that day was about 7 hours. Unfortunately that dealer is now a Camping World so I imagine their pre-delivery efforts have gone down the tubes.

gator · 08-03-2017, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperD

Does Thor have quality issues, yes they do. Do other companies have quality issues, yes they do and some are much worse than Thor. If you think Thor is the only company with quality control problems then you haven't checked any of the other companies sites!

Quality control is an RV industry problem as a whole. Go to the Forest River or Tiffen sites, many, many problems noted, and Tiffen is supposed to be a better coach, NO.

This is so true, they are built as cheaply as possible, cheap equipment, cheap labor. They are a project. The more things I fix properly on mine, the more it is worth to me. It is becoming one of the best built RV's because I am rebuilding it!

Lloyd · 08-03-2017, 03:55 PM

I bought a CR product back in 08. It has been very good to me. So good in fact I have pretty well talked myself out of wanting a new rig.

I do agree with the QC complaints that everyone is voicing now days.
Also agree with the saying-----As long as we continue to buy this crap, they will just keep feeding it to us!

schreinertms · 08-03-2017, 03:56 PM

gator - I second that. Aside from fixing almost everything, I am also changing some things as some of Thor's designing of things made no sense logically.

steve76 · 08-03-2017, 04:14 PM

I can't compare Thor's Q.C. but I bought a 1992 Monaco Dynasty Class A years ago and it had is many Q.C. issues back then just like I'm reading about Thor. On top of that, just before I sold it somewhere around 2001 or 02, I had to have the rear frame rebuild to sell it as it completely broke both sides and I never overloaded or abused it. So, seems nothing has changed much in the R.V. industry as far as issues with quality no matter how much money you spend.

Metalgator · 08-03-2017, 06:43 PM

I guess I am lucky. I only had a few items that needed to be addressed with our 2018 Miramar. However, the main issue (generator) has still not been fixed. The dealer has been great but it appears that Thor doesn't know how to fix the issue. It's been at the dealer 2 times and it's still sitting there.

The fit and finish of our Miramar is pretty good. I really don't have any complaints but I just wish they could figure out why I can't control the generator from inside the coach. Once that is fixed, I will be happy.

penguin · 08-03-2017, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schreinertms

gator - I second that. Aside from fixing almost everything, I am also changing some things as some of Thor's designing of things made no sense logically.

Isn't that amazing. Sometimes I look at stuff and just shake my head. Do these guys go to school to design some of these things.

Pete'sMH · 08-03-2017, 09:16 PM

I had a fair list of mostly little stuff that I fixed myself and I'm very happy with my 2017 Thor product. By fixing it yourself you'll save time and aggravation with the dealer and (importantly) you'll learn a lot about your coach. Some of it will be disappointing (the rats nest of wiring comes to mind) but you'll figure it out and be confident for the future. I read all of this stuff and while I certainly believe the problems and I'm sympathetic to the owners plight I also talk to folks at campgrounds and a clear and large majority seem pretty happy with their machines. I'd certainly recommend purchasing with an open mind. Do know there will be lots of adjustments and some repairs but try to keep an optimistic attitude. Good luck.

Pipebndr · 08-04-2017, 10:56 PM

I have problems with my 2016 Chateau. Reminds me of lipstick on a pig. The framing for the drawers has dropped a inch and a half on the back side, all drawers are now canted down causing face of drawer to not to fit flush with a gap of a quarter of an inch at the bottom. Had to left drawer framing a inch and a half and add a support down to the floor. My grandson understands support better than Thor and he is six playing with Legos. I have owned just about every RV type and the quality of this Thor RV is below average. Have had to do a lot of screw tightening, reinforcement, battery tray repairs, furnace control board replacement, AC unit not wired for low fan disconnected and about a dozen other items. Not expensive to fix, just shouldn't need to be fixed on a 2016 unit. Thank goodness I worked in this field for a few years and can do this work my self as I don't trust the dealer in are area. Example, checked the lpg pressure after I was charged $2000.00 for the PDI and it wasn't even correct. 8 inches on the water column should have been 11 inches and I paid to have the oven installed for my wife as it originally came only with a stove top. If you want it done right, best to do it yourself. Granted all RV's have some issues just going to assume that I got a Monday morning build after a three day weekend. The Ford E450 chassis and the Moreride suspension is awesome though.

gordstok · 08-05-2017, 01:16 PM

Item 11 water heater issues. Remove the white connector and plug it in several times to remove the build up tarnish on the pins or better yet coat the male pins with a connection protector gel that you can get at a parts store in their electrical section.

bruno1950 · 08-05-2017, 02:46 PM

I would be the last to minimize the frustration people have with the quality of the expensive recreational things they buy but I also know that it is what it is.

I have been an avid boater for years. I learned that no matter what you pay for a boat or what the rep of the manufacturer is, you will be fixing things and spending money from almost Day One. So, when we decided to get our first TT, we researched and purchased knowing that this was going to be another boat, only land based. Our first TT had numerous issues. We kept it for a summer and decided to move up to a 2016 Forest River Georgetown.

On our maiden voyage to FL I started looking for an opportunity to make it a water based vehicle. By the time we reached FL I drove straight to CW and traded it in on a 2017 Thor ACE. I have had the ACE since December of 2016 and am extremely happy with it. Minimal problems and much better quality than the Georgetown.

I am not defending the RV industry at all but I also realize that when I buy something these days, I walk in knowing that the quality is not there. I don't see much quality manufacturing anywhere.

DogLovers · 08-05-2017, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannon

Something not brought up yet is the GOOD dealers who have to fix all this crap under warranty.They simply don't have the time to fix all these issues that should have been done right in the 1st place.

Yes there are plenty of "good" dealers. They make millions in doing warranty repairs for Thor and their other coach lines. If they really were a "good" dealer they would tell you up front, "look man this is an ok coach for the money just expect to bring it back for warranty work several times after you buy it. We will get you in and out as fast as possible. You can take it to other dealers that sell the same brand but they will put you at the back of the line for warranty work".
Now that would be an honest good dealer.

steve76 · 08-05-2017, 08:47 PM

If they really were a "good" dealer they would tell you up front, "look man this is an ok coach for the money just expect to bring it back for warranty work several times after you buy it. We will get you in and out as fast as possible

I'm in process of buying a Thor Elite, Class C 22FE. Test drove it today as my dealership in Burlington had it delivered from Coberg OR. Both Wife and I are very pleased with how it drove, although, I'm having them install Safe T Plus before I pick it up, just for the simple reason of more stability when driving in wind or semi passing conditions or tire failure. The above paragraph in so many similar words is what my sales person told me and so far all in all, I'm pleased with this dealership. This model of M.H. may be smaller for some folks, but serves our purposes very well and I like the fact it has a Ford Truck Cab that is easier for me to access in and out and familiarity with cab layout.

JamieGeek · 08-05-2017, 10:37 PM

A truly "good" dealer would simply go through the coach as soon as it hits their lot and fix everything before you even look at it. That way all their coaches would be perfect and all their customers would be happy.

Granted there may be something in the wording with their contract to Thor that they can't charge Thor for the warranty work until the unit is sold to the end customer (but a good dealer would find a way around that LOL).

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