Quality Control of Thor

[mountainsam]

Originally Posted by briosky2

I just purchased a 2018 Palazzo in less then 24 hours it is broke down in my driveway unusable. Its not the motor or transmission. The slide outs are stuck open and will not close. Tried so many things from what the manual days to do and then tried google searches with no luck. The manual override is not working as well. Then I started to find more and more little things wrong. The shower door wont close, noticed it during delivery the dealer said they would fix it before finishing the purchase paper work. Got home and I opened it and it would not close. The door is not parallel to the floor. Dirt and debris keep coming out of the AC vents, found a window handle was broken and left in place till it fell off. The front windshield night shade has stopped working twice and needs to be reprogrammed every time. I read a lot of posts in this forum about the lack of quality control and I can assure you it is not getting better.

Is it possible your key is in the ignition?

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by laberj45

OMG.... I wish I had access to this Lehto's Law "Don't buy an RV" post before purchasing our 2017 Thor Miramar 34.3 with a defective full wall slide. Perhaps this post would have precipitated more personal research and subsequently uncovered the stories of Thor's poor quality control, poor customer satisfaction and lawsuit record.

I delight to see RVers getting info out on the net via forum posts, you tube and even personalized internet sites (which is what I did initially). If I had access to more info, I may spent a couple more bucks - and, quite frankly, might have went with the Tiffin Open Road class A. Available information suggests that I might not have been as likely to be caught in customer service/warranty issue with a Tiffin (and a salesman at a large reputable RV dealership in Virginia agreed).

BTW... RV lawsuits, as the youtube post suggests, are complex and expensive. The manufacturers do know what they can get away with (and hide this info in their owners manuals and contracts). We learned this the hard way as we lost a Connecticut venue issue and had to hire a second attorney in Indiana to sue Thor and Ally Financial. To add insult to injury, I was recently sent home from a military deployment due to high blood pressure (gee I wonder where that came from). This RV was supposed to be a stress reliever.....

Anyways - we hope that people continue to post objective RV purchase and warranty experiences to help inform buyers in making logical informed decisions. Lehto's Law "Don't buy an RV" is very accurate and I encourage all to LISTEN. He is right on the money! I watched this and was amazed how accurately he hits on ALL the same points that came up in our defective full wall slide lawsuit (which is in its 18th month now).

It is soooo disappointing to see RV buyers, like briosky2, upset with their new RV. And their experience seems to be happening over and over. RV buyer expectations are just simply falling short (and making seriously good RVing families angry). While I'll admit that my personal battle lies with Thor, it seems that customer dissatisfaction is happening across a larger and increasing RV spectrum (still.... Thor seems to be one of the top on this list for now).

I hope that we continue to see more valuable information sharing and less stories of RV dissatisfaction - as RVing is awesome! Good luck all!

My objective report is that I purchased a 26 foot 2017 Freedom Elite in January 2017. I paid less than he price of a nice pickup truck for it and have no complaints re:the purchase experience at Camping World. I experienced very few problems with it and none that required a return to any dealer for service. I found Thor’s customer service to be friendly and responsive the few times I contacted them. Although I have since traded it in for a class A that better meets our needs I have no complaints in my personal experience with Thor and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another of their products. I DO understand that not everyone shares my experience but neither is it fair or appropriate to paint the industry with a broad and negative brush. I hope you find a path to greater happiness!

[Bob Denman]

My rig had it's share of issues; but Thor has been helpful, and we've got the "Punch-List" whittled down to just a few stragglers now...

[DogLovers]

Once you get past the idea that "you" are going to be doing maintenance and repairs on your "Brand New RV" it gets easier.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by DogLovers

Once you get past the idea that "you" are going to be doing maintenance and repairs on your "Brand New RV" it gets easier.

It does indeed. The tire flap that comes loose and rubs on he rear tires for example can be fixed in any of several ways in about 20 minutes in your driveway. Thor sent me new parts with no hassle. Should you have to fix this sort of stuff? Of course not! But it’s so much easier to just fix it than it is to get all fuzzed up at Thor and CW. Once it’s fixed it is done and you can go camping.

[petef]

I had my share of trouble, took a year to get everything fixed, was in shop 3 times for 2 months ea time. Anyway, about the slide.. it will not work if the engine is running, so make sure the key is in the off position. Hopefully it is simple like this and not a real issue.. keep a list!
Good luck.

Originally Posted by briosky2

I just purchased a 2018 Palazzo in less then 24 hours it is broke down in my driveway unusable. Its not the motor or transmission. The slide outs are stuck open and will not close. Tried so many things from what the manual days to do and then tried google searches with no luck. The manual override is not working as well. Then I started to find more and more little things wrong. The shower door wont close, noticed it during delivery the dealer said they would fix it before finishing the purchase paper work. Got home and I opened it and it would not close. The door is not parallel to the floor. Dirt and debris keep coming out of the AC vents, found a window handle was broken and left in place till it fell off. The front windshield night shade has stopped working twice and needs to be reprogrammed every time. I read a lot of posts in this forum about the lack of quality control and I can assure you it is not getting better.

[kwilliams]

Originally Posted by DogLovers

Once you get past the idea that "you" are going to be doing maintenance and repairs on your "Brand New RV" it gets easier.

You make an excellent point. Everytime I fix something myself (refrigerator, heater, and now the steps), there’a the satisfaction of being able to troubleshoot myself.

[airforceret]

If I wanted a POS that needed everything fixed I'd have bought a used one! Yes I expected there to be some minor issues but not the volume of issues due to poor workmanship. What is sad is how so many of you think it's ok for Thor to deliver crap and the norm is for everyone to accept that everyone builds crap and as the buyer it is now somehow my responsibility to fix all the crap that is wrong. And then whenever someone complains about Thor they are criticized for complaining.

[Beau388]

Just so you know there are many of us (Thor produced 41% of all the motor coaches sold in 2017) that have had no problems with our coach. I was in a serious accident on July1, 2017 doing just over $14,000 damage to the side and rear of the coach. Iron Horse RV was able to get all the parts from Thor and Ford in 10 days and have the coach back to me in 22 days (including 7 days to sand prep and paint the rear and side). We have put another 9,000 miles on this year without a problem.

[oversaxed]

Unfortunately, first time buyers are probably not going to be reading these forum entries, before they take possession of their new RV......

[DogLovers]

Originally Posted by airforceret

If I wanted a POS that needed everything fixed I'd have bought a used one! Yes I expected there to be some minor issues but not the volume of issues due to poor workmanship. What is sad is how so many of you think it's ok for Thor to deliver crap and the norm is for everyone to accept that everyone builds crap and as the buyer it is now somehow my responsibility to fix all the crap that is wrong. And then whenever someone complains about Thor they are criticized for complaining.

Roger we all agree with you. We all know this industry is upside down. They build crap-over charge for it-and we buy it anyway. As long as everyone keeps buying they will keep making crap. Where else but here could you get a bunch of recruits to buy the hammer to smash their own thumb with?

[Hambone70]

Originally Posted by oversaxed

Unfortunately, first time buyers are probably not going to be reading these forum entries, before they take possession of their new RV......

Potential first-time buyer here. I'm so glad I found this thread! The depressing and infuriating situations along with Thor's apparently dreadful quality control and design issues has completely put me off buying an RV.


Thanks for saving me a boatload of cash and grief!

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Hambone70

Potential first-time buyer here. I'm so glad I found this thread! The depressing and infuriating situations along with Thor's apparently dreadful quality control and design issues has completely put me off buying an RV.

Thanks for saving me a boatload of cash and grief!

Well... hopefully you considered more than this one thread... Finding this FORUM before buying gives you a view of the good and bad - educates you on what you should expect to pay, the importance of the dealer in your happiness, and what to look for in a PDI which can greatly reduce your issues...

Are there quality issues in the industry? Absolutely...
And even without you are subjecting a ‘house’ to a rolling earthquake on our roads... stuff will shake loose.

For every complaining owner there are many more that are happy... Have I had issues? Yes...
But in comparison to what the RV allowed us to do that we couldn’t have done otherwise, having the RV wins...

Have others had more serious issues? Yes for sure... and certainly wish them the best in resolving.

Be an educated consumer and go into the purchase with eyes open... address as much as you can before purchase... be prepared for some issues (same for home ownership) or decide it’s not for you and move on.
The choice is yours.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by gmc

Well... hopefully you considered more than this one thread... Finding this FORUM before buying gives you a view of the good and bad - educates you on what you should expect to pay, the importance of the dealer in your happiness, and what to look for in a PDI which can greatly reduce your issues...

Are there quality issues in the industry? Absolutely...
And even without you are subjecting a ‘house’ to a rolling earthquake on our roads... stuff will shake loose.

For every complaining owner there are many more that are happy... Have I had issues? Yes...
But in comparison to what the RV allowed us to do that we couldn’t have done otherwise, having the RV wins...

Have others had more serious issues? Yes for sure... and certainly wish them the best in resolving.

Be an educated consumer and go into the purchase with eyes open... address as much as you can before purchase... be prepared for some issues (same for home ownership) or decide it’s not for you and move on.
The choice is yours.

This is exactly correct. Sure there are issues and repairs. But to let this forum scare you off of buying an RV is pretty extreme. Lots and lots of us have had enjoyed the heck out of our Thor’s. If you do a good PDI and are handy you’ll likely be fine. At the same time the RV life isn’t for everyone and if you are not REALLY in to it you might get overwhelmed and discouraged by its inherent complexities. Repairs are only one factor.

[revjeffrey]

I always looked at the RV. as a Quality of Life Issue and a Great one at That!!
20 plus years and going strong. I'm sure my kids will pass on to their families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMwAJAG12c0

[Chance]

Originally Posted by gmc

.....cut....

For every complaining owner there are many more that are happy... Have I had issues? Yes...

.....cut....

.

I think this statement is key. And extremely subjective as to risk taking.

For example, there are a lot of owners on this forum who are happy yet report having had to make repairs or upgrades that would infuriate others. People are very different, and their expectations maybe even more varied.

I hate being in a casino while others love them. I know the odds are against me in the long run. The fact that I may get lucky has no appeal to me and brings me no joy. Just saying that our individual tolerance to risk taking can be very different. And obviously a lot also depends on a persons ability to handle the consequences that come with failures. To a multi-millionaire losing $50,000 in Vegas or a bad motorhome choice is likely not as distressing as to an average American.

Where I disagree with many on this forum is in making a connection between loving the RV/camping/touring lifestyle and willingness to accept poor motorhome quality. I love visiting National Parks and touring the country, but have little interest in fixing or upgrading things that others designed and built poorly. It’s not that I can’t, I just don’t want to.

[Bob Denman]

Gritz might have said it best in another thread...
"Some folks get upset if they have to flush the toilet twice..."

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Gritz might have said it best in another thread...
"Some folks get upset if they have to flush the toilet twice..."

Maybe it’s justified. Instead of being able to stay out 4 days, they’d have to dump after 2 days.

Then some guy will suggest a fix by replacing the 30-gallon black tank with a 60. That fixed his double flush problem.

Another guy will then suggest the owner eat more fiber in his diet because that’s the real reason why they have to flush twice.




I’d like to see the QUALITY bar set a bit higher.

[Bob Denman]

Well I think that it's a safety issue, and NHTSA needs to get involved!

I mean: what if you're in the can; working on that second flush, and your propane tank (The one you didn't shut off...) explodes while your Missus is driving through a tunnel...

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Well I think that it's a safety issue, and NHTSA needs to get involved! [emoji38]

I mean: what if you're in the can; working on that second flush, and your propane tank (The one you didn't shut off...) explodes while your Missus is driving through a tunnel...

Tha is for the morning laugh Bob

Jerry