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Old 07-21-2020, 06:28 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37TB
State: North Carolina
Posts: 5
THOR #19738
Questionable Customer Response - 1 year mark

As I approach my 1-year mark, after working through so many issues on a 2019 Thor Challenger, I wanted to share this likely final email chain with Thor Customer Service. Not a comforting feeling that my coach will have longevity. In the end, my analysis is I own a beautiful coach with questionable quality. As the RV industry is characterized by issues during the first year of ownership, they need to get tough on their build technicians and quality control. Not talk tough that they will push the dealer harder to get the repairs done. Most of my coaches time in service has been spent waiting on parts from Thor. Good quality control could have eliminated the need for most of my repairs which would have allowed me more time to enjoy my new coach. As you'll see, the customer service rep can quote policy and use polite language. But that gives me nothing toward my coach being 100% at the end of the warranty. Thor, if you really want me to be comforted, offer an extended warranty covering just the water leaks. If you really feel you have built me a good coach, then this warranty will cost you nothing more than the paper to send me. But it will give this paying customer peace of mind.

Email String that followed my survey response (in reverse order):

Thank you Nate for responding. While your answer in expected and I am sure "by the book", it does not leave me with a good feeling. You say Thor's obligation is to repair my coach within 12 months of purchase. I also say Thor's obligation was to quality assure my coach before leaving the factory. Repairs should be unexpected when you buy a new product. My coach needed so many repairs from day 1 and several repairs were completed before closing. There is no reason a coach should leave the factory with so many known issues. I had plumbing that was not connected, jacks that leaked, missing furniture supports, leaks in 2 of the 3 slides, shower pan leak, a non-working radio, and many items out of square. When my dining table valence fell off, there were literally 12 holes drilled for the valance as if it took that many times for the technician to get it right. All of these should have been handled at the factory before it was delivered to the dealer.

You did not comment on the fact that my open ticket is about waiting on parts to arrive from Thor to complete the known repairs. You want to do your part in 12 months, ship parts faster than 8-12 weeks. My coach has spent over 3 months waiting on parts.

So needless to say, I am very disappointed and do believe Thor is not standing behind their product. Short of taking my coach to Indiana and have it fully rebuilt from the ground up to make sure all the flooding and water damage is not lingering under the floor, which is not overly acceptable, I will stick with my dealer - who at least is making a good effort and has been working hard with me to try and fix all of your problems.

As it turns out, one salesman I worked with at a different dealership than I purchased from, tried to steer me away from Thor. What sounded like a "used car salesman" line was true. He flat out said, you will be unhappy if you buy a Thor. Since I felt like he was not attentive to my needs or listening to me as I was trying to buy a Thor that I had seen at an RV show, I just simply moved on to another Thor dealer. But will not likely purchase a Thor product again. Thor has some great plans and great looks, but without quality, its not worth the entry price. Shame.

Steve S
-----Original Message-----
From: "Nate M. Williams"
Sent: Jul 21, 2020 9:11 AM
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL]Re: FW: SUTTON, Serial Number:
Good morning.

An additional warranty will not be offered to you from Thor. Thor’s obligation is to repair the coach issues within the first 12 months of ownership. We request you work with your dealer/service center on these repairs. If they are unable to complete these repairs, we can schedule an appointment with the Thor Service Center in Wakarusa, Indiana to fully resolve these issues. If you have difficulty completing the repairs on your coach, please let me know.

Please give your dealer this reference number for the electrical, leaking and flooring concerns: #XXXXXXXX. Thank you.


Best Regards,

Nate Williams
Thor Motor Coach
Warranty Customer Service
Customer Service: (877) 855-2867
Dealer: (877) 500-1020
Email: nmwilliams@tmcrv.com
www.thormotorcoach.com



Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 4:56 PM
To: Nate M. Williams <nmwilliams@tmcrv.com>

Subject: [EXTERNAL]Re: FW: SUTTON, Serial Number:

Hello Nate,

Thank you for reaching out. I have spoken with you in June where you offered 2 ways for my coach to have a second look and second opinion. 1 option was to bring the coach to Indiana in September. The other was to try a different dealer near me in Mocksville, NC. Where this dealer does not sell Thor at this location but does sell Thor at locations in other states.

My coach has had different leaks over different times. 2 of the 3 slides had leaks and one leak was challenging to find and fix. Since we talked, my coach has been back in for the slide to be fixed and I have it back, waiting on the next rain to test it. I also had a leak in the shower and the kitchen sink. On my trip 2 weeks ago, as we drove and ran the cab AC, water started to drip under the dash so I had to fix the AC drain. The coach has been plagued with leaks.

From this, I have open tickets for 2 items, a new radio head unit in the dash and some cabinet doors that were discolored by the leaks. So I may be down to waiting on these parts to arrive.

I have posed a question to my dealer that I will also pose to you. With the abundance of leaks and the number of times the coach has had water covering the floor, I am worried about what is going on under the floor. Do I have frame rot beginning? Do I have any electrical issues waiting on me in about a year from corrosion... Short of tearing out the floor to look for water damage, How am I protected from unseen water damage. I don't want to take out the floor to look. But I don't want my coach to collapse in another year. Me dealer has said I would qualify for new flooring based on the discoloration the water has left behind. But I am nervous to really tear out and rebuild that much in the first year.

I still love the coach for its layout, features, color scheme and usability. I am just very worried about its ability to be a strong coach for years to come. It has taken in so much water over the first year, I worry about damage I cannot see that won't show up until the warranty is over. I would like Thor to offer a 2nd year warranty based on the affects of the water and potential damage it may cause. I have a wet/dry vac stored in the coach basement that had been used dozens of times so far. I am hopeful the last round of repair in June has fixed all the leaks but still need a good rain to test. But still worried about what I can't see under the floor.

Steve S

-----Original Message-----
From: "Nate M. Williams"
Sent: Jul 17, 2020 7:43 AM
Subject: FW: SUTTON, Serial Number:

Mr. & Mrs. Sutton,

You have recently completed a survey concerning your 2019 Thor Challenger 37TB. In this survey you had stated the service work was not properly done the first time and not all items have been completed to your satisfaction. Could you tell me about these items that have not been completed? We will see to it these repairs are rectified within your 12-month warranty as is our obligation. Thank you for your assistance.

Best Regards,

Nate Williams
Thor Motor Coach
Warranty Customer Service
Customer Service: (877) 855-2867
Dealer: (877) 500-1020
Email: nmwilliams@tmcrv.com
www.thormotorcoach.com

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Old 07-21-2020, 09:30 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2013 ACE 30.1
State: Alberta
Posts: 1,410
THOR #2631
Sorry that you have had such a bad experience with your Thor purchase. It can be a very enjoyable experience traveling and living/vacationing in your own RV......once (if) it gets out of the repair shop.

When I was “kicking tires” on my new 2013 ACE in Sept 2012 and I learned from the salesman that the Thor warranty was 1 year, my first thought was about the cheaply made Chinese/Korean electronics and appliances we all buy, that have the same 1 year warranty typically. Of course the purchase cost between these items is very different. Considering a major cost purchase item, built with many major components, many of which that are only covered by a one year warranty, should be a red flag warning to any prospective RV buyer......especially if you are not “handy” around mechanical and electrical systems.
I almost walked away, since this was my first class A and clearly it is (was) an entry level Class A coach at best. I took a chance, bought it and waived the extended as well.....crazy maybe? We have been lucky so far; we have amazingly had very few troubles over the years. Unfortunately, even regular maintenance/inspection (by Owner or Dealer) will not prevent “some” unforeseen major failures from occurring, if you own any complex device long enough. I am just trying to recoup my spend with good memories and minimal failures.....so far it's working. This forum helps.

I personally think you are correct, that Thor needs to improve their quality testing off the assembly line. Driving back to Wakarusa is not in the cards for many folks with major problems off the new lot and Dealers that are indifferent or incapable of making the required repairs themselves are of little value to the Thor support network.
There is another recent thread discussing this subject. Nothing will change at Thor until the buyers decide “its not worth the risk” or they buy somewhere else, if the alternative truly has a “better deal” in price and build quality.

It seems to me that buying up your competition and building generally mediocre devices at best, is how the world does its business today (not just the RV business). I still own a Maytag washer dryer pair, built in USA in the 80’s.......I dread the thought of having to replace them when the time comes. When the time comes for my ACE to retire or expire, I will not be buying another new RV. For sure, at some point our luck will run out.......do what you can to get back to enjoying your life with as little personal cost as possible; trade up/off for something built better/more reliable, if you can find it. I hope you can get out camping and traveling soon. Life is too short not to enjoy every minute you can.
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Old 07-23-2020, 11:49 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Tuscany 40ex
State: Ohio
Posts: 443
THOR #12726
Well for whats its worth I took out the 60 month extended warranty and it cost me another 20k over purchase price, the first 2 yrs were good but now the front winshield blind doesnt work I have led lights in bedroom that flicker bad, the engine a/c has quit,mirrors came loose and almost fell off and the camera in rt mirror doesnt work probably from shaking camera so bad, dealer laughed when I tried to get those items fixed and told me good luck not under warranty, so by chance I found an rv supplier on the ohio indiana border who sells to the public, bought there $40 lights for $10 a light,and I mean he has everything on the rv side rant over but warranty stinks.
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Old 07-24-2020, 12:30 AM   #4
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2018 24.1 AXISSIXxSIX
State: Arizona
Posts: 6,760
THOR #13932
Quote:
Originally Posted by simidrm View Post
Well for whats its worth I took out the 60 month extended warranty and it cost me another 20k over purchase price, the first 2 yrs were good but now the front winshield blind doesnt work I have led lights in bedroom that flicker bad, the engine a/c has quit,mirrors came loose and almost fell off and the camera in rt mirror doesnt work probably from shaking camera so bad, dealer laughed when I tried to get those items fixed and told me good luck not under warranty, so by chance I found an rv supplier on the ohio indiana border who sells to the public, bought there $40 lights for $10 a light,and I mean he has everything on the rv side rant over but warranty stinks.
You paid
TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
for a five year extended warranty?

There's a good chance you can get the unused portion of miles or time refunded to you.

You're not maybe the person who paid $5,000 for the steering damper...'cause I need a proof....
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Old 07-24-2020, 12:56 AM   #5
I Think We're Lost!
 
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Brand: Still Looking
Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
Posts: 22,195
THOR #8860
20 large for 60 Months does seem awful high.
I paid 6.5K for 84 Months, and got the largest chunk of it back when I traded the RV in at 16 Months...
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Old 08-26-2020, 09:09 PM   #6
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37TB
State: North Carolina
Posts: 5
THOR #19738
Update to 1 Year - I'm on my way to Wakarusa IN

It looks like Wakarusa is my best option left for repairs. Just made an appointment for late November. Its a 1300 mile round trip and I'll try to make the best of it. If if fixes my leaks, it will be worth it. Our 37TB fits my family's needs, we love the finishes and it drives great for a Class A Gas Coach. It just needs to stop leaking from all 3 slides!

Any advice from those who've made the journey?
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