Thor Forums

[Hijacker7]

We took our new Four Winds 23U class C on the road for the first time a few days ago and, on the way home, ran into heavy rain. My wife happened to turn around and saw water running everywhere on the floor...it seemed to be coming from under the dinette.

I pulled off the highway and dismantled the cushions and plywood to gain access to the dinette cavity. Water was everywhere inside the cavity and was running under the frame and onto the main floor area. Three small throw rugs and two dog beds were saturated; although it was a mess, this helped contain some of the water.

We mopped up all the water we could with bath towels and continued our trip home. After taking pictures of the water still standing in the dinette area, I used a wet vac to pull out as much water as I could. I removed about two gallons from the cavity that encompasses the fresh water tank. After spending over three hours doing cleanup work, I decided to let things dry out overnight.

In looking at the standing water pattern, it appeared the water was entering at the rear of the dinette cavity. This morning I continued my cleanup efforts and tried to figure out exactly where the water was getting into the dinette cavity. When I looked into the wheel well, I noticed the under-floor liner had only one screw in the middle attaching it to the frame, and on either side of this screw the liner was buckled. I could see how the tires were throwing water directly at these areas so I shot a burst of water into the area with a garden hose. Water went directly into the dinette cavity so, obviously, this area was not sealed properly.

I know the reaction of many will be, "No worries, it will be repaired under warranty." That's true, but until then, I cannot drive the coach in the rain. Before I discovered the water problem, I had contacted Thor about having some other issues resolved at the factory and was told they are into July with scheduling. I checked with Camping World near me and was told after they take pictures and send to Thor, it takes a week or more to get authorization to proceed. If parts are involved, it could take another three to four weeks for them to arrive.

I will probably repair the water leakage problem myself, but I'll send a letter with pictures to Thor so they are aware of the issue. It may just be placed in a stack on someone's desk for issuance of an apology form letter, or get filed away as a complaint requiring no action, but at least I will have attempted to bring their attention to the matter.

Perhaps this problem happens infrequently and may not be of great concern to the manufacturer, but when a person puts out over $60,000.00 for an RV that cannot be driven in the rain, it tends to cause some frustration.