did i buy junk?

[relaxin]

Hello folks.
I have a 2019 reflection 295rl
first the black tank valve cable seized in 2021, then a tire shredded for no apparent reason in 2023, not a lot of mileage on this unit, as well the check valve on the hot water tank got stuck closed, 2 of the straps for the propane tanks broke/fell apart . then in 2024 another shredded, going 50k through cayuga, no road debris found. bought 4 new tires, heavy duty 12 ply.
then last fall the bracket holding up the fresh water tank, the 2#10 screws broke and the tank was coming through the belly pan. no we do not travel with the tanks full, we fill when we get to the destination and dump out remainder, when we leave.
in repairing the tank issue and being under the unit, i noticed the springs were starting to take on a W shape, so i had the entire suspension system replaced with a heavier set of springs and components, now it sits like it should. now a piece of trim fell off of one of the slides, this is not impressing me at all, grand design needs to get their $hit together if they are looking to sell me another unit when we decide to upgrade, the sad thing is we love the layout, the storage, the size, and the style, but the excessive repairs on a unit under 10 years old and low milage, hwy towed, not abused, is a little discouraging, I had less repairs on my previous rvs that were of similar age.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

RV and junk are synonymous!
RVs come off the sales lot with tires that could be called yard tires. They are minimum load rated tires and are only ment to help you believe you are buying an RV, rather than junk.

Modern RVs are nothing more that trailers that have glitter. They push weight limits, and are not structural to anyone's mind that can read the build.

Pull trailers are better structurally than 5th wheels are. Slide outs put gapping holes in something that is supposed to be structural, without proper reinforcement.

I could go on but won't. All you need to hear is, Yes you bought something that will wind up in a scrap yard long before your 10 year old truck!

That is why I am in a cargo trailer.

 

[newmarokie]

The only thing that always works on a RV is the owner.

 

[rvkev]

a tire shredded for no apparent reason

Generally if a tire shredded the tire was run underinflated at some point in its life.

 

[RobertE]

Sorry for your issues, except for the tires, but we’ve had no problems with our Grand Design other than the black tank cable is a bit sticky and the valve doesn’t completely close. I added a gate valve to the outlet rather than take it all apart.

But yeah with an RV it’s a matter of time…….before we have an issue. The biggest one I think about is a water leak. We are careful to use a regulator and keep it set to 30PSI.

 

[Old one]

I bought a new boat trailer in 2007, which had Chinese tires branded: "Karrier".
They had no warranty to spealk of as the local dire shops did nit carry them.
When they wer just less than a year old, that all shredded, with the flapping belt damaging running lights, and the licence plate and holder.
I replaced the tires with Goodyear, and no problems. No it was nit underinflated, as I go thru a pre-underway when leaving on an outing, and have a big air compressor running to "touch up" and if a tire loses air, I take i take it to the tire shop and have them repair/replace it. My recreational time is too valuable to spend alongside the road.
There was an article on the web a few weeks ago stating the RV industry present problem of sales way down. It stated the people stopped spending an average of$36K only to have the unit half-finished (their words), and in some cases spending months in queue at the dealer getting it fixed, and screwing up their whole summer.

I may be buying an RV when my boat gets sold. I will be buying used, as let someone else fight with the manufacture and dealer to fix the problems.

Now, the facts (they said and I agree). Big companies such as Thor, Forrest River, etc by out smaller "good names" and work them into the corporate umbrella. The central buying power is to their advantage with increased purchases to parts and subassemblies. Ciost being a factor, in a lot of cases, the quality is substandard, but hey, they make money. So, "good name" products sold under that name in now cheapened for best bottom line.
Since the buying public is buying them, they have no reason to improve quality.

Myself. I was in electronics at manufactures. Started at houses which built to gov't specs. The first one, was contracting communications radio equipment. There was clauses in the contract about quality. Such as "an infant mortality is defined as failure to to attain ANY operaton within the first 6 months...." Wehad a 4% limit. We ran about 1-1.5% usually. It got to 2%. hey had a long talk withnthe quality director. It got to 2.25%, and they had a new quailty director, who solved the problem.

Later in life I worked for a company whose products were manufactured offshore, and were consumer goods. They did not get excised until the returns exceeded 15%. I quit when one of my OUTDOR antenna designs, without my knowledge, was changed from in bedded elements in the housing to sandwiched between 2 cardboard pieces. The morning dew filled the cabinet and made mush inside and the antennas stopped working, buy hey, they made money.

All that said, in the late 1990s I was tasked to design a TV antenna for RVs to compete with Winegard. I actually visited the manufactures' in the greater Elkhart/Goshen (IN). Yes there were differences. One manufacturer had the interior with plywood paneling ( about 1/4" thick) while another used 5/8 with a veneer wood covering. The accessories, like stoves, air, etc were bulk sourced and were used across the board. That said, I surmised they ALL were using the same construction techniques, etc, and were riding on the company names they bought...

Solution: stop buying until the quality goes up. Yes, it will mandate an increase in price, but in my opinion, would be worth it.

This is NOT a troll. It may be my $ .02 worth, but.....

 

[relaxin]

Generally if a tire shredded the tire was run underinflated at some point in its life.

unfortunately that's not the case in the time that I have owned it, as this is parked on a pad next to the man door of my workshop with a tire gage and airline just inside, I am tedious about things like that with all my vehicles and 2 other trailers as well, especially with this one when a manufacturer puts tires that are literally carrying their max load all the time, the load rating of the tires ( printed on them) was the same (within 100 lbs) as the specs on the tag on the side of the trailer

 

[relaxin]

I bought a new boat trailer in 2007, which had Chinese tires branded: "Karrier".
They had no warranty to spealk of as the local dire shops did nit carry them.
When they wer just less than a year old, that all shredded, with the flapping belt damaging running lights, and the licence plate and holder.
I replaced the tires with Goodyear, and no problems. No it was nit underinflated, as I go thru a pre-underway when leaving on an outing, and have a big air compressor running to "touch up" and if a tire loses air, I take i take it to the tire shop and have them repair/replace it. My recreational time is too valuable to spend alongside the road.
There was an article on the web a few weeks ago stating the RV industry present problem of sales way down. It stated the people stopped spending an average of$36K only to have the unit half-finished (their words), and in some cases spending months in queue at the dealer getting it fixed, and screwing up their whole summer.

I may be buying an RV when my boat gets sold. I will be buying used, as let someone else fight with the manufacture and dealer to fix the problems.

Now, the facts (they said and I agree). Big companies such as Thor, Forrest River, etc by out smaller "good names" and work them into the corporate umbrella. The central buying power is to their advantage with increased purchases to parts and subassemblies. Ciost being a factor, in a lot of cases, the quality is substandard, but hey, they make money. So, "good name" products sold under that name in now cheapened for best bottom line.
Since the buying public is buying them, they have no reason to improve quality.

Myself. I was in electronics at manufactures. Started at houses which built to gov't specs. The first one, was contracting communications radio equipment. There was clauses in the contract about quality. Such as "an infant mortality is defined as failure to to attain ANY operaton within the first 6 months...." Wehad a 4% limit. We ran about 1-1.5% usually. It got to 2%. hey had a long talk withnthe quality director. It got to 2.25%, and they had a new quailty director, who solved the problem.

Later in life I worked for a company whose products were manufactured offshore, and were consumer goods. They did not get excised until the returns exceeded 15%. I quit when one of my OUTDOR antenna designs, without my knowledge, was changed from in bedded elements in the housing to sandwiched between 2 cardboard pieces. The morning dew filled the cabinet and made mush inside and the antennas stopped working, buy hey, they made money.

All that said, in the late 1990s I was tasked to design a TV antenna for RVs to compete with Winegard. I actually visited the manufactures' in the greater Elkhart/Goshen (IN). Yes there were differences. One manufacturer had the interior with plywood paneling ( about 1/4" thick) while another used 5/8 with a veneer wood covering. The accessories, like stoves, air, etc were bulk sourced and were used across the board. That said, I surmised they ALL were using the same construction techniques, etc, and were riding on the company names they bought...

Solution: stop buying until the quality goes up. Yes, it will mandate an increase in price, but in my opinion, would be worth it.

This is NOT a troll. It may be my $ .02 worth, but.....

I have always been willing to pay a little more for quality, as a contractor i can tell you it takes the same labour (sometimes more) to install junk as it does to install a good quality product.

 

[relaxin]

The only thing that always works on a RV is the owner.

Seems that way, my first couple were older model travel trailers, i literally had a toolbox and parts and fitting to fix things that would happen while we were camping, I was hoping that 30 years and 4 units later getting into something that's 2 years old and used for literally 2 weeks due to covid that i would not have issues for at least a couple years, these companies should be ashamed of themselves. I though that only imported stuff was junk,

 

[Holdmybeer]

Seems that way, my first couple were older model travel trailers, i literally had a toolbox and parts and fitting to fix things that would happen while we were camping, I was hoping that 30 years and 4 units later getting into something that's 2 years old and used for literally 2 weeks due to covid that i would not have issues for at least a couple years, these companies should be ashamed of themselves. I though that only imported stuff was junk,

Imported or domestic you get the quality you demand. Goodyear and Michelin mfg. tires in China. Tires which don't differ an iota from a tire made in Ohio. One of the paricpants in the 5.80 Golden Globe race paid high dollar for Eurpean solar panels which failed just a few weeks in.. He tossed them and bought a set made in China for a fraction of the cost of the European panels and they carried him the rest of the way. China makes an EV ( BYD) that is as good as or better than a Tesla at half the price, but you're not allowed to buy one in America because as Peter Thiel says " competition is for losers". Problem with that being the winners ain't us and never will be.

 

[Old one]

Regarding HoldMyBeer's comment re; tool/fixit box,
I have one on my SUV and boat, and once setting on an RV I will have one in it. Inside of course to minimize rust.
I have electric metering equipment, spare belts for the engine, extra oil and filters, and in the case of the boat, an extra coil and ignition sensor.
You might not say, "well, shoot, I don't know how to do that."
If you travel with a group, someone does know. But he will need parts (and the manuals that come with the RV are nice to have), and maybe tools.
Think about it......
The fixit box varies with the RV and its manufacturer. Parts MAYBE exculusive t that accessory.
or the tow vehicle: At least, equipment to safely change a tire. At least a scissor jack and safety stands. I have a 2' square 1" plywood board to allow using a jack in a sandy location. )( Hey, I am in Florida), a mechanics 3 ton floor jack, a 2' "breaker bar" and impact sockets for rusted lug-not removal and extra lug nuts for the ones you lose.in addition to vehicle supplied stuff, 12' jumpers. (Beware: steel battery clamps rust), drive belt. An assortment of spade fuses, and running bulbs.
I have been towing for over 50 years in western NY and Florida, and have never been towed in. That said, today add: a guy with tape on the glasses and a laptop under his arm, to explain the computers in the car." (satire)