What kind of quality and craftsmanship should I expect in a new 5th wheel?

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Blue Diver

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We bought a solitude ST 368 RD around Christmas time. It took us a while to get it from the dealership because we had it gen prepped and a washer dryer installed. That and lots of ice and snow prevented us from picking it up.
Anyways, now that we have had it, we noticed a few things that I'm not happy with. Here is the list
1) screws pushing through the walls in different locations
2) a hole in the shower wall about 3/4 's of the way up
3) the kitchen table broke , the screws they used to fasten everything together are about half inch in length if that. What do they expect that to hold on to?
B) they did send out a new table for free, and they must have had some complaints on it because they changed the lay out of the undercarriage , they also added countersunk screws to the trim. They did not send it out with the mounting brackets installed so I need to do that myself( not a problem , I just think it should be complete and ready to install)
4) the fan in the kitchen must not have been wired right. It never did what the buttons said, you had to just keep pressing buttons till you got the desired action, and now the vent cover won't open
5) the lever for the L shaped sofa on the middle recliner is up in such a way that no one can sit near it or they will be sitting on a very hard and uncomfortable lever
B) the two recliners by the door can not be fully reclined without messing up the screens on the window

There are a few more, but I'll leave this short and sweet. I just want to know if this is normal and there is just a lot you have to accept when you buy a RV or is this poor craftsmanship and lack of good quality control ?

Any input would be great
 
Sad but all too common.

Grand Design is a new company, so not much in the way of a track record, but it doesn't sound  like high quality craftsmanship is among their goals.  However, if you have ever bought a new house, you would know that a certain amount of problems like this are fairly common. The more difficult question is whether they are indicators of future problems as well, perhaps other shortcomings that are under the covers. Let's hope not...
 
Sorry to hear of your unhappiness with your new RV.  Some of that kind of thing happens on rigs much more expensive than yours.  When new there are always issues that are factory related.  However, screws coming through walls and recliners not working as they should need to be brought to the dealers attention.  If you read Grand Designs literature, they say: "Grand Design is a brand new RV company started by some of the best known, experienced names in the industry. Grand Design began with the goal of creating an RV that is everything that RVers are looking for."

They may be what folks are looking for but if they are building them poorly, what's the point?  Bad reviews in the RV world get around fast!  If you are really unhappy it's time to make yourself heard.  If they do not come through for you then you can let folks know that Grand Design does not stand behind their product.

I doubt this is the case, and if you get in touch with the right folks at the company you probably can resolve your issues.

A few items will always come from the factory as repair issues, but it seems you have a few more than usual.  Best of luck!!
 
I have a Grand Design Solitude.  We've had it for over 1 1/2 years. Totally pleased with it and the company. They have outstanding customer service, and if you go over to the grand design owners forum, one of the owners, Janice from customer service, and Mark, a general manager are quite often participating in forum chatter.  I had an issue with my electronic entrance door lock and GD immediately took care of it for me OUT of warranty.
 
We bought a Solitude 369RL and have been it in for 2 months now. We love this fifth wheel, but are beginning to think we got a lemon.....  Here's a list of our problems. 

1.The glass on the table was 1/4" higher than the wood edges - a new table was ordered. 
2. The refrigerator freezer  didn't freeze, but the fridge froze things - a new part has repaired this problem
3. Oven pilot doesn't stay lit when the oven cycles to maintain oven temperature - parts are on order
4. Trim falling off - repaired
5. The main outside electric cable and outside outlet melted, one prong stopped working. When repairing, it was found the wires were not properly secured. - recently repaired , but this was a scary one!
6. The hot water had a fowl rotten egg smell after 2 weeks of use. When we removed the anode, it was completely corroded down to the metal. We installed a new one, drained out the tank and all the old anode pieces in the bottom of the tank, then chlorinated the hot water tank and pipes as we were told to do. We also changed out the water filter and installed a second in-line filter. 1 week later the odor returned. When we took it in for repairs for these problems, the service people drained the tank again.  Now it doesn't work when we put the hot water on electric. It was working fine when we brought it in. It just had the bad odor. - no response to this item yet.
7. One decal was bubbled up where a side panel popped out. - An extra screw was put in place and a new decal is on order

We are told that problems are common with new RV units, but some of these are pretty serious and we are not very happy right now. Hate to give Solitude a bad rap, but we are pretty frustrated.
 
What kind of quality and craftsmanship should I expect in a new 5th wheel?

poor quality and no craftsmanship
 
Some say to buy a rig that is a few years old..so that the first owners would have to deal with the issues and you get it trouble free...I'll tell you how that worked out in a year or so :)
 
I wish you were right. From all the complaints on RV forums about quality, I would expect poor quality and no craftsmanship. And, I think I would get it.
 
Most mass produced units are full of problems. Some times one comes through an assembly line and goes out good. Quality control is practically non existent today except in custom build. Even then sadly there are many items in a camper that no one makes a really well built piece. Stoves are an example. People insist on buying the less money unit and many times you get what you pay for. Tuff call for the manufacturer. Has to build as cheap as possible to sell and make a profit and then someone figures out how to make one cheaper and quality goes out the window. Until the public changes I don't see the industry changing.
 
Glenn West said:
Most mass produced units are full of problems. Some times one comes through an assembly line and goes out good. Quality control is practically non existent today except in custom build. Even then sadly there are many items in a camper that no one makes a really well built piece. Stoves are an example. People insist on buying the less money unit and many times you get what you pay for. Tuff call for the manufacturer. Has to build as cheap as possible to sell and make a profit and then someone figures out how to make one cheaper and quality goes out the window. Until the public changes I don't see the industry changing.
Click to expand...

I also believe that's why manufacturing has dropped in this country.  The Japanese kicked our buts on quality in the 80's, people even said you shouldn't buy a car when it was made on certain days in the US. When we are more interested in the paycheck than the quality of our work, we have problems here.  My grandfather would refuse to charge for something if he wasn't happy with his work.  US workers lost their pride in workmanship. and manufacturers had to advertise that, "now" they were paying attention to quality.  That's a sad commentary on the US worker.
 
The chances of getting a lemon in an RV are all too high. I'm guessing perhaps 10-15% are highly problematic. A similar percentage is likely almost trouble-free. but that's not what buyers hear or remember. Most are somewhere in-between, which still isn't good.

You seem to have a problem with the water source, though. The water heater tank doesn't smell on its own, nor would it corrode that way. Smells come from either sulfur in the water or a water-borne bacteria that produces hydrogen sulfide as its waste (it's not harmful to humans, but it stinks).
 
What about airstream? Is all the hype true, or are they just as bad as everything else?
 
Nobody at the factory lives in your RV. They don't see or experience the same things you do when you stay in it. Your RV is a complex arrangement of products manufactured by many different companies. These items are installed by trained professionals. However, when the trained professional oven installer is off sick, the assistant plumber fills in and installs 4 stoves that day. Maybe he did it right, maybe not. He did what he could. Of course he's not the guy that put the thermocouple in the oven and he didn't make the thermocouple, that was two other people.

We wonder why RV's aren't more like cars with reletively few defects. Chevrolet makes about 1800 Silverado pickups.... each day. Each pickup is similar. My new Silverado pickup, 7 months old now has had 2 factory recalls so far. How many similar RV's are made by the factory each day? So each RV is pretty unique in it's build, and that's where problems pop up. The same thing happens with a new house, the builder makes punch lists of things that he can see and then the homeowner inevitably finds more once he's living in it.

Your list looks pretty normal. Little problems, annoying as heck, but all minor in the big scheme of things. No warped frame, no wheels falling off, windshield not falling out. If I won the lottery tomorrow and was going to get a million dollars a month for life, I'd probably buy another RV. The next one would be a little fancier than the one I have now which is pretty nice in it's own right. But the next one I buy would probably be used when I buy it, just like this one was. I just don't have the patience to go thru the repairs and rework needed on a new rig. Thank goodness there are people willing to do that, I'm not one and I know it.

Ken
 
While I'm not discounting quality issues that we all agree exist in the RV industry, remember what you have is essentially a house on wheels....a house that is subjected to earthquake like forces CONSTANTLY when it's travelling.  Imagine a house in a 4 hour long earthquake several times a year.....it's a wonder they hold together as well as they do.

CAN an RV be made to the same standard as a modern automobile?  Probably....but it would likely be extremely heavy for even a relatively small unit, and in order to be made profitably, it would be extremely expensive....so much so that most people would be pushed out of the market, leaving sales numbers too small to justify making them in the first place.

So we live with some degree of quality issues. 

 
I guess we've been lucky with ours.  We had a 1995 Terry 30 ft 5th wheel with very few problems.  We didn't pull it much but lived in it for two years full time.  We purchased it used when it was about 5 years old.

Our 2008 33 ft Rockwood Signature Ultralite was a pretty good unit with no major problems. Tires were our main issue. We pulled it about 50,000 miles in 5 years, including a trip to Alaska.  It was starting to shake apart when we sold it in 2013.  We bought it used when it was about one year old. 

Our present unit was purchased new in March of 2014.  We've pulled it 8000 miles and stayed in it 67 nights since we've had it.  So far so good.

I do think that there is some poor build quality out there.  I also think the folks that have units with more problems and have a need for help are the ones we hear from.  The people with better luck with their units don't generally tell their stories.

 
Gary RV Roamer said:
The chances of getting a lemon in an RV are all too high. I'm guessing perhaps 10-15% are highly problematic. A similar percentage is likely almost trouble-free. but that's not what buyers hear or remember. Most are somewhere in-between, which still isn't good.

You seem to have a problem with the water source, though. The water heater tank doesn't smell on its own, nor would it corrode that way. Smells come from either sulfur in the water or a water-borne bacteria that produces hydrogen sulfide as its waste (it's not harmful to humans, but it stinks).
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree with your comment concerning hydrogen sulfide not being harmful to humans.  After 30+ years in the water reclamation industry I know it is a killer.  Perhaps the level is minimal in the questioned water supply but our gas monitors alarmed at 11ppm and immediate evacuation and further ventilation was required.  In those years two coworkers were lost to H2S exposure as they felt they knew better than the monitors.   
 
Well I have not had any issues with our Teton. Have upgraded some things but is is 12 years old. I would still put it against anything not custom built today. It was high priced even then compared to today's prices. So money does reflect quality. 
 
Like both of my RV I've owned where used. My Dad bought the 1976 Dodge Jamboree. Well when he sold it to me it was in a good shape except the roof over the front bunk. But my Dad gave me all the paper work on that RV. Holy Cow that thing was back to the dealer several times including propane explosion issues with the oven valve.

Then I bought my 2000 Jayco used in 2010. So far its been nearly trouble free as well. Yeah I had to change some tires and replace some brakes. Pack bearings and recoat a roof. Nothing bad. But this RV has held up to "Frizie's Earthquake" I've taken mine up old forestry roads and dirt roads and it holds up to the abuse.

But as for quality I will admit that 2nd hand you get damn near prefect RV.  Little used but very comfy and functional.
 
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