New RV woes!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Rugger007 said:
Definitely nothing catastrophic…YET!, but when you actually see the unit, it’s clear that there are many other issues that are hidden. When the service centre workers says she’s sorry and it should have never left the lot like it is, that’s a problem.

I didn’t think that the Grey Wolf was a budget trailer at all, I’m thinking now it’s definitely lower quality. I will never ever own another stick frame build again.
Click to expand...

Sorry you are having issues, i have seen them fix a lot worse. Work with them to solve your issues. Service writers are trained to be sympathetic. Its not uncommon to replace entire walls , axles doors, cabinetry or even a brand new roof. I wish you luck but being new financially you have very few viable options rvs are a money pit especially with bumper pulls because there are so many out there for sale.
 
I will second the get what you pay for along with agreeing that a first time buyer should start with a one or two year old unit. The bugs have been taken care of and depreciation has taken a chunk out of the price. The newbee will get to enjoy the hobby and will have occasional repair items to flatten out the learning curve.
A used better quality unit is a good starting point to get an idea of how things should be.
 
I bought new and have never regretted it. In fact, I would buy new again. I had a lot of minor issues, but the ones you had where things were bowed, warped, and peeling are NOT minor!

One tip for the refrigerator is to buy 2 or 3 tension curtain rods and put one on each shelf so food does not fall out when you open the door. I also had some very shallow food storage cabinets, and glued and screwed in some picture railing to keep food in when I drove.
 
I usually recommend that a first time RV buyer go with a used RV primarily because RVing is a diffiernt way to travel and doing so means a smaller investment. But that is also for one who has no RV experience and doing so with in mind to trade up if they enjoy using it. Our first camping was with a small, old tent that was given to us, then to a much larger & nicer tent that I bought hardly used from a coworker and we used for 3 years so we knew that we enjoyed camping. Even so our first RV was a 10 year old popup that was little more than an easy to use tent on wheels. We used it for 2 seasons before buying a new, much larger, better equipped popup that we then used for 9 years. The first RV cost less than 2 weeks pay while the next one cost us almost 3 months pay and was financed. Some 20 years later we bought our first class A that was 3 years old, followed 8 years later by a new class A.
 
SeilerBird said:
This is why we recommend camping in your driveway for the first time using a new RV. And we also recommend buying used first. I realize it is too late for the OP, this is for the lookie loos reading this.
Click to expand...
You might recommend it and I understand why but I don't think you should have to. My guess is that the OP paid over 30K for a TT so IMO they should be able to go camp somewhere without all these issues.
 
Babe2201 said:
You might recommend it and I understand why but I don't think you should have to. My guess is that the OP paid over 30K for a TT so IMO they should be able to go camp somewhere without all these issues.
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree! Camping in the driveway is a perfect way to get to know your trailer and get used to how everything works, BUT, it looked exactly the same in my driveway as it did at the dealership.

I’m thinking the biggest issue is the stick frame construction. Northern Ontario is cold. Once we got to Arkansas, the difference in temperature and humidity, imo, did
a number on that wood frame causing it to twist, bow and buckle and buy the time we hit New Orleans, the issues just got worse.
 
Rugger007 said:
did a number on that wood frame causing it to twist, bow and buckle and buy the time we hit New Orleans, the issues just got worse.
Click to expand...
Your Gray Wolf has a wood frame? In looking at the Forest River website it appears to be of aluminum. The weights make me think that is true as wood frames are very heavy.
 
Kirk said:
Your Gray Wolf has a wood frame? In looking at the Forest River website it appears to be of aluminum. The weights make me think that is true as wood frames are very heavy.
Click to expand...
The grey wolf is definitely stick framing, the alpha wolf is aluminum frame with wood roof and floor.

Funny that my dealer has both in the 26DBH at the same price.
 
darsben said:
This is why you never buy new
Click to expand...
I bought new 2 years ago and have had 1 small issue and they fixed it no problem. When I bought it there was hardly any used ones available and you do realize that if nobody buys new that we would run out of used ones eventually.
 
I'm late to this discussion but would like to offer several comments on various things I've read here so far:
  • Camping in the driveway is different than parking in the driveway and playing with it. You have to actually use the rig as you would away from home. And driveway is just a euphemism for near home. Rugger says they did a local trip as well as driveway time, so I think he made a reasonable effort to discover problems early.
  • If the Grey Wolf is classic "stick & tin" construction, it is definitely a budget class trailer. RV makers don't put their best efforts on that type of construction.
  • A $30k+ price tag may be a sizable purchase, but it is at the bottom end of the range for a rig that size and equipment. RVs are basically hand built but it is done on a production line where workers have to work quickly and sometimes lack training & experience in the task they have to perform.
  • The incidence of factory flaws in new RVs is relatively high, quite possibly on the same level of risk as buying a clean used RV. And warranty service is of limited value when it is neither widely available nor timely.
  • RV manufacturers almost never buy a rig back. They view it as bad policy and they would rather haul it back to the factory and rebuild it than do that.
  • Amish & Mennonite labor is largely a marketing ploy. They want you to think a lanky bearded guy spent hours in his barn making an RV just for you. Sure, there are some Amish or Mennonite workers in most Indiana RV factories, but they probably aren't working the production line and if they are, they still have to work with the time constraints and procedures they are given. When there are Amish or Mennonite craftsmen, they are more likely in the cabinet shop. However, cheap cabinetry is still cheap when Amish-built.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
You have to actually use the rig as you would away from home.
Click to expand...
Yep, camping in the driveway is fine as long as you are using all the hoses and such.

For an example, I discovered on my very first trip I had no hot water on the camp water, but I did on RV water pump water.

After I removed the water filter and water regulator, I then had hot water (tankless water heater needed better flow). I also used that first trip to check as much as I could to make sure everything works before my trip to the Everglades. And that I had everything I will need. It's so easy to forget small stuff.

-Don- Auburn, CA
 
Yes, Gary is right. I have to chuckle when I see RV manufacturers claiming their rigs are built by the Amish and Mennonites. Those groups don't deserve the cruddy reputation of their employers. A cheap RV is a cheap RV and it has nothing to do with the Amish. The reality is, rv assembly is low-wage work and most of it happens in the armpit of the Midwest, lots of depressed areas around there. The quality we see out of those plants is not shocking in the least.
 
Rugger007 said:
The grey wolf is definitely stick framing, the alpha wolf is aluminum frame with wood roof and floor.

Funny that my dealer has both in the 26DBH at the same price.
Click to expand...
I also am shocked by this. No wonder your rig is bowing and warping!! All that wood is a recipe for damage if it gets wet, compared to aluminum framing!! And isn't it heavier than aluminum framing??

And I agree that camping in the driveway is a good way to find out how to operate things and what you need to bring camping, but it certainly will not prevent all those problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 867 (members: 35, guests: 832)

Forum statistics

Threads
132,084
Posts
1,390,027
Members
137,796
Latest member
frankdlavoie
Back
Top Bottom