Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
All that sort of problem comes back to assembly cost, basically the amount of time allotted on the assembly line to do a task and the training/skill of the workers. If the regular guy or gal at a position on the line is out that day, work goes on with a less experienced person who may be slower or less skilled. If a little extra time needs to be taken with one item, something else has to suffer by getting rushed. Stopping the entire assembly line to take a few minutes more to properly caulk a seam is NOT a practical option at the factory.I hear this arguement a lot, but it seems many of the quality control issues are not really cost saving issues.
Sloppy caulk work that leads to water leaks.
Loose wiring connections, plumbing leaks, sloppy trim work.
A majority of the rv issues we read on these forums could be corrected at no cost if there were proper quality control measures and employee accountability.
The initial cost of producing high quality is weighed against the warranty cost of fixing it later. If the manufacturing shortcoming doesn't produce a failure until after the warranty expires, it has zero cost to the company.
Most RV production lines have an inspection & repair area after the RV comes off the line. In some plants, line workers are encouraged to flag items that need more attention, but that usually works only for superficial and visible defects (scratches, broken cabinetry, etc). Hidden flaws that are merely "less than perfect" rarely come to light.