Now I'm Angry

[slowpez]

In the last two months, we have had to replace our door latch not once but twice.  The first time we replaced it with a Coleman replacement part to the tune of $13+.  It lasted exactly two days.  The second time we replaced it with a Stanley latch for $6 and it is working just fine and it is twice as well made.  We have to replace the U clips on the ends of the shepard's poles again (the second time they have broken).  The door latch for the storage area under the step came loose on the way home and, as a result, the crank handle is gone.  The metal piece between the cabinets under the sink has snapped off as did the table leg.  I realize this was not a top-of-the-line product but it seems to me that the little things that are going wrong are preventable and wouldn't have happened if someone had taken the time to install a part that wouldn't fall apart so quickly.  To make matters worse, when we go to replace apart, the dealer always says "Oh yeah, we have to stock a lot of those.  They are always breaking."  Not that is product confidence.  If Coleman thinks I will buy another of their products they are sadly mistaken.
OK, I have that off my chest and feel much better.  We had a really nice camping trip over the holidays even with all the problems and the temperatures dropping into the 20's.
Thanks for listening.      Susan

[B-flat]

I know exactly how you feel.  We were on a long trip and the storage door popped open due to the screws needing tightening and the lock was not tight enought either. We used some duct tape to secure the door and repaired it ourselves when we got to the campground.  Luckily we didn't lose the crank.  I made sure I didn't put things that would fall out in that part of the storage area.

[tlhdoc]

If Coleman thinks I will buy another of their products they are sadly mistaken.

Make that Fleetwood, not Coleman.

[wiininkwe]

Funny, (not haha, but peculiar) that DH and I were talking about this kind of thing not 10 minutes ago.   He was telling me about something that went wrong on the camper this past weekend while up north for the last few days of gun deer hunting.   I had mentioned the "tell us what you want..." thread, and he said "I hope you told them that we aren't ever going to buy another one of these pieces of ****!!!"    I had to admit that "NO, I didn't say that", but I'm afraid that this is the kind of thing that will keep people from buying another PU.   Maybe that's their intent, to get you hooked on camping off the ground, but make it not quite as good as it should be so you'll spend your next inheritance on a higher end camper or RV.   Who knows.   Maybe these posts should have been in that thread.

T

[Diplomat]

I suspect the folks in the bigger rigs have the same issues.  I have not been impressed with the fit and finish of the larger rigs either.  I haven't seen the real high end ones but my guess is that, like all things, you get what you pay for.  All in all I am pretty happy with my PU.  Doing the odd bit of maintenance is kinda like extending the camping experience for me.

[mike4947]

From tents to the over 40 foot motor coach people, we all have the same type problems when it comes to quality, both from the factory and during the "service" life of an RV.

Our extended camping family includes everythnig from tents to mid 6 figure coaches. Never once in over 30 years have we ever had a RV of any type where something wasn't broken/misassembled/or missing. Also there always eems to be "that part" you replace yearly because it just won't last.
 
A running joke in our group is called the "short list" or what needs redoing when we take delivery of an RV. Short list is is like calling the 7 footer shorty as it usually has several pages of thngs that need attention.
 
A hint for anyone getting a new RV, have someone not in the immediate family go with you for the initail checkout. They have a much better chance of seeing mistakes/problems than you do with your "I gotta have it right now" attitude when picking up the new RV.
Several times we had the "third party" stop a deal and demand the unit be fixed before the owner could/would take possesion.  The owners almost cried and would have taken the units and "come back later" for repairs, but our third party held firm. Dealers tend to fix things a lot faster and better when they don't have a check in their hand.

[brainpause]

A hint for anyone getting a new RV, have someone not in the immediate family go with you for the initail checkout. They have a much better chance of seeing mistakes/problems than you do with your "I gotta have it right now" attitude when picking up the new RV.
Several times we had the "third party" stop a deal and demand the unit be fixed before the owner could/would take possesion.  The owners almost cried and would have taken the units and "come back later" for repairs, but our third party held firm. Dealers tend to fix things a lot faster and better when they don't have a check in their hand.

Mike, this may be one of the best ideas I've EVER read on PUT! I would never have thought of this!

Larry

[mike4947]

Larry, not only that but we're lucky enough to have a friend who's idea of a great Saturday is arguing with sales people over prices. I figure on just the 2 trailers and 3 car/trucks he's helped me buy, I've saved over $10,000 from absolute best prices I'd been offered.
I've seen salesmen cringe when we come back for round two. My last truck came in $250 under invoice and with $2000 in rebates it was worth more after two years than I paid for it. Not to mention he got a hitch added and the 7 pin wired up as a freebie.
I caught a major wreck repair for him on  Salene Mustang he was dying to get. SO it evened out betwen us.