'Covid Trailer' Article

markcee · 10-21-2022, 07:32 AM

For those interested, a link to an article from USA Today on the 'workmanship' of today's trailers.

**sourdough** · 10-21-2022, 08:17 AM

I take these articles with a grain of salt. Orignially from the "Indy Star" and picked up by USA today it appears.

I have no doubts about various failures on an RV but the one like they report is not only catastrophic but extremely rare. A consideration also is that they were newbies and we have no idea what they did or didn't do that might have contributed to the situation unknowingly. It is obvious that they nor the dealership did a thorough PDI on their unit as was apparently the situation in the other examples given. Cars blow up, tires explode, lithium batteries catch fire.... it's the nature of things.

Is RV quality dropping? I think so. I think the manufacturers are letting more mistakes get by which then leaves the new buyer dependent on the dealership to do a thorough PDI. At that point the good dealers vs not so good really start to rise head and shoulders above the others. The good ones catch the issues and their customers go driving happily of into the sunset. The customers of the not so good dealers end up on forums like this venting about substandard quality or sitting in line for months at a dealership. Those with no knowledge of making simple repairs, or uninclined to, are destined to be very unhappy and without use of their RV.

The core components used today; electrical, electronic etc. are probably as good as ever considering they are not built/selected to meet RV weight criteria vs a "who cared" attitude about weight. Frames are probably just as good but we now have multiple slides that continue to add weight and folks nowadays don't just carry a lb. of bacon, some coffee and a couple of steaks like they used to (I'm a prime example). This contributes to frame, tire and suspension issues. Anyway, IMO the entire situation is a glass half empty or half full, the individual has to determine which way he wants to see it.

travelin texans · 10-21-2022, 10:05 AM

I feel for this family & this horrible experience, but agree with Danny that the article left out several key pieces of information as to what may have caused this tragedy in order to sensationalize the story, just like most news sources today.
I do agree quality is not what it once was, but it's not only the rv industry, but just about everything on the market today. Quite frankly I'm sick & tired of using Covid as an excuse for being too damn lazy to do your job.
Quite frankly I'm sick & tired of hearing about Covid.........

markcee · 10-21-2022, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I feel for this family & this horrible experience, but agree with Danny that the article left out several key pieces of information as to what may have caused this tragedy in order to sensationalize the story, just like most news sources today.
I do agree quality is not what it once was, but it's not only the rv industry, but jus5 about everything on the market today. Quite frankly I'm sick & tired of using Covid as an excuse for being too damn lazy to do your job.
Quite frankly I'm sick & tired of hearing about Covid.........

Hah....that makes two of us!

Also agree that it's not just RV build quality that has suffered, nor is it an issue restricted to manufacturing in general. Hell, I think even the 'quality' (and service) of a simple restaurant meal has suffered.

**sourdough** · 10-21-2022, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markcee

Hah....that makes two of us!

Also agree that it's not just RV build quality that has suffered, nor is it an issue restricted to manufacturing in general. Hell, I think even the 'quality' (and service) of a simple restaurant meal has suffered.

You would bring that up. Took DW out for breakfast at a new restaurant that recently opened here in town. It's only one of 2 open for breakfast and the only one that serves regular "gringo" type breakfasts. A hour and 15 minutes later we walked out after ordering 2 eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and a biscuit. We ordered toast and it came out about 15 minutes after the food. Now it only took less than 15 minutes to eat the food. The order was incorrect, the forgotten toast and the long wait. Told her I can fry eggs, bacon, make hashbrowns and eat and be done 30 minutes faster than that. Not trying to hijack the thread, the experience is just still fresh in my mind as my stomach complains about the amount of grease I consumed....

bsmith0404 · 10-21-2022, 10:50 AM

I can’t see a link to an article, but I’ll say this about RV quality over the years. Back in 2013, I paid $58k for a new Duramax LTZ 3500 dually 4x4. The MSRP on my Alpine was $96k. In 2020, before Covid sent all the prices stupid, that same 3500 Duramax would cost around $80k, that’s roughly a 40% increase. An Alpine similar to mine in 2020 would have an MSRP around $120k. I paid $63k for it, in 2020 it would have sold for around $75-80. That’s roughly a 25% increase. The manufactures of RVs were able to keep prices down (and weigh) by going to less expensive products. The doors on my 2013 are real wood, stained, not light weight with a wrap, same as all of my cabinets and trim. IMO, the switch to lighter, more cost effective materials is what has led to the majority of quality issues people experience. Saving $$$ always comes with a trade off.

jsb5717 · 10-21-2022, 11:00 AM

No doubt, this is a real tragedy and heartbreak for the family. I can only imagine how devastating it would be if we were the ones standing on the side of a road, miles from home, and watching it all burn.

It's easy to blame this on Covid, and likely the Covid fallout played into this one. But since these are all built by humans, human error is always a possibility. This could just as easily happened pre-Covid. We probably all remember the space shuttle that exploded right after takeoff, killing 2 astronauts and a teacher. Human error?

I agree that this is a more difficult time to buy a new RV and dealers are probably taking the bulk of the hit as they make up for the lesser quality from the OEM's.

All in all the story is tragic. I didn't read it all word for word so didn't see if they figured out root cause. But I hope they are able to get compensation from Thor if they are at fault.

**sourdough** · 10-21-2022, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsb5717

No doubt, this is a real tragedy and heartbreak for the family. I can only imagine how devastating it would be if we were the ones standing on the side of a road, miles from home, and watching it all burn.

It's easy to blame this on Covid, and likely the Covid fallout played into this one. But since these are all built by humans, human error is always a possibility. This could just as easily happened pre-Covid. We probably all remember the space shuttle that exploded right after takeoff, killing 2 astronauts and a teacher. Human error?

I agree that this is a more difficult time to buy a new RV and dealers are probably taking the bulk of the hit as they make up for the lesser quality from the OEM's.

All in all the story is tragic. I didn't read it all word for word so didn't see if they figured out root cause. But I hope they are able to get compensation from Thor if they are at fault.

At the end the insurance said the cause could not be positively identified since everything was burned up. And yes, no matter the cause it was a tragic event. Thankfully there were no injuries and the damages were limited to just "stuff" vs people.

dutchmensport · 10-21-2022, 12:38 PM

Unfortunately, the article is only too true. I read several RV forums and the story is the same on all of them. The RV manufacturers won't admit their failure, attempt to pass the failures on the customer, and insurance companies are left holding the bag. RV fires have been reported more frequently due to wiring issues. But shoddy workmanship and blown tires is King I think!

I think the article is pretty much spot on with the exception that the recent down-surge of "quality" rose because of Covid. The fact is, the workmanship was NEVER there. The difference during that time period of Covid is simple. More than ever in history were RV's being spit out at that time. That means more people purchased RV. That means more people complained about the quality. It's not just brushed under the run any more. Same lack of quality, just more vocalizing it now as more have purchased RV during this time period.

Something needs to happen in order to wake up the RV manufacturers, that's for sure ... and public media is the way to get it done!

The best thing any of us can do is post our complaints on the manufacture's web site, and especially media like Facebook. They are REAL quick to do double takes when they start getting flooded with negative's. I know, that's exactly how we got a repair done once, as they simply brushed us under the carpet! My wife went a bit over the top and blasted the hell out of them on their Facebook pages and within an hour we had a resolution waiting for us. It works. They don't want to face up to their own embarrassments!

wiredgeorge · 10-21-2022, 01:21 PM

Labor these days is on a downward spiral. Have to do with the govt giving out massive handouts/bailouts etc. during the plague? Dunno but there were complaints about restaurants... this last summer the Dairy Queen in Bandera dining room was shut much of the time as they didn't have enough help to cover it but they did keep the drive through open. This is when a lot of kids are out of school. Used to be kids worked in restaurant service jobs. Where did they all go? The RV making businesses seem to be in the same boat and some of it their own doing. The one fella in the article quit after 10 years and complained he had to crank out 36 units a day (doing whatever).

At some point the manufacturers will have to figure out their long term fiscal health is tied to their reputation and product quality more than shoving units out the door to unsuspecting first time buyers. Many of the folks irritated over quality issues will likely keep that in mind before springing for another new camper. Dealer's service shops bear the brunt of the quality impact and I suspect that a lot more qualified techs will be needed in the future. Incentive to become an RV tech will have to be there to keep all the kids from going to college to study art history and the like.

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