Possibily looking at purchasing a 1/2 ton, questions

[Cougar1957]

We would not hesitate to purchase another Cougar fifth wheel. Our's is a 2015 model and we have had zero issues with it. It has never been back to the dealer for anything. The slides have worked flawlessly, and they have not needed any adjustments. In reality you have to expect at least some issues with any RV because as others have said, they are all put together very quickly. We have always found that the Cougar's are a step above most others though. Personally, I would not tow a big Cougar with a F-150 because I'm sure you are way over your max GVWR. That half-ton towable advertising has holes in it.

[DOWva]

This past February we purchased a Used 2014 35 Foot Cougar 5th wheel and absolutely love it. Features of the RV and the craftsmanship seems to be top notch. This by the way is our second 5th wheel, our first 5th wheel was a Forest River, we like the Cougar a lot more.

[schallerr]

Most campers nowadays have a few things that are wrong with them straight from the factory, unfortunately. Make sure you go to a dealer who has a good reputation and their own repair department. We bought a new Keystone last year (Laredo) we camped in at all season and kept a list of things that needed to be fixed. We had some wiring problems on the first trip that we had a local guy fix and kept the receipt. At the end of camping season we went back to the dealer with our punch list and receipt. They fixed everything as it was covered under warranty and submitted our receipt to Keystone and we were paid back. Looking forward to a trouble-free year this year. Knockwood

[foldbak]

Originally Posted by ihbond

So, buy your floor plan first..Didn't listen to my own advice..and now it will cost us..

SORRY TO START OFF MY FIRST THREAD THIS WAY..Just trying to play a quick catch up .

Currently we own a 2018 2108ds Winnebago and the trailer floor plan does not meet our needs after a couple of times rv'ing. No issues with the quality so far...Just cramped. For my wife and our 1 dog. I have owned other RV's in the past.

So folks;
i have joined the forum as my wife and I are looking at spending (what we consider a lot of money) on a 2018\19 cougar 1/2 ton 26brswe or something in that size. We tow with a f150 (which can handle the weight and hitch weight)..

my main concern is, figured I would ask the experts here first then hearing it from my local stealership.

1) Would you buy a cougar towable again ?
2) Are you seeing a trend of quality issues go up since THOR owns it ?
3) Customer service (I get that its the typical when in doubt ship it out, including winni's trust me..there are issues on all sides). How responsive is CS in the first year ?
4) IS the trailer holding up after use (Drawers, Cushions, electrical, etc )
5) any other towable companies (ORV, Lance) would you look at ?
6) how is the Slideout mechanism's (Airplane wire) working for you so far

I must admit, i have done a few searches, but getting a little worried on the negative feedback i have seen so far... I believe Cougar has some modern design thinking, just trying to do some more analysis (paralysis)...

THanks
Ian

These are all good questions. I've had 5 trailers and they were all good quality. My last 2 were a Jayco 25' ultralight and a Prowler 30'. Never had a quality issue with either. I recently purchased a 2018 Cougar Half Ton 27SABWE. My wife and I fell in love with the floor plan......at first. I was a bit unsure about the cable pop out system but honestly what sold me was the self leveling system, the PVC roof, sealed belly and foam filled walls. At first glance the draws and hardware looked solid.

Before our first trip I installed a Onan 3600 LPG gen and an Aims 4000 inverter. We took it to the Delta for a ring out. It was raining the first day and normally I would be concerned with set up in the rain. But I felt the leveling system would alleviate some of that pain so off we went. When we arrived I got out thinking that all I had to do was push a button and get inside......boy was I wrong. Long story short, the system failed throwing all kinds of error codes. Lifting one side off the ground, out of stroke etc. It took me and hour and a half to figure out how to manually level it. The next fail was the water heater. It blew flames out of the side of the trailer and filled the bathroom with gas. The fresh water system cavitated every time a faucet was turned on. One drawer slide failed, the window shades wouldn't stay up and it took an act of god to lock the hitch.

We took it back to the dealership and reported the issues. They called several days later and told me it was ready for pick up. They said they fixed all of the issues. The leveling system just needed to be calibrated. the water heater had debris in it and the window shades needed to be adjusted. The had to rebuild the drawer slide frame. As for the cavitation and the hitch, that was normal....

So I returned home and pressed the leveling button and guess what happened.........FAIL! I was infuriated. Called the dealer and took it back. We went through this 3 times before I exploded to the sales manager. The factory would only pay for a calibration. And the mechanic calibrated and tested it in the same spot every time. I told the shop to calibrate it and move it to various locations on the lot for testing. Outcome it failed. As it turns out the factory used too large of screws breaking the rear sensor and it was just hanging by it's wires. They had to cut the sealed belly open to make the repairs.

Next trip we took it to Bodega Bay. Got out and pressed the button and it leveled. The trip was a success.

Recently we had a severe rain and I found water in two of the window tracks. Took it back and they pressure tested the trailer to find 7 faulty window! WTF??? Those are on order.

The negatives are:

• The floor vents are poorly located. You walk on the bedroom vent collapsing it and the rear lounger foot sits on the the other doing the same
• Storage is severely lacking
• Loungers have to be turned sideways in order to retract the slide
• Construction debris works its way from under the cabinets into the living space. I removed a bottom drawer to find all kinds of crap!!
• The window valances are crooked
• There are staple holes everywhere
• The king size bed is a joke. Cant stand next to the bed
• The bedroom closets are too short
• Don't lean against the interior walls....paper thin, no support
• The interior LED lighting is ridiculously over done.
• Crappy TV antenna

Positives:

• LOTS of windows!!!
• Great floor plan
• Large frig
• Good entertainment system......CRAP speakers A sound bar took care of that
• Leveling system
• Electric awning
• Large slide
• Comfortable furniture
• Good color scheme......the light one
• PVC roof
• Foam filled walls
• Good chassis and axles
• Sporty rims
• Molded nose cone
• Rear storage rack
• LED lights
• I can pull it with my Expedition

So at the end of the day, would I buy it again?.....well given the state of the industry what choice do I have. The problem industry wide is supply and demand. With a good economy and all the Baby Boomers buying trailers the manufactures can't keep up. They slam these things together with little to no quality control. I could do a better job!


Sorry for the long post but you asked.

[RoscoeV]

Wobly, glad you were able to get the PDI. Please let us know how you made out.

[wobly]

Originally Posted by RoscoeV

Wobly, glad you were able to get the PDI. Please let us know how you made out.

We were supposed to pick up the trailer today, but it hasn't arrived at the lit yet. We rescheduled for Friday.

[RoscoeV]

Originally Posted by wobly

We were supposed to pick up the trailer today, but it hasn't arrived at the lit yet. We rescheduled for Friday.

Great, I hope it all works out well for you.

[BW66L]

We had a Keystone Passport towable for 5 years and decided to move up to a 5th wheel. The only issue we ever had with the Passport was the sewer smell (which the dealer could never find how it was getting in the cabin). We traded it for the 2018 Cougar Xlite 28SBS. After having it now for 10 months, we have had the entire floor replaced due to the substrate screws coming up and poking thru, Slide-out motor replaced, new inverter installed, City Water fill box replaced, cabinet door handles replaced due to breaking off in hand, cabinet hinges installed because they keep falling out and the pin box replaced. Other than that, it's a great RV!

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by BW66L

We had a Keystone Passport towable for 5 years and decided to move up to a 5th wheel. The only issue we ever had with the Passport was the sewer smell (which the dealer could never find how it was getting in the cabin). We traded it for the 2018 Cougar Xlite 28SBS. After having it now for 10 months, we have had the entire floor replaced due to the substrate screws coming up and poking thru, Slide-out motor replaced, new inverter installed, City Water fill box replaced, cabinet door handles replaced due to breaking off in hand, cabinet hinges installed because they keep falling out and the pin box replaced. Other than that, it's a great RV!

In other words: "besides that, how was the play, Mr Lincoln"..........

[Ken / Claudia]

Foldbak just made my whole point in post #19. Of the 11 negatives he listed 9 would have been spotted if he really looked first.