Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 06-15-2013, 07:55 PM   #21
Cummins12V98
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: on the road
Posts: 1,188
Quote:
Originally Posted by Motor31
It seems that one of the ways drv economises is to use a very limited number of sizes of screws. That means they are often too long for some applications and for other heavier duty applications too small and weak. The pocket door is a great example of a lack of fore thought about it.

Save a couple pennies here and there and dump the repair on the dealers who are less than equiped to deal with the inadequacies of the design / factory screw ups.
Their biggest problem is drilling thru metal with self drilling screws then into wood. The problem is that type screw destroys the integrity of the wood.

Perfect example is the bedroom slide fiasco.
__________________

__________________
2015 RAM LongHorn Dually Air ride Aisin 4:10's

2016 MS 39TKSB3 "Highly Elited"
Cummins12V98 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2013, 11:10 AM   #22
bstark
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Fergus, Ontario, CANADA
Posts: 1,000
That is exactly the problem. They are time constrained to push rigs past a station by the end of the work week to qualify for the wage make-up bonus.

Given that scenario; whatever function the guy is tasked with; he now does with just one type of screw in his belt pouch and one torque setting on his air powered gun. Sort of a one-size-fits-all conundrum.

They've only been doing stuff like this since the early 04's and you'd think theyd correct the issues brought to light with over-torqued exterior roofing trim screws missing their heads and coverd up with caulking to disguise the error among many other issues related to using wrong fasteners and settings for screwguns.

That pocket door overhead track is a generic item designed for residential usage and, if recollection serves correctly, has a number of holes for the event that it is used for heavier hardwood framed glass doors. Why then wouldn't they use every single hole to mount that track given the up and down jouncing these things are subjected to?
__________________

__________________
Sandra, Bruce
bstark is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2013, 11:48 AM   #23
Motor31
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,130
Why wouldn't they use every hole? Simple. Each screw costs money. Each minute the employee spends on the job on each unit costs money. More units past the employee per day means less cost per unit for manufacturer and a greater markup rate for the factory. It may cost $X to manufacture each unit and they charge the dealer $Y for each unit to maintain a priofit margin for the factory. The dealer then charges $Z to make his profit so at each level the unit has made the chain money. Every dollar that is saved in manufacturing is another dollar profit. Labor is probably the single most expensive part of the manufacturing equation per unit. Less time per unit to get it out the factory door = less cost per unit to make it.

Given that it's common knowledge that the starting point for negotiation in purchase of the RV is about 30% below MSRP you can figure that the real break even point for the factory is probably about 30% of the MSRP for actual cost to them for manufacturing the unit. That will also include the wholesale cost of the apliances they install. Figure that those were purchased at at LEAST 50% of the MSRP for those units and more likely less than 45% so they make more money on them as well. Every unit that sells for MSRP make a very lucrative profit all down the line.

It used to be that the then Mobile Suites company had a 2 year warranty. Then they said they "improved" so they reduced the warranty to 1 year. Hardly a recognition of "improved" product, just a reduction in liability costs for each unit. Every one that makes it past a year in private ownership is one less drain on the profit margin. Most part time RVers can get past a year without much trouble, especially those that do not know how to do a good inspection upon delivery.
__________________

__________________
Mike Nancy and the fuzzies
Fulltiming since June 2004
Volvo 660 MH tow vehicle
2005 MS 38RL
2007 Saturn Ion "toad"
2010 Gold Wing "piggyback"
Motor31 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×