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Old 11-25-2012, 05:42 AM   #1
George D
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Re-visiting DRV Quality

Some time ago I made a post about 5th wheels and the quality of the construction, primarily Mobile Suite/DRV. A lot of folks offered up their opinions and gave recommendations - we are very thankful for those. I received a number of personal emails (pro and con) from people and some of those folks asked me to post further info.

The long and short of it - I realize that all brands of units can, and likely will, have problems. People are generally happy with the way DRV responds to their problems. But some folks have had a ton of problems, especially, but not limited to, model years 2009-2012. I have recently spoken to a person in a park that has a 2010 and he has had all kinds of problems with their unit. It sounds like DRV has come up a little short on fixing their unit. And - I have talked with several DRV dealers. One of I pressed really hard concerning quality issues and number of units that are returned with problems. They did a lot of hemming and hawing! A second one told me they are not selling any DRVs now because of quality issues.

So, at the risk of opening flood gates, we are choosing not to purchase a DRV. Its unfortunate because we really likely the floorplan and the look of the Mobile Suite. But we simply can't risk spending that kind of money and ending up with a sub-standard unit. Maybe - someday, when its time to trade, we will look at them again. Perhaps by then the quality will have come back??

Whatever product you have - we wish you good health and safe travels!

George
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Old 11-25-2012, 08:19 AM   #2
wingnut60
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George,
I can understand your concern about price vs quality. Have you figured out which brand will deliver the quality/service you need?
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Old 11-25-2012, 08:59 AM   #3
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We understand. We considered a new one earlier this year to take advantage of low interest rates and some upgrades that have come out since we ordered our unit in 2008. But after reviewing the issues of the newer models, decided it's not worth the risk.

Our 2006 ES was full of problems, usually repetitive ones, but the 2009 MS has only had some minor issues that weren't difficult to fix. As working fulltimers, it's especially hard to drop off our home for repairs or upgrades, so nearly everything has to be done by DH or a Mobile Tech.

Good Luck with whatever you choose.
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Old 11-25-2012, 09:19 AM   #4
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I'm not sure if your research has been very thorough.
You mention one person at an RV park with problems. I can mention at least three here with new DRV's that have had no problems and love their camper.
Dealers "hemming and hawing". Was this the owner of the dealership? A salesman? Did they answer your questions or just blow you off? A dealer that is not selling DRV any more? I'm willing to bet you did not get the full story from that one. Maybe it was DRV that quit the relationship. We really don't know. I have never believed what a dealer says unless it's put in writing. Otherwise it's just BS.
To say that people are generally happy with the way that DRV responds to their problems and then to mention the one or two who for reasons unknown as to where the fault lies are not happy is not enough to scare me away from a future purchase.
For every purchase I have made I can find some people that bought the same and had problems. Often times it is the personality of the customer that is the cause of the conflict not being satisfactorily settled.
I have been in the DRV factory three times recently and have seen some work that I considered marginal but it was on items I wouldn't consider significant although my anal retentiveness didn't like it. I was also at the Excel factory and was surprised they let prospective customers see some of their construction.
Whatever you do end up purchasing make sure you go on a few tours of that factory. None are high standard.
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Old 11-25-2012, 09:24 AM   #5
Motor31
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George, I'm also interested in what you decided to buy. We will have to change our unit in the next 2 years and I'm very very reluctant to make the DRV mistake again.
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Old 11-25-2012, 01:01 PM   #6
BillK
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On forums such as this, if anyone has issues you will most probably hear about it. If they have none or very few, you will likely not hear about it. We own a 2011 MS and have had a few minor things that needed attention. A couple more that were more than minor were taken care of. These two were of no fault of DRV but were problems with appliances. We have owned 7 different fifth wheels made by 5 different manufacturers and have not had any more problems with the MS that any of the others. I believe that is a plus for DRV because it is loaded with more options that give the opportunity for breakdowns. I would buy another DRV without reservation.
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Old 11-25-2012, 02:46 PM   #7
terry and jo
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As one that has a 2010 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3, you can chalk me up as one of those that is very pleased with our choice. We have had some problems, but they were not issues with DRV, but with the appliances and other things than the trailer.

Also, I've been on a number of forums and am even a moderator on one, and I can attest that owner's forums of any brand will draw those that are looking for a solution to a problem. I would further state that it is likely that for every disgruntled customer, there are 5 to 10 that have few problems, and most of those likely just fix the issue and move on.

Any brand can have issues, and any brand can have bad dealers. I recall on one of the forums where someone stated that a dealer at a big RV show stated that DRV was having really big problems and was on the verge of going under. I thought it odd since DRV had just announced the Estates models of the Mobile Suites line.

When questioned further, the forum participant acknowledged that the "dealer" was one that carried DRV. Since we know that there are very poor dealers out there (I could even name a few), I would never take the comments of just a few people as a proven fact.

To further research the possibilities of DRV "issues" with quality, I contacted a DRV dealer that I highly respect and asked him about the quality. He told me that DRV is actually getting better with quality, based on his having fewer things to have the factory fix when he does his own PDI when he picks up a new unit.

In truthfulness, he is "one dealer" and I am "one satisfied customer," so even we cannot be the end-all of opinions. If I were to order a new unit, I would likely get to really nit-picking what I wanted with a new one and even go to the extreme of asking the factory if I could be on-site when my unit was being built.

I don't know if DRV would allow that, but I would sure be trying to insist upon it.

Terry
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Old 11-25-2012, 04:11 PM   #8
GlennWest
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I know a wall is not insulated above a window in my Mobile Suites and as cold as it is around windows and slides I suspect this is norm.
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Old 11-25-2012, 04:29 PM   #9
BlueSkyRanch
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Re: Re-visiting DRV Quality

Quote:
Originally Posted by George D
Some time ago I made a post about 5th wheels and the quality of the construction, primarily Mobile Suite/DRV. A lot of folks offered up their opinions and gave recommendations - we are very thankful for those. I received a number of personal emails (pro and con) from people and some of those folks asked me to post further info.

The long and short of it - I realize that all brands of units can, and likely will, have problems. People are generally happy with the way DRV responds to their problems. But some folks have had a ton of problems, especially, but not limited to, model years 2009-2012. I have recently spoken to a person in a park that has a 2010 and he has had all kinds of problems with their unit. It sounds like DRV has come up a little short on fixing their unit. And - I have talked with several DRV dealers. One of I pressed really hard concerning quality issues and number of units that are returned with problems. They did a lot of hemming and hawing! A second one told me they are not selling any DRVs now because of quality issues.

So, at the risk of opening flood gates, we are choosing not to purchase a DRV. Its unfortunate because we really likely the floorplan and the look of the Mobile Suite. But we simply can't risk spending that kind of money and ending up with a sub-standard unit. Maybe - someday, when its time to trade, we will look at them again. Perhaps by then the quality will have come back??

Whatever product you have - we wish you good health and safe travels!

George
George, I appreciate your assessment and agree with several items. In 2010 I spent 6 weeks in Howe, IN for warranty repairs and in 2011, 3 weeks. This year 3 hours for one warranty issue and an optional add on. In my life I have owned 5 towables, 1 Class C, 1 Class A gas and 1 Class A Diesel. During that time (1970-2003) I think I spent a total of 3 to 5 days having warranty work done. Today, the RV industry is a pitiful example of building quality, "Made in America" products. Having said that, I believe DRV is a leader in making thing right. I also hear that New Horizons is another manufacturer that makes things right. I too am looking for a new rig and I may go back to a Class A Diesel.

Thanks again George for your posting.
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Old 11-26-2012, 08:01 AM   #10
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I want to make a general statement as far as quality on any RV.
-
If you go out and buy a new car, let's say a real nice car for $35,000 and you have problems like a leaking roof or parts breaking off the frame or any other serious issues you would swear never to buy another one.
-
If everyone would just stop buying the crap that they want $50-100,000 for maybe they would wake up. There is no excuse for this kind of workmanship in the USA. You would think these things were made in Japan.
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Old 11-26-2012, 08:13 AM   #11
BlueSkyRanch
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Ditto - "There is no excuse for this kind of workmanship in the USA."

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2blackdogs
I want to make a general statement as far as quality on any RV.
-
If you go out and buy a new car, let's say a real nice car for $35,000 and you have problems like a leaking roof or parts breaking off the frame or any other serious issues you would swear never to buy another one.
-
If everyone would just stop buying the crap that they want $50-100,000 for maybe they would wake up. There is no excuse for this kind of workmanship in the USA. You would think these things were made in Japan.
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Old 11-26-2012, 08:27 AM   #12
wingnut60
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Basically, I agree. But as to a similar situation with a car--each mfg has numerous dealerships around the US, and each usually has an associated body/frame shop with it. Not so with the RV mfgs, making it hard to get qualified warranty work without a long trip.
And the assembly of a car is a highly regimented, much repeated process hourly--again. not so with the RV mfgs. From what I can see/hear--many of the RV wiring/plumbing/etc assemblies may be done differently depending on who is doing the work that day.
It is indeed amazing that we put up with the shortcomings in the RVs that we would never allow in a car/truck purchase...
Joe
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Old 11-26-2012, 10:42 AM   #13
BlueSkyRanch
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I might have agreed with the comparison with cars 20 or 30 years ago when I bought my first Honda. At that time, the car industry was a mess. I didn't buy my first Honda because it was cheaper. I bought it because it was built better with little or now defects. The automotive industry has address most of their issues. My last 3 cars/trucks (2010 F350 King Ranch, 2008 Saturn Outlook, 2000 Honda Pilot) have been almost flawless. The RV industry needs to step up to the plate as well or we will be buying rigs made in China before to long. Just saying.
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Old 11-26-2012, 02:09 PM   #14
GlennWest
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well i for one will be buying a new coach soon. I likely will not be buying another DRV. Price isn't the problem.Weight and quality is problem. I really do think for what they charge for the units they should be much better quality control. I do realize my unit was before the upgraded insulation but walls absent of any insulation is intolerable. I am looking hard a Heartland Lankmark San Antonio.
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Old 01-02-2013, 06:13 AM   #15
George D
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Re-visiting DRV Quality

Quote:
Originally Posted by GlennWest
well i for one will be buying a new coach soon. I likely will not be buying another DRV. Price isn't the problem.Weight and quality is problem. I really do think for what they charge for the units they should be much better quality control. I do realize my unit was before the upgraded insulation but walls absent of any insulation is intolerable. I am looking hard a Heartland Lankmark San Antonio.
Hi Glenn,
Did you buy a Landmark? If so, would be interested in hearing how you like it.
Geroge
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Old 01-02-2013, 04:51 PM   #16
terry and jo
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If what I saw over on SOITC is right, Glenn is getting prices for trading his DRV at DRV dealers. So, I'm not sure he is still looking at the Landmark.

Terry
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Old 01-02-2013, 11:22 PM   #17
GlennWest
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We really like the floor plan in the front living room Tradition. Drv is putting residential refrigerators in them also. Fisher dish washers also. Heartland refuses to install these. I still believe you get more for your money with the Heartland but construction is mostly equal and quality control also. Having to pay over $4000 for gas absorbent fridge that I don't want was deal breaker. If nothing else DRV is very accommodating. Having difficult time getting a decent trade in price for my unit. RVSFORLESS would only give me 15,000 for mine. Great price on new unit though. Will let all know what I come up with. God bless
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:36 AM   #18
hitchup
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The Tradition plan with FL was on RV 2013 on HGTV. If anyone missed it, it repeats twice on Fri 1/11.
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