Readers' comments:
Latest first

the origional WANDER WAGON '75 :   I reside within a 1987 Apollo 3000RB motor home. It is very well built. You could put it on its roof and it will stay together! The difference in todays coaches is the cost of fuel resulting in the reduction of weight requirments. I have been employed over the years working on the assembly lines of various RVs such as field n stream, open road, scotsman, mobile scout, etc. I have never found a rig to be as solidly built as these are. Their appearance varied little all the way up to 1991 including the out side colors. the main difference from my coach and the 1991 coach was the larger windows. My cabnets have never needed repairs. They are all solid, ( not frame and panneling stick and staple)I have redecorated mine as 1800 style with embosed cieling and fabric wall covering, period carpet, and a small chandelier. Window coverings are with swag and tassle. It's kinda like the railroad coach in "The Wild Wild West!" My main complaint is with the copper plumbing as it tends to burst in subzero weather. the waer heater is 3 way with lp gas, electric, or heat from the engine. It has the built in vacume system, and a lot of kitchen gadgets, linnen and wardrobe, bar/entertainment center with icemaker, two furnaces, two airconditioners etc. It is nothing but sturdy! But at 9 miles per gallon, I can't afford to roam around the country as I once did! I would rather part with my wife and dog befor I'd give up this coach! They don't build them like they use to!

Laurie :   I am on my 3 class A. I purched a 2008 Voger in Olive Branch Ms. I have had this motor home for about 7 months and I have had it back to the dealer 5 times. I live round trip 95 miles. My radio,dvd player, itleaked twice in 2 different places on the slide outs,I had a leak in the wall behind the shower, my floor by the leak in the shower creaks and makes noise, my bathroom sink was wrong size for the faucet(causing water to get all over bathroom) the clean out hose by toilet leaked etc. These items aren't all that is wrong and I have complained about taking it to the dealer so many times at 95 miles a visit. I asked about the lemon law with no response. I love my winnebago, but this is rediculous. I can't take a trip or even drive it anywhere without it having some problem or something. I would like a telephone # to reach Winnebago about my complaints. Thank you very much...........Laurie

Al T :   Purchased a new Bounder 2007 RV. This is our 4th new motorhome so were not new to the business. Since this purchase 2 1/2 years ago it has been in to their service department at least 1 times for 99 items. Even though the warranty has run out, problems still plage us every time we go out. I called Fleetwood stating that I beleive this is a Lemon, but they say it's not unuasual to have problems, but all these. I think it is a little excess. What do you think

Jerry :   Just purchased a used 2006 Fleetwood Expedition. I just noticed a water leak around the front left window by driver. Any suggestions? Also, is it OK to run generator while sleeping? Curious about any other issues to watch out for. Thanks

Frodo :   BJ, Reason why certain camp grounds in AZ and CA won't let you in is due to the "age" of the RV!!! Some RV camp grounds pride themselves in "looks" so if brochure pics are taken and there's an old RV in the pic, it doesn't look good to perspective customers. There's an RV park in Mesa that states no RVs older than 10 yrs old. I was denied a spot at a RV camp resort in MN for two reasons, first being my RV is almost 20 yrs old and "doesn't fit in" second was my dog barking while inside the cab. Campground owner just looked at the RV & dog and said "no" when I saw a number of vacant RV spaces!! I wasn't going to argue it and just left. So to answer your question as to why you weren't allowed to camp is your RV is to old.

Darrell :   Damon Owners...beware! We have a 1991 Challanger that we are having to "dump" because of water leaks and delamination. I originally contacted Damon about delamination in the right front corner and was told by the Quality Control Rep. that he knew exactly where the delamination was happening and he was right about the location. He told me it was because I hadn't maintained the window seals. When I asked about the seals he said it was in my owners manual, I told him I never received one and he promised to send one which he never did. His attitude was pure "smartass" I wouldn't reccomend Damon to anyone. Their service is non-existant.

Connie :   I own a 2002 Class C Four Winds that was purchased in 05 from one owner. it has been an absolute nightmare with water leaks in all windows. I have had the upper cab window replaced twice and the side inside windows leak as well. I do not know what to do. Is there a lemon law for RV's

Peter P :   As a person of interest with regards buying his first RV the RoTi reviews are really interesting. I have narrowed my search to three manufacturing companies Tiffin Allegro Bus, Monaco Knight and Thor Damon units. I can't understand why the Damon range appear so cheap in comparison to the other two companies. I am looking for any feedback on this subject. Is quality the major issue here?

RV Tumbleweed :   We bought a new Keystone Everest 5th wheel, model 293 i, in Dec., 2002, as we were looking for a mid-range unit & better construction. It has served us well. We are full-timers, and have about 80,000 miles on our 5'vr. Two structural issues - when new we had to take it to the factory to resolve a roof problem because the plywood had not been screwed down properly. After a trip to Mexico we lost a leaf spring on one side and found the shackles holding the unit to the frame were wearing through and needed replacement. A dealer told us it was a common Everest problem and they had come out with a replacement kit. Otherwise outside of the usual issues with shades, Dometic refrig.recall, poor drawer slides, it has served us well. Enjoy.

formerly furious curious traveller :   saw a large rv on the side of the road after a 1hr traffic jam by the time we got to sse it it was towing a saturn which had caught fire being towed it was just a shell of a car no more glass, tires or anything it was 8/31/08 near doylestown exit of PA turnpike ANYBODY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?

Lybs :   We have found stress cracks in the body of our 2006 Fleetwood Southwind. WE were able to get one fixed because it was obvious that it was caused by overtightening screws holding the hot water heater in place. We have taken pictures of the ones in the back of the unit where the ladder is attached but Fleetwood is saying that it is not structural. That seems to be a pretty common statement. Are there others with similiar problems?

Chris and Mo :   We've had 3 new RVs one great, one OK and one more problems than we should have had. I don't think it's entirely a problem with the manufacturer I think it's just as much or more a problem with the dealer. We had 2 Fleetwoods, one great, one big problems. When I spoke to other customers of the 2 dealers they had similar experiences. Dealers not manufacturers are the problem. The other was a National. It was OK just a few problems my friend with the same RV from a different dealer had a different experience. The dealer network is the manufacturers best friend and I think this is what everyone should check out before buying an RV.

joelsr :   I have a 2007 Monaco CaymanXL, and generally am pleased with it overall. It's the lack of Q/C and the dealers lack of attention that bugs me. My sound system is not up to performance, leveling jacks had to be calibrated by me (lifted the pass. rear 4" off pavement); fuel sensor/system doesn't work (3rd sensor). When test driven the speed indicator read 85 while going 30, front end was out of alignment.

Bob K :   We own a 2006 Fleetwood Excursion and love it. Have lived in it for a year and a half, criss crossed the country twice and the only complaint I have is the cost of diesel fuel. The Freightliner chassis and CAT engine perform great. The key to a trouble free rig is ensuring all preventive maintenance is done as called for in your manuals. And always remember the best warranty in a well stock tool box.

Seattle Bill :   I find the same problems here in Washington. I have found this problem with a lot of the larger chain campgrounds. I won't give their name but I will supply the blanks for it. _ _ _

BJ :   We bought a new Winnebago in 1990 for our retirement years. Now we are being denied camping privleges in private campgrounds in both Phoenix Arizona and Ventura California. It is a 27 ft class A and we have taken good care of it so it is not a run down shack. What is the basis for this restriction? The parks are blaming insurace companies, various ordinances and other phony made up reasons. What is behind this?

Morris :   The fault lies both with the manufacturer and the dealer. I never buy motor vehicles new! Let someone else spend a year getting the bugs fixed. I have had nothing but good results from the Winnebago dealer that I use - LaMesa RV in Tucson, AZ. At delivery of a used class A, just about everything that can be done to make the coach acceptable has been done in advance. The small list of warranty work was always fixed promptly and professionally - replace defective parts rather than to patch them up, etc. Check the reputation of the seller as well as the manufacturer. Winnebago would not have been in business for three generations if they did not produce fair quality for the price.

Russ :   I am a believer in Tiffin Motor Homes. I have had 2 and driven 2 others, owned by someone else, I have been to the factory for minor repairs. My first was an Allegro boought new in 1 2005 at Lazy days in FL. Took it to Red Bay, Al to have some things added. I did not have one complaint on this coach. I traded it on an Allegro Bay (Fred) because it had 4 slides and was a diesel. Bob Tiffin is one of the nicest man you will ever meet. His door is always open. This is gospel

Milo Washburn :   This is 2008 and we live in a high tech good quality times by some of the really good auto firms. The RV firms for the mostpart live in the year 1947 with really no advances worth while since the RV's first came down the line. They are mired with companies who just have no company quality concerns. If you wanted to take them all on you could runthem out of business in about 1 yr. by just using the latest tech with good parts aboard and pay their workers adecent wage so they would want to make high quality unit. Shame on the American RV industry for making such shoddy products!

Mac :   I just ran across this website, and it's great. I teach fire safety to RVer's and I thought I was the only one that felt this way. My biggest concern is the 12v wiring. Over 75% of the rv fires are started by a failure of the 12v connections. The wire runs are too long without being fused. Diesel pushers have more fires then any other RV for right now. Someone said if the manufacture keeps building junk, and we keep buying it. They won't stop, until we stop them. We have no help from the NFPA or RVIA who make the standards for safety. Someone from the RV buying public needs to be on the committee with the support of the RV buying public. Like that will ever happen.

Don S. :   We just purchased a new Monaco Diplomat motor home last year. Love the motorhome, hate the poor quality. Panels fell off, water leaks (floods), light fixtures fell off, bolts and screws missing, constantly finding more things that need fixing. As all dealers, DeMartini RV forgets you as soon as the sale is done.

Bob J :   Quality, Service are not words the RV industry should use. The industry has the same quality as the late 70's early 80's as the automobile industry except for the imports, Toyota Honda etc. I have an A class Imperial and it can get to the repair shop on its own!!! I guess it is hard to understand how CEO's can not see the past and change the direction the RV industry is going!!

Ed Medders :   I agree 100% with Bob on the issues that he has raised. Being an aircraft fabrication/modernization at the AirReasearch facilities where we upgrade and customize multi million dollar aircrafts, I have never seen so shoddy in some of the million dollor motor homes i.e., Provost, Newell etc. etc. Besides cheap connectors and wiring including Chinese made logic boards, the entire electro-mechanical craftsmanship sucks. Besides the external plush and facny color schemes, interior comes with very cheaply designed and poorly crated workmanship. It's obvious that the bottom line for the high end motorhome makers is the profit. So my advise for those interested in spending 100K or over (even 1 mil or more) is to buy an older classic and spend the money in upgrading it. It's no different than buying a real good old American or even European classic car and restoring it. Once you restore any classic Motorhome you are bound to get your money back it you have to sell it. But at least you have real hand made classic that is further upgraded with love and care. So for those buying the high end motohomes, stay away from fast talking bullshitter salesmen with all kinds of guarantees. Once the sale is over you could hardly get their attention.

John A :   Go to the consumer reports section of this website (see links above) and search for Winnebago. There's lots of stuff there.

Regina Lynn :   We are researching class c motorhomes and hope to purchase one in a few months. We are leaning toward a Winnebago Access. Any comments regarding quality, reliability and especially any problems experienced would be greatly appreciated.

Kimberley :   I am courious to know what problems you had with your Fleetwood Motorhome? My parents just purchased a 2002 with only 14 k miles. It broke down on them while on vacation this summer. We were told that dirt has entered the turbo and engine but all the airtake filter and hoses are intact. This Fleetwood is still under warranty however this is not covered. It seems like the engine was "contaminated" during assembly but I have no proof.

Merry :   We purchased a 2005 Fleetwood Excursion with 9K in April 07. We noticed a problem with the kitchen slide in that it was at an angle off over 1 in top to bottom and the floor was sagging as well. We contacted Fleetwood and the dealer in Springfield,Mo. We were given the name of Adventure RV in Davenport IA which was 60 miles from us. After 10 weeks, they could not correct the problem even though they said they had fixed it. We then drove 450 miles to Springfield to leave it for 2 months and find that it had not been fixed there either. Fleetwood claims it is not structural and are not willing to fix it. After owning a business myself for 21 years, I would be embarrassed to put a product on the market such as this and charge such an amount for it.

Bob :   As a former aerospace engineer I am appalled at how poor the layouts are (ergonomically) and how poor the quality of most of the interiors are put together. Cheap fasteners, low quality hinges, etc. etc. Garbage! I've had 6 motor homes and have spent tons of $$$$ keeping them running. IMHO, the worst part of RVs is the electrical systems. Total crap! We, as a group of RV owners, need to be more active in bringing in the government to extend the "lemon" laws. When we pay for RV stuff our money is 100% good, but we don't get back 100% in goods and service. This has got to change!

frustrated :   Has anyone had any issues or concerns with Dutchmen 2007 31 foot trailer. Too many to list here and getting the pass the buck treatment.

NewbieCruiser :   My new BT Cruiser has about a half dozen issues that should not have left the factory. The dealer listed each, and promised to fix them this week, without any conflict or argument, just a "Yup, that shouldn't be, we'll take care of it". Any RV is going to have issues, they are not made of marine quality, they are made lighter. They could be made better, and should be, no excuses. Unfortunately, today, issues are a part of RVing. I can live with minor issues, it's the big ones I'm afraid of; breaking down on a trip, wall delaminating and falling off, outraguous repair bills, ok, I better stop. I'm feeling ill. It'll be a good RV, it'll be a good RV, it'll be a good RV. I can hope, only time will tell.

Nora :   About to become an RVer but your comments certainly answered my concerns! Thanks -I'll continue to enjoy my Dodge Durango and watch the RVs on the highway.

George A :   Want to buy a 5th wheel. Have a rather steep driveway coming off the highway. How can I tell if the 5er can get up the driveway without dragging in the rear, etc.?

Patsy :   I have towed a travel trailer for over 18 yrs, the last one a jayco Designer 32ft and it has been totally delightful! It is my 2nd jayco and would love it if the quality of Jayco could be found in a class A diesel. I am so confused now about the class A I am seriously considering not buying one at all.

Ben :   If you want real quality, buy a Lazy Daze Class C. No dealers. The dealer 35% markup goes into original quality. Best unit that I know of. I own 'em and I love 'em. I have never heard these kind of complaints from LD owners.

Bernie & Saucey :   Our comment is actually a question :) In all of our rv trips, we've yet to see a small convertible being towed. We tow a Saturn, but would like to tow a convertible. Is this due to damage to the top? We've been to Texas 4 times, and to the last 3 years big hurricanes. Being we're heading into areas that we could use the rag top, we'd love to hear if anyone tows one. Thank you

Bill :   I purchased a 2004 Winnebago Mini Winnie in December 2003. Within a week or so, I turned into the Dealer about 4 or 5 pages of discrepancies from the dining table being crooked by 4 inches, the logos peeling off the side of the motor home, the ladder was not secured, but just thrown in the outside storage compartment, the copper line going to and from the Propane tank was not secured at all, and many other problems too numerous to mention here. My first MH was made by Fleetwood which we kept for 6 years and had structural problems with Fleetwood giving us the "one year warranty" bit. I was hoping to get a somewhat problem free coach this time, but actually ended up with more problems that with the Fleetwood MH. Such a shame to pay $88,000 for a supposedly nice MH and then to have so many problems with it. Wish I could take it back to Winnebago Industries and hopefully get another one. What makes one mad is the constant reminders in the brochures about the quality control and painstaking ways in which the MH is assembled and checked before shipping it out. That hurts. Thanks for letting me vent.

Carl N :   We've had 3 new rvs and all had some problems. I think the biggest problem is the dealer. They often can't fix things that they should fix and cause many problems. We had many electrical problems with one rv and the dealer tried over and over to fix it. It was never really satisfactory. We took it back to the factory and they fixed it in just 3 hours. All the problems went away and the factory agreed that the real problem was that the dealers techs just didn't know enough about what they were doing.

James H :   Every year the trailer and coach companies must improve to make the new models worth more and be more desirable. All manufacturers should have their bad points corrected every year and never make some of the blunders they keep making. All new campers should eliminate using wood for anykind of framing and replace it with aluminum, making them sturdier with less rot.

WINDLASS :   My "high end" Winnebago Itasca Cambria broke down on the first trip...Ford initially unresponsive, spent night in Gas station after being towed out of road, had to call police to get tow; then, generator failed to start, door fell off closet; after tow to city and "fix", failed to start again. Finally started ... will take to dealer tomorrow.

Kevin North :   My experiences have been good apart from minor problems. The minor problems could mainly have been avoided by better quality control both by the manufacturer and the dealer. The biggest problem with this is taking it back to the dealer for these things to be dealt with during the warranty period.

Fred :   Not much more to add other then the last three RV's (Class A) I've owned the quality was terible. I currently own an 06 Holiday Rambler Ambassador. Up to May 2007 it was at the dealer since Dec 06, now they say it needs to go back to the manufacturing facility to cut the hole bigger where the slide goes.........Anyone knows how to contact a Monaco superviser or manager please let me know.

DarnMad :   From the cheap way the RVs are being built and the outragous price they want for them has reached the buyer beware stage. This is regardless of the manufacturer. Just as well say they came from China.

Curtis :   I guess we wil have to wait until the Japanese get into the RV market before we can expect constant quality

kjstormy :   We have owned 3 motohomes since we began fulltiming. Two were Fleetwood products and the last one is an Tiffin product. The first new one was a Southwind Storm and Fleetwood was very responsive although one of the service dealers was horrible. The present motorhome is a Tiffin product and although we had more problems than with the Southwind they are excellent to work with. I just can't say enough good about the factory. We still have had problems with the dealer repair service, however, but whenever possible we tried to deal with Tiffin directly and they allowed us to make some of the warranty repairs ourselves and supplied the parts. We think they are wonderful to work with.

Larry S. :   I love camping, only truly relax when doing so, and, at this point, am ready to throw in the towel since we have had lousy luck with all of our RV purchases (about 10 now)and across a number of manufacturers; all with terrible quality and many issues.

Chuck Loomis :   I have owned class A motor homes for 33 years all bought new. Manufacturers do not care the slightest if the coach meets minimal quality, put some glitz in it and people will buy it. There is not enough room in one book to tell my horror stories. I have owned Fleetwood,wanderlodge,Country Coach and many other brands. If you want it right you would have to buid it yourself.

rvguy79 :   The quality issues are joined at the hip with the consumer's ever growing appetite for discount shopping and the manufacturer's and dealers ever growing appetite for volume in the face of minimalist mark-ups. As a salesperson representing a number one line of rv's in terms of engineering and quality it continually amazes me both the way the typical rv customer ignores quality over pricing and the number of consumers seeking to enter the rv market without resources. I personally am a boater by choice and cannot begin to understand how rver's continue to drive down quality in the face of already low pricing as compared to the marine industry. Mention stainless steel to an rver and they would think you were talking about dinnerware. Rver's in general get the products they deserve with the exception of "some" motorized consummers who do pay for and should recieve quality!

Susan L :   We have owned 5 RV's our Holiday Rambler was a real lemon. The Allegro Bus from Tiffin that was the last one that we owned was the best most wonderful RV we have ever had. We just bought a new Coachmen, I would love to hear from people that own the Crosscountry's to see how they like them and what kind of problems if any they have had. Ours is a 2006

Synethetic Oil User :   RV's can be made to get better fuel economy why won't they do it? MORE ALTERNATIVE FUELS THAT ARE CHEAPER is what we need!! Why depend on foriegn oil?

Dan B :   There are a lot of good RVs out there but some look like what happened to the car industry. US cars in the 50s-60s-70s where just cranked out with poor quality till the Japaneese started paying attention and by the time the US got the wake up call it's too late. If TOYOTA starts to make RV's watch-out.

Homer :   I also agree with the survey's results. My motor home came with so many obvious quality control issues I would have been ashamed to affix my name on it. Sure they fixed them as I reported them. I spent many hours and money taking it back to the dealer. The dealer really could have cared less. He complained constantly that the factory did not compensate him adequately for warranty repairs. I am also sure he billed for many items he never touched and for hours of labor he never expended. The whole thing is a crap shoot with customer being the schmuck. We need company owned zone repair stations over the country.

Tom A :   I completely agree with this. We have had 2 new RVs and both had many problems - mainly minor - that should have been dealt with during manufacturing. Quality control was simply not good enough. Finding a good service facility is also a big problem also. Many times the repair is not carried out properly and there is a need to take the RV back to the sevice facility again.