Quality control encouragement

[BG6]

I just realized something.

I know about 20 fulltimers in motorhomes or really nice trailers, all bought brand new.

EVERY ONE of them has had annoying problems which were strictly the result of quality control (or, rather, lack of same) by the manufacturers.  Probably half of them swear that they would never buy that brand again.  We're not talking disasters, like wheels falling off, we're talking Code STUPID stuff like leaks around windows and vents, a water filter which was cross-threaded (thus filling the lower equipment bay with two feet of water), fasteners of the wrong length, blind nuts which were missing, pinched water lines, and other things like that.

I know about a dozen fulltimers in coach conversions.  NONE of them has had any QC-related problems.

The next time you're bogged down in your project and look longingly at the shiny rigs as you pass by the local RV dealer, just remember that the people who buy them will likely be able to tell you which chair is most comfortable in the repair shop waiting room.

[cody]

The term S&S comes to mind.

[VanTare]

Fellows don't think for 1 minute that the high end bus converters  like Marathon and Featherlite Vantare to mention a couple don't have their share of problems I know that for a fact I own one Featherlite had so many problems they paid Amadas to take their Prevost conversion division and I have no idea what effect this is going to have on me but am willing to bet it going to be a lot of passing the buck   

David

[cody]

I know a few of the workers at both marathon and liberty and the common thought is that laminates cover a wide range of sins, so yes, the cost of the rig doesn't determine the quality of the rig, I've seen some very high dollar coaches hit the repair shops a few times after being delivered.  Generally a higher cost coach comes with a higher presumption of quality but anything can happen and usually does.

[Jriddle]

I hope I do not have warranty issues with the conversion that I am doing. The only one I can go to is myself At least I put it in and know where it is and probably know how to fix it. Some with the S&S versions that I know, do not know where to look when having a problem.

John

[BG6]

Fellows don't think for 1 minute that the high end bus converters  like Marathon and Featherlite Vantare to mention a couple don't have their share of problems

Oops.  I didn't make myself clear.

The folks I know with conversions all did the work themselves.  Thus, they had no employer pressure to get one job finished and get to the next.

It's easy to see why they have no problems . . .or am I the only guy here who finishes something, then tests it a lot . . .okay, I admit it, I'm PLAYING with it ("See you turn here and WATER comes out, turn the other way and it STOPS . . .and look, it goes down through that hole . . !  Ain't I a genius?") . . .

[buswarrior]

do not rule out sabatage in the case with hired hands...

Could they really be that careless, that often?

For the busnut, you'd have to be into S&M to have similar results with your conversion....?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[gus]

If you read any RV magazines you will find numerous letters from RV owners about shoddy workmanship and lack of response from manufacturers.

In fact, most RV magazines have a section totally devoted to getting mfgs to respond or make good on a warranty repair. After market warranty extensions seem to cause the most trouble of all. It appears that most of them are scams.

It seems that they only respond to letters from RV magazines or lawyers.

It also is clear to me that selling price has little to do with it.

The repair bills I see quoted are impressive too!!

[HB of CJ]

This may not apply to Bus Conversions or Factory converted coaches.  Years ago I worked summers at a gas dock (fueling station for boats) down next to Terminal Island in Long Beach CA.

Right next to the dock was a new Yacht dealership.  Power boats.  Name shall remain nameless.  Excellent design.  High end pleasure yacht.  The workmanship during final assembly was HORRIBLE!

Radiator hoses employeed as fuel pipes from the deck connecting to the big gasoline tanks.  Missing or loose ordinary C-clamps connecting the cheap automotive radiator hoses.

Two inches of raw gasoline sloshing around in the bilges after fueling.  Major league gasoline leaks.  Got to the point the salesmen refused to take delivery of the yachts that arrived on big trailers.

Anyway, beautiful boats built by the hand of monkeys.  Or very bad human employees.  After two (2) boats blew up and sank, Mom and Dad made me quit the job.  I was ready to go.  HB of CJ

[Hi yo silver]

Let me tell ya about my experience with the Fleetwood trailer I bought new.  About a year after I bought it, maybe our sixth trip out, I noticed the 12 volt lights going dim.  To make a long story short, after chasing wires for hours, I found a bundle of wires the size of your wrist had been squeezed through a hole that was just a little smaller than your wrist.  One eventually pinched in two.

After a few more trips, I backed into a site during a heavy rain, went to bed, waiting to plug in the next morning, hoping for drier conditions.  The next morning when I plugged in, I heard a hissing sound.  I first thought I had a leaking tire.  While I was feeling around the tire, I saw steam coming from wet insulation behind the wheel well.  (The wet insulation is yet another story.)  I unplugged the power cord and after cutting away the plastic shield and digging out the insulation, I found a gas line that was run through the same little hole in the 2x4 sill plate with a piece of Romex wire had rubbed through the wire insulation and the wire had burned in two.  If it hadn't been for the plastic around the gas line, the resulting explosion might have meant I would have been occupying several different campsites. LOL  Thank God for small favors.  That was my last S&S.
Dennis       

[PP]

If everyone that owned an S&S before a bus was to pipe up in this thread with their personal story of disgusting workmanship, this could become the longest thread on this site Suffice it to say, that is why so many of us have moved up to buses. Gotta love em!

[VanTare]

Fellows I have to disagree with you about workmanship on some of the S&S hope I don't start a war here like happen to me on a Prevost board but a Newell 2000 will compare with a bus any day in my eyes I really liked mine better than I do my bus it had plenty of power drove and handled good in the wind and with very few conversion problems and do not forget about the Foretravel it is a fine S&S motorhome with cabinets made of cherrywood looking like a piece of furniture.Think about it the new buses are just a big piece of fiberglass now the Setra s417 is the only one made of metal and they don't build a conversion shell. just my 2 pennies worth   

David

[TomC]

Like many, I took 6 years to do my conversion.  Much of the time was spent engineering the tanks, electrical, plumbing, etc so I could get at it to service any problems I would have, and to make removing tanks a job that could be done within an hour.  Funny thing that after 8 years of use and about 25,000 miles of driving, I haven't had any equipment failures.  So I guess I did it alright-as compared to some of the nightmarish stories from S&S owners.  Good Luck, TomC

[Paul]

The sign in front of  high-end motor home factory, HELP WANTED start today. We saw this on a tour of a factory in Elkhart, Indiana.

[JackConrad]

If you have the tools, space and inclination to do your own conversion, the quality control aspect can always be to your standards are).  Jack