After 4 months, we have already put $7000 into service and repairs for our 2018 American Eagle 45A. It's now sitting at the factory waiting for $18,000 more in repairs before we can even use it. The motorhome nightmare continues!
A smaller tow behind is much better and easier to deal with in my opinion. As a mechanic these large driver motorhomes are a pain to work on and always need something fixed....
DON'T buy an RV! They are money pits,. Just look at ALL of the problems these folks are having - with, basically, a new RV. No way could I endure this,.
I had a coach like that, I had everything fixed and never picked up the RV, left it with the dealer! Once the sale is done they (dealer) quickly loose interest in the customer. They only make money on new suckers I mean customers! I lost a lot of money. I will never ever buy a new RV again.
If you run the front seat all the way forward and then take the seatbelt and run it through the steering wheel, snap seatbelt in lock and then run seat back until the seatbelt is tight, it will hold the steering wheel straight.
Advice from a trucker who’s driven DEF diesels for a number years: Avoid lettinh the DEF level fall below half full. My 2018 Freightliner truck would routinely falsely go into Low DEF power setting even with between 1/4 and 1/2 full DEF tank reading. This problem was fixed in later model years, but was a super pain until I could get put into a newer one by my company.
Glad I found your channel. Sorry to hear about all of the issues. That’s why we bought a Tiffin! Good grief American Coach is ridiculous. Sorry to hear about your Toad too. I went and found a 2014 Honda CRV. It;s a great Toad and will run forever. Good luck and you two have a good attitude in a bad situation. Safe travels...Don’t make it rain with your money for American Coach!
That's why I bought a used motorhome and used cars and I learn how to fix everything myself dealerships are Crooks I learned my lesson long time ago! great videos thanks for sharing
I would NEVER buy an RV with any warranty. take the 200K that you save on a used unit and you will have plenty for any repairs. Myself? Buy Pre DEF, find a well taken care of pre 2008 Country coach, Beaver etc, load up my tools including my Pex A. Saws, hammers, wrenches, electrical diagnosis.... a little bit of everything and embrace the adventure!
Wow! I have watched all your vids and now subd. We are thinking about RV living full time and moving to Florida for a year or two. I’m definitely making a list of things to be mindful of. Thank you for your videos! You all should do some repair how-to videos for common problems with RVs. You both seem super handy, and clearly have an audience. It would be nice to watch you all tackle some of these “regular maintenance” issues! Thanks for the content!
Yeah, definitely nice to have the warranty, but no less frustrating when you are constantly worried about it letting you down then having to find time to take it in for repairs...
Thanks for sharing your experience. Wow is all I can say!! Both of you seem to be handling your terrible experience well! I don’t know that I could be so graceful as you..😉. I’ll praying brighter days are ahead for you both..
Hi. I just happen upon your adventures and as I watched this video and your talking about your death wobble. I notice at time frame 2:20 your hooking up your tow bar to your jeep. The front end of your jeep lifts to accommodate the bar to tow hitch. With that weight off your front end and your taking the turns the tires have no pressure to the ground and allows movement in your front end of your vehicle which causes the wheel to wobble. A bigger tire or suspension lift to create more weight on the tires to the road will correct that. Just an observation in your travels to keep an eye on. Enjoying your travels enjoy life to the fullest.
Found the cause - too much weight in the back of the Jeep. We were carrying our hand weights in the Jeep - once we stopped doing that, the wobble went away!
Your story so far is very real, I know as an RV owner there are issues which arise and need to be dealt with. No one understands their coach better than the owners. When you get to the service centre you expect to be met by knowledgeable individuals who know these coaches. When you received from the service department the story and pricing for the list of repairs you had I would have gone directly to the President of REV to discuss this. The disconnect between what you were expecting and what they are offering is far too great to get resolution from the service writer.
As a hotel/motel aficionado, it's baffles me that people would rather deal with an endless list of RV (for the price of a house) issues than enjoy their vacation care free. Hilton Honors Platinum member, and love it.
Yep. Once you start driving an RV down the road and it rolls over the bumps, potholes, curves , corners and uneven surfaces, it seems like countless things in an RV start to either come loose, separate or break. It's a headache on wheels.
And with diesel prices so high, it would be alot cheaper to just drive a car and stay in motels or hotels. If I drove my old MCI bus cross country it would cost me a dollar per mile for fuel.
@@YTYTYTY7 Motel is the way to go, and you don't have to clean it in the morning! No costs for repairs, insurance, fuel, new tires, upkeep and maintenance plus increased fuel costs for diesel! No huge down payment with years of monthly payments with high APR's! No high anxiety over driving a huge house-on-wheels in heavy traffic or bad/narrow roads, or dealing with parking problems, or dealing with dealer repair shops and the A-holes who work there, plus worrying about weather concerns! No out of pocket rent payments for storage facilities in winter! There are many other downfalls to owning a large motorhome or RV, but I'll stop there. I would much more prefer to spend my money on a flashy sports car and drive to where ever I want to go, see the sights of our great country from the backroads, get a motel, go out for a fine dinner and anything else I feel like doing in the evening. Then, go back to the motel and relax with some high class libation (or two) before going to bed in clean sheets and a comfy mattress! I can go on a LOT of vacations and stay in a LOT of motels, plus enjoy driving a super cool sports car for way less than the $500,000.00 it costs, for JUST the motorhome! I very much prefer the relaxing, no worrying, fun type....vacations!! Just my personal thoughts on the subject!
Sorry to hear of your troubles, how frustrating! You are making me re think the whole diesel pusher RV experience. I was going to go the used route (not more than 10 yrs old) and hopefully alleviate some of the issues that might come up. I also may scrap the whole RV idea and go the 5th wheel route. Who knows!
One thing about your fiver, only one unit is in the shop at any time...you still can live in the trailer, or use the truck when the fiver is being repaired.
I am from the future I see your both living on a lake and renovating a house that you all purchased and I see a fishing boat in your future also. Thanks for the entertainment 👍
This is why I bought an older pre emission diesel pusher and do all my own work. I found some invoices from the previous owner, basically the same situations you have been through. The difference being he paid it! Even more sad is he brought it back multiple times to fix the same problems. Hasn’t been a problem since I’ve been working on it.
While I understand that most shops charge labor rates out of a manual like Chilton's, this is ridiculous! You guys are amazing to still be smiling. I was really gung ho on buying an RV so that we could get my disabled son out on more vacations and not have to worry about accommodations, but after seeing your videos (and with all due respect, thank goodness that Ang like to take care of herself) I have decided that I AIN'T DOIN' IT! I've been watching RV videos for weeks and sooooo excited! But in one day I have seen the video of Andrew Steele's pre-owned Newell Coach catching fire going down the highway on a move to Florida with all of his and Shay's possessions on board plus all of your issues with American coach and Tiffen. Good luck to you both and thanks again!
Welcome to the RVing world. We RV'd for 25 years, the only difference between your experiences and ours; if it wasn't in warranty I took care of the issues. I told people: Owning a coach is like owning a boat. The only difference is that you pour your money into the deep hole in the ground, AKA the repair facilities." and "If you can't make the repairs etc yourself, you better have deep pockets!" Also, if people want to cut down on the dust their coaches create, and keep your coach a little cleaner, and help others with dust control, turn the exhaust tip, to direct exhaust to the side: NOT DOWN: VERY SIMPLE DIY!
Sorry to hear about all of these problems... but thanks for sharing. Certainly makes my decision about buying American Eagle much simpler!... Not!!! That kind of service is inexcusable.
I'm thinking I would rather spend a few weeks in a luxury resort on the ocean than a weekend or two in one of these motor coaches for the same price. Between you folks and others like Andrew Steele, I've been able to get over my yen for one of these things. Thank you.
I tell you what i am totally with you guys the more stuff you have the more shit goes wrong with it all and it doesnt stop, we have 3 homes and a farm and we are constantly fixing shit! very very irritating! but thx for sharing!
That was our favorite coach but we bought a Monaco which is made by them also. So far so good. I'm sorry to hear you have this problem. The wobble issue on your Jeep had a fix with some electric system installed by the dealer for your own cost. I know it's unfair we have a 2016 Jeep also it only happened to us ones in a low speed range.
Wow ! I feel terrible for you guys. We just went through something similar. Apparently our RV ( 2018 georgetown 360 ) had some type of seal issue / leak on the roof and water seeped into the entire wall on the drivers side. We never saw any water or noticed anything strange until about a month ago when we saw some discoloration on the ceiling which turned out to mold accumulating. Thank God the dealer we bought it from gave us exactly what we paid for it 1 1/2 years ago and we traded it in for an older but much better coach. We now have a “ new to us “ 2014 Itasca meridian 40u diesel pusher. You guys have to get out of that place ! Also did you guys buy the extended warranty ? We bought it. They will pay for everything that breaks except wear and tear items and they don’t cover seals or leaks. Leaks are the deadliest thing to an RV. I learned my lesson.
Seems like it's time to contact that lawyer again! In all seriousness, I'd go up to the factory and go over that list with the service advisor and point out the ridiculous pricing, run a string over the slide and show them the gap, then they can't come with excuses. They're probably trying to milk you because they're pissed off you actually went through the bother of driving it up there. Also, I like the vlogging style of video in the first part!
I bought a 2002 National Dolphin LX a few years ago with 12k miles on it. Paid 20k Did 6 tires and new brakes 6k Normal maintenance since then. Have 40k miles on it now with no issues. GM 8.1 gas with Allison 5 speed. Nice luxury build. Has been very reliable. They don't build them like this any more.
FROM CANADA .USED TO GO TO MEXICO WITH MY FITH WHEEL 5550 KILOMETER SO TWICE THE DISTANCE FLORIDA MONTREAL BUT NO MORE, DU TO BAD HEALTH. IN MEXICO EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT THEIR PROBLEM WITH THEIR EQUIPMENT. I NEVER WENT PASS 60 MILLES AN HOUR WITH MY FITH WHEEL THIS IS MOSTLY TO RELAX BUT YOU SEAM IN A HURRY GOOD DAY
I would have already secured a law firm and been on a plane back there to get the coach. This is an excellent example of why you must learn to have the RV inspected, have a punch list, and make sure it is perfect before you set sail (for the maiden voyage).
I am so happy I saw this video. I was looking at the American Coach to purchase. I think I am going to make the choice between Entegra or perhaps Newmar. I feel bad about you experience. You should trade the coach in and not stick someone else with the problems.
Thanks for sharing your story. Of course you can fix alot yourself, but that's not the point. To spend that much money on anything and have that many problems is ridiculous. I bought a brand new travel trailer and had it sitting back at the dealer in 26 days after purchase. So many problems and the same thing, not covered under warranty. Dealer or manufacturer didnt want to help. They only want the sale. Stories like yours helps those who are researching.
Hey guys sorry for all your problems we also tow a jeep have never experienced a death wobble I understand that Chrysler has a fix if it has the electronica steering that may be the case with yours but we’ve never had the fix and so that may or may not be the problem ours is a jeep trail hawk all wheel drive I also read somewhere where a guy used a bungee cord to help the steering wheel re-center
When you pull a car behind an RV WITH A TOW BAR ; It bends your front end alignment out of alignment. You need to use at least a car dolly and get your front tires off the ground;. A small car hauler would be even better, but a car dolly at minimum...
My wife and I are going to buy a diesel pusher in the next month. We plan on driving to Washington into Alaska. We have two sons. One is stationed at Fort Lewis and the other at Fort Wainwright Ak.
Before I bought my first motorhome, everyone I talked with said get a used one as most of the bugs have probably been worked out. 10k or in your case 500k, they are all put together with toothpicks and Elmer's glue, it's really sickening how crappy they are all made...
Get ahold of Pittsburgh Power in Saxonburg PA or go to the t a or Petro truck stop and get a gallon of Max Mileage fuel catalyst. About$238.00 a gallon, will treat 2500 gallon of fuel. Will keep your emissions clean , nox sensors etc, .. many users report increased fuel mileage.
Thank you guys, I just changed my mind : I will not buy any American Coach or similar RV, I better buy a good tent for camping and stay more often in hotels.
Sorry to hear you are having this issue. Unfortunately, it's far too common. You need to watch a video by an attorney named Steve Lehto titled "Don't buy an RV." Search for Lehto's Law on RU-vid. He goes into how this is extremely common in the RV industry and how the company's turn out crap products and can never fix them.
Check the location of your ECM/TCM (engine control module/transmission control module) if it becomes overheated it can create crazy error codes and problems. The location may need to be properly ventilated. In regards to the tow vehicle vibration problems, get the front end alignment checked. Tell them your towing it !
Freight-liner has a reputation of overcharging and not doing anything covered under warranty! I’ve never known anyone happy with them or anything they manufactured in recent times!
When you are driving the jeep does it drive as it should? When turning a corner does the steering wheel try to come back to center on its own? I believe that problem will be an alignment issue.
Well Ken & Barbie I’ve watched two your videos & you certainly tittles it right. Give you a tip on the Jeep. No one pulls a vehicle behind a car without a tow dolly to keep the front wheels off the pavement. Your new one has climate control so temperatures can stay the same. All motor homes are constantly jarring & your not going find one problem free. I think your experience in what lots of people experience in most all them. Good luck love birds.
ouch not only not finding the dip in the coach slide, but it’s a Tiffin(?). sounds like u need to find a custom coach builder to make a quality coach Advanced RV. But you need to downsize
Get a lawyer and just sue the crap out of them. Make them an example of what happens when you try to rip people off. It sounds like the repair facility is incompetent and doesn't have a clue what to do. So, they give you a huge estimate and scare you off.
@@irritatedtraveler7885 Thanks, I think its always important to think about running costs, but above all an RV needs to reliable. Often its a home for sone people.
