Over the past 4 years I have had 3 RV’s…two Berkshire XLT’s class A diesel pushers, a small bumper tow, and most recently a Jayco class B Terrain 19Y. You’d think I’d learn my lesson. The big class A’s had incredible amounts of problems and both had to go back to Indiana for factory repairs. Major major repairs….the bumper towable was just shoddy workmanship which I repaired myself. My new (3 week old) Jayco Terrain 19Y I’ve already had an awning malfunction (had to disassemble and repair myself), poor solar connectors cracking, missing buttons where buttons should be for canvas window covers, delamination of inside trim edges, retractable bed mount came apart driving home from the dealership, 🤣🤣 I could go on and on….I suppose I’m a glutton for punishment but I love camping. These manufacturers need federal regulations heavily imposed upon them. And I’m definitely NOT for more federal regs typically. Their workmanship is a total mess and beginning to be major safety hazards not just inconvenience and expensive repairs. I’m enjoying watching them take a hit in this economy because they ALL deserve to feel some financial pain like they’ve inflicted on their buyers just looking to have some fun and paying premium prices for total junk. Sorry for the rant. Your channel is Great!!!
I think a good content idea would be simple fixes and troubleshooting that first time RV owners can do themselves. I remember when we first bought out travel trailer we had to learn piecemeal how to best lift the tandem axels on the side of the road to change a blown tire, or how to check tripped breakers and/or replace them. All the little stuff that seasoned RVers take for granted in knowing what to do.
Thanks for the suggestion! Yeah "Things to check before you go to the shop" is something I've wanted to make. Sometimes the solution to a problem is simple if you know where to look.
I started RV in 1994 with a pop up that was my fathers. 11 years ago I got my first RV a class C, MH and the first thing I did was to start getting all of the books and instruction manuals on repairing. I've since then in the last year taken the NRVTA online course and to tell you the truth I've never had any major problems with my RVs. I'm now on my second RV a travel trailer and had it for 5 years only a few minor problem which I was able to take care of myself. Point is, be really for the unexpected and don't rely on the dealer or manufacturer.
We have been thinking about buying a travel trailer. The more I watch your videos and other horror stories I have watched on youtube, the less I am wanting to buy one. I think it could be a lot of fun but I don't want to spend a lot of money on something only to have issues and have everyone just throw up their hands and say oh well that is how it goes(Which seems to be the attitude I see a lot online) I have read so many posts of people saying to lower your expectations when you buy an RV which seems amazing to me when you are spending tens of thousands of dollars for a product.
I'm in the same situation. I really like the Rockwood Mini Lite 2205S , but it probably has bad plumbing. I would be curious to know if it is an easy fix or one that the walls need to come apart. Maybe a review?
My wife and I are going to buying a tandem axle travel trailer in the 5-5500 lb gvwr rage. Give or take. Something like a couples camper. We don't really have a brand in mind yet. We will not be necessarily buying the cheapest or most expensive but we will certainly be wanting a quality camper. We think your new channel will be very helpful just like this one is.
Love the idea of reviewing different manufacturers build quality. We just purchased our first Rv yesterday (23’JaycoFeather22bh)& found a pretty drastic difference between Jayco and other manufacturers.
Yes, I’m thinking about buying a class C Grayhawk from Jayco. I just wondered how good it is because right now I have a class but I’m trying to downsize.
Heartland Cyclone, Road Warrior and Grand Design Solitude review please (Watched the review on Alliance, Brinnkley and Grand Design - still have hope) Thank you for your innovative service and eye-opening insights 🙏🏻
Alliance RV the remaining base 1 year warranty will transfer to the new owners. They will be treated by the CS department the same as the first owner. Love the channel, thanks for the videos
I would love to see a review on the Starcraft Autumn Ridges. I recently purchased the 25TH as it was in my weight area, and my wife loved the back patio. But I do see some issues that are still getting taken care of. Had to have a thermal overload installed for the AC to work due to factory never installing one. AC never worked at all til I bought it. 😅
Would love to see a comparison on some half ton towable bunkhouses. Surevyor Legend 240 bhle and the comparable freedom express and rockwood microlite floorplans.
I like your Video with really down to earth recommendations. About the value of the warranties for RV i got really sceptical. Steve Letho has an interesting video on it with the topic "Here is Why You Must be INSANE to buy an RV These Days" and it describes that the fine print of the warrantie makes them nearly useless.
Would love to see reviews of: Renegade Vienna Winnebago Navion AND Winnebago Minnie Winnie Class C Thor Axis Entegra Odyssey Very much looking forward to your reviews!
@@undercoverrvtech Thanks. It seems to be at the top of our list for our first rv early next year (or the Entegra Quest). I like the Tiffin Wayfarer but am concerned about its carrying capacity.
We’re looking to buy a fifth but we have a travel trailer now and we want we’re going to retire and we want to use this fifth wheel more excursions more often. I am looking at a few fifth wheels. I’m looking at the Flagstaff classic. 371RK and alliance Avenue 33RKS and the forest river flat staff classic 375 RL I like the floorplans maybe you can help me on this. It’s a big and I’ve been watching your videos. I’ve learned a lot specially on the slides wow, totally appreciate your feedback. You have a wonderful day.
Looking forward to your reviews. We have had a Tiffin for four years now and we have been very happy with how well Tiffin stands behind their product. They have made several repairs for free or very inexpensively after the initial warranty expired. Thanks for your time.
I have a leisure travel van….made in Winkler, Manitoba Canada 93,000 miles friggin bullet proof lol….. granted they are very expensive…. but I live in northern California now and I think the minimum wage is $68 an hour ha ha
Three years ago, I was shopping for a Montana 5th Wheel to replace my '08 Trailblazer 5th Wheel. As I was price shopping, the Montana dealership in Petaluma, CA told me that if I didn't buy it from him, when warrantee work was required, I would be the last person to be serviced. And that I would end up waiting months to get the work done. I decided to keep my old Trailblazer (made by Komfort) and make repairs as needed. Last month, we were in Yellowstone NP for two weeks and had a great time. My old RV is still working just fine.
Glad to hear it is working well for you! Yes, that is a common story with dealers that they are so short staffed on technicians they have to prioritize warranty work, and specifically units they sold to keep customers happy.
If you can, yes. Pre-Delivery inspections are usually done by the lowest qualified technician as that is the first typ of certification available. But that said, many technicians working at service centers don't even have that certification. If a dealer will let you bring in a third party inspector you will probably get someone with much more experience to test everything and therefore get a more comprehensive list of repairs to be done before purchase.
Bought my first RV today from Camping World. Class A Forest River Georgetown 5 Series. Got the extended warranty pitch and this time with all the online comments about quality, I went for it. Hopefully its not a huge mistake but it seemed good to have the coach fully covered since my wife and I plan to rv full time for the next few years. Interested in feedback.😂
When I bought my first bumper pull trailer 2020 Puma, I was talked into buying the extended warranty. Long story short, I basically did all my own repairs. fast forward to my new Aim Imagine travel trailer. I decided to save my money and not get the extended warranty. The dealer could not understand why I would not buy it. No one ever said no to this guy, but I did. I felt like saving my money and just paying as needed to fix it. I bet I don't spend 5000 on break-fix issues. Your channel is awesome. looking forward to your reviews of trailers.
I went to my first RV show. These were the makes/models I was most interested in: • Freedom Express - Liberty Edition 326BHDSLE • Coachmen - Catalina 283FEDS • Sanibel - 3902MBWB • Sanibel - 3952FBWB
LOVE the idea of the new series of reviewing RVs. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet & I’ve been looking at travel trailers for almost 3 years now. The first ones I looked at back in late 2020 were really shoddy workmanship (coachmen Catalina) so I decided to research before pulling the trigger & glad I did. Went to multiple dealers, RV shows & follow several RV/camping channels on RU-vid & FB. I’ve about landed on a Venture Sportttek as it seems to be better quality than nearly all the others I’ve looked at. Im also considering a Grand Design so would love your thoughts on Venture & Grand Design. Still kind of holding out in the meantime waiting for the prices to become more reasonable (although they’ve definitely come down since I started my search).
Great requests! I've got both of those brands on my list to review. Glad you're doing your research, so many of my clients trusted their salesperson and ended up with a lemon
@@lesliemeadows3912 Oh I know.. I'm fully prepared to have to make some repairs. Have you ever owned either of these brands? I kind of picked the brain of a guy that is a certified inspector & he liked both brands. He said he'd probably rate Grand Design just slightly higher but that's because he's dealt with them more. I've asked quite a few people camping how they liked their Grand Designs (because there seem to be tons of them around) & haven't met one yet that didn't like it. I have yet to find anyone camping in a sporttrek out in the wild to ask.. lol. But it also makes me kind of think they are more focused on quality rather than quantity. The ones i've looked at look pretty well made comparatively. And I've spoke with a couple of people in online camping groups that own them & they all really enjoy them with minimal issues.
2022 Little Guy Max. We bought new last month and used 3 weekends. Just picked it up from the dealership that had to do some minor warranty work. Front window blind system pulled out from the wall. Shower door had the bottom pin break, bad front zone speaker, and random screws that had pulled out of the wood framing on the closets. Over all i am very pleased and expectex a few issues. I'd like to hear your review.
I'd love to see you review the Grand Design Momentum toy haulers. A lot of folks use these for full time living with families and could benefit from it. Thanks!
Keystone Passport SL. I have one that has problems they won’t fix under warranty and I think others should be aware of it so they don’t waste their money on them.
Love your videos. I am about 1-2 years out and signed up for your free emails with the intent of buying when I know I am within a year of purchasing. Not sure of the type of RV to buy. One thing that would be helpful is vehicles to tow with. What to look for and what to avoid. Also, I am interested in Forest Rivers in general. Thanks for putting these on!
1st time buyers/campers probably get screwed more than anyone. I've been full timing for 8 years, and know my way around dealers and fixing my RV. Starting out, I was very green. Sadly newbies are left to fend for themselves.
Great video! We’re taking delivery of a brand new 2024 Grand Design Solitude 370DV at the end of February or early March and would love to see you do a review on this fifth wheel
My understanding is that the cougar RVs are covered under the warranty for full-timers. Should I consider that a quality RV if they're backing up their warranty for full-timers .
Unfortunately no. There are many RV's warranted for full-time use that I would not consider quality. Keep an eye out for my upcoming review videos to see how I assess RVs for quality.
NewMar motor coaches seem well made. However even our 2022 Baystar Sport had a few issues that we got repaired at the factory. Fantastic service center in Napanee Indiana.
Looking forward to the new series, would love to see you review the Brinkley model Z 2900. We are in the market right now for either the Brinkey or the Alliance 30rls.
You are doing an awesome job. Thank you for all your helpful insight. I'm considering a keystone Montana, and the arctic fox grande round 5th wheel. What information do you have. Thank you
Great content! I wish *ALL* your reviews were already out because we're in the market right now. Delta (Alliance) and Imagine (Grand Design) are top of our list right now. We've also looked at Outdoor RV (whoa! too heavy for us but they sure feel sturdy). So, those are our votes for upcoming reviews. Thank you!! Oh PS - we first bought a used RV - no slides, stick and tin - to see if we liked it enough to buy new. We love it! It's a 2011 Zinger and I know they're budget-friendly, but the quality was actually not bad. Cabinets are light years better than most new stuff. Knock on wood, but the AC, fridge, water heater, and all that jazz are all original and in good working order. I'm more than a little apprehensive about the quality of new rigs, but we're excited too.
My second review video will come out soon and probably answer your question, although if you watch my plumbing problems video you can pretty easily decide for yourself because only one is plumbed correctly 😉
Well I did watch your plumbing video and as a result went searching for pictures of the plumbing of both brands and dagnabbit! There were several on owners' forums that showed exactly what you're implying - and LOTS of GD owners actually re-plumb their rigs. ARGH! So I wanted to see how you rated the rest of the rig to see what the complete balance sheet looked like. Sounds like you're prioritizing the plumbing - understandable. Add that only one of those brands uses Azdel, and only one uses through-frame rack and pinion systems for both of those big ol' slides. So. Guess I'm waiting for the Delta floor plan that I want to be released. (Anxiously tapping fingers) @@undercoverrvtech THANK YOU for saving me from myself! And potentially lots of expensive repairs.
Please review the Nexus Verrado, Rebel, and Wraith, or just the Nexus brand in general. They seem more affordable and definitely closer to my budget capabilities. I just want to make sure I'm not making a bad investment. Thanks for all your videos!
I really would like to see (if it’s already done, I have not found it) the Heartland Bighorn 32RS and the Montana 3123 RL. We have the ‘20 model 32RS and like my user name implies, travel a “LOT”….approx 7 months a year and will likely be looking for another in a year or two. Would really like to see how the two units I’m interested in fares up to your scrutiny. LOVE THE CHANNEL AND CONTENT…THANKS!!
Looking at either a Winnebago Micro Minnie or a Rockwood Geo Pro or a Mini Lite.........either of those any good? I do like the Azdel inside & out. Would be used a lot for boondocking primarily. Can't afford a Lance or Black Series 😞
I will be in the market for a small travel trailer 20' max, I would like to see a review of the Airstream Base Camp 20x and other small travel trailers
Hi there. Would love for you to review a Keystone Cougar 22MLS. Lots of seniors retiring and spending upwards of $40k on these trailers need to get a sense if these premium trailers are truly worth the extra money. Thanks in advance. We are new to your channelnand love your tips and expertise. Thank you for putting these videos out.
I'm on my 2nd Grand Design. First an Imagine and now a Reflection 5th wheel. Am I going down the wrong path with Grand Design? Thanks. Love your content!
2022 heartland fuel 287 - noticed spidering cracks on front cap. Called heartland they sent pics to vendor. They said (of course) it was my fault I must have hit something with front cap.. not true at all…. Called heartland again my warranty person talked to his boss for 2nd opinion, He said cap was installed to tight and caused spidering .. they covered it.. ended up replacing cap all together at no cost to me…. Never give up.. fight for the right thing to do… Good luck
Could you please review Venture Sporttrek? We have a ST251VFK and we have enjoyed it and are looking at other Venture unit such as the ST343VIK. I just found your page and like the comparison video with Grand Design, Brinkley and Alliance.
This is some great into! I do have 2 questions that maybe can be addressed in a future video... as a sole proprietor or contracted worker that makes under $30k a year and does not have to file separate business taxes, if I do not register the camper to the business but do claim a portion of it as an office space would this still void the warranty according to business use? Even if I'm simply using my laptop in it and claiming 'office space' ? I also noted that the warranty specifies 'short-term recreational use'. What is considered short-term? As a destination trailer parked on my mothers farm, is frequent spring/summer/fall use still considered short-term recreational? Thank you in advance, there's some great tips in here!
We bought a Heartland Trailer runner back in 2010. We have had very little problems and love it. Thinking of buying newer model but have heard that Heartland has some of the worst quality control. Can you review a few of the Heartland Travel Trailers in the Trailrunner group?
Everyone that buys an RV needs to get up on the roof and coat the seals when they are new. I bought my Grand Design in 2019. I coated the seals and it still has the original lap sealant and all the seals look as good as the day I put it on minus a little dirt !!!
That is on my short list to review this summer! I'm not sure when I will get that filmed and published, so if you are seriously looking to buy one soon the best way to get my grade would be to get my RV Shopping course and use the included app to grade one if you can see it in person. Here is the link to see everything included, undercoverrvshopper.com/ Thanks or watching!
Can you comment on Tiffan. I have a 2017 Allegro which has been problematic from the beginning. I thought they were supposed to be a good brand when I bought it.
Sorry to hear that. I'd be interested to hear what sorts of problems it has had. Email me Jacob@rigorrvrepair.com if you would like to give me the rundown. Thanks for watching!
Please review montana high country. Specifically the 331rl as it is their most popular. I just had the roof rebuilt under warranty because the wood panels were popping loose under the TPO membrane.
Please review the 2024 Grand Design 2660bs and any rear kitchen layouts under 6500 dry weight. We bought your guide and App and are doing our research to purchase. We plan to use our rv a lot, but not full time. Maybe a few cross country trips where we will be "full time" for a month or two, and several 5-7 day trips per year. Some colder weather but nothing below 10 degrees if we can help it. Any and all advice is appreciated. Also, how do we find a reputable RV inspector that is not 'buddies' with the dealership?
Im a relatively new subscriber. Enjoying your content. I find it very helpful. A few of my friends and I have toy haulers and would love to see some reviews on do’s don’ts and what to avoid with regards to this type of RV.
I'm new to your videos and I am quite impressed. I had been settled in on purchasing a new Cougar TT 22MLS. The 0 to 110 degree certification and the impressive factory solarFLEX options along with the tank capacities had me sold. I had always disliked slide outs thinking that they're only something else that will break and that they weaken the camper's frame. But I was going to take a chance thinking that manufactures must have perfected the systems by now. Then I received your "Don't get stranded" check list and your professional tip: don't buy RV's with BAL Accuslides as they break easily. I'm now less than settled on making this purchase. I value your opinion so I'll go ahead and ask. What 4 season, decent tank capacity, solar optioned or prepped for solar, less than 30', reliable TT that can sleep 4 with or without slides would you recommend? Just asking. Looking forward to hearing your suggestion(s).
Keep an eye for my review video series coming out soon. I can't review all of the thousands of rvs on the market, but you will learn how I asses rvs for quality as you watch. Thanks for watching!
BISH's RV of Salt Lake utah was offering me 10k warranty, saying I can go to any rv dealership, it covers the paint,leather treatment, all 4 motor roof lift,etc😅😂I'm 11 hrs away I already kno BSrv of SLU has no control to any rv dealership in california or any state,so I didn't get any warranty they were offering me I think it was 4k and 6k and the expensive 1 was 10k😅😂 I kno once I pulled out their lot I'm on my own🤑🤪