Where was quality control at Dutchman and dealership

[audettd]

I'm not sure we can post enough about this issue. Its part of the business just like the building, selling and buying the campers. Our whole experience has been not great and having quality issues is just icing on the cake. Our walk-thru was a complete rush job (we had been waiting for 3 hours to pickup our camper) so part of this is our fault we just wanted to get out of there. We are seriously questioning not buying another Dutchman product next time if we do buy again. I understand not wanting to pay for quality help during the pandemic, but there still should have been someone at the end of the line checking the campers. Then the campers arrive at the dealer and still not checked or if they were not very well. I've never seen anything like this in my life. If this were a car dealer I'd drive the car back to the lot and give them the keys. I'm going to write to Dutchman (like we did last week when we had to return the camper because of a leak) and let them know we are not happy with them. Quality is NOT a step that can be skipped!

[persistent]

There are lots of things to learn about RV's and one of those things is RV's do not have the same high quality design and build standards as automobiles do.

My experience is Dutchmen brands (there are several) are often worse than other brands. On the other hand, they are often cheaper than other brands as well.

Buying a Dutchmen travel trailer or 5th wheel is like gambling. Risk of issues is high.

[audettd]

Originally Posted by persistent

There are lots of things to learn about RV's and one of those things is RV's do not have the same high quality design and build standards as automobiles do.

My experience is Dutchmen brands (there are several) are often worse than other brands. On the other hand, they are often cheaper than other brands as well.

Buying a Dutchmen travel trailer or 5th wheel is like gambling. Risk of issues is high.

I guess i could understand if we were talking about something in the $500 range. But when you're spending as much money as a new automobile then this becomes unacceptable to me. No other industry as such little regards to customer satisfaction as the RV industry and without the consumer complaining then nothing is going to change. Lets get back to made in the U.S.A pride it doesn't matter what you are building whether is toilets, computers or RV's. This throw away society has become the problem.

[franktafl]

The people at the end of the line is the dealership, in my humble opinion. I don’t think there can be someone at the factory that would be able to go over each RV then fix what is wrong.

To me, the dealership gets paid to do PDI’s and your experience proves that a comprehensive walk through is worth it but it would be more disappointing to find out that after waiting three hours to do the walk through, you had to leave your rv there to get things repaired.

I’ve worked at car dealerships and their PDI’s are, wash it, take the plastic off, deliver it. RV places probably wash-deliver….

I feel your pain-deeply!

[franktafl]

Originally Posted by franktafl

The people at the end of the line is the dealership, in my humble opinion. I don’t think there can be someone at the factory that would be able to go over each RV then fix what is wrong.

To me, the dealership gets paid to do PDI’s and your experience proves that a comprehensive walk through is worth it but it would be more disappointing to find out that after waiting three hours to do the walk through, you had to leave your rv there to get things repaired.

I’ve worked at car dealerships and their PDI’s are, wash it, take the plastic off, deliver it. RV places probably wash-deliver….

I feel your pain-deeply!

quality control guy at the factory that transferred to the dealership.

[Witt84z]

Originally Posted by persistent

There are lots of things to learn about RV's and one of those things is RV's do not have the same high quality design and build standards as automobiles do.

My experience is Dutchmen brands (there are several) are often worse than other brands. On the other hand, they are often cheaper than other brands as well.

Buying a Dutchmen travel trailer or 5th wheel is like gambling. Risk of issues is high.

I agree. Believe it or not, there's no quality control position in the camper business. It's a check the other person's work type set up. One person performs the work and a peer or immediate manager gives the work a once over.

The only way to ensure a trouble free first year of ownership is to test everything and inspect every inch of your new camper before you hook to it leave the lot. I feel this should take you about 4 hours if done properly.

[videoarizona]

Guess I was lucky.
Found the Colemam model I wanted in Knoxville, TN.
I called and told them I would drive over from Arizona if they would assure me the trailer was in very good condition and everything would be checked out.
They agreed.
I drove out and went through the trailer with them. Took 1/2 day. Everything was tested. They installed the E2 trunnion hitch, we finished the $$ end and I drove away that night. I spent 1.5 days with them.
It was a good experience. I'm still friends with the salesman...

So yes, a complete inspection is needed due to the complete failure of the factory to do anything right. Failure of most dealers to inspect the products they sell. And the failure of many dealers to repair problems properly.

Sorry to hear about your experience. Although there is a silver lining in this. You will soon learn everything you need to learn to take care of the trailer yourself. Most of us have.... it's not right, but better than dealing with poor repairs...

[Firstime RVer]

Originally Posted by franktafl

The people at the end of the line is the dealership, in my humble opinion. I don’t think there can be someone at the factory that would be able to go over each RV then fix what is wrong.

To me, the dealership gets paid to do PDI’s and your experience proves that a comprehensive walk through is worth it but it would be more disappointing to find out that after waiting three hours to do the walk through, you had to leave your rv there to get things repaired.

I’ve worked at car dealerships and their PDI’s are, wash it, take the plastic off, deliver it. RV places probably wash-deliver….

I feel your pain-deeply!

We've owned a 2015 Aspen Trail 1900RB for 6 years that was built by Dutchman before Thor purchased them.. I think the value for the selling price was excellent. We only had one problem with the AC unit that appeared about 6 months after purchase. Went to a local dealer to get it fixed under warranty and it took forever. They claimed that they were waiting to hear from Dutchman for approval of the repair under warranty. It takes me 30 mins to get to the local dealership and about 2 hours to get to the dealer where I bought the unit. I'd rather drive the 2 hours to get to the dealer in Manheim Pa than deal with the local guy.

The day I purchased it, I had an escorted tour of the trailer and literally tried everything to make sure it worked. I was escorted by one of the guys who worked in the service shop, who I'm sure did a complete inspection before I got there. I went to the business office afterwards and concluded the transaction. It seems that Thor's purchase of Dutchman was the start of the quality problems.
The dealer ends up making up for the manufacturer's short comings.

Really sad

Safe travels and all the best

[Art W]

Good luck with a letter to Dutchmen. Within the first three months of owning and living in our Dutchmen Kodiak Ultimate we had a long list problems that required three trips back to the dealership or warranty work at Camping World plus uncompensated hotel bills because we had to leave our home for several days. A detailed list of the issues including those that were still outstanding went unanswered.

Lack of documentation is my biggest beef. Nothing is provided that tells you how systems are tied together or even where to find components. If they cannot put out a quality product, the least they could do is give is the new owner enough documentation on how things are connected and how to access them.

[Scharlene]

Newbie trailer owner here. Our house sold in 5 days and the house we are having built isn’t ready, so I decided that the 2019 Aspen Trail 2860RLS would be bearable for a couple of months. The dealership claims they did a full system check and that everything was good to go. However, during the walk through I removed the sink cover and found that the bottom of the sink was completely broken. The service tech said that the cleaning people must have done it. It wasn’t damaged when I first looked at this trailer, so that is a possibility. Them covering it up and acting surprised that I caught it did not leave comfy feelings. Then we got it to the RV Park and the first night, the AC went out. On the 2nd night every power outlet except 2 were dead. Not off to a good start.

I’d love suggestions to make living in a 32’ travel trailer better.

We have never had a desire to hook up a trailer and take a trip. We’re more the fly or drive and stay in a hotel type, but were hoping we can make a change.

[franktafl]

best suggestion is to look around and find the best way to stow things. change showerhead to one that is decent. change the mattress in the master. get a water softener. get a decent TV. and get decemt internet.

[dsol]

Speaking of the bed, consider a memory foam topper. Also, good sheets. A year or so ago we found a great quality set of queen RV sized sheets on Amazon that were a little more expensive but so much nicer than that crap at the camping stores.

Not sure of your bed size but most RV’s have shorter queen beds with a standard width. Normal queen sheets are too long and fitted sheets will not work. Queen shorts are what you probably need.

Also, good water pressure regulator with the liquid filled gauge show you can see actual pressure (check while water is not running and running in the trailer as it will vary greatly). Teflon tape for making sure your connections don’t leak and a higher quality fresh water hose with good quality fittings will help prevent leaks too.

Lastly, if your trailer has adequate power then a portable air conditioner on wheels that you plug into an outlet might be far superior to the built in one at cooling an area where you spend the most time. This is not a great accessory for when you travel frequently but if you are staying at places for a long time AND you have the power available it might be nice to have—plus if your built in goes bad you will have something else to help.

[Scharlene]

Thanks for the helpful info.

[HillCountryHurricane]

or what it is worth, we too have had a marginal experience. I have owned RVs for 20+ years, but never purchased as an expensive one as our currently Voltage. We love the floor plan which is why we picked the 4225. We ordered the trailer with every option plus the full paint. My plan was to outfit it with lithium batteries and solar for hunting season, but that did not work out. It arrived 3 weeks late. We did the dealer pre purchase walk and found a ton if issues. The techs knew little about the RV systems. They have a good generic knowledge but not specifically on the Voltage stuff. They sent it home with us. We went on a few trips including a long 4000 miles trip and found more issues. Literally the slide out snapped the cable on our last day, breaking all kinds of stuff. Trailer is now back at the dealer 6 weeks later for probably 3 months of warranty repairs. So far Dutchmen and dealer are going to take care of the issues, but it ranges from paint peeling off, bent and damages skirts installed from factory, A/C fans broken, black tank flush not functional, gas tank fill necks not functional, gas caps wont screw on, fresh water tanks wont fill, damaged from transit 3 season patio doors, lights dont work from electrical short, happijac bunks missing parts and falling off the wall damaging all kinds of stuff, doors falling off and damaging walls from improper screws used, scratched shelves, walls, broken slide out cables, and the list goes on. I love the trailer, the look, the floor plan, but yes the QC was very poor. All of the issues can be fixed and SHOULD have been caught before it left the manufacturer's yard. My big issue currently is we are loosing 2-3 months of usage and warranty getting all this initial stuff fixed. I think the trailer will be great once we get the initial junk corrected, but wow it is a 2 page list. My previous trailers never had this number of issues starting out. Too bad I am not a youtube influencer....

[dsol]

Originally Posted by HillCountryHurricane

or what it is worth, we too have had a marginal experience. I have owned RVs for 20+ years, but never purchased as an expensive one as our currently Voltage. We love the floor plan which is why we picked the 4225. We ordered the trailer with every option plus the full paint. My plan was to outfit it with lithium batteries and solar for hunting season, but that did not work out. It arrived 3 weeks late. We did the dealer pre purchase walk and found a ton if issues. The techs knew little about the RV systems. They have a good generic knowledge but not specifically on the Voltage stuff. They sent it home with us. We went on a few trips including a long 4000 miles trip and found more issues. Literally the slide out snapped the cable on our last day, breaking all kinds of stuff. Trailer is now back at the dealer 6 weeks later for probably 3 months of warranty repairs. So far Dutchmen and dealer are going to take care of the issues, but it ranges from paint peeling off, bent and damages skirts installed from factory, A/C fans broken, black tank flush not functional, gas tank fill necks not functional, gas caps wont screw on, fresh water tanks wont fill, damaged from transit 3 season patio doors, lights dont work from electrical short, happijac bunks missing parts and falling off the wall damaging all kinds of stuff, doors falling off and damaging walls from improper screws used, scratched shelves, walls, broken slide out cables, and the list goes on. I love the trailer, the look, the floor plan, but yes the QC was very poor. All of the issues can be fixed and SHOULD have been caught before it left the manufacturer's yard. My big issue currently is we are loosing 2-3 months of usage and warranty getting all this initial stuff fixed. I think the trailer will be great once we get the initial junk corrected, but wow it is a 2 page list. My previous trailers never had this number of issues starting out. Too bad I am not a youtube influencer....

Sorry to hear about all of your issues. I have had my share but nothing like what you have experienced. I agree the worst thing is the trailer is sitting at the dealer for many months while your warranty burns down. I encourage you not to take it in again for any warranty work until you have had it out many more times and can bring it in one last time so they can fix everything. I am afraid if you take it in again in another couple of months you won’t get it back before the warranty is up.

You might also try reaching out to both Dutchmen and the dealer on the same email and tell them as a minimum they should extend your warranty as many days as it sat at the dealer for warranty repairs or better than that just give you an extra year. Tell them in a nice way you would like to be a brand ambassador versus taking every chance you have to tell everyone what happened and to never buy one.

Maybe you will get lucky.

Good luck.

[andrew6704]

I made the mistake of buying one too.

[andrew6704]

I have had my Coleman BH262 for a year and a couple months and finding that it is of very poor quality. And now the slide out is leaking, it seems to have started sagging right in the middle.

[Wildcat67]

I bought a Dutchman 2703RB travel trailer in Feb 2023. What a mistake! So many manufacturing problems and a dealership with a service dept that is completely useless. Fortunately there was a keystone certified mobile repair company near me who took care of the warranty problems. The most disturbing issue was finding that the roof sheeting plywood was not attached to the walls. I am currently trying to get Keystone to add additional Basic and Structural warranty and its not going to well.

[HillCountryHurricane]

Originally Posted by Wildcat67

I bought a Dutchman 2703RB travel trailer in Feb 2023. What a mistake! So many manufacturing problems and a dealership with a service dept that is completely useless. Fortunately there was a keystone certified mobile repair company near me who took care of the warranty problems. The most disturbing issue was finding that the roof sheeting plywood was not attached to the walls. I am currently trying to get Keystone to add additional Basic and Structural warranty and its not going to well.

Yikes. I wish we had that option. I have a great mobile tech I use for none warranty work, but Texas law requires the dealership you purchased from do the warranty work on RV trailers. Spoke to the service guys this week and they are still waiting on approvals from Dutchmen...been 2 months now since initial claim on the stuff we saw at delivery. I have no idea why this process is soooo slow.

[Wildcat67]

Originally Posted by HillCountryHurricane

Yikes. I wish we had that option. I have a great mobile tech I use for none warranty work, but Texas law requires the dealership you purchased from do the warranty work on RV trailers. Spoke to the service guys this week and they are still waiting on approvals from Dutchmen...been 2 months now since initial claim on the stuff we saw at delivery. I have no idea why this process is soooo slow.

WOW, another reason to not live in Texas. How can the state take away your right to choose where to get something fixed. Call Keystone customer service and see if the dealership filed the warranty info. I only waited 2 weeks before getting my camper from the dealer-Bishs RV. Caught them lying, they didn't expect me to drive 70 miles to actually see if my camper was in a bay getting the warranty inspection.