Construction problems....

[easwen]

Just getting into looking at our new 13BHB and a I am wondering why the construction techniques are the way they are.....


After spending $21K  on the 13BHB, I have been continually surprised, but not in a good way.  



Just a few things...



Caulking in many places is just sloppy...and in some cases not doing the job.  Why is this? there is  a list of the places like this..
 Got to say Roof Seam caulking....very bad.



The black plastic vents/assembly that gives access to the Refer controls have either shrunk or were undersized to start with.  The removable panels barely stay in place...the tabs that hold them in are just touching the notches they are supposed to fit in. also, the plastic screws...that's they best they can offer?



Exterior trim looks like my 6 year old grandson put it on.  Gaps, wavy and the front "diamond plate" plastic is dimpled in a number of places, done during installation.



Why didn't someone take 15 minutes and use a file to re- leave the incredibly sharp corners on all of the cabinet doors including bathroom door and front door.



Aluminum shavings...I am still getting the out of the trailer after a month of working on it.   What's that about?



also, the fake wood floor..which I like...had aluminum powder ground into it...after 3 cleanings I am still getting "aluminum gray" rags after wiping it down with cleaner.



Those are just the thing right off the top of my head...



I like the idea of an aluminum travel trailer..for a variety of reasons... it's why I bought one.  What I find hard to swallow is the sloppy craftsmanship..is it really necessary to rush the construction process or is it done with no oversight?



my partial rant is done.

[easwen]

Well, no one seems to give a damn...so much for craftsmanship...and so goes america...

[hogtyd]

Unfortunately what you've described is typical RV build quality, except wood chips and sawdust might replace metal shavings in other brands. If it's any consolation, you could have paid 10x more and still had similar issues, if not worse. Semi-complex hand built products that are assembled quickly just seem to end up needing a fair amount of post-purchase "corrections".

Graham

[drake]

Rather pathetic really. I pay about the same for a new truck and it's night and day in quality.  

I guess the big difference is, robots build trucks and people build trailers.

The sheer laziness in not going through it with a vacuum to get the aluminum shavings is mind-boggling.  

[thudd3r]

you will be vacuuming aluminum shavings for the first 2 or 3 seasons.

you will probably want to pull any light fixtures and vacuum them out to avoid having them come on/flicker even when the power is off (since they are full of shavings creating a connection)

[chuck893]

For what it's worth, the problems you are having go waaaaaay back, to when LL was a tiny independent company. The complaints about aluminum shavings were very loud, from ALL owners (including us), and at the time (2010, 2011-ish) the factory's reply was that cleaning them up was a dealer prep responsibility. I'm sure the dealers pointed (and still point) the finger right back at the factory, and I am inclined to think the dealer counterargument has a slight edge: the factory can far more easily clean up after themselves after each process, "clean as you go," than the dealer can clean the entire rig, but if the factory thinks the dealers should do it, well... My take is that there is simply NO excuse for either side leaving this to the owners, but there y'go. 

[mj74]

Rather pathetic really. I pay about the same for a new truck and it's night and day in quality.  

I guess the big difference is, robots build trucks and people build trailers.

The sheer laziness in not going through it with a vacuum to get the aluminum shavings is mind-boggling.  

Back in '97 I bought a brand-new Ford Thunderbird.  At some point, I put in an aftermarket radio, and had to remove some if the dash for the installation. Apparently, who ever was assembling the interior at the factory that day decided to leave some empty plastic parts bags inside the dash, rather than throw them away.  Made me wonder what other garbage was left sealed up in the interior of my car.

[admin]

Homes are even worse...I've done several renovations and its crazy the amount of garbage left in the walls or under the floor of a typical house.

[craigd]

After 8 weeks on the road and also pulling light fixtures off and cleaning, I no longer see any more aluminum shavings. I think it takes a good shaking to get them all loose. Believe me I shook my camper pretty good going down quite a few dirt roads and also on some of the Indian roads in Northeast Arizona I think my camper went airborne more than once.

[easwen]

Homes are even worse...I've done several renovations and its crazy the amount of garbage left in the walls or under the floor of a typical house.

I don't see how that is equivalent to ONE trailer manufacturer in need of quality control? Have you spoken to Camplite at all about their lack of craftsmanship and sloppiness?

[admin]

@easwen, I'm not sure your point here.

[easwen]

[quote source="/post/23276/thread" timestamp="1469220422" author="@admin"]@easwen  , I'm not sure your point here. [/quote]My point is when you talk about stick built or other residential homes, the contractor is long gone when you buy it...unless you are having it custom built.  CampLite is a production facility where bad construction practices can and should be caught as the units are being produced.  
It's obvious that you believe the status quo is just fine.  It shouldn't be.
 End of story. not posting on this anymore ...useless to do so.

[drake]

I guess if this was a forum devoted to one specific contractor, then pointing out that the houses that contractor builds are often a mess would make sense.

It appears that LL has a history of laziness, what a shame as it takes so very little extra to do a job properly.

[thudd3r]

not making excuses for them as mine had a boatload of extra shavings in it...but they were a small company supplying a niche market.  efficiency comes with experience and size and they never really got there before selling out.

but considering the build quality i have seen in many of the big name $85K+ toyhaulers, i dont mind a few pounds of shavings. at least mine isnt going to fall apart like the stick and tin construction of most toyhaulers.  

still feel like i got a good deal and based on what i have seen, the quality isnt going to go up now that thor is running the show. quality is going to go down while prices continue to rise

[admin]

@easwen your complaint may be valid yet you are wrong. Any contractor should be held accountable for quality. I don't care if it's a car, house, RV, or any other product. You want to be mad and that's your choice. However yelling about your issue on a forum where it is noted that the factory pops in from time to time is not going to get the satisfaction I think your looking for. My personal experience with build quality is very different than yours but I would expect it to be since we have very different models. If you have a complaint that absolutely needs to be heard by the company I suggest you lodge it directly with them. Good luck.