Manufacturing quality among RV owners has been a hot-button issue in the last decade, particularly as RV ownership grows to record numbers. RVs are built from hundreds of components, however, which led me to wonder if owners have more issues with those individual parts and systems that come from all over the world, or if they have more issues with how it’s all put together. Especially considering the fact that I just fixed 2 plumbing leaks and a malfunctioning furnace in our 8-month-old trailer.
Components like air conditioners, refrigerators, jacks, furniture, converters, even the chassis the whole thing sits on are all built by third-party suppliers. The RV manufacturer certainly has a responsibility to pick quality equipment, but do they? Or do they pick the cheapest of the bunch to maximize profits? On the other hand, the RV manufacturer is directly responsible for the installation of those components, along with the overall structure, the cabinetry, wiring, plumbing, and upholstery.
So in order to figure out what owners have more problems with — third party systems or the overall build — I conducted a completely non-scientific Facebook poll in a half dozen groups:
A) I’ve had more issues with manufacturer construction (cabinetry, leaks, slides, wiring, etc.)
B) I’ve had more problems with third-party equipment (appliances, chassis, jacks, furnace, water heater, air conditioner, tires, axles, etc.)
I was honestly expecting something around a 50/50 response, but it wasn’t even close. With 832 respondents, these were the results:
28% had more issues with third-party equipment
72% had more issues with manufacturer construction
So there you have it. In our totally unscientific poll, the vast majority of people had more issues with the overall build quality of their RV and not the individual components.
Now, you may ask why I didn’t just ask repair facilities what warranty claims they see more of. But I theorized that many build quality issues go unreported.
What issues have you had with your RV?
