RV Defects Are Normal

Or so it seems from the perspective of the manufacturer and selling dealerships. If not, then why is it so common for a new owner to spend the first few months "working out the bugs?" Or in many instances, the owners themselves perform the repairs to avoid long waiting times at the service repair shop and to ensure the job is done right the first time.

Almost every high-ticket product we purchase today touts their quality, craftsmanship or product longevity except recreational vehicles. Just take a look at any automobile commercial which is chock full of references to how well they are built, detailing the over-the-top comfort level and quality of materials. You also see pretty much the same gloating for typical household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines. 

How do I know all this? In addition to owning RVs for almost 20 years I recently conducted Internet polling to learn how RV Owners felt about the quality of their RV. The results were no surprise, or at least not to me a retired process and quality engineer. But understand there are many owners across the country that are very happy with their unit which isn't quite enough because we all should be Happy Campers. 

First some numbers to study to understand the focus and target group involved witho the polling next we will look at the specific Grades owners have assigned to their RV. 

Poll Categories with Assigned Grade

I conducted two polls, one for Airstream owners and the second for all other RV brand owners. Asking these same questions, you see in the graphic to both groups. There is more information in the video below titled RV Quality Report.

Participants were asked to select the statement that best describes their feelings about the quality of their 2018 to 2021 year model RV. There were 238 Airstream respondents, 313 for all other RV brands totaling 551 responses. 

For fairness two caveats should be considered. 1) The poll was made available to over 200K RV owners as members of Facebook Groups and 2) Negative remarks are more freely shared on the Internet than positive experiences, just a fact of human nature. 

As a sign of what was to come, the first two comments were owners asking why I had not included a "No Issues to Report" category? I immediately added the category and was surprised at how many respondents actually fell in to this category.

Owner's Response Graded from A+ to F

From this set of graphics nothing really jumps out and gives quality a thumbs up or down. One indicator may be the D and F grades for All RV Brands or the 92 (37%) Airstream Owners selecting Grade A and 98 (31%) All RV Brand Owners feeling Grade A+ is their best fit.

Not convinced one way or the other yet? I'm not either so let's do a deeper dive and ask the numbers to present a different picture.

In these next charts I combined the top two grades (A+ and A) and the bottom two grades (D and F) which should represent the most satisfied and most dissatisfied customers for each group.

Top Two and Bottom Two Grades Combined

The picture comes in much better focus from this perspective, at least for me. Over 60 percent of Airstream Owners assigned Grade A or A+ showing their satisfaction quality however 2.3 percent of Airstream Owners had to "cancel trips because of major issues" or "experiencing one issues after the other and it is still broke."  

The All Brands group is reporting quite a different situation. Only 39 percent of these owners are reporting Grade A or A+ and the owners living with the lower grades is 7.3 percent of the All Brands group. 

Where do all of these defects come from and why? The price of anything is a factor of materials and the cost of doing business, simplified of course. Manufacturers as a way to control expenses, have chosen production practices based on a timeline consistent with getting products to customers as quickly as possible. Dealerships gladly accept products with known defects which provide a steady flow of warranty repair work keeping their service departments fully engaged although usually not fully staffed. The maintenance waiting game begins here.

The cost of quality has to fall on someone's plate, the question becomes who and when? The reality is that if there is any quality at all to be had it is the buyer who absorbs the expense of quality knowingly or not and will be better off for it. We don't see Quality as a line item on the invoice nor can we tell the manufacturer "Hold the Quality" on this one to reduce the price. It is what it is. 

If recreational vehicles were delivery in perfect condition with the best materials possible and a guarantee of zero failures for the life of the warranty, we would not be able to afford that RV. I’m not saying to go quietly into the night and just accept what you get, but I am saying try to be satisfied with this whole complex system of the RV Industry but hold everyone accountable.

Seeing the big picture from both the manufacture's and buyer's perspectives I think we can see that the process although troublesome is working. The manufacture ship products and the buyer finds an affordable deal. The long and short of the RV Industry is that RV defects are normal.

I hope you enjoyed this article and maybe learned something along the way. Please Follow my Blog and join the conversation on my Facebook Group "My RV Mentor,."

Thank you.

Campground Etiquette

Campers are friendly people and we all have the opportunity and obligation to carry on this tradition. We help others when needed, share out tools and knowledge when asked and enjoy a warm campfire with neighbors at the end of the day. 

1. Wave and say hello to other campers, you don’t have to stop what you are doing and hold a long conversation but just recognize them as fellow campers.

2. Give campers a chance to completely setup or break camp before engaging in conversation. Most have a routine or checklist to follow and we don’t want to be a distraction.

3. Do not walk across someone’s campsite or use it as a shortcut. Respect their space as if they own the property and you own your property (campsite). 

4. Don’t burn trash, cardboard or plastic in the fire pit, it smokes and smells. Smoke cannot be avoided and is expected but keep it natural.

5. Leave the campsite cleaner than you found it. All trash, cigarettes butts, bottle tops should be placed in the trash. Do not throw or leave trash in the fire pit for others to deal with.

6. The campsite has an authorized max number of people, don’t hold a large family reunion or party without management approval. Even with approval be considerate to other campers.

7. Loud music is never an option. If you must have outside music or television keep the volume reasonable for your immediate campsite only. Other campers will select their own music.

8. Keep bikes, toys and other obstacles out of the street, it is hard enough navigating a large RV on small access lanes so keep it clear and others will appreciate your effort. This also goes for parking in general and especially for boats, 4-wheelers and tow vehicles. 

9. Follow campground rules for pets. Don’t let dogs bark, keep them on a leash and pickup their poop. Even if your pet is well behaved or trained, this doesn’t give you the right to not use a leash.

10. Children should not wonder off and play on other campsites without permission. Hopefully the campground will provide a safe place other than the street for children to play but if they don’t ensure you monitor children closely for everyone’s safety.

11. Outside lights are usually permitted but with consideration to others. Bright lights left on overnight can and will shine into nearby campsites and may present a problem sleeping for some. Besides, it is great to see some stars when camping so keep the lights to a minimum.

12. Quiet hours are usually defined by campground management and must be observed. This means the party is over, move inside if you must and allow others to go to bed quietly. Generators are prohibited during quite hours as is any other noise making device left outside. You can run air conditioners since they are considered essential.

13. Don’t arrive later or depart early. Respect the quiet hours and try to arrive at the campground before quiet hours begin. Likewise, if departing in the early hours of the morning try to complete as much of the outside preparation as you can the night before. 

14. Respect the environment. Don’t leave food on the ground, keep your trash organized and disposed of properly, do not dump wastewater on the group and if you do smoke be conscience of where your smoke is drifting and how close your neighbors really are.

Campground Etiquette is taken from my book, My RV Mentor. The book is available on Amazon at this link:

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