My story this time July 25, 2008, 10:15:12 am Yahoo Message Number: 1465Before I get started let me say that I can't believe the hoops you'rejumping thru JD, I don't know what I'd do in that situation, but theterm "crazed vet" jumps to mind. This is just unbelievable. Between youand Denny along with some others, if I was reading this list I'd swearoff RV's forever. My problems don't even compare with yours.....at leastyet.Okay so on to my saga. I've been sort of lurking, but mostly doing somehealth related things lately so haven't been active.After returning from our trip out west I took my Jayco 32SS into thedealer to have a list of issues taken care of. All warranty issues andI'll lay them out here:1. The exhaust hanger problem. They looked at my stainless steel boltreplacing the missing rivet in the hanger and deemed it more thanadequate so they left that alone. They did take it to a shop someplaceelse to have the exhaust bulletin done and I have to say the shop did anincredible job installing the new support members and hanger. The systemis solid as a rock and they even took the time to paint the pieces theywelded to the frame. This is nice work. I'll get photos when I have itover here out of storage the next time. The storage area is sandy andprone to chiggers so I don't crawl around over there. It's also in themid 90's here.2. The front A/C not working. They removed the thermostat and found awire off the back of the panel. The thermostat was loose on the wall, another case of stripping screws into thin paneling. They repaired theconnection and reattached the unit to the wall so it's very sturdy thistime.3. Loose carpet. They brought in a carpet company to re-stretch thecarpet and it looks great now. Big difference in how it feels and theslide doesn't move it as it retracts, etc.4. Water heater door latch. They replaced it with a new latch.5. Thermostat digital readout. These seem to be out of calibration, butaccording to the dealer they check out fine. It's going to be a matterof finding what settings are actually the comfort settings opposed tobeing able to completely believe the readout.6. Vinyl floor loose. When we were in the high altitudes of the Rockieson a cold morning we noticed the vinyl floor had a big air bubble underit in the kitchen area. It was really weird and as the coach and outsidetemps warmed up it went down. It's the only time we've noticed it andnormally it feels tight. My dealer called Jayco while I was there andwas told it is a "free floating vinyl installation" that allows for theexpansion and contraction that RV's experience due to changingconditions. David (dealership owner) told me he thought it was thatbefore he called, but said he'd check to see. Okay so no problem apparently.7. Broken and bent conduit going into living room slide underneath.There is conduit that slides in and out with the slide and brings thewires up under the couch. One day on the trip the slide didn't go allthe way in and when I investigated I found the conduit had bound up andthe elbow was broken. This is not fixed to the floor where it goes upthru and apparently depends on gravity to keep it down and aligned withthe hole in the side of the coach. If this rides up and the slide isclosing it can bind. I make sure I don't keep anything in the top ofthat storage compartment because it could potentially stop the conduitfrom sliding in freely. This was the first thing they asked me and whoknows if they believed me or not, but they fixed it. The workmanship wasgood although they did leave all the wire splice scrap under thesofa....must be a sign they've been thru Jayco maintenance school. Thisconduit is something I'll be watching. I don't know of a good fix yetthough either.8. Black water drain valve seeping. They fixed this.9. Generator exhaust pipe rattles. No fix, it's installed properly.10. Loud clunking sound upon acceleration or braking under rear end.Official response on the work sheet was "drove 30 miles, no unusualnoises heard". I suspect it's actually just the suspension, but wouldlike that confirmed. I can find no loose bolts or brackets anyplace. Theother explanation may be the splined end of the driveshaft needs lubeand that's a GM thing. Of course there isn't a GM dealer here who willtake it in the shop.11. Night shade over dinette has always been crooked and they've triedin the past to get it aligned. This time they ordered a new shade andcalled this morning to say it's in and set up an appointment to replaceit next week.I did the transmission filter change during the trip since we would begoing over the 5000 mile mark. That was no big deal to do myself.Since getting it serviced is a nightmare because nobody will do it, Ihave done the oil changes myself. I did the first one when I got it homefrom the dealer in GA because although it only had 1400 miles on it, ithad been in the pan for several months since production. I did the nextone right before we left on our trip and changed over to Mobil 1synthetic. I have changed it since we got back. I know you can go morethan 5000 miles on it, but it just felt better to do it since it hadbeen over the Rockies, etc.The dealer told me when I took it in he couldn't even look at it for 7 -10 days because he was scheduled so heavily with recalls. He called twoweeks later to say it was ready to pick up. Since he told me up front itwould sit for so long if I brought it in, I can't complain about itbeing there for two weeks. Their service department has always been myproblem with them, but it seems David has made some changes there andthings have improved.So, there you have it. My experience is FAR better than most it seems. Istill have some things to work out, but nothing serious....I think. I'vebeen out for a week once since the trip out west and everything wentfine so that was nice. I need to check out the bolt/motor situation thatDon mentioned so I can avert any problems there.All that being said, I am giving serious consideration to selling theunit. Not because of maintenance problems since they've been handledokay, but because for whatever reason, I don't seem to relax and enjoythis as much as I have my trailers. This leads to what I would donext.......I don't know. I can't just go out and buy a new truck andfifth wheel or trailer and I don't know that I'm ready to quit doing theRV thing after all these years, but economics are a harsh reality too.Take care, Greg Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #1 – July 25, 2008, 06:53:43 pm Yahoo Message Number: 1473Greg, This may be one of those "small world" moments. You said in yourpost that you got your rig in GA and then you mentioned speakingto "David". Well I'm in North GA and the owner of my local dealershipis David. I don't know if there is any forum convention against namingspecific dealers but do you recon we've got the same dealer? If that'sthe case I'm sorry I missed you when you came down from way up there inNC to pick up your rig.Bill Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #2 – July 25, 2008, 07:57:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 1475On 25-Jul-08, at 10:15 AM, Greg Gimlick wrote: Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #3 – July 25, 2008, 08:55:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 1476Hi BillQuoteThis may be one of those "small world" moments. You said in yourpost that you got your rig in GA and then you mentioned speakingto "David". Well I'm in North GA and the owner of my local dealershipis David.I don't know of any rule that says we can't name names, etc. It's up tothe list owner as far as I know. Since we're not trashing anyone I don'tsee a problem.Actually the David I spoke of is my local dealer in Clayton, NC justoutside of Raleigh. He owns Camptown RV and I've bought a couple oftrailers from him in the past. When I was looking for a new 32SS he wasgoing to order it for me until he was told they were all allocated andwouldn't be making any more. I asked him if he could do what car dealersdid and go find me one from another dealer. He said they really didn'tdo things like that but he'd see what he could find out and if I foundone to let him know where it was. I got online and searched and foundexactly what I was looking for at Crown RV in Conyers, GA. I don't knowthe dealers name, but David Ross (my dealer) knew him and said they hadrecently been at a conference together so he'd give him a call. Theynegotiated something between them and met my price with the agreementthat I'd go pick it up in GA so he didn't have to pay a man to go downto get it.I actually found a couple around the country I was willing to go checkon so I was glad the one in GA worked out okay. We did the PDI therewhich turned into a bit of a nightmare, but in the end it all got workedout.Quotethe case I'm sorry I missed you when you came down from way up there inNC to pick up your rig.Maybe next time :-) We want to get back down to Elijah Clark State Park.We stayed there on the way home and loved it.Take care, Greg Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #4 – July 25, 2008, 09:11:36 pm Yahoo Message Number: 1479Don wrote:Quotecan't help get the feeling that you'd like to line up the seniormanagement of these companies in front of a firing squad.Or at least make them own their product for a year....pretty much thesame thing.QuoteThe key point is that this problem runs throughout the entire industry.A sad commentary :-(Quotewith the Jayco are fewer and generally less serious - but then there ismuch less MH with the Jayco and far fewer things to go wrong.That's true and one of the things that makes me temper by desire for aclass A. Of course at this point my desire to have a motorhome is inquestion anyway. I do enjoy the ease of using it, setting up, etc, butthe service side of it is worrisome.QuoteI'm not nuts about the price I told him we'd want (but it is probablyvery fair frankly) and the question is what would we do next, ifanything.That is our question if we decide to sell ours.QuoteOur dealer has a Winnie View and with the increased CCC for2008 it would meet our needs.We looked at one of these a month ago and really loved it, but it's notfeasible for us. It really had everything we wanted though....except Ididn't realize what price range I was looking at....oops. I will saythat the dealer is VERY anxious to make a deal though :-)QuoteWe'd have to switch DW's Equinox for something like an HHR that ismuch lighter (and much more efficient).How much does the Equinox weigh? My little Vue is 4000 lbs.QuoteOn the other hand the floorplan of the 32SS is to our likingThat's what we keep bumping up against every time I claim I'm going toget rid of it. We love the floorplan and there are only two of us so itworks great. When I do have it at the house it also fits on the pad nextto the house where I have the hookups. Of course we can only have ithere for 48 hours on each side of a trip, but anything bigger won't fit.Quote(7.4 MPG), handles reasonably well, seems to behave well in heavy winds, and so on.Our trip out west really tested the drivability and I have to say I washappy with it. We bucked winds up to 55 mph and I still don't see theneed to add thousands of dollars in chassis upgrades.QuoteOn the other leg (I've run out of hands), I keep wondering what is underthe skin and what else could go wrong given everything I'm seeing andreading about these days.Yup, I know the feeling. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't read anythingonline and just go on ignorance is bliss. I met a guy in Utah during ourtrip with a 32SS and he knew nothing of any of the things I mentionedfrom the forums. He just didn't care and said he'd use it and fix itwhen it needed it. I will also add his rig looked like hell.QuoteI also realized I should be very PO'd with Jayco's Help Desk.I can't believe they haven't called back all week. What if the slideshadn't come in and you were stuck somewhere? Geez :-(QuoteOf course we are straddling two closing dates and I now have two homesto look after (two pools, two lawns, yada yada) and a move to arrange.Boy oh boy, I'll bet you will be glad when this summer is over. What aplate full of stuff to deal with.Take care, Greg Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #5 – July 26, 2008, 01:37:26 am Yahoo Message Number: 1480Greg, I have to say that I probably feel more comfortable driving this one than the previous 3 - maybe because it is smaller and more like a truck/SUV. I will say though, the Ambassador and the Journey were very nice on the Interstates and when parked they sure had a lot of room - particularly the 40 ft 10 inch Ambassador with den. On the other hand, stopping for gas was something that we found had to be planned very carefully and with the Ambassador in 21 months we never fueled at other than a Flying J.The View IS very expensive for its size and MUCH more so in Canada (list is $125K but dealer will sell this one for $89k - which is a bit more realistic). It does not get "made in the US" tax treatment as the Sprinter is made in Germany, knocked down, and then reassembled at Gaffney. Our Equinox is not towable - AWD so won't even go on a dolly. The View tow limit is 3500 lbs so your Vue won't work either. When the view first came out I monitored the Yahoo View/Navion forum.The drag fellow wants to come out and see it but frankly I"m inclined to tell him to forget it - but then when working on the slide problem and checking the wiring behind the dresser drawers I see all kind of daylight and then start to wonder.Yes, I'll be happy when this summer is over. If we had to move this week and I hadn't been able to get the slides in, I'd have been in a real pickle.DonOn 25-Jul-08, at 9:11 PM, Greg Gimlick wrote: Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #6 – July 26, 2008, 09:17:01 am Yahoo Message Number: 1482DonQuoteI have to say that I probably feel more comfortable driving thisone than the previous 3 - maybe because it is smaller and more like atruck/SUV.It does drive good although I was so comfortable hauling trailers behindthe crewcab that I still don't relax as much driving this as I did withthe trailers....weird.Quotestopping for gas was something that we found had to be planned verycarefully and with the Ambassador in 21 months we never fueled at otherthan a Flying J.I've never traveled in a 40 footer so I don't know what that's like in agas station, but I can see just from the Greyhawk and toad that it wouldtake planning. At least my truck and trailer bend in the middle and Icould back them up :-)QuoteThe View IS very expensive for its size and MUCH more so in Canada (listis $125K but dealer will sell this one for $89k -I'm an idiot....I misspoke when I said the View, I was looking at a Tourwhich is way over these prices :-) Don't know how I got the names mixedup. My wife and I still fantasize about taking a year and going fulltime before we get past the point of feeling it's a reasonable feat. Theclass A gives us the laundry, etc we would want. The other choice is goback to a trailer, but this time do a 5th wheel so we'd have the livingroom we want.QuoteThe drag fellow wants to come out and see it but frankly I"m inclined totell him to forget it -I don't know what I'd do if I had a willing buyer. I'd have to give it alot of thought.Quotechecking the wiring behind the dresser drawers I see all kind ofdaylight and then start to wonder.You mean you haven't gotten the spray foam out and filled those holes? ;-)QuoteYes, I'll be happy when this summer is over.Soon I hope for your sake, then you can get on with relaxing :-)Take care, Greg Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #7 – July 26, 2008, 09:56:02 am Yahoo Message Number: 1483On 26-Jul-08, at 9:16 AM, Greg Gimlick wrote: Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #8 – July 26, 2008, 09:58:48 am Yahoo Message Number: 1484, Greg Gimlick wrote:QuoteMaybe next time :-) We want to get back down to Elijah Clark StatePark. We stayed there on the way home and loved it.Hey Greg, Guess it was a long shot. Our dealer is, are you ready forthis... "Wild Willy's RV's". If you need an alternative to Crown thenit might be something to consider for future reference. Thedealership is in Dahlonega and Jayco is the only brand they sell. Idon't know if it's any closer for you or not.They have a really nice, new and quite large, facility. I've beentreated courteously in all my visits and the people seem competent.HOWEVER... my only real complaint is that they seem to have too muchof "that industry attitude" we're all too familiar with. Alas... thatof course gets back to management. So if you educate yourself, stayon top of them and are ready with the right questions and not willingto accept the "standard" answers then it works out OK. They are veryclose-by so for the rest of the warranty period I'll continue to dealwith them. When the warranty is up and everything is on my nickle, I'll be dealing strictly with Camping World which is about 25 milesaway. They're certainly not perfect but are a more "known quantity"to me.Bill Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #9 – July 26, 2008, 11:38:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 1485Hey Bill, I Guess it was't too long of a long shot. I also bought our 2008Greyhawk 33DS from "Wild Willy's RV's in Dahlonega. It was one of thelast ones Jayco made. I ordered it in June of 2007 & picked it up themiddle of September.I've only put about 4,000 miles on so far, but mywife & I both love it. So far, no major problems.I'm at Holiday Trav-L-Park in Chattanooga, for a couple more days, before heading home to Hiawassee Ga.Bill, what part of North Georgia do you live in?I also want to thank all you guys, for your posts..... I've learnedso much.David, "berfle624" wrote:Quote, Greg Gimlick wrote:Maybe next time :-) We want to get back down to Elijah ClarkState Park. We stayed there on the way home and loved it.Hey Greg, Guess it was a long shot. Our dealer is, are you ready forthis... "Wild Willy's RV's". If you need an alternative to Crownthen it might be something to consider for future reference. Thedealership is in Dahlonega and Jayco is the only brand they sell. Idon't know if it's any closer for you or not.They have a really nice, new and quite large, facility. I've beentreated courteously in all my visits and the people seem competent.HOWEVER... my only real complaint is that they seem to have toomuch of "that industry attitude" we're all too familiar with. Alas...that of course gets back to management. So if you educate yourself, stayon top of them and are ready with the right questions and notwilling to accept the "standard" answers then it works out OK. They arevery close-by so for the rest of the warranty period I'll continue todeal Quote Selected
Re: My story this time Reply #10 – July 27, 2008, 09:44:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 1486, "dflondon" wrote:QuoteHey Bill, I Guess it was't too long of a long shot. I also bought our 2008Greyhawk 33DS from "Wild Willy's RV's in Dahlonega. It was one of thelast ones Jayco made.Hey Neighbor, We're just a few miles from the dealership in dahlonega. We've only had the opportunity for one trip since we picked up our 33DS last Dec. Family health issues have kept us mostly homebound so our odometer still reads pretty low (2,100 mi). We love the floorplan and like you, we've had no major problems (knock on wood)... a great many less-than-major issues however. Have you had your coach in for chassis service yet & if so did you take it to Hardy Chev in Gainesville?Hiawassee and actually all of Towns Co. is beautiful country. We get up to Young Harris several times a year so are quite familiar with the area. Good to know there's some fellow Kodiak/Greyhawk'ers in the area.Bill Quote Selected