Quality of RV units

Someone mentioned in another post the Toyota forced the "BIG 3" to upgrade truck quality and will the same thing happen to RV's as we demand greater quality for our harded earned (and too few) retirement dollars - so what do we think about that??

Case in point: I went shopping for a cargo trailer a few years ago and found quite a variation in price for what appeared to be at first look a similar quality -- then took a more detailed look and found the less expensive trailers were less money for a reason. Smaller tires, wood frame-backers instead of welded metal, wider spacing on support members, 5/8" floors instead of 3/4" etc ... although this was simply a cargo trailer, the same companies make TT's and 5er's and other MH.

I'm of the opinion that we will soon demand better quality and the 'cheaply' built equipment will disappear. In part, the mfgrs are cutting their own throats by forcing us to buy "extended warrantees' because they no longer warrantee their products -- or offer short term warrantees -- knowing full well the product may not hold up. Many smaller mechanical items are practically in the "throw-away" market... use a $100 lawn mower one season, and throw it away, rather than pay for a $50 tune-up each year ... I for one would pay more for a high-quality product I can depend on, than a cheap one that mis-functions when I need it ... Any thoughts guys??

One main problem is we are paying more and more for these units and getting less and less quality. Many of the manufacturers, especially in the motorhome market, are now going for quanity over quality just to sell more units. For instance, Monaco is considered the largerst builder of Class A motorhomes. (Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Beaver and Safari are all built by Monaco.) Under the Monaco name they build 11 different models of Class A, one gas and 10 diesel. The bottom five are built in their factory in Indiana. From the time the chassis rolls into the beginning of the assembly line until the completed coach goes out the other end and head for the paint shop is three days. It takes three days to build these things but then it takes three weeks to paint them with the full body paint job.

This rig is crawling with electronic gizmos and systems. I am still amazed that they can build them in three days even though I've toured the Indiana plant and seen it with my own eyes. Fortunately they have three factory service centers around the country to take care of the things that don't get put together right at the factory. Also, they provide factory service techs at all the Monaco rallies we attend a year, which is about six a year.

As long as more of my generation, the baby boomers, are now going into retirement age and keep buying these new units the manufacturers will keep pushing more and more units out the door. Although they give lip service to retaining customers the bottom line is to keep selling new coaches.

As for the Japanese companies coming into this market, I don't see that happening. Toyota has built a chassis for a small motorhome for years. There is no way any of us would buy one of those things to full time in. No, I can see them building a real house on wheels, which is what we all really want. Look around the park you are sitting in. BIGGER IS BETTER, it's the America way.

Seems to me that if they took themoney they spend on warrantee repairs [although they try not to do warrantee repairs if they can get away from it] and use it to build a better product -- maybe take five or six days to build it, and really check it well ... they would have less call-back hassles, a better reputation, and still get a good dollar for the product because buyers will spend a little more for a high-quality RV ... and I can never understand why the companies fail to see that a good quality unit will sell it self, and will need less money spent on the advertising "lies" too ...

Imagine the quality you could produce in a unit that required no warrantee work and no advertising ... wish in one hand, s,,t in the other, and see which one fill ups first -- is that how the saying goes?