It has been four months since our last post. We have been in Summerfield, Florida at a year-long lease in Sunkissed Village RV Resort. After reviewing the 6/7-month Seasonal rates vs the Yearly rates, we came to the realization that they are about the same, so we opted for a yearly lease, so we can go and come as we wish and had the same lot when we come back. It has been such a nice stay that we opted to extend our stay there for another year, so when we return, we'll be back there next year... same lot, same amenities, and same great friends.
Anyway, at the end of our FL stay, since we had an appointment at REV in Decatur, Indiana, we left FL on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, planning to arrive in Decatur by Saturday, May 4, with an easy 250-300 mile a day travel. However, there were storms threatening the route, and after hearing about the weather that our friends Jerry and Sue Hazen had just 1-2 weeks earlier, we opted to avoid trouble by just getting there as soon as we could. So Bill drove 287 miles the first day, 347 miles the second, and then just drove through to our destination, 487 miles and hooked up to electric.
REV (American Coach, Fleetwood, and Holiday Rambler) offers electric hookup (50Amp) but unlike Tiffin does not have sewer or electric connection, so we dumped our tanks and refilled with fresh water... to wait for our appointment at 7:00am on Monday May 6, 2024.
We met with our Service advisor and two (2) Techs (Randy and Mike) and went over all the items on our list of deficiencies... all 40 or so items. That day was a learning experience. Everything seems to have changed at REV. Glenda, the receptionist that loved on Roxy all during our previous stay, is no longer there. Apparently REV has been restructuring the company and many positions have been done away with, including hers. Further, many Service Advisors and Techs have also been reduced. As a consequence, to keep up with the workload, they are now working a 9.5 hour work day. They still pick up the RV around 06:00am and then return it around 3:30pm instead of at 2:00pm. They used to lock the service center in the evening and weekends and gave a pass key to the customers to be able to get into the rest rooms and to use the free washers (3) and dryers (3). No more. It appears that the computer program that would magnetic lock the doors and allow access broke and they have not bothered to fix it, so they just taped over the magnets and now leave the doors unlocked. The washers and dryers are FREE but may or may not work. At least there is a storm shelter always available as there are several tornadoes around here.
An important thing to note is that though American Coaches are different (though in our opinion just more expensive), between Fleetwood and Holiday Rambler there is very little difference. They BOTH are built in the same factory, on the same line, and have the exact same model numbers and floorplans. The only difference between these two brands is different paint/decor schemes and different option availabilities. Fleetwood Discovery, for example, comes mostly outfitted with U-shaped Dinettes (unless it was custom ordered with a Credenza and Table/chairs). The Holiday Rambler Armada 44B sometimes is found at a dealer with a Credenza/Table & chairs, whereas the Fleetwood Discovery 44B (like ours) we have not found anywhere with a Credenza/Table & Chairs, which to change after purchased with a Dinette, costs a minimum of $12,000. For our money the Holiday Rambler Armada is a better looking coach with preferred options, and the best thing... it appears to be less expensive, though the name of the Fleetwood Discovery LXE line is considered a higher-end RV.
Below is the list of deficiencies we have to be addressed on this (2nd) trip:
[ ] PAINT: Bad Paint job on cargo bay door P/S, (with electrical equipment) drips and runs
[ ] DIAMOND SHIELD: Tear on diamond shield left of center, air bubbles under it, retains water from rain, which causes it to expand when the water in it heats up with sun.
[ ] ALL HUB CAPS (centers): are bent and look like they are about to come off and will not snap in place.
[ ] DEF TANK: Alignment of DEF tank-too far back, very difficult to get nozzle in or use separate containers. Needs to be placed further out towards the door (or put a nozzle on it so that a DEF filler will be able to be emptied into it.
[ ] MAIN DOOR: Creaking on main Exterior door, even after lubricating
[ ] MAIN DOOR STRUT: Front door Strut broke AGAIN. This time there was no wind, it was broken when opening the door normally. It broke at the plastic knob end. The knob that it snaps onto is still bent. IT WAS REPORTED IN MAY 2023, but all they did was bend it back a little and put a new strut on it. PROBABLY WHAT CAUSED STRUT TO BREAK AGAIN. Why can’t they figure out that you need to REPLACE the whole base, to keep it from breaking AGAIN? WE NEED IT FIXED ONCE AND FOR ALL, NOT JUST PATCHED UP, while patting us on the head and telling us all is well, like we’re stupid.
[ X ] WINDSHIELD Wipers, streak most of the time. Probably needs new wiper blades.
[ ] WINDSHIELD: Has a shadow defect INSIDE GLASS. Impossible to clean from inside OR outside.
[ ] D/S MIRROR: Left rear view mirror vibrates, so does the camera (video). Probably needs the mirror arm to be tightened.
[ X ] BLIND SPOT INDICATOR: Sometimes the Blind Spot Indicators (lights) both flash continuously, at the same time. Current solution, pull over shut down and restart. Once it started to flash again, even after restart.... then 20 mins later stopped on their own. Unacceptable. Controller? Sometimes they begin flashing and eventually stop without having to pull over and turn off the engine. But they are teaching me to disregard them because they are undependable.
[ ] ELECTRONIC DOOR OPENER (FOB & SWITCH): The key fob stopped working. So, we put in fresh batteries. No change. Tried the switch on the dash, inside the coach. Still nothing works to lock or unlock the door. We have had to use the dead bold as the sole source to lock the RV (manually). All these things don’t say much for a $600,000 ‘luxury’ motorhome, does it?
[ ] DRIVER SEAT: Driver right armrest cannot be set comfortably and even to the left armrest (its either all the way down or way too high, like at a 45deg). It needs to be adjusted or replaced.
[ X ] DRIVER SEAT: Original seat was lop-sided (slanted to right). It was replaced with the seat from the wrecked 44B that came in after the accident in May 2023. Sitting in the wrecked RV, the seat was perfect but even after it being transferred to our RV, it still slants a bit to the right... so my surmise is hat the BASE (floor) of our RV is uneven and probably needs a slight wedge on the inside of center) to level it.
[ X ] PASSENGER WINDOWS (by dinette and behind theater-seating): travel vibration causes window to work themselves loose, allowing weather and dust in..
[ X ] AGS: When the generator kicks ON, on AGS, it sometimes causes the Eclipse pads to light up and they stay on all night. Is there a way to turn them off? Also, the washer turns ON and does not go off, either.
[ X ] HOLDING TANK VALVE (Black) Leak in holding tank valve, while traveling. Doesn’t do it on short trips, only on 2+ days on the road.
[ ] GENERATOR TRAY: we have had a problem with this since day ONE. First it was jammed and would not open then it opened but the latch kept coming undone in travel. In May 2023, it was SUPPOSEDLY FIXED, but NOT... just patched up. I have had at least 8 RV in last 10 years. None have been as hard as this $600,000 top of the line one. Now the latch is hard to undo, to open the slide and sometimes comes unsnapped while in transit on rough roads. It is supposed to be on a spring latched. IT NEEDS A NEW LATCH and the slide should not be hard to open. Also the Gennie slide should open with relative ease. IT SHOULD WORK JUST LIKE ANY OTHER GENERATOR SLIDE.
[ X ] BEDROOM TV: Right-View camera image is reversed on bedroom TV Reported in May 2023. Not
fixed.
[ X ] BEDROOM TV: Camera feed to bedroom TV, sometimes gets no signal, when it just had signal; then signal seems to cut out, then returns after a time. Reported in May 2023. Not fixed.
[ ] P/S SLIDE: Makes LOUD cracking noises every morning. Not so much in evening. D/S = P/S = PASSENGER SIDE
BUNK AREA
[ ] SLIDING DOOR (P/S) is loose (as if off the lower track) which makes it noisy as it moves between
walls.
[ X ] MAIN MACERATOR TOILET (always refills improperly (barely), doesn’t hold the water in the bowl,
and sometimes does not macerate well, requiring adding extra water or multiple flushes. Plus, there is
always a white residue on the black area, even 24-36 hours after it was cleaned.
[ X ] CEILING LIGHTS: One hockey-puck light keeps falling until it finally cracked. Apparently, the light
BASE needs replacing so that the light cover will stay attached.
[ ] CEILING VENTS: ALL Air Returns are so hard to get opened for washing filters that we have NOT been able to clean our return filters ALL YEAR.
[ ] CARPET BINDING: P/S Carpet on P/S in front of Theater Seating and in Kitchen by sink/stove, carpeting edges wearing off of the edge.
[ ] LG REFRIGERATOR: right door does not close securely. When the left door is closed it forces the right door to release AND STAY OPENED. NEEDS TIGHTENING OR A NEW SPRING OR SOMETHING.
[ ] D/S MIRROR: Left rear view mirror vibrates, so does the camera (video). May need the mirror arm to be tightened, or it may be inside the mirror itself.
[ ] WINDOW LEAK: Front Passenger seat window leaks, WITH STRONG RAIN... see rusted screws.
[ ] MICROWAVE: Microwave has 2 periodically reoccurring issues: 1. EF2 keyboard error, not listed on Manual. MUST unplug to clear it every time. 2. Keyboard freezes with no error message, must Unplug to clear. At least one of the two errors will happen every other week. It’s CONSTANT and a Pain in the A** THEY SAIDTHEY HAVE A NEW ONE, WAITING FOR AUTHORITY TO INSTALL IT.
[ X ] WINDOW AWNINGS: DS (Fleetwood) Awnings (both), rollers need tightening, after travel the fabric is always pulled loose.
[ ] PAINT: Defects above bunkhouse windows sticking out (will mark with blue tape)
[ ] LOGOS (REAR): “Discovery” and “LXE” logos peeling off around the edges. Need NEW weather-resistant ones.
[ ] WINDOW (behind Main TV): weatherstripping has a gap between them, unlike others.
[ ] ADD a full-length slide out tray to rearmost cargo compartment. It already has two trays in the wider compartments.
[ ] CHANGE the roof drain spouts from the existing short ones to the long ones that will drain the water away from the coach. The present one drain right down the side of the RV, which stains the walls and windows.
NOTE 1:
[ ] AQUA HOT IS FINALLY WORKING. TWO parts needed replacement, forcing us to wait 10 months and suffer the lack of warranty coverage... thanks to you. Even though clearly this was a WARRANTY ISSUE, you failed to acknowledge it and cost us over $100 and needless suffering. All I can tell you is that what goes around comes around and you will suffer like you cause suffering. HOWEVER, the fuel leak from the system is STILL LEAKING evidenced by the fuel stains, on the pavers, under the Aqua Hot system, so since you insist on being no help, I guess we’ll have to take care of it ourselves, and keep complaining until we find someone above your position, that will honor the warranty to us.
We have photos/videos of most of these items, though we cannot imagine what you would want them for, since the last time we sent them to you, we were only asked for them again by the service advisor and techs, as apparently you all don’t share between you.
DAY 1 (May 6):
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