They Damaged my RV!! 10's of Thousands of dollars in Damage! Ep 4.33
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- They Damaged my RV!! 10's of Thousands of dollars in Damage! Ep 4.33
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What a cluster! So glad my wife and I saw Steve Lehtos videos warning against buying RV’s. We instead opted for a minivan (which we can sleep in if necessary) and bunk at hotels. So much easier and cheaper, really sorry for you man 😔
I have to agree with you, brother. Our TT is almost paid off and when it is, it's going. They are too much maintenance.
If I end up getting an RV, I may be doing much like you did. I sometimes take long (3-state) road-trips, BUT, spend the nights in hotels to/from and at the destination. So for me, something like a Pleasure-Way "Tofino" camper-van (vs. a "full amenity" Class B) would do nicely as it'd be great for the trips, but if need be -- if I wanted to keep on driving a little farther for some reason -- stop somewhere and get some sleep in a decent/proper bed (vs. being scrunched-up in a car/truck).
Also, to make the expense worth it, it'd be my one-and-only vehicle so it'd be my Daily Driver as well and so it'd be used regularly.
Finally, I'd use it for occasional weekend camping trips in my local area.
So using hotel rooms at night -- as per usual on my road-trips -- I wouldn't really need said "full amenity" (and way more expensive!) Class B.
-- BR
Terrible idea to purchase an RV.
Not for all of us..
Sounds like your work travel would benefit with a RV, maybe even a small TT
When Lippert sent the Tech to our house to put new Spring Hangers all around the Grand Design Reflection 303rls. The first thing he did before he started welding was disconnect the batteries. Grand Design actually should have covered the cost of everything since their employee made the mistake.
They did cover all the costs...
@@MyBucketListDay that's good. We all have to stand up and be heard
It’s such a no brainer. Where did they think all the electronics and electrical was grounded to? Glad no one got hurt or worse.
That is why this video is so important... Dealership damage equipment all the time and blame it on you and then charge you for the repairs... That is why I always use the tech and never drop it off if I can. I like to watch and make sure the work was done correctly and they didn't damage anything in the process.
Alexa is the ONE thing. I 'd be happy about NOT working ! 😂😅😅
Thank you for sharing! We hope everything with your rig is good to go now and no more issues!!
We are terrified as we take our home in for warranty issues that started 5 days after we drove off the dealership lot.
Best of luck on that. Hope all works out positive...
Be prepared to make list of issues presently effecting the performance of you RV .Warning if you're about to purchase a new RV make you SURE get a SPARE TIRE BEFORE YOU SIGN ANY EXIT DOCUMENTS .I GOT ROBBED,FORGOT TO CHECK AND GOT DEFRAUDED BY COACHMAN I GOT NO SPARE .THE WHEEL COST $550.00 OR OVER N TIRE ANOTHER $180.00.
MIGUEL NEGRETE 11-5-23.
MISS AMAZING SAID REVOLUTION IS ON DON'T LET THESE SALEMAN SELL YOU LOW QUALITY R.V.
wow I will never look at a Grand Design Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching
Ive been shopping for my retirement rig. I think your video saved me a lot of heartache. I know where im buying my batteries and im gonna do a lot more research on frames and lippert. Thank you so much. God bless
Glad I could help, Battle Born is having a sale right now, use this link... battlebornbatteries.com/?afmc=5i
"Lippert", the first word in RV heartaches.
LOL, I've never heard that one, I like it...
I have been repairing R V trailers for 45 years. I bought a 2021 G D 320 M K S in late 2021. After watching several you tube videos from a lot of G D owners, I keep a close watch on the frame . Found one of the out riggers buckling slightly. So I added a piece of steel on the 45-angle section to stiffen it up. So far, no other issues. Also installed a Reese 5th airborne pin box. Definitely helped removing some of the shock from the road.
Thanks for sharing
I am a retired Battleborn battery dealer and have sold dozens of their batteries and so far I have only had one failure which I will be shipping back to them as soon as the shipping material they supply shows. I spoke to 3 reps at BB and performed 3 different tests so I am confident they will agree and send a replacement. I think it's very important to toot the horn when you have a company that stands behind its product. Too bad I have so many negative experiences with companies related to the Rv and marine industry.
The damage that was done was likely done by using a TIG welder somewhere on there. I'm guessing they repaired some aluminium. While welding with MIG or stick you should definitely still disconnect the battery, where using a TIG with high frequency (HF) you actually need to remove any electronics before you start, this is because the HF produces about 25kV spikes to either start the arc if you're doing DC with HF start, or if you're doing any AC welding, because AC uses continuous HF. The reason it's killed certain things is because of sensitive electronics. It's quite likely that the lithium pouches in your Battleborns are perfectly fine, but they have a protection circuit in them which will have been killed by the HF from the TIG, the same will be true of the Victrons and some other bits and bobs... Likely they were killed through their current sensing shunts, because they're not normally exposed to anything like that sort of voltage... TIG and lightning strike about the only two sources of that sort of thing.
I started looking at RV's and found this channel. I decided 1000% NO RV for ME! NONE of them. If the industry were honest they would put the hammer down on those manufacturers who produce vehicles which are UNSAFE while on the road to NON RV drivers and passengers. Excuses by anyone are Never acceptable who builds a DEFECTIVE vehicle whch can travel at 70 MPH on a public highway and literally fall apart with bent or broken frames witin days, weeks, months! A 5 star hotel sounds much cheaper and with much stress removed. Thanks for saving me more than $200,000 and lots of hassles, lies, BS that I already get from US truck manufacturers and Dealers.
Glad we could help
Sorry to hear about your (mis)adventures. I am so glad that I am going with Outdoors RV for my 5th wheel. They build their own frames in house.
good call
Clarification, not all manufacturers use Lippert frames. Outdoors RV, Artic Fox and Nash all build their frames in house and they are very rugged. Thats also why the tanks are larger on these brands.
Yes, there are a few that build a strong fantastic frame
WOW! That's craazy!!! Battleborn is a great company to work with for lithium. One simple mistake can have devastating consequences. Glad you are getting good support ad finding a solution.
Thank you!
And this ladies and gentleman is why I sold my new 5th wheel and I bought and live on a boat. Insert mic drop here. My therapist bills were getting to high. And my therapist finally had to get a therapist
LOL, perhaps I should trade in for a live aboard?
As a boat delivery captain, I'm on a lot of owner's boats. All have problems with the additional quirk of being able to sink. After two boats owned, I'll never even own a kayak. OPB only.
@@MyBucketListDay I'm digging a hole on top of a mound above the water table + 33 feet 👣
There is a reason two of the former partners sold out and left Grand Design and started there own company. Grand Design is not the company they were 10 years ago. Also it’s hard to hire good competent workers.
Agree, I still have hope GD management will do the right thing.
They were bought by Winnebago
@@davidbottles3035 weren’t those former partners engineers there at grand design? And didn’t they start a new rv company called Brinkley? Just a question.
@@1954Penny yes I believe so. I believe two of them were co-owners.
I love the immediate defense of grand design since it's like the CZcams king for broken campers lol
Yes, they seem to be having a few to many issues shown on YT
It's now stop with broken RV's on CZcams. Specially 5th wheels there is something wrong with 5th wheel designs that they can't get right. as an engineers that's my take. @@MyBucketListDay
WOW what a mess .... Glad that everything worked out in the long run ... Enjoy going forward ..... BE SAFE !
Thank you! Will do!
Can we just all stop and give HUGE PROPS TO BATTLE BORN BATTERIES and UN PLUGGED RVS because wow!!! I wouldn't change RV living for anything but when something goes wrong, it goes wrong big time and that's just part of the experience that you sign up for and I still wouldn't change it! Good for you staying so calm and I'm sure whoever did it learned a life lesson and won't do that again. ❤
I'm sure they did, I heard they started a new policy because of this...
Northwood (Arctic Fox) builds their own frames (in house) for all their TTs and 5th Wheels, one of the few that does.
Yes, I have heard that. I've heard good things on quality on thoses RV's
Doesn’t mean they’re strong, or any better than Lipport. Only time will tell. We own an Arctic Fox 1140 truck camper and I could tell you it is built like a tank. As far as their fifth wheels and travel trailers. I don’t know.
@@skoffco actually they are much better than Lippert. They are built with real I beam steel, unlike the smaller RV frames from Lippert which are three pieces of flat stock haphazardly welded to together to form a “pseudo” I beam.
Outdoors RV too, a sister company of Northwood Manufacturing, who build Arctic Fox, Nash and Fox Mountain.
Good to know guys. Thanks for info
The much greater risk from welding is that 120V cord and everything on 12V circuits by connection through inverter circuits, ends up being grounded back through all those devices when welder ground lead is not connected to clean metal surface with a secure clean clamp. The tech may not know that they damaged anything until those items are found inoperative. Disconnecting 12V batteries is not enough, you must be sure the 120V cord is pulled OR a unquestionably good high amp capacity ground is made from building to frame.
You are 100% correct sir
Keep up the fight! So not quit now! Your views are 100% behind you! You-tubers 1Strange Adventurer has the same frame problems with their GD toyhauler. Od course GD is going to”Fix their rig too”. People need to know the problems they will encounter with these substandard units! I am sure GD will settle with you, but I see a class action suit coming. Look forward to seeing you new Brinkley! Never surrender. We need your voice for the people w/o CZcams channels to get the word out that GD frames are defective and need to recall them! Thanks for the info on frame designs, it was very informative! Look forward to more Bucket List Adventures!
Thanks, I appreciate your support. I would love a Brinkley, but not in the position to do that right now.
Very nice video. Glad to see you can get back on the road again. Thanks for posting and have a nice day too.
Thanks 👍
Thank God I say this video before I spent my money 💰 I will be buying Battleborn batteries for my Rockwood windjammer 3008w... One of the reasons I haven't picked up a new Trailer is my windjammer has held to gather remarkably will just small repairs with over 40000 miles of towing cross country... It's time to upgrade my electric power source. Solar power is my next step... Battleborn is my next storage... once again thank you for your Honesty
These days with everybody getting sponsored honestly is a hard thing to find.
Awesome, let me know if you need discounts on your battle born order
When they did the walk through, I'm surprised the dealer didn't stop and take note and do something about it right then.
Not the dealer, it was the factory service center
Actually , no dealer will ever take accountability and try their best to blame .
Sorry to hear about your problems, wondering who thought to think of the welding issue. Also, wait until the refrigerator behind you has problems. GOOD LUCK!
Thanks, please don't jinx's my frig, LOL
Thats crazy your electical system took a huge hit that sounds like a huge burden makes me glad i went with a regular van and bluetties but im glad you got out of that situation 🤙🏻
Thanks
I've been a welder since 1976. Disconnecting batteries is always done. There is a 1 in a thousand chance something that will happen and you are the lucky one lol. I normally do structural welding but maintenance work as well. I usually try and get the customer to disconnect the batteries while I set up for the welding. With lithium batteries you are lucky you even have a trailer left. Good on Battleborn on the warranty. Keep this in mind everyone that they stand behind their product even when they didn't need to.
As I said in an earlier post on your other video, we cancelled our Reflection 150 plans (just before pulling the trigger at a Blue Compass.)
It’s got nothing to do with full time living. It’s got everything to do with bad design and execution on the part of the manufacturer. You’d have these issues if you took it out a couple times a month for a few days at a time.
Personally, I’d park it in front of their building with a couple coffins on top and a banner proclaiming death trap which is exactly what they are while on the road if it ever came apart. Best wishes.
One would think there is a procedural manual for any kind of service so that these costly mistakes don't occur.
A checklist of sorts.
Safety should be paramount for 1st the employee and 2nd the R.V.
So glad it all worked out in the end.
You would think
Note to self!! Do a prefix inspection!! Make a video with date stamp. Then NEVER sign the paperwork until a post fix inspection is done with repair facility!! Wow I’m so sorry you had to go through that!!
Wow Jeff. What an ordeal. I hope things will be better soon 🙏🏼
me toooooo
I'm glad they made it right Geoff. It makes me hesitant to get a bigger rig. I may stay in the 34-36 ft range with our future full time fifth wheel.
Thats a choice only you can make, or go look at Brinkley. You cant go wrong with them.
Thanks for all the knowledge in this video I have just a small 25 foot bumper Pull travel trailer but the front electric Jack got bent up because it hit something on the road that was pretty high off the ground, and we did not notice it, so we are going to have to reweld some stuff on the front of the hitch. So that we could straighten out the electric hitch. When we stopped on the side of the road and actually looked at it, it was bent forward at a 45° angle. Surprisingly, enough to us, it still actually worked. But there was a few spots in the actual top of the framing around the area of the electric Jack that had bent and splintered the metal quite a bit. So anyways, this video is definitely going to help. And I will definitely disconnect the battery before they repair the problem.👍🏻👍🏻
Glad I can help, good luck...
@@MyBucketListDay Thank you
There is a special tool to prevent this and to be able to keep all the memory. Simple set of what looks like a jumper cable. Hook these up to a battery and weld away. Do it all the time on newer vehicles with very sensitive computers
Do you have a link to this product???
Yes, the link, or what the name of this special tool is would be great!!
@@MyBucketListDayRetired Electronics guy here. Not recommended - This special tool will not prevent damage from the current through the frame that welding creates which is what happened to you. The purpose of the tool is to keep some power to the devices so that they retain their memories - designed for use on cars when the car battery needs to be replaced, so the customer does not then have to reprogram all of the smart dash settings and radio preset stations.
Everything in America is overweight. Why do we need a 40=ft trailer with massive slide outs. It is supposed to be camping. Go outside take a hike, turn off that 72 inch TV, get out of the recliner and turn off the air conditioner. If a 30 ft RV is to small for you stay home and keep eating double whoppers and supersize those fries.
TNS! Spot on!
You realize campers arent just for camping, right? There's people who live in their camper full time, or full time travel. People rely on these, so people need the space. I live in a camper full time, and I definitely want as much space as possible.
Wow! Content was great but the big take away for me as somebody who is trying to teach themselves to weld was removing the battery connections before welding. Didn’t think about that. I did a tack weld on my mower without incident. I guess I got lucky. Thank you.
Yes you did get lucky, common practice is to disconnect all power prior to welding
The lesson here in my honest opinion, is if you take your rig in for service that could require welding, disconnect the "non-factory off grid equipment" . The service department likely disconnects the RV batteries they are familar with, but aftermarket equipment may be a no touch zone for them. It is great that the builder covered all of the frame problems, but bad that they left you with a huge repair bill. The Customer Service department should have contacted you about disconnecting before welding. Lippert needs to redesign the frame to include more safety factor.
They said at first they did disconnect the batteries, but then when I was able to prove to them they did not, they backed up on that statement and admitted that someone had made the mistake and took responsibility for all of it.
Keep in mind, when you say all brands, in most cases, you are talking about Thor who owns around 80% of the industry
Did they admit they didn’t disconnnect the batteries when they welded and owned up or did they try to stonewall you. It’s great that you had enough experience to realize what the problem was. I’m concerned about a person who would not have that level of knowledge?
did not admit at first, but I was able to prove they did from my monitoring system.
Wow. Kudos to Battle Born. We have one of their batteries in our camp trailer and we love it.
Wow! Wow wow wow! Did you have to file that with your insurance? I am so sorry this happened to you!
I think people need to watch their weights in their storage basements. The pin weight is heavy on the toy haulers and need the weight in the back for counter balance. If that back end is light your putting even more weight on the pin.
I would think Battle Born would now include a warning label with all batteries about the need to disconnect when welding on the frame. I wouldn't have known since i am totally in the dark about electrical stuff.😮 There are plenty of women AND men like that. Yes the tech should have known, but we always need to double check something that important.
I believe It's actually on the owners manuals on all vehicles and trailers with batteries. As you pointed out, anyone that has been trained to weld has been trained and taught never to weld without checking to ensure batteries have been disconnected. However mistakes do happen especially if there are multiple people working on the vehicle at the same time.
Grand Design is off my list!! After all the video's coming out and just think of the people that do not have a youtube channel or use social media!
Lemon Law in my state, Florida, is 24 months and 15 days of repair for rvs.
I don't know about other states, but Frames that break certainly fit the definition of Lemon!
Yes every state is different, I'm from Florida as well but the issues don't fall into the Lemon Law do to timing...
Dang... Glad they were finally willing to work with you. That was very nice of Battleborn. Glad you're back on the road. Which way you heading now?
Not sure yet, I had a couple other issues pop up in the last couple days, Main awning caught a gust of wind and bent and the living room slide jammed again just yesterday. I need to trade this thing in.
Right after this happened I would have had it inspected by a certified rv person.
That is an Idea, but as a fultimmer I know my rig so I saw right away something was wrong.
I guarantee you the TV and fridge and other things that weren’t initially blown up or probably damaged and will fail in short order. But at least you got the bulk of it replaced
Don't just disconnect the batteries. Also unplug and disconnect EVERY electronic device. Computers, charge controls, everything electronic..
That was the original intent, but they plugged everything back in to test and do there initial inspection.
I havent read all the comments yet, but as far as welding on things with batteries, like cars / trucks / RVs, its not entirely just because the batteries are hooked up. Its more because items that are pulling power while its being welded. Yes, the potential is there if the batteries are grounded, but if something is pulling power while being welded, the potential for it to blow is increased exponentially. Even if its just a simple LED light on a display panel lit up, its directing electrical surges to it.
Yes, this is why all the items blew...
Don't assume your TV, microwave & refrig are ok. Generally this type of equipment doesn't fail immediately after a surge episode but rather months later. Sorry for your trouble but don't be surprised if these other electrical items also fail prematurely.
So is there a master cut off switch for the batteries, or do they have to be unwired at the poles? I am just trying to figure out what was missed here. And do RV's need a surge protector on the batteries to protect them? I mean, you could technically get a surge from a bad campground electrical, or even lightning strikes no? You hear these things happening on boats all the time, but you don't think about an RV.
The batteries and all power connection needs to be disconnected from all grounds as the welder will send a surge of power through the entire frame. They failed to do this...
Lemon law has to do with how many days the rig was out-of-service and the depth of the problems. I Lemon Lawed our GD for a full refund at year #2!
WOW, what state do you live in?
CA@@MyBucketListDay
I was thinking that BB Batteries we’re too expensive, not now 17:20 . I’ll be looking into them again. Good luck and thanks!
They are well priced for the quality and the warranty is awesome.
The manufacturers also dictate on their floor plans. As far as is it going to be a single pass 3/8 weld,is it a double pass half inch weld or is it stitch welding, it all Boils down to money!
I'm glad all of your issues eventually were resolved. Unbelievable issues. I noticed you have the capability to be truly off grid with your batteries and associated electrical systems. Any idea of the additional weight added to the trailer and its impact to hitch weight? Might that have complicated the issues with the frame? Just curious.
No, The lithium batteries are 28 lbs each, and they replaced 4 AGM batteries that weighs 84 lbs each. The inverters are only 21 lbs heavier than the original one installed. So it's actually 177 pounds lighter than the equipment installed by the factory. This will allow me to add 6 more batteries and still stay lighter than the original equipment. Hope this answered you question.
I added a system to my trailer and it's heavy. A bit different than what he has here. I have a 6500kwh inverter that is an all in one. Two 5.12kwh batteries and 8 415w solar panels. The inverter is around 50 lbs. The batteries are 108lbs each and the solar panels are 50lbs each. In the end it doesn't matter much weight wise as I rarely move the trailer.
Why did your insurance company have to cover any of this since it was all Grand Designs fault?
@@barrytobias6921 the insurance will go after the manufacturers. That's their job.
@@MyBucketListDay What about the solar panels weight? GVW weight is figured with 1 lead battery, not 4. I have a 2020 376ths. We are full time. No problems yet. Thank-you for the great videos.
The manufacture’s of Rv’s have definitely cut back in Quality Control of their product’s!
Room for improvement
What a saga! You are a patient guy! Great video!
Not all manufacturers use Lippert frames. Exactly why I will be replacing my Grand Design rig with something built by Northwood. All of their rigs use frames that are custom built in-house using thicker material. Arctic Fox will be my next 5th wheel. Yes, they weigh up to 2000 lb more than the similar sized rigs from other manufacturers. They also use true 2" thick walls, 6" thick ceilings and 8.5' wide bodies. I have extensively researched their forums and have spoken with independent service centers and haven't located reports of frame failures.
Your correct, they build a great RV and high quality frame.
I would hope and think Grand Design would change their frame designs to accommodate and support the weight of the even and toy haulers. I was interested in purchasing a Momentum toy hauler but I’m hesitant now because of all the frame issues reported. Thanks for sharing and sorry you had to endure all the frustration with your purchase. Jake
Thanks Jake. I hope they are encouraged to make changes to strengthen them.
All of the new Momentums are built on the Lipper Rhino frame which is a MUCH better design than the 1621HD frame. I was one of the first customers to approach GD with the frame flex issue and was the 3rd unit repaired by the GS Service Center.
After all the tours of the factories is there any manufacturer that stood out in travel trailer construction? Are you familiar with East to West trailers and their construction? This company is peeking my interest.
Well I'm not familiar with their construction, but I did find one manufacture that is doing it right and demanding the highest quality possible. That would be Brinkley.
How were you able to determine the electronics problems were due to a power surge when welding by the dealer and prove to them they were at fault so they needed to fix it?
Kudos to the boys at Battleborne!
Right, they have been so incredible. Best company I've ever worked with.
What a mess! Thank you so much for the details!!
You are so welcome!
Enjoyed both videos on your rig. You mentioned insurance, did not Grand Design pay for everything they messed up? They should have so you would not have to use your insurance.
Yes Grand Design paid for all the items that bot blow up, insurance paid for my hotel for the month I was up in Indiana with my home in the shop...
I must admit, there are cheaper batteries but I insisted on Battle Born batteries. I also purchased the Victron Charge controller and DC to Dc charger as well as the Victron Shunt unit from them. They were so helpful in setting up the paramiters of all the pieces. Battle Born is just great.
Thankfully the finance guy at the grand design dealer insulted me before I signed the contract. I received my deposit back a week later. I now proudly own a KZRV D315rkd... Four years and 20k miles without a problem..
Nice, you sir have good carma
I am so glad I went with trailer that has a BAL riveted frame.
Yep. better than we are doing. Good luck...
Buy a DRV Totally different frame. Look into it and you’ll be impressed.
Thank you for these videos! Maybe you can give me some advice? I have a 2020 376THS. I bought it used from a GD dealer 2 years ago (it's our 2nd GD and yes I hate how they blame Lippert for everything and then say go talk to them like it's not their problem, but I digress...) Anyway, I had them deliver it to our permanent site at a lake so I've never pulled it or moved it. Well I finally bought that diesel dually we needed to start wandering around in it some which we haven't done yet, but now I'm convinced it's going to destroy it. It may already be frame-damaged from the original owner, I have no way of knowing. I loved the pics of the extra bracing they added, and I see from your replies to others that their repairs are already failing, which is not a total surprise. I'm not a very good welder but I know what a good weld looks like and that wasn't it. So here's my question: Do you think I should proactively approach GD about doing the additional bracing or will they laugh me out of the office? I would think it would be easier for them to beef up the pinbox area before the damage happens or spreads than to chase welds all the way down the chassis later like they had to do with yours. Any other thoughts or suggestions to get ahead of this? Thanks!
(PS. I sure wish they'd recall these or someone would start the class action lawsuit.)
Yes, they should be recalling all of them, but they won't unless they are forced. Secondly, The RV you bought says Grand Design on it, not Lippert RV. So this is not Lipperet issue, it is what Grand Design asked them to build for them. So this is a Grand Design issue and they should never tell the customer to go to Lippert.
Lastly. Grand Design will not repair you RV under warranty but will be happy to take your money and try to fix it. My suggestion is to find a certified welder that has experience in fixing RV's in your area to do the job. It will be about a $18k - $22k repair job.
Yup, to give a lttle more context to my personal experience with them and Lippert, my 2015 Solitude that I bought brand new started having the badly peeling fake leather couch issue after a few years. We are not full-timers, we visit ours at its site by a lake two states away. About 3 years into our ownership the couches started peeling. Contacted the dealer, they said call Grand Design. Grand Design said to contact Lippert. That's when I got annoyed. Like you said, it says Grand Design on it, not Lippert. GD buys thousands of couches from them, they have the leverage of their dollars. Lippert owes me nothing. They didn't sell those couches to me, they sold them to GD. Anyway, Lippert offered me 40% off replacements which still would have been thousands of dollars. I asked them what guarantees they could give me that 3 years from now I wouldn't be facing the same problem with their shitty couches? They said no guarantees and that I should probably try to keep them out of heat and humidity. My camper sits empty and unattended 90% of its life. Am I supposed to run the A/C in an empty camper all spring summer and fall? Needless to say we did not buy any new couches. Just put covers on them until we traded it in. My experience with Grand Design and seemingly an awful lot of people on the internet seems to be that Grand Design talks a big game about quality and customer service but when they have widespread, systemic quality problems they tell you "too bad, so sad, Lippert's fault, not our problem."
Have you gotten the repaired rig weight after the reinforcing steel was added? Curious how much it increased your curb weight.
This is a symptom of the problem with all Manufacturing companies today. Since the mid seventies insurance companies refused to insure High Schools that operated shops. So no metal shops, auto shops or wood shops in schools anymore. This means when companies try to hire new workers they have to train their employees from scratch and as a result they are placed in jobs before they truly understand what they are doing. GD is likely in this same situation so it’s no wonder they have welders that don’t know you have to disconnect the batteries before they start welding. It’s the sad state of America’s workforce today. Too many companies have to spend gobs of money to train their new hires only to see that money flushed down the toilet when these people find another job for a buck per hour more. We need to get back to teaching our kids trades before they graduate from high school. Not everyone is cut out to attend college.😢
I’m being kind and respectful . So glad we didn’t buy or move forward with RV lifestyle . Thank you for all these reviews and more reviews
Our pleasure!
Wow I can't believe they reimbursed you. Good for you.
Well, it still cost me a lot.
Sorry to hear about your serious problems.
Thanks
Wow, what an ordeal, thanks for sharing
Battle Born just earned themselves a customer.
Awesome, Let me know they are having a big sale right now. I can send you a link for Battle Born
Those batteries are $945 each, he has 6 of them!
Lucky it didn't catch fire either when they zapped everything or when you tried to hook things up.
At this point I kinda wish it had. LOL
@MyBucketListDay I hear you there! I know the feeling too. I live in my trailer so everything I own is in it.
Hey Jeff , I'm sorry about to hear about how much problems you had with your rig and the other people that their share of problems with there . For what its worth , this is what I think about this ok , everybody remembers 911 and how that change the world , who would thought the world would change again , but it did ok , the world got change because of covid . Lots of people lost their jobs because of covid and had to find other work . All company's had to laid lots of skill staff , so latter on they hire none experience workers , they might have kept a few , this is going take a few years to get their new employees train . Just be happy the manufactures is willing to help everybody out , just go in with a big smile and talk to them what the problems is , what ever you do don't get upset . If I had a customer was pissy with me , I would just go away and not to come back . We don't live in a perfect world anymore . Its going to take time to get the world back the ways it was .
I have gone in with a smile and great attitude, however they have stopped the warranty of their workmanship so now I'm making other plans.
Can't really go too wrong with a topper and a 4x4 full-size pickup.
True Statement, but where do I put everything??
Those batteries are in a compartment that is not heated, don’t they freeze up in the winter? Usually battleborn batteries are in heated compartments, or under the bed.
I'm never anywhere they could freeze, LOL, I'm done with cold weather. We chase 70 degree weather...
Positive for BattleBorn. Guess I'll have to check them out!
Yes, if you would like a bit of a discount, let me know
You said 7 out of 10 will experience frame issues, the industry claims are 1/2 of 1%. Where did you get your 70% figure?
This was said directly from Grand Design Shop Service Manager and then a few days later, confirmed when I went on a tour at Lippert!
This is crazy! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I hear more and more that shows me to stay away from grand design!
Sadly, they are not what they used to be...
How thick of steel plate did they use for the gussets
I never knew a ground could back feed through battery loads ! Shouldn't fuses avoided the damage ? Thanks for posting.
You would think, but the fuses are down stream. Not behind the ground
That's why you get inspection on it. New or used
That's right. I always recommend it...
So they took care of this guys rig but if you don’t have a warranty down the road you’re on your own. So basically you are buying a financial grenade buying any of these big 5th wheel rvs that have inadequate frames.
Wouldnt happen in Australia, as we have consumer laws that cover the consumer even out of warranty, its said that (not exacly to the legal jargon) however its said that a prodcut should be built to last behond the warranty period for a period of time. And this law has been tested a few times and won by the consumer.
Thanks for the comments!
I have been following your videos. I know you say your rig is a tank....now. The issue is for how much they cost new they should been built that way from the start. All those extra frame parts, extra welds, extra bolts, should have been done from the start. The frame issue is a known issue for them, but even the new ones just rolling out are built the same way as they were cutting corners where ever they can. The other thing to piont out is this frame issue is all GD fault. You can not blame Lipper, they are building the frame to GD specs. GD tells them how they want the frame built and what size steel to use. This is all on GD, as well as the issues you had with all your stuff being blown out. I cannot beleave how many people keep supporting and thinking how great GD is. GD makes half their money on warranty work via insurance clams, replacing crap on there units. should have to go through all the stuff you had to deal with on a new unit.
They used to be good, but not anymore. My goal is to hel and educat others form making the mistake in buying one and helping those that are having issues to know what to do.
This is one reason I buy used taken care of RV’s. Simpler and bugs already worked out.
This is one way to avoid issues
I discovered that there is no lemon law in Oregon for RV’s. We are stuck with a lemon.
Excellent video thank you for the update and see you on the road❤️
Thanks
I love hotels.
What kind of insurance covered a machinal repair????
Insurance didn't cover this, GD did
WOW!
Question, why didn’t YOU disconnect batteries before you let the weld on frame? Was there any documents that you had to sign that discusses what needs to be done prior to handing camper over technicians welding on camper? I’m full time in my camper. I disconnect and unplug almost everything when im not at my camper overnight.
Actually they were, but they reconnected them to do their initial inspection they do prior to doing any work. They do this on every RV that comes in for work.
@@MyBucketListDay Wow! Sorry this happened to you.
Call the DOT
You know how important it is to disconnect the battery's hopefully you will be a little more proactive when getting it serviced ✌️
As mentioned I did, they reconnected them to do their initial inspection prior to starting work.
So we're victim blaming now??? WOW!