200 mile Brake inspection

[Shane Wood]

Well spoken Dave. My first few houses cost less than this thing. We all know things are going to break and just want a manufactor to stand by and warrent the product they are selling us.

[Piper Guy's Gal]

Originally Posted by Jimni5er

I'm really sorry to hear of all the complaints that owners are having with there warranties with the breaks etc. I usually check out pretty throughly on the Internet on any thing I purchase. But I guess this time my wife and I were so excited about ordering our new Redwood 38RL. We missed this thread. We're suppose to pick it up in September. Since we're new to the Redwood family. Is there anything that anybody would suggest that we should bring up at the dealership before we take possession. Thanks Jim & Laura

Jim and Laura,

Welcome to the family and congratulations on your new addition.

You should know that most, if not all of us on the forum love our Redwoods. They are beautiful units! Every time we go to an RV show and look at other makes, we end up say, "it's nice, but it's not as nice as our Redwood."

Everyone I'm sure has had issues with their unit, as is true with all RVs. Some are fairly minor (and frankly provides "puttering" for the DH to do so that's ok). The major ones that we encountered (cracked granite countertop, microwave, broken basement door) were readily fixed by Redwood at their customer service center when we came out for the rallies.

We did go for the IS and disc brakes at MorRyde. An expensive modification for sure, but money well spent especially when we learned that one of our spring shackles was broken. We've heard a few first-hand accounts of similar situations so this something you would be wise to consider. Since yours is an ordered unit, if you didn't opt for the disc brakes, you should see if you can still add.

BUT, our unit is a 2013. Unfortunately, it appears from what others have said is that Redwood's handling of warranty claims is not what it used to be. When you start to see a pattern of warranty claim denials, well that is troubling for sure. You buy a unit expecting quality workmanship, especially when the product is on the upper end of the price spectrum. But that's not all that you expect; you also expect quality customer service and the manufacturer to honor any warranties provided.

I need to stress here that we have been very, very pleased with our Redwood and the way things were handled for us in customer service. In fact, I couldn't give a higher rating for the treatment we received. And if you've read Dave's post, I think you'll see that he said the same thing. However, our units are 2012-2013 and we're out of the warranty period.

I do not have any first-hand experience with warranty-claims being denied. My knowledge comes from what others are saying, mostly through this forum. And what I hear is troubling.

It would certainly help if those who have had a positive warranty experience recently spoke up so we hear something more encouraging. If there are owners on the forum who previously shared with us that they were having claims denied, but since then there has been a reversal and the warranty honored, please let us know. That is not only fair to Redwood, but also helpful to new and prospective owners as well.

[danrn]

Originally Posted by piper guy

Well ~ here's my take on this ~ if the brakes must be adjusted after 200 miles, then UNLESS the dealer is closer to the factory than 200 miles, it would/should be the DEALERS responsibility to ensure that the brakes are checked and adjusted as part of his PDI before delivering to a retail customer.


If not, I really need someone from the vendor or factory to explain why not to me. If it isn't done by the dealer upon receiving the coach I don't see how or why the purchaser could or should be responsible for the brake adjustment or any damage caused by the brakes NOT being adjusted. It is already way past due ............ The other part of this is that there are so many problems industry wide (not just Redwood or Crossroads) with the drum brake systems that I'm totally amazed that every dealer doesn't pull the wheels and check the brakes before delivering a rig.

There is a reason many of us spend $3k to put disc brakes on a heavy trailer ................

Exactly what I was thinking.
I know drum brakes are old technology, but are they really that bad? If they self adjust like they are suppose to and one checks them periodically, from what I remember from some of my old vehicles they did OK.

[RomanyLife]

Excellent Dave. As always.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

I just got to say something here that some my not like......

I toured my first Redwood and ran into a guy that turned out to be a sales director of some sort from Redwood. After telling this guy he was full of s^*t and this was just another rv company....we actually laughed together. He spent the next hour fielding my questions and I soon wrote a check and ordered my Redwood.

Andy assured me that this company was going to cover these units for 2 years "pin to bumper" with their warranty. I tested that a few times and I called them when I broke something that was clearly my fault and they wouldn't accept money. When I met Tom (the former boss who now runs Landmark) I asked for brochures and I can't begin to tell how many people I helped talk into Redwoods. 99% of the sales was because of the attitude toward warranty and service because that's the key to a good manufacture. Customer service and getting parts is the #1 worry every rv owner has. I realize though this was very costly for Redwood however if they built better they wouldn't have all the warranty claims.

It worries me a great deal when I get emails, text messages or phone calls from folks that get denied warranty claims on 3 or 6 month old coaches. When I hear "claims are being considered on a case by case instances" I just shake my head and pour another drink. Are they beautiful ......you bet they are! Redwoods are something to proud of when you pull into a campground. But.....I truely hope the management team starts managing better and remembers that they aren't in the manufacturing business.......they're actually in the business of fulfilling people's dreams. These people spent more than most to live a dream of having a home on wheels, capable of traveling coast to coast and capable of surviving past a warranty that Redwood struggles to fulfill .

Thanks Dave! We were one of those you influenced into getting a Redwood.

[atom ant]

I think a mentioned my new Ford had to be drug away last camping trip after fuel started gushing out from underneath while running.

Truck is over a year old, bought out of state. Ford road service picked it up in front of my house, called the next day and it was fixed. A fuel line had simply come unplugged (nylon connecter) along the frame, and he apologized for not having a better reason for the problem, but the fix was he just plugged it back in and then they cleaned up the mess.

Not a dime out of my pocket for tow or repair. No miserable lip service like I shouldn't have actually put fuel in the tank, or warranty void because the owner wire tied the air-lift compressor wiring to that fuel line, nothing of the kind, rather a courteous call that says it was ready, within 24 hrs of the problem call. If Redwood is trying follow the business model Ford uses (owner, manufacturer, vendor, dealer), then they didn't read the whole article!

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Piper Guy's Gal

It would certainly help if those who have had a positive warranty experience recently spoke up so we hear something more encouraging. If there are owners on the forum who previously shared with us that they were having claims denied, but since then there has been a reversal and the warranty honored, please let us know. That is not only fair to Redwood, but also helpful to new and prospective owners as well.

Absolutely! Also would be interested in hearing feedback on those issues that Christian or Taylor jumped in on to help!

[Blue Dogs]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Sorry, but I would have to completely disagree!

Redwood is letting Lippert push them around and we suffer the consequence. If Jim is the guy to fix it, then he better fix it, because right now they are proving to be one of the worst RVs for warranty I have ever had. I'm not a disgruntled owner because I have had only minor issues, rather I just can't stand seeing other owners get unfairly turned away for warranty.

My prior unit was a Keystone, and with a simple first call about a frame issue and some pics they picked mine up on a flatbed and took it back to the factory for repair. Lippert denied warranty on all of it, but the Montana rep said I bought a Montana and my warranty is with Montana not Lippert. He said he would deal with Lippert as necessary to recover his money.

I would have at least expected similar treatment or better from Redwood, but I'm not seeing anything close.

Well said, I agree totally!

[rex]

Brake Feedback:
On another site, there was a discussion about Lippert and brake failures. Lippert finally came through but I had to be the one to call them and push to get the issue resolved. I'll admit that I didn't have to push very hard but since I had to be the one to do it, it caused me some heartburn. As I was leaving on a trip, the dealer installed some "loaner" brakes. Last Tuesday on the way home from the Grand Canyon, we stopped at the dealer and had the Lippert replacement brakes installed. Christian's involvement (as far as I know) was being aware of the problem, saying warm fuzzy words, (which I did appreciate BTW!) and promises to address similar issues with the "powers that be". On a side note, RW has agreed to repaint the front and rear caps due to fading, and the entry door is "broken" somewhere so that the upper edge of the door binds in the frame. This too has been turned in to RW as a warranty issue.
My positive thoughts of RW build quality are beginning to fade. We've had several smaller issues that I've taken care of myself with out of pocket expenses. Sure hope we haven't purchased another lemon like the last Carriage Cameo that we had!
...rex

[Char & Steve]

Originally Posted by rex

Brake Feedback:
On another site, there was a discussion about Lippert and brake failures. Lippert finally came through but I had to be the one to call them and push to get the issue resolved. I'll admit that I didn't have to push very hard but since I had to be the one to do it, it caused me some heartburn. As I was leaving on a trip, the dealer installed some "loaner" brakes. Last Tuesday on the way home from the Grand Canyon, we stopped at the dealer and had the Lippert replacement brakes installed. Christian's involvement (as far as I know) was being aware of the problem, saying warm fuzzy words, (which I did appreciate BTW!) and promises to address similar issues with the "powers that be". On a side note, RW has agreed to repaint the front and rear caps due to fading, and the entry door is "broken" somewhere so that the upper edge of the door binds in the frame. This too has been turned in to RW as a warranty issue.
My positive thoughts of RW build quality are beginning to fade. We've had several smaller issues that I've taken care of myself with out of pocket expenses. Sure hope we haven't purchased another lemon like the last Carriage Cameo that we had!
...rex

I really hope that it is true that Christian is helping some and would like to hear feedback also from who she may have helped. What sticks in my mind is she always says the problem has been sent to customer service???? Well guys... we can do the same thing so are we actually getting help?? Don't mean to sound negative but lets hear some good things about who she has helped and then I will believe.

We had the same issue with our front door binding on the upper frame. I wasn't ready to leave it at a dealer for this quick repair so I got out a small body grinder and reshaped the top of the door. Very lightly hand sanded the bur off the edge and used the supplied touch up paint. Done in about 20 minutes.
Seems as though many have the same problem in the same location along with having to make the deadbolt hole deeper. When my original latch was installed at RW it must have rubbed so instead of re-aligning the door the installer smashed the strike plate flat with a hammer and installed.

Steve

[Moland]

I've had mine now for almost 3 months. Towed it home, out once just up the road to weigh and back to the dealer last week. Just a bit over 200 miles. As mentioned earlier noticed residue on the wheels and not much brakes. A seperate business from where I purchased does brakes and bearings for that dealer. Was told that all the brakes were covered with grease from over packed bearings. Was told that about 30 photos were taken to submit for warranty. Dealer stated that Redwood / lippert so far was denying coverage because photos of each wheel prior to being removed weren't taken. It's like they don't believe one of there own dealers. Dealer is covering the repair but I don't feel that they should have to.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Moland

I've had mine now for almost 3 months. Towed it home, out once just up the road to weigh and back to the dealer last week. Just a bit over 200 miles. As mentioned earlier noticed residue on the wheels and not much brakes. A seperate business from where I purchased does brakes and bearings for that dealer. Was told that all the brakes were covered with grease from over packed bearings. Was told that about 30 photos were taken to submit for warranty. Dealer stated that Redwood / lippert so far was denying coverage because photos of each wheel prior to being removed weren't taken. It's like they don't believe one of there own dealers. Dealer is covering the repair but I don't feel that they should have to.

That is just robbery! 200 miles on it, and they still deny warranty. I'm just betting Brad Smith of LCI was in the middle - he likes to use the pictures against you rather than for you.

No wonder Dealers don't want to sell them anymore - how do you explain to a customer that the brakes they drove on for 200 miles are shot and are not covered under warranty! Why should the Dealer have to eat that!!

[RomanyLife]

Sounds like another dealership that will stop carrying redwoods

[Dave&Ginny]

I think everybody has had their input on this and out of fear of beating a dead horse to death......I'm going to close this thread. I don't like doing that but....

A thread like this sometimes can get weaved around the barn and back and loose it's usefulness. I hope Redwood has taken note of how passionate this has gotten.