Should I buy a Redwood RV?

gcory2478 · 08-02-2014, 07:32 PM

I'm hoping to get advise from the people who really know the Redwood product. My wife and I have put a deposit on a 2015 38GK and though it has everything we wanted there are quality issues that are haunting me so I joined this forum for research. What I learned is there are quite a few issues with the RW and customer service also seems to be an issue with their slow response.

We are full-timers going to a 5'er from a MH and want the extra space and utility. We plan to place this rig in a RV resort and buy a travel rig for our future adventures so the unit will become a fixture on our lot. My question to all of you is simply this...are you satisfied with what you bought and would you buy RW again. We are not going to buy a tow rig so warranty work will have to be from an independent repair service.

I am wavering on this deal so your responses will weight heavily on our decision. I need honest, heartfelt input.

Thank You

Gary and Michelle
SKP 81493

**piper guy** · 08-02-2014, 08:17 PM

People voice displeasure much more readily and quickly than satisfaction. We have a 2013 RL that has now been towed more than 10k miles around this country with very minimal issues. From the start, there have been very few items that needed attention and the ones that did were minor. I think the greater majority of Redwood owners are happy with their choice.

Having said that, if I were buying the coach for the purpose you are, a couple of things come to mind.
First - I would pick my dealer based on Service even more so than price. You will need a dealer with the ability to do mobile service. Redwood has authorized independent service people to do warranty repairs but ONLY on a case by case basis and usually because of non-ordinary circumstances.
Second - I would arrange with the dealer to put the unit in a campground close to them and let you stay in it at least a week to get all the small issues that always crop up in an RV this complex attended to.

Overall I think the RW would be good choice.

Tobys Home · 08-02-2014, 08:39 PM

We are very much like you, traded in our MH for our first fiver and now in our third seven month season at a year round campground, not full timers but close. We are very happy with ours and it has no stress on it from traveling. All the equipment has worked well so far and they have allowed us to use an RV tech to service/inspect it because we also do not have a tow vehicle. Plus the place where we purchased it no longer sells them. We'll see how RW treats us as we go into the last years of our warranty. Just treat it as you would an on the road rig. Maintenance, washing/waxing and close up the awnings when not there and turn off the water, water heater, put the vents on auto for circulation. We have covers on all three maxi fans and slide toppers they work well. And yes we had a few small problems that could be fixed easily. We did have the roof replaced because of a hole in the roof membrane. Our tech picked it up and replaced it. Couldn't blame anyone but insurance took care if it. Looks like it always did and with the full body paint. Remember the bottom line, it is what it is and you treat it as such...a nice well appointed trailer.

TNTBaker · 08-02-2014, 08:50 PM

I think ALL new RV's have issues... We have owned 5, all purchase new, and ALL had "issues" that warranty took care of. WE LOVE our RW! We are full time and took delivery on June 4th. Yes, we would buy it again. If I had to criticize, it would definitely be quality control... but again, that's what the warranty is for. It helps if you expect it.

I have had a few occasions to contact RW directly about "issues" and am absolutely happy with the response. My call was answered within a couple of minutes, and I spoke with a person who could help me and it was resolved. NO COMPLAINTS. I think that needs to be said once in a while.

Best wishes, and good luck with a beautiful new GK, we ALMOST chose that one! Went with the RL. This forum is one of the big BENEFITS of owning a RW: GREAT folks and lots of QUICK help here! Cheers! ~Theresa

gcory2478 · 08-02-2014, 09:12 PM

Thank you for your response. Your suggestion of picking a dealer that does mobile service was an excellent point. I got on the phone to our salesman and verified that they have their own mobile service and will send out an independent serviceman if needed when their staff are too busy. We will spend as much time in the unit as we can during PDI and then it will be transported 60 mile to our location. I have been assured that any problems missed during PDI would be resolved. I'm a trusting person by nature but I know of the horror stories out there.

TNTBaker · 08-02-2014, 09:15 PM

It really is all about the dealership and their service. Do some research online about THEM. We did.

arcticman1957 · 08-02-2014, 11:15 PM

I think piper guy hit the nail on the head. I know I have been guilty of this, our TT we had problem after problem no help from the dealer. I have been in my Redwood for almost two years if only a few minor problems. With two of them being directly related to the vendor of products used by RW. My RW dealer bent over backwards to help us get our unit rebuilt at the wreck a year ago last March. We were really worried about what kind of residual problems we would incur, to date no issues from the wreck.
Our dealer did a fantastic job on the repairs, but later when question getting the inspection for the annual and we told that this was no longer required by RW. Only to find out to late that it is.
I think you can get good and bad in anything and sometimes you just have to gamble. I feel bad for those who are working through issues with their units. I would have to recommend RW hands down.
Good Luck with what ever you decide.

travelin' texans · 08-02-2014, 11:43 PM

To give the simple answer, HELL YA!! Been in ours for closing in on 2 years with only minor issues which RW was taken care of to my satisfaction.

BasilFawlty · 08-03-2014, 01:53 AM

We would buy a RW again. Lots of small issues but fixed in a week or two normally. We bought our RW at Spaders in SD, next door is a KOA and we stayed there for a week getting most of the stuff fixed.

RW is the company who by far offers the best units both when it comes to floor plans and finish. We live in our full time and I kind of get happy every time I open the door and get in to our "house"! For us the feeling of a real home is important. None of the MH we looked at had that even if many of them was more luxurious.

When it comes to dealer we must have found the best dealer ever. Not cheapest but with a service that is totally outstanding. That for us a newbies is really important. But there is no perfect RV.s, we travelled from Key West to Sioux Falls, visited at least 10 dealers and saw maybe 75 different models.

Easy to fall for RW because of a lot of small but important details and the overall feeling is by far the best including units for almost double the price.

LadyEcooper · 08-03-2014, 02:13 AM

Gary and Michelle,

Without sounding like a broken record ....to say the same as the others, my husband and I live full time in our 38GK for nearly a year....picked it up last Sept of 2013. We love our unit. Have had very minimal issues. I asked the Professor today 'how many miles do we have on our Lady Redwood?' - His response was over 13,000 miles. Wow. We are so glad that we have a great unit that holds together so well over these sometime 'horrible' highways. Every time we arrive at our new destination - when I walk inside - I'm all smiles because of how great it looks inside & out and how proud I am to be part of the Redwood family.

My advise (other than agreeing with the others )- is to become educated about your rig, as much as you can. Learn about the regular maintenance, the upkeep of your rig. There are lots of pot holes out there - no need to drop off into one of them...if you know what I mean - so take the time to learn about how to take care of your new home.

Being part of the Redwood family is an awesome experience. (the Forums are wonderful - people always willing to lend a helping hand.) You couldn't have pick a better one to be a part of. Rest assured - you have a manufacture that cares about all of its owners and strives to make things right, should things go wrong.

Welcome to the family and we hope that we all can meet up in person in the future.

Lady E Cooper

DLRAKOWITZ · 08-03-2014, 03:21 AM

I would love to say hell yeah to buying a RW again but we purchased ours on may 15. And still have not been able to stay in ours yet due to some major issues and minor ones as well. We have a deadline set for ours on August 6 no if ands or butts about it. We love or use to live everything about RW but it's a hit or miss to tell you the truth on were you find the RW that has what you want Just make sure you pick a good dealer with a good rep If we had to do it all over again and so far I doubt it but if so I would get mine directly from the factory or drive several days to a good rv sales place to buy mine again.

Oriana · 08-03-2014, 04:17 AM

We have owned our RW 36 FL for 18 months and although we don't full time, we are currently on a 10,000 mile circumnavigation of North America, over about 5 months.
This is our first ever RV, so the learning curve was precipitous, but this forum and the other one has helped us through the PDI and operation of this fairly complex RV.

In addition to researching RV's we also visited and talked to many dealers to find one that provides excellent after sales service. I firmly believe that selecting a dealer, is equally as important as selecting an RV. Yes, we all want a good deal, but we needed a local dealer that provides excellent service. We have experienced minor issues, but never once have we called RW, our dealer gets everything approved and work completed. We also considered the time to get service. I have called our dealer, dropped the coach off in an hour and it is immediately taken into the shop.

Are we happy with our RW - yes, would we buy another one - yes, and from the same dealer.

0nTheRoad · 08-03-2014, 04:17 AM

To echo those who speak well of their RW, we have been living fulltime in ours since April 2013 and have had virtually no problems and the few we have had were easily resolved, most of them by us rather than take it to the dealer.

Choosing a good dealer is critical, they really make the difference. For you having one who will visit you for work will be critical so take the time to choose!!

**Dave&Ginny** · 08-03-2014, 06:35 AM

If I were shopping for another 5th wheel I would without a doubt shop for another Redwood. I've got a 2012 that I've had coast to coast and only had small problems. I know I've towed it well over 35k miles so far. I will soon be trading mine in on a motor home but that's only because our lifestyle demands it right now.

**hoosierguy** · 08-03-2014, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oriana

We have owned our RW 36 FL for 18 months and although we don't full time, we are currently on a 10,000 mile circumnavigation of North America, over about 5 months.
This is our first ever RV, so the learning curve was precipitous, but this forum and the other one has helped us through the PDI and operation of this fairly complex RV.

In addition to researching RV's we also visited and talked to many dealers to find one that provides excellent after sales service. I firmly believe that selecting a dealer, is equally as important as selecting an RV. Yes, we all want a good deal, but we needed a local dealer that provides excellent service. We have experienced minor issues, but never once have we called RW, our dealer gets everything approved and work completed. We also considered the time to get service. I have called our dealer, dropped the coach off in an hour and it is immediately taken into the shop.

Are we happy with our RW - yes, would we buy another one - yes, and from the same dealer.

I couldn't agree with Andy more. The most important part of your selection process is to find a great dealer that has a great service department "if you actually need to use it". Don't just talk to the dealer sales department.......also talk to the service department. In the early days of Redwood, the dealers were not very well informed as to the product they were selling. I found as a self educated novice about 5th wheels that sometimes the people that should have knowledge, did not.l

I had researched 5th wheels for nearly 4 years before purchasing. We have owned our 2012 36RL for nearly 3 years, purchased in September 2011. We have put nearly 10K miles on in that time and have an upcoming trip of over 5000 miles. I use the Crossroads Factory Service Center for my annual inspections and any minor service issues. The service center is only about an hour from our home base location. The factory service center has been outstanding in their service.

This is our first (and probably only) 5th wheel after pop-camping for nearly 35 years. We are not full timers but spent nearly 10 weeks in her last year. This year we will have spent 5 months in her by the end of the year. We had what should have been a minor recall issue early in 2012, but it took the dealer and Redwood nearly 6 weeks to resolve a recall issue on the brake system because the (brake actuator) manufacturer would not stand behind their warranty. Redwood finally just paid for it themselves. The dealer service manager was so embarrassed he ended up not charging me for some other minor issues that I asked them to take care of. In most cases of minor issues, I try to take care of them myself. We love our RW.

Don't expect perfection because that does not exist in the RV industry. I believe that Redwood does stand behind their product better than most manufacturers. The weak link is the dealers.

Good luck with your research.

atom ant · 08-03-2014, 05:20 PM

I find not matter what RV I have, I spend a considerable percentage of my time trying to hold it together

Let's see, this week, repaired spare tire holder, noticed the slide seals are ripping apart again, had to wire the broken rear window latch together with a coat hanger and clean up the water that came in driving in the rain, and 3 trips to the tire Dealer to replace a $350 tire with a bolt in it.

I won't mention the blown engine in the wife's car that is now sitting at the Dealer with the boat on the back.

Sometimes Avis and Marriott sound pretty good, but then that wouldn't be RVing, right!

Redwood builds a nice RV that we thoroughly enjoy, but it is an RV.