Still waiting for Redwood to come through

[lillyputz]

I do not want a replacement rv. I want my money back. this company is a joke. I'am not not new to the RV world, but what a eye opener.



Lillyputz

[Dave&Ginny]

Whats got your panties in a knot?

[sinder]

Lillyputz I'm also interested why you are so frustrated with Redwood. I know we purchased our units around the same time period. I've had some minor issues this past year but nothing that has affected my over-all pleasure with the performance of the 5er.

[DonMac]

Well, it seems some people like to buy car kits and build them. Other people like to build their own airplanes and fly them. Other people enjoy building their own RV's or driving back and forth to the factory or dealership for repairs. Other people like to buy something that works the first time. Like a new TV that does not have to be sent back to the factory every other month. Or a new car that wil not break down on the road. I have a LIST as long as your arm of things I have had to work on my self not to mention taken in for repairs. Just got the ok after almost two months from Lippert to replace leaking jacks. As for the popping of the jacks...this has been going on for years and no fix from lippert. If you look at this forum you will see that 90 percent of the gripes are about the same problems but they just keep pumping them out the same. Did I mention that someone forgot to put insulation in my front end cap. Perhaps I should tow it 2000 miles to the factory for a repair or try to fix it myself. This "residential unit" is my home as I am a full timer. This is not my hobby that I wan't to work on when I have nothing else to do. I know,I know the industry is rife with the same problems. Perhaps someone in China should build them. They would be cheaper and maybe better QC or the workers would be out of a job.But that's just me. I feel you lillyputz and a Happy Thankisgiving to all.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by DonMac

Well, it seems some people like to buy car kits and build them. Other people like to build their own airplanes and fly them. Other people enjoy building their own RV's or driving back and forth to the factory or dealership for repairs. Other people like to buy something that works the first time. Like a new TV that does not have to be sent back to the factory every other month. Or a new car that wil not break down on the road. I have a LIST as long as your arm of things I have had to work on my self not to mention taken in for repairs. Just got the ok after almost two months from Lippert to replace leaking jacks. As for the popping of the jacks...this has been going on for years and no fix from lippert. If you look at this forum you will see that 90 percent of the gripes are about the same problems but they just keep pumping them out the same. Did I mention that someone forgot to put insulation in my front end cap. Perhaps I should tow it 2000 miles to the factory for a repair or try to fix it myself. This "residential unit" is my home as I am a full timer. This is not my hobby that I wan't to work on when I have nothing else to do. I know,I know the industry is rife with the same problems. Perhaps someone in China should build them. They would be cheaper and maybe better QC or the workers would be out of a job.But that's just me. I feel you lillyputz and a Happy Thankisgiving to all.

Don, Sorry to hear you're having problems. Lippert needs to either figure out the jack problem or Redwood needs to find another supplier. Unfortunately Lippert seems to be the only supplier of the leveling system used on most of the RVs. There is a "Big Foot" system out there but it had a spotty reputation as well. As for getting a better unit from China, I think that's doubtful since most of the electronics in the RV's already comes from there.


So far Redwood has stood by my trailer every time I'ves had any problem at all.

[Blenhardt]

The last thing this country needs is for the RV industry to be moved to China.

[TravelinAnderson]

How did you discover you had no insulation in the nose? I'm sure we'd like to check ours.
Also... I know the list is as long as your arm but would be willing to share it with us so we can learn from your experiences?
We all like to share our modifications and fixes but a list of defects and issues could save some of us from discovering them after the warranty has expired.
Thanks

[jlandon13399]

I met with Bob Tiedge from Lippert at Lazydays in Tucson Nov 10th. The meeting was just by chance but we discussed the popping on the leveling systems. Bob and I both have a hydraulic background and we ruled out a hydraulic problem after much discussion. The issue may be related to aluminum cylinders and steel frames. Lippert is working hard to solve the problem and I told Bob that my company would also review the issues. It is hard for us because we do not know all the parameters of the issue but we will try.

As far as warranty items "as long as your arm" I agree you should share this so we all can compare and the factory should also know what additional training is required for their employees.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by jlandon13399

I met with Bob Tiedge from Lippert at Lazydays in Tucson Nov 10th. The meeting was just by chance but we discussed the popping on the leveling systems. Bob and I both have a hydraulic background and we ruled out a hydraulic problem after much discussion. The issue may be related to aluminum cylinders and steel frames. Lippert is working hard to solve the problem and I told Bob that my company would also review the issues. It is hard for us because we do not know all the parameters of the issue but we will try.

As far as warranty items "as long as your arm" I agree you should share this so we all can compare and the factory should also know what additional training is required for their employees.

I agree

[DonMac]

Yes Dave it appears that Redwood stands by its repairs. How many times have you been to the factory for repairs? I don't live close to the factory and to get into most RV repair shops a long wait then authorization has to be received. I have waited two months for an authorization and the parts have arrived. I cannot get the repair done until Jan 21. That is for the two leaking jacks to be replaced.Good thing I am in one place for the winter. Tucson area. REFERENCE THE INSULATION IN CAP. We discovered this when my wife cleaned out the safe to put some items in. When she reentered the safe the items were very dusty and we discovered that the safe was not put in the floor very well so there was an air leak into the cap. When I removed the safe I saw that there was no insulation on the floor of the cap and lots of light coming from the hitch area. I placed a mirror into the hole where the safe was and with a flashlight saw observed that insulation had been ommitted from the front cap. I am contemplating blown insulation being put into that area but I don't know enough about it. Weight, problem with condensation. If anyone knows anything about this type of insulation let me know. Probably a reason why closet is so hot when sun shines on it. REF PROBLEM LIST I will post all problems and repairs. It will take a while to post so it may be in a couple of days as I have to put up the Christmas lights or the wife won't let me have any egg nog. Irish egg nog that is.Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!!

[DonMac]

Just a post script on the list of things I have repaired,had repaired,going to get repaired. If you look through the Redwood forum you will see that many of the problems that all have had are the same. These are workmanship problems. Most of the folks including myself don't catch these problems during the walk through as the unitneeds to be used or lived in to catch the problems. I will post my list and perhaps others might do the same. I could do almost all the repairs as I do not want to be without my home for an extended period of time. But some folks just cannot do these repairs them selves for one reason or another. Example taking the bed apart to cut out wood and reposition a flexable hose from the washing machine water outlet that catches when the bedrom slide comes in pulling the hose off the fitting. So that when the water is dumped from the washing machine it dumps it onto the bedrom floor. This has happened to many other Redwood owners. This was just poor design and workmanship as are many of the fixable problrms. POPPING OF JACKS. I agree that the problem is the aluminum struts are on the metal landing pads. As the temp changes the struts and landing pads expand or contract at different rates. The struts move slightly on the landing pads causing a slight slipping metal to metal. They are popping as I write on the sunny side of the rig as they heat up.

[Dave&Ginny]

Don,

I hear your frustration but as you can see from the picture, the only way to see if they had not insulated your nose cap would be by drilling a hole in one of the shoe shelves in your closet. You can buy pretty cheap a inspection scope at most home builder type store like Lowes or Menards. In the picture you can see where the safe is installed between the frame rails just above the hitch pin. The way the trailer is made, there wouldn't be any insulation there.

When I toured the factory and took these pictures I wish I had taken one of the front cap with insulation. They use bats of insulation in the nose cap area which apparently isn't working as well as they had hoped. I would love to see them use a spray foam insulation like they use in stick homes. Last summer my closet got very hot too. Apparently most other RV's had the same problem from what I've read on other sites as well.

As for "blow-in" insulation, this might work well because it's not heavy and does a great job of getting into small crevices. Again I think you'd have to drill 3 holes, one on each side and then one in the middle. Each of these holes would have to be up high.

You're right I'm only 5 hours from the factory and my trailer is there now having a few things fixed, one of which is a jack that was leaking. It's still an inconvenience for me to take the trailer over there and of course costly in diesel, but I enjoy pulling it so it gives me an excuse to have some fun out of the office. I don't understand why the company wouldn't approve the repairs for you sooner, and that would be my focus point if I were in your shoes. Are you contacting the company directly or asking your dealer to contact them? I'd be talking with Brian (Go Go Gadget) or Linda (Tinkerbell) directly.

For the record, I've had some issues with my trailer. Most have been because of the need for adjustments that could have been caused by the vibration of going down the road. Although some could have also been avoided with better quality control as well. Each time I had problems the company has gone out of their way to solve my problems in very timely matter.

I hope they help you soon and put your mind at ease.

Happy Trails




Edited by: Dave&Ginny

[DonMac]

Dave,
Thanks for the input. When you take the safe out on mine you can see the floor (fiberglass) of the front cap and you can see the bottom of the end cap. There is no insulation on the floor of the end cap at all. Light around the hitch pin. On mine using a mirror one can see a way up the front cap. Perhaps if there was good insulation in the front cap there would not be such a heat problem as many have reported. I think that I will try the blown in insulation as you suggested. When you live in this "residential unit" as a fulltimer you don't want to pull your home on a regular basis to a repair facility. If it is just a pull to the factory on a weekend away from your stationary home I guess that could be an adventure for some. Question..at the factory do they have one person doing one thing like on an assembly line or multiple tasks by multiple people. I was jus wondering as if I was doing the same work day after day I would know how to do it right. There seems to be the same problems with many of the units. Perhaps there isn't many Redwood owners on the forum as you see the same folks on here most of the time. The truth is if I would have seen this forum prior to buying this unit I would not have made the purchase. I bought a new Everest in 2003 and except for replaceing the AC unit had 0 problems and 0 complaints. But that was then and this is now. Thanks for the input.

[jlandon13399]

Don,



If you are in Tucson PLEASE drive over to Lazydays. They are the authorized Redwwod dealer and are exceptional in their service. Try to see Don Cotton. He usually works delivery issues so is familiar with all sorts of issues. Their phone number is 520-741-2219. They may even be able to handle the insulation issue under warranty.

[Dave&Ginny]

In my opinion, these trailers keep getting more and more complex while keeping the weight down. I bought a new 21 ft Wilderness in 1978 and I really thought I was living large. It had foam rubber pads we slept on at nite and they were seat backs during the day. The entire unit was built on 2x2 wood construction and if I wanted to see if the tanks were full, I'd crawl under it and look through the white plastic tanks with a flash light. I never had any problems with that trailer BUT it was very simple, 4 walls and a tin roof we coated each year....but it was my castle on wheels. Many, many fun nights in that trailer and memories I hope I never loose.

My Redwood is almost twice as long and very complex yet relatively light weight. I really think that's a good share of the problems in todays RVs.

With 5th wheels, in my opinion, New Horizon is the best one made but they don't worry about weight or costs. They weight anywhere from 18000 lbs on up and it's real easy to hit the $225,000 ( that's factory direct pricing so no talk down room). If you want it, they'll build it and build it well. But with that much weight, it's going to take a medium duty truck to pull it safely.

I think the best Motor home is the Foretravel but it's going to cost 1.2 million and weighs 15 tons plus.

Yes I spent over $80,000 on my trailer BUT I spent $60,000 on a truck I expect to replace in 5 years. So I guess 80 grand isn't what it use to be

I still think Redwood makes a good product however I'd like to see some things improved upon.

[jlandon13399]

Don,



I live in Oro Valley (Tucson) AZ. Just taking delievery of a new RW34SK. If possible let me know where you are staying in Tucson. Would like to meet up with you if you are agreeable.

[Blenhardt]

I have looked at several other 5th wheel forums and haven't found one that reports no problems. Some report major problems-others report very few if any. True I haven't pulled mine very many miles but so far have two very minorproblems.My experinece, to date, is that Redwoods are quality coaches. If I had had several major problems, Imight think other wise. As I have stated earlier, this is the best coach of the four I have owned.

[Dan]

One other thing I woud like Redwood to address is the insulation in thealuminumframe, there is none. You may have noticed on a cool damp day the out line of thealuminum structure. The problem with this is that you get moisture on the in side of the frame and it runs down and pools at the bottom which then helps in thedeteriorationof the welds andfinallyabreakage also its just another cold spot

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by Dan

One other thing I woud like Redwood to address is the insulation in thealuminumframe, there is none. You may have noticed on a cool damp day the out line of thealuminum structure. The problem with this is that you get moisture on the in side of the frame and it runs down and pools at the bottom which then helps in thedeteriorationof the welds andfinallyabreakage also its just another cold spot

That's a good point. Personally I like the idea of the spray foam in the walls. As I had posted earlier, I really like the stuff since I've had it put in my house while rebuilding. If rodents or bugs eat it they die, yet it's made of soybeans. It would stop all drafts and it's lite weight but it's expensive. 3 inches of the foam has a R30 rating

[DonMac]

Will be going to Lazydays in Tucson the end of January to have jacks replaced. Take some time and read all that you can on this forum. But not with the rose colored glasses. The end.