Would I buy another Redwood?

csg11 · 11-12-2015, 09:31 PM

Let me tell you about OUR experience with Redwood and our 2013 36FB. Spoiler alert, if you are looking for Redwood bashing, you are going to be very disappointed.

Our 2 year warranty ended in Feb. of this year. Prior to that we had some work done at our dealer and some at an independent in Phoenix. All of it was covered except a wheel bearing that burned up 18 days after the expiration. But, research showed I had never had the bearings serviced per the recommendations so I had to eat that one and did not turn it in.

We had reported the end caps fading and some bulging on end walls of the slides while we were in Phoenix back in February. It was a couple of days before the warranty expiration. Pictures did not show the blemishes well. When I told Redwood that we would be back to Indiana in the Summer, they said they would take care of the issues at that time as warranty items even though it would be several months after the warranty would have ended. I pressed them on this to be sure I heard it correctly, and I did.

We are full timers so the window for repair had to be short. I got some better pictures and sent them off to Redwood. I also had Randy, the Service Manager inspect it at the Rally so they knew what would be required. Then Customer Service worked out a time slot for us to get the rig in and out in one week. We had just 6 weeks before we left for Florida and they got us scheduled in within 30 days leaving us a couple of weeks to spare.

When we arrived on the specified Monday they were ready for us and assured us that the caps would be painted, the end walls would be replaced if they were bulging and the sealing tape replaced on the ones not yet affected. Then here is the kicker. They asked if there was anything else we needed. There were some things we were going to take care of ourselves including the cable to the galley dump valve that had broken the night before. In addition the water pump recycled often and the bedroom slide was not closing correctly without some extra pushing. They made note of it all.

We returned at the appointed time on Friday. Randy had us drive back to the rig where we met Gary, the technician that had done most of the work. He reviewed all of the work with us, did a walk through and then spent time reviewing some other things with us. The original approved work was done plus the extras. In addition, we noticed he had done some other minor things that he had noticed that were not on the list. Gary had also checked for any recalls on our unit. Our hats are off to Randy and Gary!

Lynda and I could not be happier with the way Redwood treated us on this occasion and in the past. They have been helpful and cooperative whenever we have talked to them. For that reason we find it so surprising to hear tales of non-cooperation, reports of unjustified denial of warranty, and etc. It almost seems like the others are talking about an entirely different company. I am not saying the owners do not have grounds for complaints as we are not privy to their conversations and details. But, our experience suggests that Andy Cripe was more right than wrong at the Rally. Would I buy another Redwood? Absolutely. For the record we have no relationship with Redwood, Crossroads or Thor.

DLRAKOWITZ · 11-12-2015, 10:25 PM

Well said... we as well have gone thru bumpy roads with redwood crossroads with our previous redwood.. they did make it right and even tho we paid a price and a half for this one because of upgrades we wanted compared to our previous rw. I hate admitting it but my wife was right once again..even tho we had our quirks with this one...it still is a great joy to walk into and enjoy what makes it a redwood.

RV4us2 · 11-12-2015, 10:34 PM

Thanks for sharing the great experience. Far too often we hear about the bad experiences, and not from those that just don't have any problems or have had a good experience. As a new owner of a new '15 38GK, we certainly hope our experience is as good.

poormarky · 11-12-2015, 10:43 PM

Nicely said. We too had some issue with the RW and took it back to the factory for repair. Randy and is crew went way above and beyond to make sure everything was OK. We also had a Crossroads Cruiser and again they treated us right. Yes I would buy again.

Shane Wood · 11-12-2015, 11:43 PM

Excellent report. I have had nothing but great service from Redwood. My only complaint is with things that should not happen in the 1st place.

RWJSIM2003 · 11-13-2015, 12:23 AM

We have all heard of the great work the factory does. My problem comes from the dealers that have to deal with RW on warranty issues and how long things take to get accomplished. It is not feasible for all of us to take our units back to the Factory for service.

Don't get me wrong would I buy another Redwood yes I would but they do need to improve the dealer network which many of us have found to be lacking.

atom ant · 11-13-2015, 01:25 AM

I've had good experiences with my Redwood since the beginning. Andy is really trying to make things right while keeping the company profitable as well.

If I bought another 5er in this class - I would definitely go with the Redwood. I'm sad I have to rebuild some of it on the greasy side, but its certainly not anything different than I've had to do on other 5ers. I'm convinced it's just part of owning a trailer vs a more robust MH or something.

danrn · 11-13-2015, 02:01 AM

It is great to hear positive comments. My RW has been at the dealership for the last month getting warranty work done. I told them to take their time since I don't plan any more camping trips for this year. They have been calling me with updates, which I like. I hope when I get my RW back I too can make positive comments about their work.
Stay tuned.

mstan · 11-13-2015, 06:56 AM

Glad for your GREAT experience. However, as I sit here tonight my dealer has had my 2015 RW GK. I have owned it for 27 weeks. It has sat at the dealership for 21 of those weeks. Sorry, but my good favor and patience is running very thin. For the past 8 weeks I have had zero updates on what should have been a very simple completion of previous work of replacing the roof. Painting the edge of the roof and trouble shoot the as to why the 12 volt side of the water pump works on again and off again. Those were the only two remaining issues. So eight weeks waiting.............Would I purchase another Redwood??? . Sorry ladies and Gentlemen but my sense of long suffering is wearing thin.

Rod W9 · 11-13-2015, 01:36 PM

21 weeks at the dealer, I didnt know General RV sold Redwoods, Sounds more like a dealer problem than a Redwood problem, saying that I belive the mfg has some responsibilty for the quality of their dealers. Dealers are represinatives of the mfg. We had a forest river product that was a huge disapointment. The mfg wouldnt even answer questions I had on some of the issues, they just said take it to the dealer. The dealer wasnt capible of replacing a door handle. Good luck on getting your Redwood repaired.

Ford truck guy · 11-13-2015, 02:07 PM

I agree that one should NOT base their buying decision on any particular brand based only on the work of one dealership!.. There must be many other dealers that are much better that would love to take RW money.

csg11 · 11-13-2015, 02:16 PM

Please note that I am not saying am totally pleased with the way our rig was built. Some of the things they fixed for us should not have happened. I am still pissed at the screw gun jockey that was saving time by putting one screw in drawer hardware that clearly needs two minimum and had places for 4 screws. Some of it was defective products like Frigidaire.

I am also not saying the dealer picture is perfect either. Although we are generally pleased with our dealer, we were disappointed in them on one occasion when they drug their feet submitting a request for warranty work when I had it approved by the factory. On the other hand, the independent dealer in Phoenix said Redwood was the best factory they had worked with in a long time.

Hopefully they are being built today as Andy described at the Rally (and the way we thought our 2013s and before were built). I realize we were fortunate to be able to use the factory as the warranty provider and that is not possible for everyone. We were originally going to have our Dealer do the work as they have a paint shop. But, the factory opportunity came up and we went there. I also realize that 21 weeks at the dealership is just not acceptable. Since we full time, that would be impossible for us. We have never had to leave it at a dealer more than a week (once in Phoenix when we had to fly back to the Midwest anyway and once at the factory this fall).

My reaction is to how Redwood/Crossroads is responding. It is when things don't go well you should start to see a measure of character. And, they have stepped up to the plate every time I asked. I truly believe that the quality of these rigs has to come from the top down. I also believe that a "zero defects" goal is possible, but, management has to buy in 100% and develop the culture to make it happen. Until that time we need a company that acknowledges their short comings and fixes the results. My experience is they have and they are. Somehow that has to trickle down to the dealerships as well.

So much good came from the Rally this year for those that attended, in my opinion. There was talk about regional rallies. Maybe getting Redwood/Crossroads Management on your turf will result in some positive action too. It is so much easier dealing with these decision makers face to face.

Hope to see you on the road.

Gary

Rosey · 11-13-2015, 02:49 PM

Glad you had a positive experience.......dropped our 2016 off at the dealer on the 11th for a SERIOUS leak(s) on the bedroom slide. Took video of the leak as it was dripping like a sieve into a few pans that we set up to show them. Hoping that the problem can be properly diagnosed & taken care of but I'm not holding my breath. Sorry to sound so pessimistic but...... Would I buy another RW ? Hmmmm good question.

ChristianM · 11-13-2015, 03:55 PM

csg11 -

Thank you for your kind words, and feedback. Thank you for taking the time to let us know what we are doing right!

We know that there are definite ways that we as a company can improve, and ways that we can help our dealers improve. While these don't happen overnight, know that y'alls input is SO valued. One of the main reasons that Redwood decided to put a person (me!) on the forum was to be able to gain both positive and negative feedback from our owners.

Why? Because we alter our products and procedures based on owner feedback!
And we are proud to do that.

Thanks again for your support and for taking the time. As always, if you need any help...you know where to find me!

Christian

travelin' texans · 11-13-2015, 04:57 PM

IMO 21 weeks out of 27 is totally unacceptable!!! I would be calling RW to get that dealer jacked up or to find a dealer that can get it done, I'd have been totally pissed after the 3-4 week. Fortunately I've not had anything major like the roof & have been able to make 99.9% of the repairs myself, being fulltimers we can't leave it with someone for that long, if I had to leave it that long we would be trading to something they could fix. I think you need to post your dealers name so others can avoid them in the future.

ChristianM · 11-13-2015, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstan

Glad for your GREAT experience. However, as I sit here tonight my dealer has had my 2015 RW GK. I have owned it for 27 weeks. It has sat at the dealership for 21 of those weeks. Sorry, but my good favor and patience is running very thin. For the past 8 weeks I have had zero updates on what should have been a very simple completion of previous work of replacing the roof. Painting the edge of the roof and trouble shoot the as to why the 12 volt side of the water pump works on again and off again. Those were the only two remaining issues. So eight weeks waiting.............Would I purchase another Redwood??? . Sorry ladies and Gentlemen but my sense of long suffering is wearing thin.

I don't blame you for being frustrated! I have contacted you privately to see how I can help get the ball rolling. :-)

Thanks!

Ford truck guy · 11-13-2015, 05:19 PM

21 weeks at a dealer... NO WAY ! ! I schedule an appointment , and that is exactly what it is A SCHEDULE in writing of work to be performed..
The very first thing that should happen would be that trailer gets moved to a dealer that will do the work in a timely manner .
While it leaves a bad taste , its not Redwoods fault the dealer is falling on his agreement. I believe that the Squeaky wheel ALWAYS gets oiled , They would see my face EVERY DAY that trailer sits there..
It would be at a point that they would push to finish just to stop seeing me!

mstan · 11-13-2015, 09:52 PM

Guys once again thank you for letting me vent a little. I do not blame Redwood for anything other than the poor mfg problems. Most of my problems could have been dealt with in very short time. I do blame the dealership and would not recommend them in anyway. I have discovered that the dealership is going through a transfer of ownership. That is possibly some of the problem. At this point I would gladly take my money back and and move on. But being that ain't going to happen I am left with no options but ride this out. I will do my best to refrain from commenting any more negative info. Next time you hear from me I want to bring a good report and a smiley face. cheers!!

Ford truck guy · 11-13-2015, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstan

Guys once again thank you for letting me vent a little. I do not blame Redwood for anything other than the poor mfg problems. Most of my problems could have been dealt with in very short time. I do blame the dealership and would not recommend them in anyway. I have discovered that the dealership is going through a transfer of ownership. That is possibly some of the problem. At this point I would gladly take my money back and and move on. But being that ain't going to happen I am left with no options but ride this out. I will do my best to refrain from commenting any more negative info. Next time you hear from me I want to bring a good report and a smiley face. cheers!!

I feel your pain! Tell us your dealers name , we will ALL take turns calling them and complaining about not having the trailer done.. Sooner or later they will get sick of hearing form us and just finish it! Good Luck

JerryL · 11-13-2015, 10:21 PM

Glad you love your RW. Other than the minor warranty issues that I am getting fixed in a couple of weeks, I have had zero problems with my RW. It is by far the best unit I've ever owned. We love it, but are selling it because we have a few things that are a little higher on the priority list, in terms of toys. When we decide to buy again, RW will be my first choice. This forum helped me head off a couple minor issues before they became a problem.

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