The mice above are happy because an RV manufacturer has left a big hole in the floor of an RV for them to climb into. They can then find wires and bedding to chew, food to eat, and they can leave their little mouse poop droppings all over the place, and they can pee on everything, too.
And what better place to raise a family? All because the RV’s manufacturer was too cheap and uncaring to seal an opening in the floor. How can the owner or CEO or a company let an RV leave his factory with such a defect?
Here is a pic I took at an RV show:
The manufacturer knows darn well that most RVers never examine an RV very closely before they buy it. “Oh, I just love the floorplan,” the wife says to the hubby. And then the salesman tells them that it’s their lucky day: “You can take this RV home for zero down and only $259 a month.” OMG! They are beyond happy! “We can afford that,” they say. It doesn’t cross their dopamine-impaired minds that their little 6-year-old son, Wilbur, will earn his PhD before they pay off the loan.
Here is another photo:
And a little something you may not know: The RV Industry Association (RVIA) has standards about how an RV can be built. But they are minimum standards that they don’t monitor until forced to. (At least that’s the way I see it.) The RVIA makes a big chunk of its money on every new RV that is sold. Quality is not even close to being important! It’s all about sales appeal—THE BLING—which includes low prices, which on cheap RVs means cutting every corner humanly possible.
The rules have nothing to do with quality. Some manufacturers care. Yes, that’s true. But what I have concluded through the years is that most do what they need to do to make a sale. In a Three Little Pigs world they would build straw houses and then pass them off as brick.
When I saw this big hole in the floor, I got mad. Some impulsive, wide-eyed buyer will take that trailer home and then, after locking it up for the off-season, will return to find it occupied by a cute little rodent family: mice, rats, squirrels. I’ve been through this. In my case, the smell of rat pee lingered like a cheap perfume, except longer!
I wrote this little essay after stumbling upon the photos above in my files. How can an RV maker get away with such crappy work?
My advice, and I tell this to prospective buyers wherever I meet them: Be careful what you buy. Check out everything—inside, outside, up, down, all around. Don’t believe the salesman. Don’t finance it for 15 or 20 years unless your mind is mentally impaired: if so, then you will be excused for your mistake.
RELATED
- RV buying advice: How to spot quality RVs
- RV inspector reveals the top 5 RV buying mistakes
- Why is there no industry-wide RV quality control?
- Keystone’s ‘rebrand’ is bold, rugged – But how is the quality?
- 7 of my favorite high-quality travel trailers without slides
Book is a must-have for state park campers
This book, “50 States: 500 State Parks,” is a must-have for all state park campers and explorers. The book is a beautiful visual journey through America’s best state parks. Whether you’re looking for stunning vistas, rare wildlife, a dose of history, or an enjoyable hike, the state parks offer an array of experiences. Learn more or order.
RVT1225
Even when you buy a good RV. Things do fall apart and the dealer and manufacturer don’t care. I’m not happy with some things falling apart in my Outdoors RV.
Because they are “allowed” to get away with it. What we need are “enforced” quality laws like what happened to the auto industry.
Until folks call out the manufacturers by name, there’s no accountability for their indifference. It’s not slander if it’s fact, it’s honest journalism. The pictures tell the tale. What make and model Chuck?
I agree. Name the make and model.
Don’t write story if you can’t give the complete story. Do not keep model and manufacturer secret. Come clean. I read story to find out which company would sell this.
Yes, Ralph, I should have. But like I said, I could not find my notes where I identified it. But there is a much bigger point than the particular manufacturer of this RV, and that is that it is NOT the only RV maker who short changes buyers. The buyers need to pay attention to what they are buying and not buy cheap crap like this. I bet whoever bought this RV didn’t even open the cabinet. And I’m sure there were other shortcuts in the unit that went unnoticed.
Vince, somewhere along the line I lost my notes about the photo, and I couldn’t remember the manufacturer. I would have identified the company if I had kept that info. Darn!
I appreciate the reply and definitely understand misplacing notes, especially at RV Shows!
We changed seasonal parks last year. Love the park. But for the 1st time, we got mice. Thought I had sealed every hole. Nope, shining lights wasn’t enough. Started literally dismantling things to find hidden rodent pathways. Reminded me of the hidden hallways inside Vegas hotels for staff to move carts, etc. out of sight of guests. There were hidden holes 3-4 times larger than needed. Too big to close in one shot with foam; I had to do multiple applications to gradually seal them up. For what it is worth, the best trap was our female cat.
I bought a used rv a couple of years old and luckily I didn’t smell any mice or see any mice in it but when I got it home there was some holes So big where the manufacturer ran plumbing through the floors I had to cut some thin plywood to screw over the holes and then seal them up.
Just more examples of poor QC and workmanship. We bought a new Northwoods product 2 yrs ago. We experienced the same. From what I have been reading, everyone regardless of manufacture, is experiencing the same. Many of the issues were not those the dealer would have found on routine pre-delivery inspection. We have been blessed with a dealer who genuinely seems to care about us and all issues were resolved promptly. It’s up to the purchaser to carefully inspect the unit they are purchasing. If you don’t have experience, take along someone who has some on delivery.
That picture could almost have been from my first Class A…a brand new 1999 34′ Fleetwood Bounder. That thing had SO many large gaps that rodents didn’t need to look very hard to find an easy path in. When I crawled under it in the dark with all the interior and bay lights on it looked like Times Square there were so many lights showing through. I used tube after tube of caulk and steel wool stuffing (didn’t really know about spray foam back then) to get everything sealed up…or so I would think until more mouse evidence showed up. Took a year of looking, searching, and sealing to finally get everything mouse proofed.
When I purchased our new diesel pusher, when we went to pick it up after having a couple of items fixed before we paid for it in full, the RV tech showed us where he had to fix a corner of the closet floor as he could see daylight coming in and we thanked him for finding it and fixing it. As it might of been a rodent invitation if it had not been fixed.
I’ve only had mice twice in my MH. The first incident I discovered the plastic housing for the return air to the basement AC had separated from the main unit. I closed it up with aluminum duct tape and caulking. The worst problem was an annual invasion into the tail/brake lite housings! There is a plastic box attached to the closet wall which holds the wiring etc., The bulb and lens are attached to the back cap. There was a gap between the box and the cap. Wires chewed, housekeeping setup. I sealed between the cap and box with spray foam – they haven’t visited in 2 yrs now! Fingers crossed as the factory wires to the lites are getting short and hard to access or splice.
I suffered for a couple years looking for how mice got in then, for some reason the slide didn’t go all the way in. Looking at that I discovered the 2″ square tube that holds the floor was hollow. I plugged the ends with steel wool and never had a problem again.
To add insult to injury, the dealer would tell you those six-inch holes for a three-inch pipe isn’t a warranty issue, it’s just how they’re built. In other words, you have the “Indiana Warranty – When it breaks, you get to keep all the pieces.”
LOL – “Indiana Warranty – When it breaks, you get to keep all the pieces.” I love that quote. Never heard it before. Request permission to use it.
Permission granted. The whole warranty actually reads, “Guaranteed not to rust, bust, turn to dust, shake, rattle, roll, or run up a hill backwards! But, when it breaks, you get to keep all the pieces.” Had a friend in the auto parts business that gave that warranty on all the race car parts he sold.
That is just too funny. Thanks for the laugh, I needed that today.
We bought a cheap camper knowing we’d likely find things like this, so I went around stuffing copper scrubbing pads and spray foam in the openings as soon as we got it home.
I have bought several trailers and class A motorhome. I learned after I bought my first 25 ft trailer that you have to inspect from top to bottom and inside and out. Open all doors, turn on all lights and appliances if you can. When I bought my second trailer my wife waited outside with the salesman. It took me almost an hour to check everything. The salesman asked my wife what I was doing. She told him I was checking the overall construction, making sure everything worked and for holes where mice might get in. We did buy it. It was a Jayco 30 ft Eagle. We enjoyed it for a few years before we bought our first Class A. We have now downsized to a 21 ft Winnebago Roam with a mobility chairlift.
Thank you for the demonstration of what might lie behind an unopened cabinet door, Chuck! Good to be reminded always to look, open, and pretend to use every aspect of an RV before considering the purchase. Have a great week and safe travels!