Lately, I’ve seen a wave of online posts warning people to “run away” from certain RV brands—Grand Design included. As someone who has been in the RV repair industry for more than 25 years and works with thousands of customers across the U.S., I understand the frustration behind some of those comments. But I also think we need to take a step back and look at RV ownership a little differently.
Here’s the truth most people don’t talk about
RVs are man-made machines, and every single one of them is used, stored, maintained, and towed differently. Two identical floor plans built on the same day can have completely different lifespans based solely on how they’re treated.
Some owners unintentionally overuse, overload, or even abuse their RVs without realizing it, and eventually those stresses show up in the form of repairs.
RVs aren’t just “turn the key and go”
An RV isn’t a car. It’s a house. On wheels. Going through earthquakes every time you tow it.
Inside that house is a combination of electrical circuits, plumbing, heating and cooling, slide-out mechanisms, water systems, suspension components, appliances, structural fasteners, seals, adhesives, and dozens of vendor-supplied parts working together.
These units require ongoing care and not because they’re “bad,” but because they’re complex. Think about everything going on in your RV at one time. It’s a lot!
I’m not defending any manufacturer, because we do need to hold them accountable to high-quality standards. I’m saying that as a community, the culture of RV ownership needs to shift.
Pride in ownership matters
There was a time when taking care of your rig was part of the lifestyle—just like maintaining a classic car. You cleaned it, inspected it, upgraded it, and learned its quirks.
Today, many owners simply haven’t taken the time to really dig into their owner’s manuals or understand the individual components that make their RV function. And it’s not their fault; RV education has never been strong across the industry.
What we see in the shop every day
At California RV Specialists, we perform thousands of inspections and repairs every year. One of the most common conversations we have goes like this:
We review a customer’s list of issues.
They’re shocked.
We ask what maintenance has been performed.
The answer?
“We gave it a bath.”
That’s not neglect, it’s simply a lack of information.
Education Is everything
Even after 25+ years in this industry, I still learn something new every single day. That’s why we share as much as we can through our shop, our YouTube channel, our Facebook groups, and our RV consumer education posts.
Our goal isn’t just to fix RVs — it’s to:
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Help owners understand their rigs’
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Offer guidance before small issues become big ones;
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Protect their long-term investment; and
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Bring back the pride and enjoyment of RV ownership.
Because when RVers are educated, they’re empowered and their RV experience is better in every way.
A final thought
If you’re struggling with RV issues, I genuinely feel for you. It can be overwhelming, but many problems can be corrected with time, care, and proper repair. Don’t give up on your RV—let’s focus on education, maintenance, and community support.
Have a fantastic week, and please travel safely.
About California RV Specialists
California RV Specialists (Lodi, CA) is an independent RV repair facility serving RV owners across California and beyond. Since 2003, we’ve specialized in customer-pay repairs, insurance claims, extended warranty repairs, manufacturer warranty work, structural evaluations, expert witness services, and RV owner education.
We proudly assist owners of Grand Design, Brinkley, Alliance, Keystone, Forest River, Outdoors RV, Genesis Supreme, Winnebago, Jayco, Thor, Dutchmen, and many other RVs.
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RVDT2778
I don’t agree, RV’s and their equipment need to be made better and last longer without having to fix things. Especially with what some of them cost. I have an outdoors RV less than two years old and constantly fixing things from day 1.
Wondering who your dealer was. Ours (2021 24RLS), but we went through Thompson’s. I’m positive they fixed some items on it before it got to us.
Another excellent article that is true. RV owners do little or no preventive maintenance, yet they scream the loudest when the rolling earthquake breaks.
I agree that most people don’t read their owners manuals or books that they get with their RVs. I wish that the manufacturer would send the books or instruction on the thing in the RV and not just a bar code so you have to look it up on the internet. Sometimes you don’t have the internet.
Good points. However, we still need to accept that most, but not all, RV’s are poorly built with minimum backup from the dealers. They are more interested in trying to impress us with bling that was rushed through the factory. It’s form versus function, looks good, I just wish it worked. Our solution was buying used instead of new. We’re still finding things that make me wonder why they designed it that way.
I join other owners and agree that workmanship has fallen on a curve that is seemingly the inverse of the build quality for the average automobile. That said, I also fully agree with Dustin about post sale maintenance. I broadly see two forms of maintenance – those who maintain so it doesn’t break, and those whose form of maintenance is to repair (or dispose of) when it does break. Of course this is on a continuum with owners falling anywhere along the line. As a trend, I see both the younger owners and the very old owners tending to the repair end, and the moderately mature owners wanting to protect their investment.
I totally agree with the author that owning an RV requires a certain amount of due-diligence which includes knowing your vehicle and spending time maintaining it as well as using it. I agree that not all manufacturers are the same. But I’ve owned several rigs, by several manufacturers, over 40+ years’ and while I’ve had problems, I’ve never once had an issue that stranded me. I take responsibility to do the annual servicing, carry tools and some repair products and address any maintenance issues when they happen. Too often I know several rv owners who have a minor problem during a trip, come home and ignore the problem until the next trip which then often spoils that trip.
Dustin,
You raise some good valid points. However, I have seen and I’m sure you have as well- some terrible design and construction problems in rv’s from a few different makers. The best and gentleist maint. regime couldn’t overcome these items. Some of the worst brands are mentioned in rv pages over and over- yet uninformed people still buy them. That is another form of ignorance that we- the rv community can continue to point out to potential buyers. Thanks for your article!
When RVs hit the dealer and owners have a multi-page “punch list” of things to fix within a few weeks of picking it up, and then it spends most of the first year in the shop, that is NOT the owner’s fault. The manufacturer has foisted garbage on the dealers and the customer.
Excellent observations and dissertation Dustin. I agree, knowledge is power – and going into an Rv of any type or design requires some pre-education as well as on-going ed. A subscription to this website would be an excellent start – but it has to go deeper than just reading the rants of some unhappy owners with high expectations due to their lack of knowledge. Result is counter-productive to positive, enjoyable ownership and the responsibilities therewith.
You’d better be somewhat of a “handyman” to own an RV. Yes, some manufacturers are better than others, but, they all need constant attention and preventative maintenance. Otherwise, it’ll spend more time in the shop than out camping, not to mention costing a small fortune. That’s just hard reality.
Everything in our Toyota is from Toyota. Same for our other vehicles. This is not so with RVs. Our last 2 MH’s were high end, quality coaches. Even so, there’s the engine, chassis, and various appliances. When something fails, the manufacturer directs us to the individual companies that made them. Even at the factory, the people who service them didn’t build them and don’t know why something doesn’t work. Finding competent RV mechanics is a real problem. As a result, I try to do as much of the repairs and maintenance myself as possible. Having a repair center that leaves the coach unplugged for months is a recipe for many problems, especially with discharged lithium coach batteries.
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Car dealers have figured out that they can make money on maintenance and repairs and they mostly do a good job. The CEO of our MH’s company has said that they build them to sell them, not to repair them. The RV dealers only service their own and that service can take months. It’s the RV system that’s incorrectly based on the car ownership model that is the problem. I shouldn’t have to be a mechanic to own one.
I read this newsletter and its predecessor RVTravels for 12 years prior to buying my RV I treated learning re: RVs like a college course I wanted to get an A in. I suggest this site all over FB where people start “thinking about” getting an RV. The writers are readable & aren’t beholden to any RV business. When my kids& grandkids started driving I tried to drum preventive maintenance into their heads only to be ignored. They had to learn through doing. I guess humans are just hotwired that way