In this short video, the owner of a 2015 Thor A.C.E. motorhome transforms himself into the Norse god Thor to show the many defects that came with his new motorhome and the difficulties of getting them fixed. The RV spent five months of its first year-and-a-half in the shop. Watch as “Thor” describes the hassles he encountered with Thor and the Camping World where he purchased the vehicle.
You’ll laugh your way through this video, even though the subject matter is downright depressing. Wrote the frustrated owner: “We made this video to make light of a very trying and unfortunate situation, just to ease ourselves of the incredible inconveniences suffered for months on end.”
##RVDT1265
Did my homework and bought a 2003 Fleetwood Expedition. Knew it wasn’t new and no warranty. Had a diesel mechanic look it over and look at everything top to bottom. Good sound coach no problems did not anticipate
Thats it?? They wouldnt fix anything else??? Thor must really suck!!!
Nice video, should have used his own advice. Stairwell thing a bit scary. Everything else about the norm from what I read.
The RV market is so sad when the manufactures are this uncaring. People do not want to buy problems. There should be a lemon law for them. What is the point of traveling in one when you have to worry about having problems with them.
We full timed for almost 30 years and have had 3 motorhomes, all Winnebago’s. They have treated well. The last one was bought 10 years ago. We had a few problems but Winnebago took care of us in a timely way.
With the access to the media these days, I still wonder how people still enter the doors of a Camping World. Really! You have to threaten them with a law suit, make a YouTube video, get lots of people watching this video, hire a good lawyer and you might just get people like CW to finally step up and do the right thing! Personally, I would be camped out on that CW’s front doorstep with a picket sign and cost them more money in one day than it would take to fix my unit! Just saying………………
Oh, and it isn’t just CW that has a bad reputation. There are many others out there that fit that bill as well. There were actually good RV’s built before or around ’06, before the hay day ride of the RV industry explosion and ads telling people how great it is to travel the open road with ones own bed and find a resort to spend the night or the week at.
Yes, you and I who have been full timing for at least 5 years, realize that all that is a bunch of you know what! Welcome to our real world! Bottom line, do your homework, join forums, ask questions and buy a USED QUALITY RV. Yes, you will still have issues, they all do. It’s a house rolling down the road. Nothing is perfect!
This would be a fun video for Sixty Minutes !
We con-siderd buying an ACE when they first came out. We were looking for a class A in the size most Thor ACE’s came in. I spent a total sum of 30 seconds in the ACE we looked at at a Calgary Alberta RV show, and walked away, thinking we sure pity the poor sap who ends up with it.
How this company does not end up in massive class action law suits is beyond my comprehension.
They put Martha Stewart in jail for WHAT??????
Bought a used Phoenix Cruiser from the factory. They completely prepared it before delivery. Only defects are self-induced.
There are well made RV’s out there, but some are shadows of their famous names, think Airstream.
Find owner groups and ask owners before you spend your hard earned dollars on a nice new shiny toy.
AHHHH! Camping World!
Once again, as I always say, NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM CAMPING WORLD!
When you consider THOR. They now own somewhere between 50 and 60 percent of the RV Industry. Their CEO has a Salary and Stock Options in the Millions. So like Marcus Lemonis (CEO of Camping World) could care less if you get a quality product or experience!
THOR is one of the Top 3 RV manufacturers in the US, with Forest River and Winnebago being at the bottom of the pile.
THOR IS a HUGE Conglomerate that goes out and purchases struggling RV companies and makes them worse! Our Redwood, a Crossroads product, is now owned by THOR! THOR will take struggling RV companies and literally destroy them and then close the business down and walk away. Leaving thousands of owners out in the cold!
Newbies need to realize that purchasing from an RV Show is a HUGE MISTAKE! Don’t do it! Go to the RV Shows, look at all the pretty RV’s, BUT DON’T BUY ONE! And especially if it is being sold by CAMPING WORLD! Once you sign on the DOTTED LINE and PLOP down your money, Kiss it goodbye, you’ll never see it again!
As for NOT BUYING A THOR product, it’s pretty hard these days to find something other than THOR, FOREST RIVER or Winnebago. Since THORS owns the Lion Share of the Industry.
If I were to buy another RV (not happening), I would probably go with a WINNEBAGO!
OK, Off the soapbox again. Do your research and then research again. Ask questions and talk to other owners of RV’s that you are interested in!
You all take Care!
Had an acquaintance tell me about his factory tour experience. He told me that on the assembly line, you only get 22 minutes to do each task before the unit moves on. If something doesn’t go together quite right, then it’s up to someone else to find it and fix it later. No stopping the assembly line, or taking any extra time to do it right. No wonder these things are built so badly. The RV industry, IMO, is just a poorly run business. Sloppy work, sloppy management, and poor customer service. One example from a CW area manager. A major overhaul of the industry at all levels is necessary, or the problems will just continue. Or a temporary boycott of the industry to get their attention….
This is just one of many of Warren Buffets company’s that is ripping people off. The entire industry needs regulated like cars and trucks with lemon laws.
I like the boycott idea…if you MUST buy an rv, ANY rv for 2020 and 2021, buy it used. I would imagine any type/floorplan you desire can be had SOMEWHERE in the country. Just peruse RVTrader you’ll see what I mean.
all i know is I WILL CERTAINLY NOT BUY A THOR…..have looked….will keep looking….
We have a Thor Siesta which is also of low quality. As Thor says, the fake wood paneling came loose in several places. The wiring is like a rats nest. TV’s don’t work (probably from the wiring) The kitchen draws only had one screw keeping them together so they were falling apart on our first trip. I could go on and on. The only good thing about it is the engine which is by Mercedes. I’ve told everyone I know not to buy a Thor.
Why is Thor still in business? Maybe they make better ones and the buyers aren’t commenting like on this blog? If there are any happy Thor owners, I’d like to hear those stories,but then I didn’t know any RV maker had a real heart once their product reaches the selling floor. Good luck buyer….
I have a 2014 Thor Hurricane 32A. We are fulltime, and I bought it new. There have been problems, and Thor has been very good at helping them get it fixed. I agree, Camping World is a problem. They have actually caused some more problems while trying to fix others. I now go to other repair places for repairs, or do it myself.
Sorry Joe this has little to do with Camping Wprld or anyone else selling this crap, except if any of them had any morals there’d drop manufacturers that build such junk.
We have 2016 thor class a miramar. We love it been to Arizona 1 winter then Florida last 2 winters.only small problems fixed are self. I always say don’t buy a rv if you can’t fix things yourself. I have worked on rvs for 40 yrs at dealership and see lots of little things people can’t do sad.joe
This is why I love my 1990 Chinook/Ford. A friend has decided to sell his expensive german based motorhome because he couldn’t afford the sensors/maintenance. He’s looking for an older unit.
We purchased a brand new 2015 Thor ACE from a private party. It took a while communicating with Thor, but we finally were able to confirm that we were able to continue the new vehicle warranty – that took us through August 2016. We took a fall trip and then a longer winter trip and discovered a few problems. Thank goodness, NOTHING like the Norseman featured in the video! One same problem is the LED lights in the awning! So we were ready willing and able and armed with our list in March 2016. Our first attempt to work with the dealer from which the RV was sold ended up in a standoff between my husband and the very belligerent manager there. So we contacted Thor, and got some other dealers we could work with. We contacted a dealer and he reluctantly agreed to take us on. (Not much money for them and LOADS of hassle!!) One trip to the dealer to take pictures and present our list of problems. Then MONTHS of waiting and calling and pestering both the dealer and Thor. Interesting that Thor has a great customer service department – they say all the right things, and haven’t been difficult to reach – but they obviously have NO power and control over getting real decisions made and getting things fixed in a timely manner. The dealer too was pleasant enough, but was understaffed and we continually went to the bottom of their priority list. Fast forward to October 2016 – all the parts were in and the dealer was ready for us. 2 to 3 weeks later, they were ready for us to pick up the RV. The LED lights in the awning are part of the awning fabric, so that is still not resolved, but we think there is a plan? All in all, the dealer seemed to do a very thorough job and spent time with us to make sure we understood everything. Bottom line, my husband has made the point that it would be very hard to recommend buying a Thor ACE (or other Thor RVs) based on our experience. I’m grateful that we do not have a lemon, but it’s been frustrating enough! Come on, Thor!! Pick up the tempo!!
Spent a lifetime in the automobile biz (closely related to RV sales) and never got over how comforting people are when they have WARRANTY, on the junk they buy and tolerate standing in lines sometimes for months waiting waiting waiting. Unbelievable!!!
A junk dealers best ally you folks are, they love ya!!
I didn’t buy my 2009 class C Four Winds from Camping World but as a Thor product it had so many things wrong with it! I bought it in April 2009 and took it on a trip (8 days) right away. Our first RV. I had the idea that if it was new it wouldn’t have any problems, right? Wrong.
It rained and driving down the road water splashed up underneath and actually poured into the inside over the floor. The latches on the storage outside weren’t long enough to actually stay latched. The dining table detached from the floor. The awning came out of the cylinder on one end. One of the awning “stops” broke. There were mud flaps in behind the rear tires but they actually rested on the tires. The wood paneling under the refrigerator was loose. The outside radio didn’t work. Those are only what I remember off hand. Still under warranty it sat in the shop “waiting for parts” for months. By then it was winter so used it once. When I asked one of the repair guys why there were so many problems, he said, “welcome to RV ownership”. Multiple complaints to the dealer and Thor netted me a couple of hundred dollars. The dealer went out of business along with its repair shop not too long after I bought it.
Since then I’ve had to replace the rear lights (housing and all). Turns out they hadn’t been installed correctly allowing water to get to the wiring. I had a branch poke holes in my roof but didn’t find out until water had gotten in so had to get it replaced, in so doing found out that the air conditioner had not been sealed so allowed water to get into the inner roofing material. The repair place had to replace the entire roof.
Unfortunately, I still owe more than it’s worth so I’m stuck.
If I ever buy another RV, it will not be a Thor and it will not be new!
Sharon, we bought for cash a brand new off the showroom floor 26 ft Four winds. Man did I get sucked in with that one – I blame it on the CEO it was exactly the floor plan she wanted.
One week later the dealer got it back with 42 drum tight documented faults meticulously recorded – court and transportation authority ready.
They got their junk back, I got every nickel of my money back. A good move on their part – believe me!
Since CW went public you can be sure it was Lemonis. His goal was to get his cash out before CW value tanks.
Guess I better sell my CW stock!
Typical for Camping World and most RV makers. “We have your money, you have your coach and warranty, both are bad, but we are going to ignore you until you go away.”
New RV?
The salesmen sell DREAMS….
The customer buys nightmares.
Wow! I had heard of people having multiple warranty claims but this is ridiculous. Social media is the answer. Years ago, our only resource was to threaten to “write the newspaper”. Now….social media allows dissatisfied owners to immediately spread the word and let the whole world know what a piece of crap they’ve purchased! Good luck, Jon, with this pursuit. I think you have a just case for getting ALL of your money refunded. Keep us informed of how both Thor and CW respond after all of this exposure.
I would think you could possibly gather a number of Thor owners and file a class action suit against the manufacturer for not supplying the customer with a well made trouble free unit as advertised. I would also look at a class action suit against CW for not fulfilling its obligation to repair any defects in a reasonable timely manner. I’m sure the lawyers could come up with some other things that would get some attention.