A recent campfire conversation began as I mentioned receiving a letter (actually, drawings) from our grandkids.
We all agreed that letter writing has become a lost art. I recalled that my mom sent no fewer than two letters every week to me while I was away at college. Every week. Like clockwork.
Talking about letter writing prompted me to ask folks around the campfire, “If you wrote a letter to an RV manufacturer, what would you say?”
Waste of time?
Les spoke up first: “I wouldn’t waste my time. I doubt they’d listen.”
I quickly amended my question. “Hypothetically speaking, Les. If you wanted today’s RV manufacturers to know what you really think of the industry, along with suggestions or complaints, what would you say?”
Higher quality
Almost everyone agreed that they’d talk about quality … or the lack of quality. “Even if you pay a premium,” Beth offered, “you still face problems that quickly eat away at the joy of camping.”
“We’ve been very satisfied with our RV,” Rob argued. “It’s been well worth the amount we paid.”
Les chimed in, “You’re one of the lucky ones. Most people I know who bought new RVs in the last several years have spent a lot of money just making repairs on things that should have been done right at the factory!”
Less fluff
Lois spoke up: “I’m tired of paying for all the fluff. Stop trying to outdo your competition and give buyers what they really want: a solid, well-made RV without all the bells and whistles that we don’t need or want.”
“Yes!” Bob agreed. “Who needs a glass washer in the kitchen sink? Or anywhere else, for that matter. I’d rather they put the ‘glass washer’ innovation toward a replacement for non-flake, pleather furniture!”
Suggestions
“So,” I asked. “What suggestions would you give RV manufacturers apart from providing top quality?” Here are some of the suggestions campfire folks came up with. It’s a “wish list” of sorts.
(You may not agree with every suggestion. Each RVer has their own idea of what’s perfect, right?)
• No carpet
• Integrated, fold-away shower bench
• No mattress (Deduct the manufacturer’s cost from the price because everyone has different preferences.)
• Integrated travel-mode cupboard locks
• Child-/dog-proof entry door
• LED lights
• Walkaround beds and nightstands (or a place for a CPAP machine with an electrical plug nearby)
• Replace the oven with a microwave/convection oven
• Outdoor-mounted tether for a dog
• “Less flash for less cash” (my favorite suggestion)
Your turn
Now it’s your turn! What would you like to see in your perfect RV? If you could write a letter to an RV manufacturer, what would you say? Tell us in the comments below, please.
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RVT1235
Learn to properly run wires in a loom not all over the place. Also color coded, with schematics. Then do all the plumbing to code not here there and everywhere.
Plumbing connections and shutoff’s and cabinet construction and drawer slides are my two biggest gripes.
Agree and accessibility to them. My first trip out I had a wardrobe drawer fall completely out.
I had to get all new drawer glides and reinforce the understructure after our very first “shakedown” trip. I also realized that every drawer had at least 6-8″ of space behind it so I got drawer glides that were longer than the original drawers. I then made better drawers and put a finish on them so they wouldn’t catch our clothing like the original ones did. It also makes them easier to keep clean. That extra 6-8″ is A LOT of storage space that was wasted over roughly 10 drawers. It’s just another way the manufacturers are trying to save a dime. For me, they could take out the TV and give me better drawers and I’d be happy.
I have to agree with the others on quality build. In my experience, it seems that the $25k travel trailers aren’t any better made than the Class As that cost over $200k. Big problems and small problems are all annoying, especially when it’s new. I want a solid built RV with quality plumbing and wiring that isn’t going to fall apart when I drive it down the road. And how about a warranty that actually shows you stand behind your product – three years on a new RV. And while we’re at it, provide full plumbing and wiring diagrams and well thought out repair procedures (i.e. access panels so we can get at the things that might need repair).
No “cheap” gaudy swoop and swirl decals that start to crack and peel after a few years.
I’m under the impression that the real purpose of the decals is to make the camper look older sooner to push you into replacing it sooner that you would otherwise.
Put the drain valves (black and gray) so you pull out to the side away from the camper, not from the front where you have to crawl under. This is hard for most.
Install quality tank sensors (SeeLevel) at the factory. Stop with the giant solid steps and either use Torklift steps or go back to the foldout steps.
SeeLevel sensors fail too!
We’ve never had an issue with the stock sensors, but we only dump black every other time. The sensors get cleaned driving down the road. Been doing this for over 30 years.
My three Newmar motorhomes have been well built. But one thing they could do better is design for easy repair/replacement/maintenance of components that will eventually wear or just need ordinary service. I have had some ordinary maintenance items take hours vs minutes because of how the component is buried vs being placed for access.
Side note: If people want plumbing and electrical diagrams, Winnebago, for their motorhomes, anyway, is tops. 👍
Better, stronger, low maintenance, smoother riding suspensions.
1st of all, I HAVE written to the manufacturers of both our RVs. Use certified mail. One manufacturer was helpful, one was not. But both replied.
Rather than grump about the shoddy assembly, my chief concern is getting a warranty that means anything. If the manufacturer stood behind its product, the shoddy manufacturing would take care of itself.
I believe the only people most RV final decision level designers talk to are sales managers. And way too many sales people don’t know squat about what they are selling. But they know bling sells to people new to RVing. So to get what I wanted, I also got a ‘fireplace’. I like the space heater, the rest of the ‘fireplace’ is a waste of space.
I would tell them to “slow down”. The workers get paid more if they assemble the RV fast. That’s a recipe for bad things to happen. Glue not properly dried, mismatched screws, not lining up walls properly, etc, etc. Check out Leisure Vans in Canada…I watched their video and saw the manufacturing process.
Absolutely! Piecework is the enemy of quality, and it always has been.
I use to work for Jayco when they 1st started up production in the late 60’s. We got paid by the number of trailers completed daily. Most of us would get paid for 8 hours of work that we completed in 4 hours. The faster we worked the sooner we could go home. So yeah maybe I only got 3 screws in that shelve instead of 6 or 2 screws on a curtain valance instead of 4. Drill a hole in the wrong place, just caulk it and hope no one would notice. I installed shelves in closets and there were no measurements or template to use, just eye it and hope it was level.
Minimum two year warranty.
Without having to sign away your legal rights to sue if you get a lemon. Reputable, customer-oriented industries don’t do that.
Who really needs an outside TV. make it an option
Make all TVs optional.
I never understood the reason for a TV outside unless you are boondocker and don’t have neighbors. I once had a neighbor complaining about my TV being too loud inside the trailer 😮 . Some of us are hard of hearing.
Add an inverter to allow for using AC devices without running a generator and a relay disconnects the converter and shore power when the inverter is on.
Add more AC outlets, especially next to the dinette table/work desk
Add a backup camera
Add tire pressure monitors
I have added all these on my travel trailer.
Get rid of the solar power plug since most portable solar panels come with alligator clips
Get rid of the Wi-Fi booster cover that doesn’t have anything inside
TPMS should be mandatory on all RVs, just as it is on all passenger vehicles.
Option for no poor quality Dometic stove/oven. Have a proper home grade 120v receptacle (screw type, not blade) that won’t get warm from too little wire contact using a 1700 watt induction plate.
We ripped out our stove/oven/double bowl sink that the bowls were too small. We now have a large prep space and a Houzer sink and a residential GFI outlet for a induction plate. The GFI stock outlet would trip once over 1,500 watts. The space for the oven now has two more needed drawers, with one 10″ high. We’re not the only one to remove the stove/oven.
If we were to have a gas stovetop it would be a high output single burner
Every faucet and the toilet should have a shutoff.
Model T-vintage leaf springs, “solid steps” that shed mud and dirt onto adjacent kitchen counters, “RV-length” beds too short for 21st century Americans, neck-chilling windows above the head of the bed, inefficient 120vac-only rooftop AC units without soft-start capability are a few of the items I would put in a letter to RV manufacturers. Most of these items were used in RVs 50 years ago and have not kept up with modern improvements. How many new cars today have leaf springs or 120vac AC systems? Exactly zero! That’s because independent suspensions and 12v compressor AC systems are readily available for cars. But not in RVs because “bling” sells RVs, not improved technology.
All electrical, water, and gas lines are secured so they aren’t chaffing on each other or any other part of the RV, especially sharp metal surfaces.
Hire and train competent assembly teams. The “quality” of the finished product is often not related to the materials used, but to poor construction practices or bad fit and finish. Also, get the design engineers to “walk a mile” in the repair/maintenance technician’s shoes. A couple examples: place the water pump where it can be easily replaced … when it fails (and it will). Or, install the Aqua-hot system in a way that it can be serviced with both hands, not through a small access panel or compartment opening. Critical components should be easily accessible, if even through a trap door in the floor!
I have often said that EVERY RV design engineer should have to spend at least one week annually in that manufacturer’s repair/maintenance facilities with his/her sleeves rolled up repairing and/or maintaining what they designed…and they have to do it with quality and within the time limit the mfg puts on dealer techs or they get no pay for the extra time it took.
When I was in Elkhart Indiana several years ago there were help wanted signs everywhere for all business. The Rv industry was so desperate to find workers they would go to the high schools and offer them jobs. So it extremely hard to find qualified workers. When I worked in the RV industry back in the late 60’s we would average maybe 3 months at any given rv factory. We would go across the street and start working for 25 cents more per hour. I lost count how many RV factories I worked at over a 5 year period. I was 16 when I started working at my 1st RV factory. I wasn’t allow to use power tools but installed tail lights, decals, etc.
Reading all these, I am glad we bought our/now my 1994 Winnebago Vectra 34′ Class A in Nov 07! It rides smoothly on a GM Chassis on air, A GM 454 gas, has labeled wiring, ample outlets, bed stands on both sides. Huge residential closets. No slide(s). Real cherry wood finishing. Most importantly, to this day, I have Winnebago at my back to answer any reasonable questions which might arise. I have all the structural diagrams and for the plumbing, wiring and all the books for everything else. I love it! Huge storage compartments – but only a 16,000 lb GVW – so it is weight compromised! (Min. 20 to 25,000 lbs. would have been about right.)
Get rid of piece work. The car manufacturers do without it and cars don’t fall apart running down the road although some of their engineering is a little suspect. Come up with decent designs for components such as indoor fifth wheel stairs that don’t fall apart from average people using them. Decent access to components that may need service. Wiring diagrams and plumbing diagrams that workers need to follow on assembly so each model rv is the same. I work on trailers for neighbors and I can’t believe how poorly some are made.
There are many components of an RV with support through their individual manufacturers. A lot these will fail after the vehicle warranty has expired. Replacement parts are often not available or extremely expensive.
The CEO of our coach’s company, who is currently trying to sell the company, has usually appeared at the yearly conventions. When asked why there is no easy access to top of the engine (access through the so-called access panel above the engine actually requires cutting through the floor), he has said that they build them to sell, not to repair them. On the other hand, they do have good technical support and factory service is easy to arrange.
Years ago when I met Bob Tiffin for the first time I shared that we had a 2007 Open Road and why we loved that floor plan. He remembered it and agreed that it was a great one and that they should have kept it. The bedroom has a desk, lounge chair & you can walk all the way around the bed, unusual these days (easy to make the bed!) plus a big closet. This is also long before they began making the Tiffin’s “all electric” and messing everything up. We now have well over 150,000 miles on it, and never have had any problems. Good furniture, & quality throughout, etc. We just had to remove all the carpet flooring (who wants carpet when you camp?).
Option-no dinette-replace w/desk & 2 seats, smaller living room w/2 small recliners w/fold out tray w/cupholders each living room seat; bath & 1/2 most floorplans, optional tub/shower, optional window seat bedrooms, more storage bedrooms, bedside shelves for cpaps, outlets w/device charging, cupholders bedside, over headboard storage instead of wasted empty space, better quality workmanship wiring, plumbing, construction, stronger slides, protective covers over all slides, less fancy stuff, just better quality builds with reliable, ironclad, steadfast warranties. Yes, I’ll pay for it.
I hate when a RV doesn’t have dual nightstands. We have to have a place for our eyeglasses, cell phone, bottle water and flash light. It’s the 1st thing I look for when view RV’s. No walk around bed and no nightstands I walk away.
More closet and drawer space for clothing.
In my particular case (we have a 2024 Pleasure Way On Tour 2.2 van) I would tell them to cease installing a Winegard OTA TV antenna and repalce it with prewiring for a Starlink system, or give the option for a full system install. I would also tell them to listen to suggestions from PW owners WRT shower improvements in the wet bath.
We’ve been full time for 10 years and have had four 5th wheels, 3 new ones. Why can’t the manufacturers build a good main structure and then everything else be optional at people’s choice. Some people may not want a fireplace, when others think it’s essential. Same as the pleather sofa bed, as well as dining table/chairs.
There’s just too much emphasis on “gee-wiz” features at the expense of reliability. While electronic panels are fine for monitoring various systems, I don’t want that to be the only way to control lighting, heating, A/C, etc. If the system goes down, nothing works. Good ol’ mechanical switches are extremely reliable, and in the rare case where one fails, it’s an easy DIY fix, rather than a call and potentially days-long wait to get a factory-certified technician to troubleshoot the electronics. Not to mention the difference in cost.
Designers, and sales staff must use their products. Like the repair dept ideas below, they should spend at least one week a year in an RV!
It could go much further for designers; winter camping in ‘4 season’ versions, every other year dry camping, every 5th year all the beds must be filled with adults. A progressive company would have units in all regions so they get out of the midwest, (humidity, dryness, cold, heat, various bugs/rodents)
We have a class A Winni- please change the blinds- put silicone in the edges or something. They go clack clack clack as you drive down the road. I’ve put pieces of pool noodle on them to stop it- but that looks stupid on a 100,000 vehicle
Hi, Laurel. Did you try just a small piece of pool noodle on each end of the blind, like mentioned in this post from Dave Helgeson? That doesn’t look like it would be too obvious. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Get rid of that “pleather” stuff on furniture permanently and go with real leather or good quality upholstery for the furniture, choice of the buyer.
Add a second flush valve for the black tank. Add flush valves for each grey water tank. Provide a template of the roof supports for aftermarket solar installation. Provide two channels on roof, opposite sides to run solar or other wiring into the utility area or where solar connectors would fit. Put all the utility connections in the same area. Add a light above the control panel. Lighted switches in the control panel. An accurate wiring schematic.
I’d ask for a “build it yourself” kit. It might be less time consuming than correcting all of the mistakes that were made at the factory.
Take a lesson from tiny homes, better quality, better appliances, quality mattresses, and solar with an inverter to make coffee or run a CPA’s machine, all on a sturdier frame and axles!
Make access to components (like the underside) easier for repair or modification.
Have the engineers who design them drive their result across country, live in it for a week, then drive it back to the factory. This will educate them on how most of their designs are flawed.
A place for muddy shoes and wet raincoats coming into the RV on a crappy day.
If you lie to me I’m going to take you to Small Claims Court. So, they did and I did, and I won! Full restitution without an Attorney!
Read up people it’s not as hard as you think.