Coachmen RV Reviews

The dealer seemed to know his head from the behind for my solar and discovered, nope, they didn't. Running the microwave for 30 seconds drains the battery. So now I have to redesign the whole thing, which defeats the whole purpose of the dealer to install. Of course, "go power" should be smart enough to pull only the power it needs to supplement the battery/solar system while plugged in, but that is not coachmen's fault. Next time, I will buy a winny!

However, the RV was not design very good. We also wanted bigger kitchen table and a microwave oven. So, make sure you make a list of must haves like tv outside so you can watch all the games, outdoor space, a big kitchen table, a microwave oven, 2 bathrooms, a sink and a fridge outside, and to tailgate. Also, how many sleeping. It's like buying a house. Nevertheless, we got a great deal on the Coachmen RV, below manufacture sale price. People would ask us about how much we paid for it and they want to see the inside of it. All in all we were very happy and proud to have own it. It has brought the family a lot closer together.

The second was the washer as I bought this motorhome in Dec 2017, and we took a trip in it and lived in it but when we went to use the washer, water went everywhere as it had a frozen water inlet valve broken now. This is in the inside of the motorhome where the temp was 74 degrees, and could not freeze but they told me I did not winterization my motorhome. I said, "How do you do that when you live in it." I could go on and on but don't buy from them as they only want your money and could care less about you. As for water on the floor poor workmanship in cheap plywood floors, you don't get any calls from them and when you do set up an appointment and when you show up they tell you it will take another three weeks to get started. So you wait for 3 weeks to get a appointment and then another 3 weeks before they start work on it and then take a month to repair nothing.

Now for the bad. The awnings systems installed on most mid range RV will not stand up to the wind force that can be produced by an asthmatic field mouse blowing through a straw when in the open position and they can easily blow off the RV when in the retracted position at highway speeds. After having our awning fold up like a mangled pile of pickup sticks we replaced it with a 14 foot patio umbrella and stand. I like it better than an awning. The wife would like it in addition to the awning. The choice is yours. The next bad is the paint system used on the nose cone of the RV. I believe in is integrated into the fiberglass and they have a tendency to fade. We have clayed bar the cap once a year ago with good results but it is fading again. I will use a top quality automotive wax after bringing back the shine this time to see if we can get a longer period without fading.

Bad number three, the plumbing fixtures. Fixtures in the restroom are plastic junk. The faucet it the show cracked above the mixing portion of the valve which caused a bad leak when the shower was on. The water ran down the inside of the interior wall and flooded the storage bay. We use covered bins in the storage locker so clean up wasn't too bad and everything dried up without any mold. The Fourth Bad - The vinyl floor is thin and of bad quality. The slides will make a two inch cut into the vinyl. I epoxied the area but every time I walk on it barefooted I remember the cheapness of products installed in RVs. Number 5 of the bad, is the China Bomb tires still installed on many RV's. I don't care if I had to pay $200 at the time of purchase to have American made quality tires installed.

These are the basic list of bad we have found. It also should be noted that the RV is built to a price point and better interior paneling is available but to install it would cost much more so I can easily live with what is used. I also wish the microwave mounting area was large enough to install a convection microwave but it isn't an option.

Now a few of the really good items. Number one, the 90 degree turning radius nose cone complete with bullseye hookup light. We haven't had to use our sliding hitch once. We tow with a Dodge Megacab so the bed is shorter than a true long bed. With an addition of a round dot piece of tape on the back window of the truck sighting in when hooking up is a breeze. Good number two - Azdel sealed wall system. the walls do away with delamination. They are very strong and very light. I give them an A plus rating. Good number Three - Opposable rear super slides. This make the 5th wheel feel so very roomy and if you are going to have slides isn't that why? Number four of the good - The amount of interior light fixtures. Because of the dark wood grain interior the lights brighten up the interior perfectly. Of course we installed LED's to let us use these lights while boondocking.

For the 5th and Final Good - The interior setup with its amount of storage and comfort. We like the private bathroom with the very large shower with seat. The under exterior storage is also great. For a 35 foot fifth wheel it feels more like a 40 foot rig. We feel that we have gotten good value for money spent on this fifth wheel and plan on keeping for many more years of enjoyment and memories.

Come to find out, the 'tight rubber roof' was pretty thin, and in normal swaying down the road, it tends to 'tear' at the edges, allowing leaks you never know about until entire sections of your RV are ruined. Again, using a little thicker rubber, and changing the edge line a bit, could drastically and almost instantly solve that problem too. The shortcuts aren't good. And what you see new doesn't stay that way long if you're actually USING IT ON THE ROAD. Bent axles will cost you tires, and potentially cause accidents. Leaky roof edges, compromise entire wall sections.

But hey, the frame seems to be good. The layout wasn't bad. When they are working right, they pull easily. But if you see a used one that has experienced more than about 1,000 miles of use, have an experienced RV repair person LOOK AT IT BEFORE YOU BUY! Because failure may cost you dearly in the future. Repairing RV's is costly, and often not easy or fast. A new roof starts at about $100 - 150 per foot of your RV length minimum just to remove the old damaged one, and replace the BASIC roof materials. If there is dry rot or other damage, the cost climbs fast. (A 30 footer is 3000 - 4500 without serious underlying problems). Anyhow, Caveat emptor! Good Luck!

They sent a service tech to our location. He was able to get the slide to work and the jacks up. We took the Motorhome to be serviced. The Motorhome was where we were living in. When we got to the Dealership they immediately took possession of the RV. Thus leaving us with no place to stay. For two nights we stayed in a hotel. On the 3rd day at the Dealership, they told us they were waiting for parts to come in. We advised them that we couldn't afford to stay in the hotel any further. They said that we could live in our R.V. on the lot until the parts came in. They provided us with water & electricity. However, the first night an employee accidentally shut the water off... It was cold and heavy rain was coming down. We turned the furnace on and we found out it wasn't working.

The next day we told the service manager of our problem. They checked the furnace and found out that the furnace vent (which pointed upwards) did not have a part in back of it to prevent water from coming in. Thus water leaked into the compartments. We stayed 5 more nights before they "fixed" our R.V. The next day we drove home. While traveling in the RV, we heard noises on the floor as we walked on it. We also discovered that the furnace was heating the back of the R.V., but not the front. Later on we took the R.V. to a local R.V. dealership to get the furnace fixed and the floor checked. Later on we got a call that their service tech had discovered that the support beams underneath the floor had not been properly nailed in. The nails were not connected to the floor beams. They did check the furnace and saw that no heat was coming to the front of the R.V.

Our R.V. was in the shop for four months, before they said that they had fixed everything. We did take it out during the summer on a trip. This is when we discovered that the kitchen faucet sprayer would spray out everywhere but the sink. Also we had trouble with the carbon monoxide, it kept going off. In November we took a job as a volunteer Work Camper at a State Park, near Tallahassee. It gets very cold up there. This when we found out that the furnace was not heating the front of the R.V. No heat or air was coming out of the 3 vents in the front of the R.V. We bought electric heaters to keep the front warm. But, it was still uncomfortable. Since we promised to stay till mid- January we couldn't take the RV in for service. Please note that we are both retired and volunteer to do work at different R.V. Resorts in able to travel to different States. That is why we bought a Motorhome, to provide us an opportunity to travel.

Also the carbon monoxide detector went off and on several times so we had to disconnect it. When we got home in mid-January we took our R.V. back to the dealer who repaired it before. Our main complaint is that we have no heat going to the front of the R.V. We contacted our Service Warranty Representative and got authorization to get it fixed. The service tech checked all the ductwork and saw nothing bent or closed off. The ductwork is under the bed, so it is easily visible. All the duct pipes were together except one. This one was about 6 feet long and was wrapped around our water tank to the back vent of the bed. This provided heat for the hallway & the bunk bed area. The service tech disconnected this, to see if heat would flow to the front of the R.V.

Two of the front vents had a little bit of air coming out, and there was no heat coming from the front vent driver's area, Also the bad part is that it took the heat away from the hallway & bunk area. The service tech said that there was nothing else they could do. I called the Warranty Advisor again, and was told the only thing she could do was put shutoff vents in the back. She also said that since the furnace was located in the back of the R.V. it could not provide much heat to the front. We suggested heat pumps be installed to supplement the furnace to heat the front. The only thing she was willing to do was pay for the shutoff vents. If we wanted heat pumps we would have to pay for them.

I have had nothing but trouble in getting this R.V. PROPERLY FIXED. We had to fight Coachmen to get it fixed correctly. Three times the R.V. has been in the shop. We have lost almost 5 1/2 months usage of our R.V. We are afraid to take it out because something else might break down. Coachmen has not cooperated fully in fixing the R.V. Every time we had it serviced Coachmen "fixes" (going the cheapest route), and yet we still have things that break down, so we have lost all CONFIDENCE in Coachmen. I sent a e-mail to Forest River Inc., who manufactures Coachmen products. The Warranty Manager and I talked on the phone for about a half an hour. During our conversation he said that the cause of us not getting heat to the front is because the furnace was located in the of The R.V. The only thing to do is keep the vent closed that heats the hallway & the bunk bed area.

He said that when we bought the R.V. we failed to take the options that were available to upgrade the R.V. To my understanding when he said that was that he was hinting that we bought a stripped down version of the R.V. He said that deluxe model of our Motorhome would cost about $170,000, and ours we bought at $105,000. I have bought RVs before and never have been offered upgrades. To me when you purchase a new Motorhome that you expect everything to work, and have heat in the whole Motorhome. As for the heat pumps we could purchase them at cost. But, that it would not solve our problem. He offered to sell us double pane windows at cost. Also he was willing to pay for the electric heaters we bought and were using.

When I said that I would seek legal advice, he said go ahead. Our problem was that the R.V that we purchased was the location of the furnace in the back of the R.V. To me it is not my problem. With all the problems that we incurred shows me that this R.V. is really not safe to use. Plus it hinders us from fulfilling our dream of traveling and seeing other states. When we do have a job it could last a few months to up to 6 months at a time. How can we live in something that has proven unreliable to live in? At the end of our conversation the Warranty Manager said that Coachmen would install a bigger furnace depending on if it will fit, and if it will provide heat to the front of the R.V. If it doesn't then I would have to be satisfied with the heat that I am getting in the front now (which in reality there isn't heat in the front).

I feel that this is defective R.V. That Coachmen should not have placed the furnace in a place where it could equally provide heat to the front and rear of the R.V. The warranty service personnel were not helpful at all. Nor was the Service Manager at Midwest R.V. Sales, who argued with us, and showed total disregard in having to pay for a hotel, and then living on their lot for five days. Also the Salesman who sold us the Motorhome, and assured us that the service techs had checked our R.V. over and found "nothing" wrong with it. Lesson learned not to deal or buy a Coachmen or Forest River product because of their failure to stand behind their product.

I wondered why the partition in the storage basement was installed crooked, so I took it out and discovered that it was just installed crooked and about 16 inches further forward than necessary. At the same time I discovered that heat ducts were not connected to the registers inside the trailer. When I crawled under the coach, I found big gobs of plastic foam where pipes had been installed, gaps in the corrugated plastic under-liner, and trailing fibers from the plastic fabric under-liner, along with more awful welds. There are numerous interior trim pieces and panels that have fallen off due to the use of short staples and missing the backing boards when the trim was installed. The nifty electric leveling quit, and the supplier (Lippert industries) has not responded to e-mails in spite of their promise on their website to respond within 48 hours.

The Dometic Comfort Control Center thermostat either does not work or the instructions are so cryptic that I can't decipher them. I suspect that the problem is equipment failure because other forums talk about how to replace the Dometic with another brand. The wastewater tank valves are mounted up inside the underbelly of the trailer and are operated by long flexible cables. The flexible cables are mounted to the flexible plastic housing around the water filter, so with the flexible cables mounted on a flexible backing, there is not a positive shutoff for the wastewater. Without a positive shutoff, there is always black water behind the cap when you take it off to dump - what a mess! Also, when we are in a park, all the liquid in the black water tank leaks away from the solid material, so the fecal material and paper can harden into a brick and we can't dump effectively.

When I have talked to the dealer, it is weeks of wait time to even look at the problems, and we find the problems when we are on the road using the rig, so I mostly just fix it myself or live with it. In summary, there are some design problems, there is really sloppy workmanship, and some of the components are unreliable. Because I have fixed a lot of the problems myself, I have not really tested the support from the dealer or component manufacturers, but the few calls I have made have not been satisfactorily answered. I would never recommend this brand, and plan to unload it in the near future - but I would not sell it to a friend.

The camper was at Mid-State from 7\24\17 till 11/6/17. During that time frame, my wife and I were subjected to numerous accusations about the cause of the slide/out coming off track. The first contact we had regarding the cause of the incident was on 8/24/17, when an employee stated that the incident was caused by "water damage". After leaving our camper at Mid-State, I made 6 phone calls to them, trying to obtain information about repairs or status of claim. From 8/4/17 to 8/24/17, no one even seemed to know where our camper was. After being told that we were responsible for the water damage, our extended warranty company denied the claim. On 9/1/17 we received an estimate of $4,342.15 for repairs that we would be responsible for. Even Mr **, at Forest River made a statement that we (the owners) should take responsibility.

After numerous consultations with the Georgia Insurance Commission, State Farm Insurance, a lawyer, and certified letters to Mid-State, and Forest River, my wife and I were told that we would have to pay. Then suddenly, on 9/27/17, Mid-State admitted that the cause of the incident was a major manufacturer's defect and we would not be responsible. To make a long story short, we did end up paying over $900.00, but it was worth it to finally get the camper home.

I emailed him explaining my issue and he asked for sales info on the RV as well as pictures so he could see if they would cover it under their warranty. I followed up with multiple emails asking him if he received the info he asked for and got no response from him. I also left him multiple voicemails as he never answers his phone. I also called the main office and they said he is always in the office. I finally got fed up with no response so I wrote corporate and still have not received a response. Apparently this company is fine with taking your money for their products but do not stand behind them. Buyer beware, do not purchase products from the Forrest River family of companies.

The fold out couch has a 3" difference from one cushion to another when opened making it only good for small kids to sleep on. We have had a leak in the coach and they were able to repair it. We had the plumbing under the kitchen sink spring a leak. We have had the furnace fail on our last trip this spring. Some other small issues such as loose panels and sharp edges on the bed platform. Overall: We like the idea. This trailer is laid out for our style of camping, but find the constant problems make it not worth the price tag. Very annoying that in three months of camping we have had problems on every trip. I would not recommend this manufacturer to anyone.

I have contacted Coachmen directly twice regarding this unit. They have instructed me to return to the point of purchase to have the dealer inspect the unit again. This is unacceptable as I have just collected the unit from the dealer, again, where it had spent another winter being repaired, again. Actually, I am not sure if we can bring the unit in for inspection or service at this time as the dealer's establishment unfortunately was destroyed by a fire in April of this year. Our trailer was immediately next to the building as it was engulfed in flames but alas, it sustained no damage. I am not sure when they will have their shop rebuilt. We have taken videos and pictures of each issue and always inform the vendor promptly of any issues with the unit.

The one big issue that has been unresolved is the slides leak. All three slides. We understand that there was a manufacturing defect with the rubber used in the slide bottom. After the 2nd repair failure, Coachmen reached out to us and admitted there was a defect in the seals used. We have had the unit repaired 3 times for this defect and the issue persists. The water being found in the trailer when we travel on rainy days is not as severe as it was in the beginning but there still is ample water on the carpets and on the wall and the island.

There is dirt from the road found throughout my camper after we arrive at our destination. We are more concerned for any mold growth that might be the result of the water getting into areas we cannot see. I have to carry a Bissell carpet cleaner with me whenever we travel because of the amount of water on the carpets in the camper (if it is raining when we travel). I have also noticed that the items in the drawers in the kitchen and dining areas are collecting mold and I have to clean them often to keep this under control.

Despite having top of the line anti-sway hitch system, the camper is very hard to handle. It has an extreme constant sway. We have changed tires on the truck, adjusted the tire pressure, adjusted the sway bars and hitch, hauled the camper empty and have even purchased a new truck to tow this trailer but the extreme sway persists. My husband (who is usually behind the wheel when hauling the camper) has been employed with a major Canadian logistics and transportation company for the last 25 years and is an extremely skilled driver. He is nervous towing this camper.

The toilet was leaking at the base (repaired). The drain in the septic was not hooked up. We could not drain our septic the first time after we bought the camper. Ended up leaking septic through the foam under the camper (Repaired). The vent cover for the kitchen exhaust fan warped after 2nd use (repaired). Kitchen exhaust fan quit working after 15 minutes use (Repaired). Skylight above the kitchen table leaking (repaired). Wall socket was loose and nearly hanging out of the wall in the outdoor kitchen (repaired twice). Radio does not pick up service in most areas (still not repaired). Awning is crooked and does not fully retract (began having issues with the awning immediately after having the camper in the second time to fix the leaky slides, still not repaired).

Water pump has no pressure (repaired but it is very loud and sounds horrible as a result of the repair). Trim on the back slide ripped off when we opened the trailer for the first time after it being at the dealer for the winter having the slides repaired for the third time (not repaired). Sliding door separating the bathroom from the master bedroom is now crooked and seems like the screws are coming loose from the ceiling (not repaired). The lights around the fireplace (something that is rarely used) are flickering and some have burnt out (not repaired). Drawer under dinette area, bottom has completely detached (not repaired). Most of these issues were discovered within the first few weeks of owning this camper.

There are a few other minor details such as the TV actually being mounted crooked, the lights in the master bedroom over the bed being of two different types, the doors in the cupboard area by the fridge are crooked, the windows over the table seem to be two different windows, the excessive warning stickers on the exhaust fan above the stove that are duplicates of each other, the trim around the kitchen slide outside that is uneven, the fireplace squeaking (the motor that makes the "flames" look real when it is on) the water damage to the trim nearest the kitchen slide, the vent behind the fridge in the outdoor kitchen that does not have a screen and we recently discovered this past weekend was the reason for the camper teeming with mosquitos and blackflies, that are not affecting the use of the RV, they are yet other things we see that add to our frustrations. I have reached out to the Canadian Better Business Bureau with my concerns. We are waiting for the business to respond.

We were to get a half tank of gas and got a little less than 1/4. The propane was to be full and had about 1/4 tank. The coolant was low and needed some. it has a bad vibration at 45 mph, that we are taking to Ford to check. The passenger arm rest is frozen in place and won't move. The driver's seat belt where it joins the cap is misaligned and needs to be fixed. It has air assist on it with no air in it like the walk thru guy said it was to have. There is more but basically in looking in, under and around this unit is put together very cheaply and the workmanship it terrible. I tried to talk to the people where I bought it, but the service department never returns your calls. This place "Motorhome Specialists" just want your money and that's it plain and simple...

Once we got inside of the RV absolutely nothing was touched. We were so outraged and let down by the dealer and his salesperson Reay. We were absolutely lied to by Reay. He swore up and down that this coach had a lighted strip in the awning, it does not and about everything else that was supposed to be fixed like flooring tiles. refrigerator door. broken and unusable drawer that is under the stove.

Latch for the hood was missing, whoever put it in scratched up the paint right above the latch. Their service department when washing the outside left soap scum and streaks all over it and scratched it in a few more places and left hose marks on it in several places. I waxed it the next day and got off the hose marks. That's when I found more scratches, it was setting in between other coaches when we looked it over outside.

We didn't notice the repainted area by the outside tv compartment then it has to be like 4 shades different. Boy can you notice it, now it stands out. There is off white paint sprayed heavy in the front door frame up high on the left side, why was the door damaged? The tv in bedroom had one latch missing. It was not prepared so that means the tv was swinging back and forth until we noticed it on our trip to hell this weekend in Michigan City. I had to tie it shut.

Drawer in kitchen table kept opening on every turn. Living room slide is not going completely shut behind the drivers seat, squeaks and groans like crazy. The awning on the live slide must have been out all summer, it had a large area where water pooled on it for so long that it was red in color when dry. I think it is stretched out from weight of ice setting on it. They said they had it for 6 months and I think the slide was left out in the winter.

The bedroom slide is tilted in at the top. It's not straight up and down. Even the windows in it look crooked because the top of it is in so far. Maybe it's supposed to be like that, I don't know. It don't look right to me. It flexes the bed so bad when it goes in that it popped the panels off the inside of the cabinets next to the bed on each side. I had to put a few screws in them to hold them in place to make the bed. The radio antenna on top was down so that was beating on the roof the whole way home on Wednesday. Why was this, don't they know it has to be put up.

The TV antenna was glued in place from the sealer that the factory put on it. It ran out during the drying time and stuck it in place. I had to cut it free. The door on the hyd compartment keeps coming open. Leather trim on the table seat has popped off, IMO the trim is to high. Reay is a big guy, he prolly did that with his leg when getting out from behind the table. When you slide out your legs catches the trim, poor engineering and quality through this coach.

My wife took the first shower in it on Saturday. Water was running across the floor over to the toilet. I took off the poorly attached filler strip on bottom of basin to find water dripping from the fitting on drain. I put a towel under it to catch the water for the next few showers. What a joke, toilet paper holder in back bathroom has much of the chrome scratched off it. That was to be replaced too. Shower faucet is loose, tile in half is bad in to places, I see why you get a bunch off tiles with your new coach. Tile in back bath behind toilet is bubbled up. One tile in front of fireplace is sticking up, that was to be fixed.

2 tiles in half bath by sink is bubbled up. Back bathroom blinds are hanging crooked. Them were to be fixed, cig lighter on left side of dash is not working. The big front window shade is not straight, it comes on an angle not straight on top of dash. Gap on one end, keeps coming out of the side tracks. Hole in dashboard from end of shade. It has a metal rod through it with no end caps to protect the dash. I did not see the hole until we got home, not big but it's a hole in the dash. The wide trim in live room has white stuff in the one of the grooves, you notice it when you step up into the coach right in front of you, that was to be fixed.

And the front air conditioner a few times it just shut down for a few seconds and then it like growled or kinda made like a struggling noise and came back to life. it wasn't like the temp was reached and it kicked off. Long scratch on outside tv compartment, that was not there when we looked at it. I am sure the wash bay people did that in their shop. When Reay showed us the coach he pulled out the L shaped couch and tried to get the bottom cushion to stay up and it would not, that was to be fixed also.

This coach was to be all cleaned up and ready. It was just filthy. I made them change the refrigerator bottom door before I left because it had a good size dent in the lower part of it. And adjust the left side of fridge because it was not flush like the hinge side. The trim is all beat up from when it was put in, on the bottom left side from banging it with the fridge. And then it still has a divot on the bottom edge inside of it from the door being closed on something.

They were going to replace the whole fridge but it was 5 o'clock so they just did the door. Never in my life have we had such a rotten experience and being lied to, and where is the factory quality control. At $92.000 my wife and I are just sick with this purchase, we want nothing to do with this dealer. Their last words were bring it if we have a problem and I said I live 100 miles away, that's a 200 mile round trip. Reay said I could "take it to Pontiac RV for service, it is closer to you," and they would have the engine hood shipped there to be put on. Please call me as soon as you can.

When we took it to the dealer, they replaced the mechanism with a unit that did not fit our travel trailer and now the door has to be slammed to shut. Letting on that they have ongoing issues with coachmen using faulty latching mechanism and they have been fixing many of them. How ridiculous. They insist that the mismatched unit is what Coachmen sent them. REALLY? Apparently no one has pride in the work they do and throwing whatever the manufacture sent them onto the campers is acceptable business.

The water pump had to be replaced after we notice that there was water leaking from the camper's side. Unknown how long it had been shooting water all over. The area under the bunk was flooded. This was covered by warranty but we were out water during a week long trip to a state park. Very inconvenient. I could go on about the cheap carpeting that is already showing wear when we have only gone on less than 10 trips or the way the staples pull out of the walls all the time, or how the bathroom smells even though we use RV treatments or how flimsy is the cheap floor in the shower but I would be going on forever. Needless to say we will never purchase another Coachmen product again!!!

I picked out the model I wanted right away as there were only three units and the other two were smaller. The Mirada 35ls is 36 feet ten inches long and has two bathrooms which is handy. I had never been in a motorhome but for just a few seconds before and man this one looked cool! I bought it, and was told that it would be a few days to get it ready. They said they had to detail it, and go over all the systems to make sure all was ready and right. Doesn't that sound good? Days later, I went to pick it up, and we had some rain the day before. I have never spent over $100.000 on any one thing short of my house and it didn't cost near as much. I actually expected my brand new huge purchase of fun and joy to be sitting there waiting for me to actually see what it's like to drive it! But instead, it was sitting in a huge mud hole with the extensions out and the jacks up, listing to the right.

I had to jump to the steps to stay out of the mud, and when stepped in, the first thing I noticed was water on the floor that has leaked in from the awning that covers the slide out. It was laying loose up there due to the angle the RV was listing at and collected enough water to drown you. I mentioned that it was my understanding that the extensions were not to be extended without the coach being leveled. I got a funny look, then the guy tried to pull in the slides, but the brand new batteries were dead! This I was told happened because somebody left the inverter on and the refrigerator ran till the batteries died. Remember, I was to be picking my new motorhome up after careful detailing and inspections were completed, not hardly! The totally useless and incompetent "salesmen?" was full of lame excuses. Excuses? I said I would try to make this as short as possible so I'll skip ahead.

I did a walk-around of the RV and the best the salesmen could do was point to the doors and tell me it's storage. When we get to the rear he says "there is your trailer hitch." There was no hitch. There was place for one, but nothing there. I then get told there was a factory recall on crappy bolts used at the factory. All they did was take the hitch off the unit next to mine and bolt it on. When asked where my hitch was and why was it not re-installed with the new bolts, again lame excuses! If I had bought a new Mercedes or BMW etc... and it cost over $100.000, you know that you would be taken care of instantly if there were these kind of problems. All my money was 100% good, I expected my brand new RV to be equally good. Nobody else does though.

I had to leave the RV there since things like the cold water faucet in the front bathroom didn't work, due to the line being kinked over. Nobody at the factory noticed it, and nobody at the dealership did either. Great inspection process! The toilet seat came with a broken hinge and it's still that way, nobody noticed it either. The day I again went to pick it up, I'm told now the anti-lock brake system has failed and needs a new module. And I found that the under dash A/C that came with the Ford chassis didn't work. Three agonizing weeks later I finally get the RV. I'm told the clutch on the A/C compressor was bad, really? It's brand new. So they went long and put a new compressor on it. And told me it's good to go. It didn't work at all, just blows hot air like it always has and still does. I tried to put some Freon in it, and the gas leaked out the condenser as fast as I put it in!

The dealer says it's Ford's problem and Ford says it's the dealers since naturally all was perfect when the chassis left Ford. No it's the RV manufacturer that messes up the A/C according to Ford, and Ford hates to work on RV's since they won't fit in most shops. To keep from dying of heat stroke behind the huge windshield in 100 degree Texas heat, I have to run the generator down the road and both A/C's and I still end up sweating enough to soak my shirt back. All of the windows have their seals in the wrong place or have slid out of place due to the total lack of even the most obvious problems being addressed by the "could care less" workers at the factory. Now let's get into that.

After a trip to Tucson and back, I found that when it rained the toilet and floor would be wet in the front bathroom. The sky light in the rear bathroom shower leaks when it rains and the dripping sounds drive you crazy! At least it leaks where there is a drain. The power inverter/converter went out almost all the way. It would no longer charge the batteries, nor run more than one A/C unit, and even then it kept cutting out. I was able to keep the refrigerator working but I had to go outside several times to reset the shot inverter. Trust me, when your new to this stuff, and all alone as well this is some hard crap to deal with. I made it back to Texas. I decided that since my local dealer was of no use then, and made the decision to take my RV to Indiana where it was born straight to Forest River, the company that took over Coachmen years back.

Idea being that I thought they would have all the parts and all the people that really knew my product and how to fix things the "factory way", not some RV dealer. A man named "Nate" is in charge of class A RV's and a very nice guy. I have talked to him a few times in the past, and he seems to care about me and understands my concerns. I made an appointment to have my RV checked out at the factory where it was built. I was planning a trip to Missouri to visit friends and family before I made the appointment to go to Indiana, and since I had a couple weeks till I had to be there, decided to go there first than on to Indiana.

I spent all day getting everything ready and triple checking everything since I had no faith at all in even making it there. When I am all done, the giant RV is parked in front of my house taking up half the street and all of my front yard. I still looked at it with pride, somehow and felt better now that it was going to get fixed up properly by the folks that built it. I had not noticed that the last time I closed the door the steps didn't retract. When I opened the door and got inside, I thought that the steps would come up, you can hear them doing so, but nothing happened. I'm now unable to move the RV without ripping off the steps. I have roadside insurance and since it was Sunday it took over three hours to get somebody out to my house even though I explained it was an emergency as I was blocking the street in a small neighborhood.

After paying $115.00 the guy did get the steps up. But they would not hold your weight if you stepped on them. I was to be refunded my roadside costs by Forest River and gave them the bill personally but never got my money back. It was at this point, I decided to just head to Forest River first and if I had to wait 10 days for them to see me on my appointment date then fine! I was done messing around with this whole mess. I arrived on Friday, and they have a little RV park on the plant site that's free to Coachmen owners so I used it. Someone in the front office (a man whose name I forgot) heard me talking to a nice lady in the reception area I guess and came over to talk with me. Saturday morning, he actually walked over to the RV park with me and crawled under it to look over my steps. I had low expectations at the time and told him so but he thought the steps were a safety issue and arranged to have me in the shop to get it taken care of!

It was at this point, I was about to learn why in my opinion Forest River has so many complaints. Initially, I was to go on a tour of the plant with Nate but I was there 10 days early and never met Nate. I met a man named Bob over at the shop. Bob is the shop foreman and has been with the company over 40 years, he told me so personally. He was as described to me, gruff and not a lot of fun but very knowledgeable. I'm gruff and not a lot fun either at times so all I cared about was his skills which I believe must be great. They replaced my steps for me while I was there but then told me I was just going to have to come back on my appointment day to get all the other stuff addressed. I made it very clear that was not going to happen, and if they can't address all the crap wrong with it next week then there is a big problem. This was Saturday.

I get told that on the entire plant facility there is not a single new power inverter/converter available! I asked how it could be they build units all day and have no inverters for them but am told they're out of stock! I just was not up for any more BS from anybody, anywhere, anytime at all by now!!! But someway, somebody came up and said to me he would remove a new inverter from a unit on the line and install it in my RV. They took it to a different plant site and did just that. But that was it. I figured the following week they could address all the leaks, and missing or broken items, etc... Nope. So what I have discovered is in my opinion it's the total lack of skills and or more likely just lack of caring one way or the other. I have parts that fell off or fell apart just because of crappy staples used to hold everything together and workers who couldn't care less if the staples actually went in or just bent over.

I didn't meet everybody at Forest River. I have no doubt there are still people there who really care about quality and have a quality work ethic to go with it. But the people I met all looked half dead and miserable. And good ole Bob told me to my face how badly he hated his job and that he was leaving there for good before the end of the year after something like 42 years there. I said that it was a shame that Forest River was losing someone with that much experience and that it would be impossible to get back. His quality response was "** them". If the shop foreman of over 40 years service feels that way about the company he works for, either he has a big problem of the company does, but either way this kind of work ethic is poison to all under him and to Forest River in general.

Coachmen had a good reputation for the most part for many years, and Forest River uses some of the best quality parts and components in the industry. I have checked it out. Their plant is spacious, clean, and orderly. But if the people who build their products hate their job as much as the shop foreman does, how can that allow for anything positive in the build dept.? Maybe the pay is low. I was told that they work on a commission basis but I don't know how that works nor if it's true. I have driven stainless steel screws into so many places that were not even close to stapled together with their cheap staple process that depends on the operator caring one way or the other to do it right. So it turns out I will be pretty good one day repairing all the factory defects on my Mirada, at least I care if the work is done right.

We were cooling mostly between the roof and ceiling panel. Every time we travel we spend a few minutes vacuuming sawdust (not dust, SAWdust). Went looking and found there was no attempt to clean up during construction. The heater return vent was full of sawdust and trim end cuts. Unfortunately the sawdust is throughout the ductwork now. Bottom drawer in the pantry broke. That was on us by overloading and the travel blew the bottom out. I reassembled the drawer. The issue was when I pulled the drawer there was plenty of sawdust, trim cuts and a coffee cup that had spilled and dried to the floor.

First time we went to dump we found the gray water plumbing came apart at an elbow. Witness marks showed the PVC penetration less than 1/4" when glued. Thankfully it was the gray and not the black water. Also the discharge pipe was only supported by a single piece of pipe strap at the drain cap end. The gray/black valve handles are mounted in the outside utility access. Pulled out to dump OK but when I pushed the gray water valve back in the whole panel shifted. Fixed that with a couple more screws. No heat in the bathroom. Found the flex tube going to the register was never hooked up, so we were heating the luggage compartment.

The floodlight did not work. Found that a mounting screw was driven thru the supply wire. The bypass doors for both the bedroom and bath had to be rehung for proper operation. The sofa sleeper was missing a travel wheel so when the slides were in the sofa passes over the dinette slide. When opening the sofa slide it pulled the carpet binding off fraying the carpet. Dealer called the other day stating our new carpet is in. Hope it matches. The counter top delaminated and had to be re-glued. The back splash ceramic tile trim fell off and had to be re-glued. This is after the first 4 months of use. Let's see what the next 4 years brings.

Overall, the 17FQ camping trailer is a nice product that is put together by people who don't seem to care. I notified Coachmen and received a list of dealers, one of which "might help me with my issues." Coachmen needs to take a more active role in resolving their defective products. I cannot in good faith recommend a Coachmen RV product to others, and will be resolving my trailer issues myself.

Some of the panels that were stapled were loose because the staples were driven through the panel. Three of the cab plug caps were missing and two were broken. The center ceiling cover in the cab had broken clips. The auto entry keys were inoperable. The generator has a knocking sound under the RV. Wow. And I haven't even used it yet. I'm very nervous at this time. I paid sixty two thousand for this new vehicle and already regretting the purchase. Is this normal? It has to be maintenance without its first trip. Wow what downer.

Since I purchased this unit brand new from a dealer, it has been nothing but problems. The unit has spent 12 of 24 months in the shop for repairs of some type. The most recent, that started in May of 2015, is window leaking in the front of the unit. Prior to that an entire new leveling system had to be replaced. Previous to that A/C issues. You get the idea. The senior leadership in the company who are the main representatives of the company and its customers may be the least customer focused people I have ever dealt with and simply do not have the power or desire to do what is right for the customer.

They only know one answer, it is the dealer's fault. Notwithstanding the fact that they are the manufacturer and defective workmanship should be covered by the manufacturer. In my opinion, this company is ripe for an owner's class action lawsuit for deceptive trade practices and violation of virtually every state's lemon laws. Based on what I have seen and heard it seems that there are a lot of folks who would agree. I would not recommend this manufacturer to anyone I know.

During our holiday trip one of the tires would not hold air, called Good Sam to have the spare put on. We took the spare to a tire store to have it checked and was told the wheel welding was the issue, this is another warranty issue. We took a trip to Orlando, the AC does not work (the fan works, just blows the air around but not cold). Luckily it was cool and we really did not need it. This is another warranty issue. Also, we pulled the grill out to use and it nearly came completely out...several screws missing (I blame the service department for that one). We have another trip planned to Orlando in early May and the soonest the dealer (Dick Gore's RV World) can schedule us to come in just to look at it is mid April. This is getting ridiculous, we have had the trailer 7 months and have 4 warranty issues already.

We have not had any other leaking thankfully (knock on wood but not in the trailer). But we will use the camper a lot in the next months to hopefully flush out any more lingering issues before our warranty expires, but we will be buying an extended warranty policy for sure. Overall we love our trailer, it suits our needs well. But the constant need to have work done for things that should have been right to begin with is wearing on our patience. We received a healthy discount when we purchased it, and as we paid cash, as do not have finance charges. The problems we have had while not small, have been more of an annoyance so far, but if the AC goes out in July, or the tire blows and causes an accident vs doesn't hold air, this would no longer be just an annoyance. The most frustrating thing is the amount of time that it takes to get service done, and for that I hold the dealer (Dick Gore's RV World in Jacksonville) responsible.

By the way, I strongly suggest getting rid of the kitchen faucet and replacing it with a better and more expensive one. It took forever to get hot water to the old faucet but mere seconds with the new one. Don't ask me to explain this because it doesn't make any sense to me either. Not one 110 volt outlet in the living/kitchen area is mounted on a wall. They're all mounted under the cabinets which makes no sense. Wires hanging all over the kitchen countertop will probably ensure a fire some time in the future. Yes, there are two outlets in the bedroom that are wall mounted. The window valances are all loose and coming apart. The surround sound system is the biggest joke. 2 speakers outside, 2 speakers in the bedroom, 2 speakers over the couch but where the recliners are (against the back wall), there are no speakers. Whomever designed this idea should be fired.

Eventually, the entire back wall was removed and replaced. We went to do our caulking maintenance and found there isn't a single bit of rope caulking around the windows. Pulled all of the windows and fixed ourselves. Then we began to blow tires. Every trip was a blown tire. We are meticulous in our care for the unit and it was apparent the tire failure was due to manufacturing.

The light switch on the hitch nose cover stopped working. Dealer said it was switch failure. Fixed. We went to Hershey and by the end of the 6 hour trip, we pulled into the campground with rain approaching to find both of our ceiling vent covers were gone. We scrambled to find a parts dealer and fixed them ourselves. That same trip, the dining slide decided to stop working. Thankfully, my husband carries a stash of tools and we were able to eventually roll the slide out. When we got home, he fixed the problem himself. The wires had become disconnected. Oh yeah, we blew a tire coming home too. No, we don't tow above 65 mph and no, we don't apply tire shine to the wheels. Yes, the air is regularly monitored prior to trips.

Our recent incident? We've found the floor has rotted out on the kitchen super slide and the dining slide at the back. We've figured the problem is that crummy black plastic weaved tyvek looking junk they use is wicking moisture in. New floor, here we come! They used the same plastic weaved stuff on the bedroom slide too and we discovered the wheels of that side were slowly cutting the weaving on the plastic. My husband manufactured a metal plate to fix but now the other wheels are beginning to cut on the other sides too. Like I said, stuff happens. But ALL of this from a 3 year old trailer? NEVER AGAIN! Thanks for nothing Coachmen!

When I checked the outside shower, there was only hot water. I didn't want to tear into that, so I called my sales person. He mentioned that another customer had the same issue & I should look for a kinked line. Sure enough, after I pulled the exterior shower faucet out, there was a kinked line. I also found that one of the PEX elbows was leaking and water was dripping from underneath the camper. NOT GOOD. It gets better. When I looked into the shower area cavity, I see where NO EFFORT was made to cut a hole for the wires where the trailers lights breach the wall of the camper. It was simply busted through as though a hammer was used instead of a hole saw. Embarrassing.

All of this is documented in photos. I have had the trailer about 2 weeks and am about to go on its first real trip this Friday. I am new to the camping trailer experience and I shudder to think of what other shortcuts were made in its construction. We are not currently satisfied with the product and I don't know what can be done to fix the interior wall. I am expecting a service call from the dealer, and contact has been made to Coachmen via their website. More to come I am sure.

There are a number of other issues, but all I want is to get it fixed and it seems that all I continue to do is pay. Coachman which use to be one of the prime RVs is now at the bottom of the barrel. I have never been more disappointed and can't get any satisfaction. Definitely would NOT recommend buying a motorhome from Coachman or Forrest River who recently bought out Coachman. Extremely disappointed!

Inside the tap leaks in the kitchen so you need to turn off the pump or it start all the time. Kitchen sink leaks under the counter. Trim peel off the island. Paneling is coming apart. When you open the drawer under the bench it rubs the paneling and it is breaking it. Shower is leaking on the side. They're too lazy to put up the bathroom bars, there in the kitchen drawer. Oh, it pisses me off that they did not put a light switch in the bedrooms. Really a 2 $ part. I'm 5 feet tall and barely reach the ceiling on my tip toes to turn on the light. How many kids could reach that too? Went into other campers to see and they all have them. Only Coachmen don't. Very disappointing.

3 weeks later get a call, they need video can't tell by the pictures what's going on. So I take it back to the dealer to have video. 2 more weeks go by the dealer has not heard from coachmen, and the slide has completely broke, will not go out had to have other campers help me push the slide in last time we used it. I cleaned the camper out and dropped it at the dealer, told him I was not happy paying on a camper I can't use and a manufacturer that will not let me know what is going on or how they are going to fix it.

Picked it up and it ran nice for two more weeks. Went to start it in my yard and would not start. Back again it went. This time the mechanic did a complete overlay. Found that the shift pad was bad and that there was a floating ground on the driver’s side in a 300 pair bundle of wires. It took him 3 weeks to find it took it on a short trip as a shake down. All went well for a few hours then it did it again. This time we found that the plug for the main cpu came loose. Simple fix but 5 more hours of wasted time. Now all is working good. Knock on wood.

The upside-down storage of the sink is just a stupid design, therefore we never used the sink. There are lots of other small defects in the camper, for example the shade for the door won't stay up. The stove cover keeps coming loose when stored, and the entire stove falls out of place. The trailer is now in the repair shop for 3 weeks with $5,300 worth of damage from the water leak. Overall the craftsmanship is just very poor. I'm very disappointed with Coachmen, I will not buy again.

Finally in December after three failed attempts of repair, locally Coachmen sent a transport company and brought my unit back to factory in Indiana. There was also a laundry list of other items that we never write, ie: shower backing up, shower door not closing, bathroom door frame warped, toilet seat crashing down when someone trying to urinate, screen door warped, and fridge draining into trailer not outdoors. They kept it 6 weeks, transported it back and all was suppose to be fixed. They repaired main slide, put new windows in, re-carpeted the whole unit and did most of the list aside from shower and toilet. I refused to accept it back from transport and it stayed at local facility while I argued relentlessly with Coachmen.

After a month they authorized the local faculty to replace entire shower but said toilet could not be fixed and all they could do was put a lid latch so it stayed open when needed. Horrifying experience for a brand new 30000 unit that my husband waited to come out to purchase the 50th anniversary edition. And all Coachmen could say was "we graciously installed a backup camera at no charge for your inconvenience." Really out of the first buy year been owned it, the unit was in a shop a total of 6 months.

Coachmen/Forest River do not build like they used to, and their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. We owned our old Coachmen 26ft triple bunk purchased brand new for 11 years with no issue ever. I guess in 11 years and with being bought out by Forest River they have slipped to sub par. Very sad and unfortunate, we will never buy another one of their products. And I see other had the same leak issues we did, shows the poor buildership of Thai company.

Updated on 09/25/2015: I wrote an earlier review about the poor ductwork placing is rotting my floors. However we have had nothing but problems from day one with this Coachmen fifth wheel camper. What a piece of junk. They had no waterlines hooked up when we took delivery so when I hooked up the water had water all over the floor. The slides are uneven. The slides leak, decals peel off and fade brakes don't work half the time. Windows leak, stereo system never worked - replace 3 times, air conditioner crapped out.

The workmanship is the poorest I've ever seen. It looked good when we first bought it but then it just fell to pieces. What a piece of junk. If anybody starts a class action lawsuit with this I want in. Then what really takes the cake is the dealer that we bought it from hid a balloon payment on our last payment that we had no paperwork on and nothing in our paperwork until the bank calls up one day and says “you owe more money” so we go back to the dealer and they lie saying, “We never knew anything about that. You have to deal with the bank over that." This has been the most awful purchasing experience ever. I want in on the lawsuit.

Hoping for the best we restarted on out trip. 500 miles later, same problem. Spent 5 days in a cheesy motel in Phoenix. Disillusioned we headed back home, and yes, the same issue in Portland. Took it to another dealer who kept it for three weeks and claims to have fixed it. We are afraid to take it on another long trip. So now we have an $85000 lawn ornament. Now I just found out we have electric problems.

When I woke up the next morning there was an e-mail from technical support advising me that the issue with my coach appeared to be a chassis issue; that I should contact the chassis manufacturer, Ford, and giving me the phone number I should call. Upon receiving that e-mail I called Ford who agreed to have our coach looked at by a Ford dealership and repaired by that dealership if the issue was with the chassis. I subsequently replied to the e-mail from the technician who had provided Ford's number thanking him. He replied by asking me to let him know the outcome.

Yesterday we go to close it up to realize the metal was cut too short on the slides. You touch the side of the slides and water pours out of the floor. It has been raining here in Texas. Took it to another dealer to have their service department to look at it to tell us "the floor is rotten in all your slides and spreading to the main floor." Also the rubber around the slides have little holes in them causing water to get into it. Very upset condensing we have made one payment and not used it yet to camp. Took it to the dealer we bought it from and they say "well, all rv have problems", yes they do but we bought this and it was rotten and leaking. So we leave it for their department to start work on Monday.

Needless to say I have called Catalina and contacted a lawyer. If you have had and or having problems please contact me. From what I have learned we may have a class action lawsuit. We are not alone. To spend 30,000 plus to get a rotten camper..

We told them before they started repairs that we want no cobbled up welding job, we paid for new and expect new. We told Coachman if ours is so rare of a problem take it back and analysis it so it doesn't happen again. We have filed claim with BBB against General RV and Atty general complaint in Indiana against Coachman. So far no one will accept responsibility for the poor quality of the coach. We did nothing to cause a frame to crack in 2 months. This is the worse customer service ever. I plan to go to Trailer Life, Good Sam and anyone else that will listen. COACHMAN DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT.

Coachmen also needs a better customer service. They suck in treating their customer calling. I will have to put an access panel myself under the couch/bed and just put a panel place to cover the hole. I was told that is the normal problem with their slide out... They know the problem so why they never designed a better system and put a better and strong bolt so they don't break?

Also, I will update as things progress. The person from Coachmen, by the way, passed the buck back to Colerain. So, if no progress, I have a name you can call and ** right direct to Coachmen. Well, I want a new trailer and not this piece of crap they dropped off or my money back and that's it. Too many things wrong with this trailer for being NEW. Actually Money back sounds better. My lawyer should have fun with this one. I will post pic's later of the Coachmen.

Now back to the story, I called the Basden's RV (coachmen dealer) about the last of November and asked if they would take a look, and got grilled about not buying our toy hauler there and if they were to do anything to it at all it would be the last thing on their list after all the paying customers RV's had been repaired and there was nothing else to do. I was caught and needed to do something so I agreed thinking it would not be that long. I entered a hostile environment when I took it to Basden's on December 29th. The service manager was arrogant and very impolite. After three weeks they said the "brakes worked great" after they replaced all four drums.

I picked the camper up and it acted exactly the same as it did when I took it in as if nothing had been done. I contacted Steve ** from Coachmen and asked if I could take it elsewhere to get the problem fixed properly. He told me Basden's had to do it as they had started the repair. So He called Basden's and set up a delivery date and I reluctantly took it back. At the end of January, Basdens then had the toy hauler for the next seven weeks. And finally after just pulling the camper and locking up the brakes trying to burnish the shoes in as per Steve ** and the axle manufacturing instructions, to an avail except to cause flat spots all over my tires from locking up the tires over and over I was informed that They (Basden's) liked it. They had pulled it for over an hour that morning and re adjusted the brakes and all was well. I picked it up, only to find the battery was dead on the camper. If they had towed it the battery would have been charged from the tow vehicle.

I then took it home and to find the two right side brake drums were cold and the left rear was scalding hot as I had noticed it was locking up all the way home as I was trying to find a sweet spot on my electric brake controller but could not. It was obvious that Basdens American RV had not done anything but turn off all but one brake and hope I would not come back. I notified Steve ** who offered to replace the brakes at a Coachmen dealer. So I then took it back to Ohio to Colerain RV who treated me like a human for once and since have tried to get the camper fixed with no luck. Parts were sent but the wrong parts and now the axle manufacturing will not send any more parts until Colerain RV does a bunch of diagnostics recording the amperage reading of all brake magnets.

This has been going on for six months. Tomorrow is the 13th of April, That is the six month anniversary and I have not had the camper in my driveway for about one month and only been in the camper three times. I have a vacation planned to the Rocky Mountains leaving April 22nd and not had the chance to get anything ready to even load out Harley Davidson Trike which will take some modification to the loading ramp to safely load the trike. Most of the tied owns on the floor were supposed to anchor through the frame of the camper and more than half missed so I have to make plates to go under the floor to reinforce them. I now am face with cancellation of our vacation. I think that six months is more than a reasonable amount of time to resolve this brake issue and not just side stepping the issues. Personally I would want My money back plus damages for stress and a cancelled vacation, entrust and fuel involved.

We made it safely home and took the camper to another dealership closer to home and were told that the rear seals blew out and ruined the braking system. We are stuck with a $950 bill and have no recourse as our warranty has ended. A few months ago, we had to manually crank out the slide out and finally located it under the step which made it almost impossible to crank out. It seems that Coachman put their money in advertising and lets the quality of their campers and RVs go. We have noticed since purchasing and using the camper how cheaply it is made.

The manufacturer is holding us hostage, I drove the coach to the coachmen facility in Chino, Ca. They removed the front cap from the body without our authorization or approval and now Jason told my wife we have 48 hours to tow it off from their facility or they will start charging us storage. Can you beleive this lack of customer service. We cant drive off their property because it is take apart. Our insurance company has agreed to the repair but we feel the motor home is defective , we want another one or our money back.