I generally don't review badly, but...

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   This kinda bothered me.
A new friend of mine just purchased a brand new 180 from Couch's She drove from Las Vegas to Ohio to buy it and then stopped close by here in NJ, new pod in tow. A novice rv owner, she relied on her own research and manufacturer and dealer to guide her. I'm sure she's one of hundreds, if not thousands who depend on professional guidance.

She contacted me to help walk her through some things she wasn't clear on. Kinda fun to play with a brand new 180. She thought she had been given a thorough walkthrough. She hadn't.

Propane system was explained but not even turned on (stove, water heater, fridge). I purged the lines for her, started and verified HW system, stove, fridge and heater. Couch's should have done that.

When the FW system was demonstrated, they did it via city water hookup. Never even turned the pump on. There were other things, but this turned out to be the most egregious. Fortunately, she was camping nearby.

She filled her FW tank for the first time. I had mentioned that she may need to run with the HW faucets open for a bit to fill the 6 gallon HW tank. She called and said it had been running for a while and was still just spitting mostly air. Same with cold side. Hmmmm.

My first thought was they (Couch's) left the antifreeze sucker hose valve open during the walkthrough. Silly thought as they didn't do a winterization walkthrough. Over the phone I walked her through where it was and what to look for. I suggested she look at the pump filter also to make sure it wasn't loose or clogged. She checked it out and said that it looked fine, the valve was in the proper position and the filter was too tight to get off. I decided to go have a look...

It was a little baffling at first. BTW, the water pump on a brand new 180 is very quiet. When I turned on the faucets they just spit and spattered like the pump was running dry. The FW tank was full. I stared at the pump for a minute and saw the problem. You probably will too:

When I grabbed the antifreeze hose, the tank supply host popped right off the valve. The clamp wasn't even crimped! It was just sucking (mostly) air.

OK, so Forest River made a silly, but consequential mistake. But worse was that Couch's should have caught that on walkthrough. A fifty cent hose clamp easily fixed the problem, but it should not have left the lot that way.

I guess I'm bringing this up because I have heard too many stories of people who have little or no clue about the rv they just bought, much less its systems. Yes, there is a certain amount of personal, buyer beware responsibility but given the lack of manufacturer QC I would think both buyer and seller would benefit from a complete and thorough walkthrough and systems check *before* the unit leaves the lot.

I hope someone from both Forest River and Couch's occasionally reads this forum.

fred

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fwunder Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 1676	Topic: I generally don't review badly, but... Posted: 19 Jun 2017 at 3:43pm
	This kinda bothered me. A new friend of mine just purchased a brand new 180 from Couch's She drove from Las Vegas to Ohio to buy it and then stopped close by here in NJ, new pod in tow. A novice rv owner, she relied on her own research and manufacturer and dealer to guide her. I'm sure she's one of hundreds, if not thousands who depend on professional guidance. She contacted me to help walk her through some things she wasn't clear on. Kinda fun to play with a brand new 180. She thought she had been given a thorough walkthrough. She hadn't. Propane system was explained but not even turned on (stove, water heater, fridge). I purged the lines for her, started and verified HW system, stove, fridge and heater. Couch's should have done that. When the FW system was demonstrated, they did it via city water hookup. Never even turned the pump on. There were other things, but this turned out to be the most egregious. Fortunately, she was camping nearby. She filled her FW tank for the first time. I had mentioned that she may need to run with the HW faucets open for a bit to fill the 6 gallon HW tank. She called and said it had been running for a while and was still just spitting mostly air. Same with cold side. Hmmmm. My first thought was they (Couch's) left the antifreeze sucker hose valve open during the walkthrough. Silly thought as they didn't do a winterization walkthrough. Over the phone I walked her through where it was and what to look for. I suggested she look at the pump filter also to make sure it wasn't loose or clogged. She checked it out and said that it looked fine, the valve was in the proper position and the filter was too tight to get off. I decided to go have a look... It was a little baffling at first. BTW, the water pump on a brand new 180 is very quiet. When I turned on the faucets they just spit and spattered like the pump was running dry. The FW tank was full. I stared at the pump for a minute and saw the problem. You probably will too: When I grabbed the antifreeze hose, the tank supply host popped right off the valve. The clamp wasn't even crimped! It was just sucking (mostly) air. OK, so Forest River made a silly, but consequential mistake. But worse was that Couch's should have caught that on walkthrough. A fifty cent hose clamp easily fixed the problem, but it should not have left the lot that way. I guess I'm bringing this up because I have heard too many stories of people who have little or no clue about the rv they just bought, much less its systems. Yes, there is a certain amount of personal, buyer beware responsibility but given the lack of manufacturer QC I would think both buyer and seller would benefit from a complete and thorough walkthrough and systems check *before* the unit leaves the lot. I hope someone from both Forest River and Couch's occasionally reads this forum. fred
	2014 RPod 178 => MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks!

Richand Cindy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 16 Apr 2016 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 328	Posted: 19 Jun 2017 at 5:45pm
	I think the moral of the story is that if you are new to RVing and/or not very handy do NOT buy an RV from a distant dealer. There are so many small things that can and do go wrong which can ruin a trip. So buy locally, take a few short camping runs (even if only in your driveway) to work out the bugs before taking that big trip. Couch is a volume wholesale dealer. They can save you thousands but you probably will have problems getting your RPOD serviced at a local dealer you did not buy it from. It is not like cars which the majority of dealers do not care where you bought it. We bought from a dealer 100 miles away and had to leave it there on the way home from a two week trip for two things that broke. But now we have a long drive to pick it up unless we make another trip in that direction. If it was not on the way I would had to read up on the issues and attempt to fix them myself first. Would be much easier if the dealer was local.
	OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel

mcarter Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419	Posted: 19 Jun 2017 at 5:52pm
	The issue is the walk through. Testing the city water line missed the issue. End of the day read this forum before you buy and get an all systems check. Complete. I bought a Pod from a dealer who wasn't an RPod dealer. I made them prove all the stuff worked. Very minor issues since.
	Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."

fwunder Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 1676	Posted: 19 Jun 2017 at 7:31pm
	Yes Mike, the issue is the walkthrough. I mean, really?! I don't get why a dealer wouldn't at least offer a thorough walkthrough - checking all the systems? Is it because they are gambling the client goes away and doesn't come back? Are they hoping the client does come back and they can charge Forrest River? Perhaps they know the quality is so bad, they just hope to get them off the lot with no one noticing? It really can't cost that much to do a thorough walkthrough and lot test all the systems relative to handling the issues after the fact. What is the business model in in letting manufacturing defects leave the lot? It just doesn't make sense to me. fred
	2014 RPod 178 => MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks!

devro Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 16 Jun 2017 Location: AR Online Status: Offline Posts: 40	Posted: 11 Jul 2017 at 3:43pm
	I bought my first RV, a 178, in Conway Arkansas, just 40 miles down the road from where I live. My research told me the dealer was very good. I talked with people who have bought from them and all were satisfied with the dealership. This was my very first RV. I got a "walk though" but it was more like a "run across the street". WAY too much information for a newby to ingest. The walk through probably would have been fine for someone already familiar with the workings of an RV, I guess I should have videod the trip. I am pretty good with mechanics and understand how things work, and I've had boats for a while and this little Pod in not all that dissimilar from a boat, so I'm getting by. But I tell ya, just a few manuals would sure help! I have the manual on the refrigerator and that's all. Wouldn't it be nice if Forest River would do some R-Pod specific youtube videos? Kadoos to all of you on this forum, you have helped me out a lot!!! Now if I could just figure out the switches on the water heater.....uuurg!
	JIM

mcarter Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419	Posted: 11 Jul 2017 at 4:45pm
	All about the interweb and research. We have a 3 inch binder of pertinent info, my wife put together and I add too. I made my own manuals.
	Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Posted: 11 Jul 2017 at 5:26pm
	Some smart car dealers offer several sessions of interactive instruction on the cars they sell. An RV dealer has even more to gain from doing so. After the initial walkthrough at the time of delivery, they could put on periodic seminars about different systems in the units they sell. They could set it up for a Saturday or Sunday and offer a couple morning and afternoon sessions with a grill set up with a lunch of hotdogs and such for the participants. They could charge a modest fee for the seminar and schedule the courses such that there would be time to shop in their parts store and lot before and after. Such a program would bring in existing and new customers, would promote good will and trust in the dealership, and would provide the dealer an opportunity to showcase new RV's. And who could resist looking at a brand new r-Pod with all it's new bells and whistles. Their service department would get more business, they'd sell more parts and accessories, and they'd end up taking in old RV's in trade from those who couldn't resist the temptation of a brand new unit. But, most RV dealers I've had contact seem to want to follow the bargain used car lot business plan of sell it fast with financing and get the customer the heck out of there to minimize the overhead.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Bama Pod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 04 Oct 2016 Location: Huntsville AL Online Status: Offline Posts: 89	Posted: 12 Jul 2017 at 7:36am
	Bought out Pod as a newbie at Couch RV as well attracted by price. This is NOT a good dealership for newbies, well at least for Pods anyway, and for us. Our "walk-thru" lasted maybe, at most, 30 minutes. It a big assembly line and when your time-slot is up, they push you out. Even a seasoned RV'er would be rushed in 30 minutes, but a newbie has no chance. In retrospect it is clear to me now that this was and probably still is just their business model. Nothing wrong with what they do as long folks know that they are basically a wholesaler. Should know that before going there, but sadly we and others don't find out till it's too late.
	Bama Pod Huntsville, AL 2017 Ford F250 2017 Airstream 26U

TheBum Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Feb 2016 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 1407	Posted: 12 Jul 2017 at 1:27pm
	Our dealer is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I think they have fewer than 10 employees, including the people in the repair shop. We've been very happy with them, even if we probably could have gotten our 179 somewhere else for less. The service manager is a hoot and very customer oriented. There's something to be said for having a trusted dealer within 20 miles.

Keith-N-Dar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 03 Apr 2011 Location: Mayville, WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 1447	Posted: 12 Jul 2017 at 2:36pm
	So much depends on the dealer. Ours is the closest R Pod dealer to us and about 40 miles away. I have worked with them each year to make sure our camping year is enjoyable and they have always come through.
	Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150