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jato View Drop Down
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Joined: 23 Feb 2012
Location: Kewadin, MI
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Posts: 3219 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Your thoughts?
    Posted: 09 Nov 2018 at 7:24pm
Keith and Dar:  Curious as to where you purchased your pod from.  Michigan or Wisconsin?  I ask because we, like you, purchased our 177 in January of 2011 and picked it up in March.  Had to travel about 5 hours to Escanaba to get it but our experience was similar to yours: spotless, no leaks, no problems, no issues.  Although by the time we got it home, going through a terrible snow storm that had us wondering if we would even be able to cross the Mackinaw Bridge, it was filthy dirty on the outside.  But here we are nearly 8 years later still enjoying that 177 and hopefully, as I retire in the next month will get used a lot more than the 30 days/year it has been used to since purchasing.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2018 at 6:38am
Dealer prep is for removing coatings and coverings from the vehicle that were placed on it at the factory to protect it for shipping, and for preparing it for pickup by the customer. It is not there to fix the factory's quality problems. 

The idea that quality is to be applied to a product at the end of the delivery chain is 1970's thinking. No world class company does that today, and especially not the auto manufacturers. It is very well understood that the earlier in a manufacturing process quality issues can be corrected the lower the costs of that process will be. Why? Because more and more value is added to the product during the process so any rework that is required will cost more the later the correction occurs. There really isn't any debate about these concepts now, just Google up the Toyota production system (Toyota was the first auto company to implement many of these practices), LEAN manufacturing and 6 sigma.  

So if it really is still the practice in the RV industry for dealers to do the rework for the manufacturers, then the RV industry is ripe for disruption. This inefficiency creates a rare opportunity for a new entrant to come into the market with a higher quality and lower cost product. Its happened plenty of times in other industries, we've all seen the results in the communities that are hit hard when it does.  Time for the RV manufacturers and dealers to wake up and manage the change before someone else does it for them. And none of this is the workers fault btw, the "friday afternoon car" scenario notwithstanding. Its a management change problem.  just my $0.02. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTmfwklFM-M
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Keith-N-Dar View Drop Down
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Joined: 03 Apr 2011
Location: Mayville, WI
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Posts: 1447 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2018 at 3:32am
When you buy a new car there is normally a charge from $200 to $500 for dealer prep.  For this money dealers do the same thing good Pod dealers do: clean up the vehicle and check everything over.  Sometimes they install some of the options.

When we bought our Pod in 2011 our 177 was spotless and had no leaks or the problems normally discussed in posts of this nature.  And our delivered cost was $10,000 less than sticker price.  Chances are the dealer still made an acceptable margin.  They have a customer in me for life.
Keith-N-Dar
Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers)
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Joined: 26 Aug 2016
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Posts: 64 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2018 at 11:46pm
When a product is built by teams trying to meet a time schedule or flat rate time, problems will happen.  I agree with all the comments, FR relies on the selling dealer to clean the mess made by the men building in a hurry, and rushing all the time.  I cleaned up the left over screws, staples, wire pieces and repaired the water leaks.  I was willing to do this and had the tools, time and knowledge.  But some owners aren't as lucky as I am, and expect the selling dealer to fix everything.  I am only guessing, I don't think FR pays well, if they did, dealer service departs would fix warranty problems.  I have been a service manager in auto service departs and the manufacturer pays well.  I am long winded but enjoy all comments on this site.  Just sold by 171 and ordered a 10th ann. 180.  Yes, I will ask the dealer to vacuum the saw dust, left over screws and other stuff that the factory overlooked.  The other reality is that I will overlook the things that I CAN fix and just want to leave WITH MY NEW FRIEND!
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2018 at 11:49am
Change the 120V TV for a dual 12/120V one, Its the only 120V low power appliance in the trailer, makes no sense. Cost difference is negligible. No need for an inverter unless to run the microwave ot a/c, which should be an end customer decision. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 8:47pm
Forest River has already made a large increase in quality by switching to Azdell for the walls instead of Lauan plywood. It does not absorb water so there should no longer be issues with the sidewalls delaminating. Unfortunately, that isn't retroactive.
StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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DavMar View Drop Down
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Posts: 592 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 8:05pm

Opps! on my previous post!

+1 texman on allot of your list.

The one thing above all I would like FR to do is QUALITY CONTROL! There is NO excuse at the R-Pod price point that such shoddy things like molding that is to short, lack of or slipshod caulking, should ever leave the factory and it shouldn’t cost the consumer one more dime! I’ll also agree with texman on they need to shore up the bath shower floors which would be a very minimal or no additional expense.  I’d gladly pay a few extra dollars for FR to trash the WFCO converter and install a quality converter such as one by Progressive Dynamics. That improvement could be a selling point for FR on the R-Pod. If they are going to keep the under the kitchen counter sink then I’d pay extra for a quality counter and sink. I’d also pay a few dollars more for some decent water fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen sink.

One of the reasons I bought a R-Pod was after looking at comparable campers like the Jayco Hummingbird it looked to me that FR used better material and construction but now I’m beginning to wonder if this is true? It would be interesting to me to talk to other owners of similar campers how they would stack up in quality and repair issues to the R-Pod. I like my R-Pod, like it allot, despite its many faults I’ve had to deal with but I’m not married to it. So, I do wonder how it’s going to perform in the long term? I do know either FR “up’s it game” in material and quality control or they will be loosing market share to competitors marketing similar campers.

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wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
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DavMar View Drop Down
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Posts: 592 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 8:02pm
Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
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Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 12:18pm
Originally posted by marwayne

I tried that, FR will not just sell a shell to you.


+1

At one time they had the last Aviator shell sitting up there.. and at another time a whole Aviator that was back for issues.. tried to get either one to "make my own"...
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marwayne View Drop Down
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Posts: 1002 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Nov 2018 at 12:06pm
I tried that, FR will not just sell a shell to you.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd.


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