southernsky
Ponchatoula La.
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Joined: 03/30/2005
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When we bought our fifth wheel one of the selling points was that we didn't have to fool with the dealer. I talked to the manufacturer and explained the situation and they said I could do it myself, use a mobile tech or an independent shop. My camper never went back to the dealer in the six years that we had it. The manufacturer was true to their word.
2022 Renegade Super C
2020 Ford Ranger 4x4 Sport
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CA Traveler
The Western States
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Joined: 01/03/2004
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If I wanted a quality 5er it would be a New Horizons, new or used they are custom built. And most llikey a TH.
2009 Holiday Rambler 42' Scepter with ISL 400 Cummins
750 Watts Solar Morningstar MPPT 60 Controller
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Bob
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Likes to tow
Huntington WV
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Joined: 01/13/2006
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Be aware of the fact all RV manufacturers push their units down the assembly line with very little quality control. Dealers are responsible for doing much of it and correcting any short falls in the process. Be certain you have a complete systems check of all systems before signing!!! Water tanks hold water, no leaks in plumbing, AC and furnace function properly, no loose trim, all seams caulked properly, no China bomb tires....insist on Goodyear Endurance or other quality ST tire, anything you can find questionable. Dealers get backed up and bringing a unit in for warranty work can take sometimes weeks. Just be sure everything is perfect before cutting the check, it may be your only time to have leverage on the dealer for quick resolution!!
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
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Joined: 07/16/2003
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if you buy from a chain all locations will be easy to deal with but you usaly get better treatment from the dealer you bought from. I know at my dealer people who bought from them are on one list while people who didnt are on another, the people who purchased from them get priority. having said that I don't know of any dealer that will turn you down if they have openings.
as for farther away, I don't concider 120 miles far at all and would have no issue with taking it back there if it needed warenty work. just when you buy somthing do a realy good PDI and take a pen and paper to write stuff you find down and make a list of defects that need to be fixed. then on your first few camping trips take that list with you and add to it when you find somthing new.
there are always going to be little things you will find like they forgot to put stain on the small end of that cabnet, or the bunk end grain that is only visable when its down. then when you get a sizable list you can arang to take it back and get them all fixed at once when its conveniant for you.
just make sure you like the people at the dealership and they are easy to talk to as I would arange everything over the phone email before I dropped the unit off for the repairs.
tell them about your concerns about being two hours away and aranging warenty work and see what they say.
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
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laknox
Arizona
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Joined: 01/06/2008
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Paul39 wrote:laknox wrote:When I was looking back in '15, KZ was my #1 choice. I called them at the time and asked about warranty repairs as there was only 1 KZ dealer in AZ. They told me that, should the need arise, they would be happy to approve an independent shop or mobile repair service to complete warranty work. That sold me on KZ...at that time. It was later that we all heard that Thor was buying KZ (and Jayco) and we were very worried that they would no longer stick to this policy. Fortunately, we only had a couple warranty issues and our selling dealer was about 80 miles away, not a deal breaker for me. Since then, our selling dealer has closed and another dealer in East Mesa picked up KZ, and they are wonderful to work with. None of this "you didn't buy it here" b.s.; they work rigs in in the order in which they're brought in. Still a bit of a hike, but, again, not bad.
This being said, when were looking, if I found something at a very attractive price that a local dealer refused to match, I'd've taken a road trip to buy and dealt with warranty issues either on my own or with an independent shop.
Interesting - as it is the KZ Durango 1/2 ton line that is on my short list. Right size and options I’m looking for, but one dealer is 2 hrs north of me and one is 2 hours south. Would you buy another Durango? How is your perception of their quality?
Lyle
I would =start= my search with KZ, as they're known to me. My current rig has been very trouble-free, though starting to get into some age-related issues after 7 years since it was built. There's one I'd like to look at near me, but I'm not sure the DW is up to dropping that kind of dollars since I dropped over $79k on my '22 Denali and we're now looking at a vacation home. Another $70k on a new Durango? Yeah, no... ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/frown.gif "frown")
Lyle
2022 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali Crew Cab 4x4 Duramax
B&W OEM Companion & Gooseneck Kit
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
1936 John Deere Model A
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wapiticountry
Mountain West
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Joined: 10/02/2011
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Here in Montana 120 miles is practically next door. Making that drive for service wouldn’t be a big problem.
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LMHS
NM
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Joined: 06/27/2022
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Everything and everywhere is a 2 hour (or more) for me. My perception of driving distance has changed dramatically since moving to here.
Contact the manufacturer before buying and find out who can do warranty work. That would be a good thing to do for ANY new RV that you intend to buy. Things rarely break while the RV is sitting at home. While some things can be ignored until you get "home", there may be times when you have to have a repair done without going very far. It would also be good to have an option to the dealer repair shop in case they aren't very good or they are backed up.
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