Thoughts on the construction of our new Fleetwood...

  • 09/16/2013 5:39 PM
    Message # 1390907
    Deleted user

    Now that we've owned our 2013 Fleetwood Expedition 38S for a year I like to make some observations concerning the construction quality.

    I think Fleetwood has lots of people building coaches that are conscientious hard workers who take a lot of pride in what they do, and a few who are simply collecting a paycheck and should be fired.

    Overall, I'd say the general quality of the construction is above anything we've previously owned but the misses are such that they really hinder our enjoyment of it.  If I had it do over again I would not buy this coach.

    Here are a few good things we like:
    - The cabinets have 6 way adjustable hinges
    - The drawers have full length slides
    - Roller type day/night blinds
    - Real ceramic tile floors
    - Cabinets are screwed together, not just stapled
    - Cabinets are wood, not pressboard
    - Double pane windows
    - Full body paint, no decals

    However, here are the things that are very disappointing:
    - The kitchen counter is not level with the counter next to it.
      There's a visually discernible difference between the two.
    - The main TV retracts into a cabinet. On top of the TV is a section of cabinet that's suppose
      to fit in the hole and conceal the TV.  But when the TV is retracted this piece doesn't
      fit flush with the rest of the cabinet because the supports it rests on are installed
      incorrectly.
    - The main TV unplugs itself when you retract it.
      This is because the power receptacle it's plugged into inside the cabinet is behind the TV
      when the TV is retracted.  The TV hits the plug as it comes down and pulls it out of the
      socket.
    - The kitchen counter has a small popup counter extension.
      This would be very convenient if it weren't for the fact the support for it is attached
      to a thin piece of paneling that's easily broken if you put more than a couple of pounds of
      weight on it.  We have to put a curtain rod under the extension when we want to use it.
    - The main cabin has lots of lights, divided into three sections.  On the wall are three
      switches that control the three sections of lights.  You'd expect the switches to operate
      in the same order as the lights, that is the first switch controls the first section of lights
      the second switch controls the middle section of lights, etc....
      But no, that wasn't how it was done, the switches were mixed up.
    - Brake controller wire.
      The coach is prewired for a brake controller.  Almost everyone tows something with their
      coach so Fleetwood should expect most owners to install a brake controller.  I did, but it
      took me days to find the brake controller wires under the dash.  The wires were hidden in the
      bundle inside the steering column.  I had to purchase a wire tracing tool to find it.
      Why wasn't the wires simply left dangling, like they are on trucks?
    - Construction debris in water lines.
      We had to have the hot water heater removed twice to completely clear the lines. 
      The debris was clogging the check valves.
    - The bottom of the wet bay is a solid preformed piece of plastic. It's divided into two
      sections.  One section has a large hole for the sewer line and one has a small one for the
      fresh water line.  On our coach the bottom is installed backwards.  The section with the
      small hole is on the sewer side and makes it very difficult to connect the sewer hose.  
      Since the grey and black tanks rest on part of this bottom there's no way to swap it around.
    - Our rear AC had very little airflow.  Our dealer said it was by design which I didn't buy. I
      got a mirror and flashlight and took a look.  The AC vents have pieces of styrofoam in them
      for support. One piece was turned sideways, pretty much completely blocking the vent.  I don't
      think the dealer even looked and I don't think anyone at the factory ever checked either.
    - The Main awning will auto-retract if the winds gets too high but the door awning,
      which operates from the same controller, does not.  If the wind gets above 12 knots our main
      awning retracts, the door awning is left to fend for itself.  This makes the auto-retract
      feature less then useful.
    - When the main slide is extended it doesn't match up with the body correctly. It has a groove
      the full length of the slide that's about 2" wide by 1" deep.  This groove makes chairs
      unstable and tends to twist your ankle if you step in it wrong.
    - The main slide doesn't drop down to floor level, it sets about 1/4" higher.  This doesn't
      sound like much but try spending any time at the stove or sink on a floor that wants to
      tilt you backwards.
    - When the main slide is extended it exposes a hole in the floor that's large enough for me to
      stick my hand through from outside.  The hole existence is caused by the way the drain hose
      for the kitchen sink is designed.
    - We have the residential refrigerator option.  There's no way to latch the doors close when
      we're on the road.  I had to improvise something to keep things from falling out of the
      fridge.
    - The coach has two heat/AC temperature sensors, one in front and one in back.  But both are
      installed within inches of the outside wall and pick up heat/cold from them.  This causes
      the temperature on the controller to be way off from what the coach is in reality. 

    This is not an exhaustive list, it just illustrates the fact that there are more things wrong with the coach then there are good.  But the one item that's the worst is the hole in the floor when the slide is extended.  Sure, the hole is covered by a flap of carpet but that doesn't really help.  The wife is concerned about things getting in and I can't blame here.  I'm working on convincing Fleetwood the slide is wrong.  How many of you can go outside and have your wife hand you tools through the floor?

    I'm not happy with this coach and would get rid of it if I could.

    Harv

     


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