ISSUES IN ONE LOCATION:

Well, for those considering a new Redwood, here are the issues that WE have experienced so far (in about 2.5 years)...

This is for our particular 2014 - 38GK. Each model may have their own share of problems or may be problem free (if you're lucky).

A/C - 2 Units - They call this full time living but don't plan to live in the south during the summer unless you like 85 degree temperatures indoors. We are dreading this summer as we are living in the south until retirement. Guess we'll get window units to put in. They will look pretty on a $100,000 rig. Make sure that if you plan to spend time in the south during the summer that you get the 3 A/C units.

A/C Ducting - Incorrect design on this particular 38GK to properly distribute air flow. The engineers used a "loop" system from front to back. Air flows out each end but barely (if any) comes from the middle duct ports - Unable to repair. Having to "live" with it. It appears that we'll just live in the north during the summer and south during the winter once we are retired (unless we decide on a new rig). Be sure to understand how the ducting in your unit is configured.

A/C Ducting - Duct Collars extend too deeply into ducting. This limited the flow as there was only a 1/4" or less room for the air to flow out. Collars were cut down to increase air flow. This helped but as stated above, it still doesn't help in the summer. Anything about 95 degrees outside creates a struggle for the RV inside. We pulled all collars and cut them down to the correct size. For you, spot check several of them before accepting delivery.

A/C Ducting - The divider between the Supply and Return on both units came out. Pulled both units and correctly reinstalled the dividers. You'll just have to wait and see...If you get no flow, chances are that the foam seal has come out between the supply and return side.

A/C Ducting - Excessive foam - Pulled our collar and took pictures inside the duct. Did the math calculations and found that 50% of the return air has been cut off due to the spray foam where the supply and return ducts cross through one another. Instead of spraying the foam on the outside, the factory sprayed the foam on the inside. There will be no way to get to the foam to remove. You'll have to add additional return grills and it will disrupt the supply flow. Go tot he factory during construction and make sure this is not the case for you.

Roof - Bubbles in material due to incorrect installation, inadequate glue application, defective glue materials. Tried to work out a solution with Redwood. Your problem is not theirs. ESPECIALLY if you are the 2nd owner. We're looking forward to spending another $6000 to get this problem resolved permanently (feel the sarcasm?). This is what you get for $100,000. Stand over this process and make sure the glue is not expired, that the installers apply enough glue, and that they use pressure rollers to make sure the glue bonds to the TPO materials. Better yet, spend a few extra bucks and have the perma-roof system installed after you pick up your unit.

Roof - Skylight cracked due to over tightened screws. EXTREMELY thin material. Replaced with much better skylight. Watch the install and make sure they don't over-tighten.

Roof Vent Cap - One came off during a drive. Luckily, that was quickly identified and replaced. Be sure to check yours often. I check the roof before and after each trip. That's the only reason I caught this one.

Front Closet - Insulation fallen from walls causing extreme cold and hot in closet interior. Pulled shoe boxes to repair as best as we can. Watch the install.

Electrical Receptacles - Pulled all and added structural strength to back side. Every time someone pulled a cord out of the plug, the plug would pull through the thin paneling materials. Be sure to hold your hand on the receptacle ever time you pull your cord out or do as we did. Postings are located elsewhere in this blog.

Antenna Wires - Spliced in locations you would never dream about. Had to remove multiple light fixtures to find splices. There should have been a manifold in the basement to allow you to configure to your own needs. DEMAND a manifold in the basement. (Same for the PEX water Pipe routing).

Slide Seals - Impossible to replace with a like-for-like seal. Seals are stapled on the interior where you can not get to them. Slides would have to be pulled to replace with like-for-like. Guess we can use aftermarket unless we can find a way to have the slides removed for this repair.

Slide Seals - On one slide, the rubber never touches the roof. After reading some of the posts, it makes me think that the slide may be sagging? I'll need to check further. Otherwise, another case of poor installation. If it is the slide sagging, just another example of poor engineering.

Baggage Door Seals - All need to be replaced. They leak like crazy. When storms come, I tape the cracks to prevent water intrusion. Should you have to replace seals every 2.5 years? I'm not sure. But I do know that seals on a car last for 10 years or more. In fact, I can't remember the last time I changes a door seal on a car.

Axles - Undersized for the RV. Replaced 7000# axles with 8000# axle. Poor engineering. DO NOT accept 7000# axles unless you have one of the shorter units that weigh less. Do your math calculations. Verify individual tire weights.

Suspension - Right now, we have the Lippert Equaflex. I would opt for the Lippert Centerpoint unless money is no object. The Mor-Ryde IS system is supreme but for the price, I'll opt elsewhere. Mor-Ryde has a SRE 3000 rated for the 8,000 lb axles, but it sure looks flimsy. Some state the SRE 4000 is better but according to the manufacturer and brochure, it's not rated for 8000 axles. Therefore, I'll go Centerpoint by summer.

Brakes - Undersized electric brakes. Replace with Disc brakes. Electric brakes should be illegal for a rig this size. Poor engineering. If you have to settle for electric brakes, make sure the wire size is at least a #10 wire and you have the 3.5" shoes. Be willing to accept that you will have grease leaks and that your brakes will be a constant nightmare.

Brake Wires - #16. As shown in the post for Perspective Owners Questions, the wire is severely undersized for the electric brake application. The voltage drop can be 3.21 Volts. A #10 wire should have been the minimum size used. Wire's were changed when we ripped out and replaced the undersized axles and 2.5" electric brakes with Discs.

Battery Cutoff Switch - Wired to where not everything is cut off. Expect that your batteries can drain unless you stay on shore power. We rewired cutoff switch so that while in storage, the batteries stay charged longer. Make sure that you get this corrected before you leave the dealership.

Tires - G-Rated Tires installed (within weight margin). But replaced with H-Rated Tires. A tire blowout can cost you $8000 for sidewall repairs. This one is insurance. (14 Ply - 3,750 lb tires versus 16 Ply 4,805 lb tires). They won't necessarily buy you "time", but will buy your "strength". This one is your call...

Pin Box - TriGlide - For us, we're still OK but with all of the others on this blog having issues, we now have a 2nd backup unit that we keep in the truck. It seems Lippert will provide YOU with a new bottom plate to replace. For those interested, the Tri-Glide is no longer manufactured by Lippert. 2015 may be the last year that it was installed? Some are opting for the Mor-Ryde setup. I would probably opt for the FlexAir.

Hydraulic Fluid in Jacks - Expect to have to pull out some of the existing fluid and add "other" fluid. Your jacks over time will creak, pop, and gradually drop on one side or the other. We're experiencing this now and will be following everyone's suggestion on this so that I don't have to go outside every other day and re-level the coach. Check the fluids added before leaving the factory. This is a known issue.

Black Tanks - No structural support. Tanks are bagging. Will need to address soon with additional support. If not, they are subject to rupture as some have reported. You'll want to add the support.

Tank sensors - Do not work properly (gray or black). There are a variety of sensor models. Really, you can do without these as it will be obvious to you that your tanks are full...

Water Filter - Had to relocate. Could not get to for filter changes without spillage everywhere. Do not accept the filter installation in a location you cannot readily access.

Corplast Underbelly - Sagging and is not sealed from side to side. So much for protecting from the cold or heat or preventing rodents into your rig. Inspect the corplast. It may look fine when it leaves the factory but notice that it is secured only in the middle locations and "stuffed" under the I-Beams on each side. Over time, this will bow to the point where there is no seal.

Underbelly - No noticable insulation. Will be removing this spring and installing real insulation. R factors advertised in brochure cannot be accurate. Add real insulation...

MaxxAir Fan in Kitchen - Gears striped. Need to replace. So far, we could have done without this. We have 2 small fans in the hallway and when the weather is nice, we leave all of the windows open. If its that borderline, just shut up everything and turn on the air.

Trim - Constant repairs to trim. The factory uses micro nails used by a nail gun that has too much pressure and drives them most of the way through. Then, they sloppily use putty or wax sticks to fill in the holes. Watch to see that the small staples have not been pushed through the trim pieces before they patch over them. Have them use glue in some locations in addition to the staples.

Emergency Exit Window - Located behind couch and could not get to if required. This is an engineering problem. The windows need to be above the couch. Not below the couch.

Fiberglass Crack - Large baggage door below bedroom. Cracks on the bottom side of the door due to stresses in the main I-Beams. The factory fix as posted on this blog is to just put a trim piece over it to hide it. Our crack has not been repaired. For you, you will not see this until you travel down the road a bit. You'll have to live with it due to the flexing or go ahead and have the trim installed at the factory.

Canopy - Be sure to check your rig. On our rig and as reported by others, Redwood installed 2 small lag bolts in the top and 1 in the bottom. We installed 3 additional throughout the middle. An unexpected wind gust could pull your canopy off.

Canopy - "Roller" has 2 small screws holding it on (each end). When they come out, you'll get a nice ding in the side of your rig and you might get a nice headache. Luckily, no one was under ours when it came down. I replaced the screws and added 2 more for security. Still have the battle scare showing...Check the number of screws installed.

Front Door - Like many, ours is also warped. We're not sure what causes this. But many besides us also report the same defect. Ours has not been repaired. At this point, we are not counting on Redwood for any support.

Pantry Door - Glue not holding. Frame coming apart on one corner. Will have to take the door off and see if I can get any glue and nails back into it. Visually inspect all doors.

Drawer Latches - Plastic and do not hold up. The male latch portion brakes often. It seems you can only purchase the entire kit (male and female) as replacements. Wasted money. There has to be another style of drawer latches. Something with magnets? Spring loaded? These cheap plastic drawer latches are junk.

We'll, this is what you get for $100,000. I can't wait to see what else we have coming.

I'm not sugar coating anything and I guess this could be related to this one particular rig. Anything is possible. But hopefully it will give you perspective new owners something to look at if you are buying new. It seems much easier to look in one location that all over the blogs for problems we experience (some more than others).

Are we disgruntled with our Redwood? If you understand that the RV industry is not a regulated industry (expect within the industry itself), then you'll better understand and expect what you get. There are only a few competitors in this price point range. Redwood, Trilogy, Landmark 360, and now DRV Mobile Suites Aire. Maybe 1 or 2 more.

If you are interested in "NEW", go to the factories and do your research. Check ALL of the brand blog sites and see the problems others may be having. You'll see reoccurring themes.

Take training classes where you can so that you know how to fix your rig when it falls apart (errrr... breaks down). You'll be glad you did.

Check warranties and compare. Ask what kind of support you will get when the warranty wears out.

Do we like our Redwood? Knowing what we know now, we still like our Redwood. Aesthetically, it's a beautiful rig. We're just disappointed that we're having to do all of these things that we should not have had to do. Some of the items above are petty but a lot of it is engineering. Make sure you know what you are getting into before buying a rig in this price range. It's a good thing I can fix much of this myself. Otherwise, it might be in the shop more than it is in use.

Also understand that the RV industry is undergoing record sales over the last 2 years and they are having issues keeping up with demand. The industry is "Piece-meal" work and the installers get paid for what they do. Not by the hour. More pieces means more money.

Then, understand that campgrounds are under pressure now. Spaces are hard to find and reservations for top campgrounds can be months or even years ahead of time. Many are still struggling to accommodate these larger rigs. Most are OK with 30' or so, but when it comes to 40'+ rigs, it can be a challenge.

Also, the larger companies are buying out smaller companies faster than you can imagine. I would envision that in the not too distant future, there may only be 2 or 3 companies with multiple "brands" and price points. We all know what happens to companies that get to big....

For companies that go out of business or get bought out, your insurance rates will be affected as the "molds" for parts are no longer available. If anything goes wrong or if the body gets damaged, you may have to pay much more for custom parts to be made.

Redwood has had 3(?) Presidents in the last 3(+ or -) years. You have to wonder what gives...

Best of luck in your quest for a new RV. Full-time living has been challenging and yet as some have pointed out, rewarding. Again, just do your homework before jumping in.

Maybe some of the others are willing to share their issues in this one location as well?

Happy Camping!

Greg,
Ouch. I feel scared and we already have a Redwood.

If only there was a perfect RV (5th wheel OR Motorhome). I think we all expect issues and hope for as few problems as possible. I believe RW is listening and trying to fix some of the known issues.

I know there are some people that have had few to no issues with their RW. I envy them. That has not been the case for us. Still... we have no plans of getting a different 5th wheel. So far everything we have done is making our RW home better.

I appreciate the honesty and thoroughness of your list. Sadly, We have had most of issues from your list. I think a list of known issues is helpful for owners, so we can be aware of what to watch for.

I would also add some positive:

* Beautiful Interior decor
* Nice outside color options
* Good appliances... Our dishwasher and refrigerator are very good brands and models
* Very nice storage
* Heavy duty frame
* Ours came with a class 3 hitch
* We love our Slide in Slide Bedroom
* RW is continuing to add new floor plans--so it isn't hard to find one that will work

Greg,
Ouch. I feel scared and we already have a Redwood.

If only there was a perfect RV (5th wheel OR Motorhome). I think we all expect issues and hope for as few problems as possible. I believe RW is listening and trying to fix some of the known issues.

I know there are some people that have had few to no issues with their RW. I envy them. That has not been the case for us. Still... we have no plans of getting a different 5th wheel. So far everything we have done is making our RW home better.

I appreciate the honesty and thoroughness of your list. Sadly, We have had most of issues from your list. I think a list of known issues is helpful for owners, so we can be aware of what to watch for.

I would also add some positive:

* Beautiful Interior decor
* Nice outside color options
* Good appliances... Our dishwasher and refrigerator are very good brands and models
* Very nice storage
* Heavy duty frame
* Ours came with a class 3 hitch
* We love our Slide in Slide Bedroom
* RW is continuing to add new floor plans--so it isn't hard to find one that will work

Thanks George,

I would second your "positives" list.

It's why we still have this unit at the moment. But if things get any worse, we'll move on. I don't intend to rebuild the entire couch.

Hope we see you guy's in the near future.

BTW...for those reading, I left out the routine maintenance items...The items above are the items we should NOT be having issues with...

Your negative list WILL apply to ANY brand, ANY price range, whether 5Th wheel, motorhome, or TT, the difference does the company work with you in resolving the issues, in my case & several others RW was/has been great to deal with. On the other hand the positive list above CAN'T/WON'T be found in but a select few of ANY brand of ANY price range.
Anyone reading this while searching for the perfect rv you'll NEVER find the perfect rv with no issues, just find the one that suits your needs/wants with a GOOD dealership service department, anybody can/will sell you one, but finding one with good service is like looking for hens teeth. If you aren't somewhat handy with tools & repairing household fixtures & hardware, better skip the rv & stay in hotels or better yet buy a rv dealership cause that's where your rv will spend most of it's time while "waiting on parts".

So Danny,

I guess you are willing to accept sub-standard construction technique's and I might if I had spent $4000 or $5000. But when you spend this much, "we" DON'T expect this.

Here are but 2 more examples which were not included in the original post:

Example 1 from today:

EXAMPLE 2 On-Going:

The couch has to stay covered as we're embarrassed to have anyone sit on it or see it. The couch is 3.5-4 years old and falling apart. We already replaced the recliners. Another not-so-cheap fix.

Should we accept that walls are now falling apart? Should that just be "normal"? I am pleased for you that things are working out. I just wish we could say the same.

I just don't intend on spending $10,000 a year to "maintain" an inferior product.

So Danny,

I guess you are willing to accept sub-standard construction technique's and I might if I had spent $4000 or $5000. But when you spend this much, "we" DON'T expect this.

Here are but 2 more examples which were not included in the original post:

Example 1 from today:

Thought ours was the only one that did that! It popped out our first trip out with friends, kind of embarrassing. I thought I had it repaired with liquid nails and some large clamps, but it popped back out just before we sold it. Either the sheet was too long, or they jammed the carpet under it, not sure.

So Danny,

I guess you are willing to accept sub-standard construction technique's and I might if I had spent $4000 or $5000. But when you spend this much, "we" DON'T expect this.

Here are but 2 more examples which were not included in the original post:

Example 1 from today:

Thought ours was the only one that did that! It popped out our first trip out with friends, kind of embarrassing. I thought I had it repaired with liquid nails and some large clamps, but it popped back out just before we sold it. Either the sheet was too long, or they jammed the carpet under it, not sure.

Or it could be the slide starting to sag? I'll try gluing it back and using some large brads or screws instead of staples. I'll also try cutting the paneling near the floor and it appears to be just jammed in there. You can see the liquid nail used before. It's about 1/4" wide and NONE of it stuck to the aluminum frame. Probably surface contamination. The staples are about 7 1/2" apart. The head on the staples is about 1/32" across. Not enough to hold squat.

I think this is more conmen than some owners think. My wall behind the couch is bowed and the window leaks the wall @ the dinette table is bowed along with the slide roof sagging and holding water. My rig was sent back to the RW factory last year for a large list of repairs along with the walls bowing and the slide roof sagging and the bedroom slide leaking. I took it yesterday to the Keystone factory in Oregon to have repairs done for the third time it is getting very old quickly now this is RW's last chance with us. Tiered of moving out of our rig that was suppose to of been built for fulltime living and four seasons.

My list is on here somewhere so not going to list again. I would like to add that even though it took me over a year and mobile tech at my house 3 times and one trip to the service center RW did take care of every problem I had that I asked them to fix with no expense to me except my time to bring it to the service center. I was reimbursed for my fuel and tolls both ways. These problems should never happen but it's every RV company. We just happen to own Redwoods here. The roof issue should never have happened on any and as many know on here, I am a builder/carpenter or whatever you want to call me so I actually know about these products in the field and what can happen over time and not just punching buttons to do research on the internet. ALL the roof problems that I have seen here are with the installers and installation process at the factory and not at all with the roof materials except the sub standard roof sheathing. They are using the correct adhesive but either waiting to long or my best guess is not enough! Plywood needs a sealer coat and then a final coat of adhesive and if they are skipping the first I believe this is the problem we are seeing.

The walls inside pulling away and loose trim are about 98% caused buy the guy running the nail gun. He has NO clue how to adjust the gun or air pressure so you don't shoot the staple or nail through the material to be fastened. The wall panels falling off mainly are because of the nail gun once again and fitting to tight to the flooring or ceiling. The slight movement over the road causes it to pop somewhere eventually if not proper spacing. There is that 2% chance your slide could be sagging but I don't believe that would cause the wallboard to pop since the perimeter of the slide should be stable and only middle roof sag but I could be wrong.

Steve

My dinette slide was sagging last year and redwood fixed it at the factory nd now six months later it sagging again. There is over 1/2" sag in the middle I am hoping they get it right this time. the only road time my rig has had since delivery date is back and forth to the factory.

My dinette slide was sagging last year and redwood fixed it at the factory nd now six months later it sagging again. There is over 1/2" sag in the middle I am hoping they get it right this time. the only road time my rig has had since delivery date is back and forth to the factory.

Is it just the middle holding a puddle or if you are on the inside, the inside edge with the trim and middle of slide is sagging??
How long is your slide?

Steve

So Danny,

I guess you are willing to accept sub-standard construction technique's and I might if I had spent $4000 or $5000. But when you spend this much, "we" DON'T expect this.

Here are but 2 more examples which were not included in the original post:

Example 1 from today:

EXAMPLE 2 On-Going:

The couch has to stay covered as we're embarrassed to have anyone sit on it or see it. The couch is 3.5-4 years old and falling apart. We already replaced the recliners. Another not-so-cheap fix.

Should we accept that walls are now falling apart? Should that just be "normal"? I am pleased for you that things are working out. I just wish we could say the same.

I just don't intend on spending $10,000 a year to "maintain" an inferior product.

Well obviously I/you will accept all these flaws as we still own the units! So we either repair them ourselves, take it to a dealership where some tech that couldn't adjust the air pressure to keep from driving staples through the paneling or add glue to it or with enough issues take back to the factory. Fortunately my issues were able to be taken care of by me cause there's no way I'm taking it to a dealership & let some knucklehead mess it up worse.
Sorry you've had so many issues, but even if you bought a Prevost you'll still have issues, the only difference would be if you could afford that coach you could have your own garage full of techs to take care of them for you.
I know you feel the industry needs government regulation, but it ain't there & if I were betting it NEVER will be, so I guess our grandkids will be dealing with these same rv issues.

Steve. the slide is the full length of the rig from the door to the rear wall. the slide is sagging on the out side and inside but more noticeable out side when I am on my A-frame ladder cleaning the roof off . the first time this happened the roof sagged over 3/4" RW said I should not walk on the roof and I told them I have not been on the slide roofs and they fixed it. I think there is a designer problem in the slide

Wow, reading this thread, I really feel the pain of the OP and wish him all the best for resolving the outstanding issues. However, I note a number of points are already redundant and a couple are personal opinions. In my experience, we have owned our Redwood for 4 ½ years, completing about 30,000 miles and have found Redwood to be extremely responsive to all issues experienced.

Our 2013 FL is our first RV, but we spent 5 years researching the industry before purchasing. The biggest lesson we learned, is regardless of brand purchased – expect issues; and, if you actually drive on our less than stellar roads, expect even more problems. Therefore, our first lesson was if we don’t want to deal with repairs or issues, don’t buy any RV – go for a timeshare, sailboat, plane, etc. As we all know, those don’t have issues?? The 2nd lesson was find a manufacturer that supports their warranty and customers, and then a dealer with exemplary after sales service. Throughout our warranty period all issues were immediately resolved by our selling dealer (Fraserway RV, Abbotsford) and Redwood customer service. We also received exceptional service from an Ontario dealer – Hitch N’Go, Delhi, Ont.

The OP mentioned the RW price point, so to put price into perspective – a similar size apartment in Vancouver (400 sq feet) would cost $400K + and would still require additional outlays for furniture, TV’s, hoover, electronics, etc. I agree that Redwoods are more expensive than the weekender, bunk house models, but let’s be honest, they are still manufactured on a production line. For the extra money, you get more toys. At the 2014 Rally, Vaughan and I visited a local manufacturer that custom builds 5th wheels. No production line and huge QC department, based on number of defect stickers we observed. Direct from the manufacturer, a very base model was $250K, with others in the $500K range. At this price point, my expectation is that everything would be right at delivery, but no guarantees after driving it for 30K miles.

Is Redwood trying to address QC issues – most definitely yes. At the 2014 Rally, the then GM proudly announced, on a random basis, he would thoroughly inspect 1 completed coach every week. At that time, they built about 35 coaches per week, so <3%, while a start, wasn’t a spectacular inspection rate. At the 2016 Rally, the new President advised QC was one of his primary objectives. In less than 6 months on the job, he had already designed and started construction of a new PDI Building. Prior to shipment, every completed coach would have a thorough Pre-Delivery Inspection, testing and verifying the operation of all systems. The PDI building was scheduled to commence operation in October 2016.

The OP also questions the lack of regulation in the RV industry. I worked in the marine industry for 40+ years and next to airlines this is one of the most highly regulated industries. In my experience, most regulations are poorly written and are so far behind current technology they are virtually worthless. All highly regulated industries still experience accidents and/or issues, so what is the predominant cause. Extensive studies have determined over 80% are caused by human error. Therefore, if we want quality products, we don’t need more regulations, we need to address human factors. I believe the RV industry is no different, most of the issues we experience are caused by human error. I discussed this very subject with the RW/CR Executive Management Team at the 2016 rally. They are aware of the issue and are addressing human factors with enhanced QC.

Another key factor in selecting an RV manufacturer should be reviewing how they evolve and how do they respond to their customer bases. In our experience, Redwood gets top marks in both categories. Our 2013 was purchased from a dealer’s lot and came with “E” tires, 7K axles, equa-flex suspension, electric brakes, etc. Based on owner feedback, the “E” tires were upgraded to “G” tires in 2014. The new management team has listened attentively to the ROG and individual owners and from October 2017, have made the following changes:
• Axles – 8,000 lb axles are now standard on all Redwoods
• Suspension – originally upgraded to Centre-Point and now to MOR/Ryde LRE 4000
• Pinbox – Tri Glide upgraded to Flex-Aire
• Stairs – originally upgraded to Alumi-Tread and now to MOR/Ryde Stepabove
• Brakes – electric brakes are still standard, but EOH disk brakes are a highly-recommended option

With respect to electric v’s EOH disk brakes you will find many opinions. We now have disk-brakes, but completed about 25,000 miles with the original electric brakes. Many of these miles were negotiating the many long, steep slopes within the Rocky Mountains. At no time, did I experience the factory brakes lacking in performance. You may ask why we upgraded to disk-brakes. We did this for 3 reasons:
• Research indicated that disk-brakes will stop the coach in a shorter distance, which may pay for the capital investment at a future date. They do have a very short delay while the pump ramps up, but they should stop in a shorter distance
• Risk analysis – plotting a critical consequence and low probability on a risk assessment matrix, resulted in a moderate to serious risk factor. My preference for a lower risk factor, was a primary factor in our decision
• At the 2016 rally, Titan Guy provided exceptional pricing on supply and install of a quality product. Compared to my dealer’s pricing, this provided an acceptable cost/benefit analysis

In my experience, the following factors also help Redwood stand out from other manufacturers and are evidence of their desire to provide exemplary customer service, address quality issues and maintain relations with customers:
• The ROG was conceived at the 2014 rally. We scheduled a meeting with the President & GM to determine their interest in working with an owner’s group. We received a very positive response, which included a donation of funds to meet the start up costs.
• At the 2015 rally, the ROG initiated discussion on implementing a transferrable warranty. This was an industry first, when implemented in the Fall of 2015. The initial transfer required a fee, but the new CR/RW President advised that he removed the fee. Therefore, an owner selling their coach may transfer the remaining warranty to the new owner, at zero cost.
• While heading to the 2016 rally, I sent a note to Ryan Juday (CR/RW President). I advised that I would be taking over as ROG President and did he have any time to meet. I received an almost immediate response, thanking me for taking the initiative and requesting a meeting at my earliest convenience. I met with Ryan and his senior team for a couple of hours, the day after arriving at Shipshewana. He outlined his philosophy, which included developing and maintaining communications with the owner’s group. He also outlined some of the upcoming model changes, which were driven by owner feedback.
• I still maintain at least weekly communications with the National Sales Manager and can call/email the President at any time.
• We have 2 RW senior staff monitoring the forum. Last week an FL owner posted pictures of insulation problems in the front cap. Tim responded, advising he will raise this issue at their weekly production meeting, where they discuss and investigate issues identified during the pre-delivery inspections, warranty issues and owner complaints via the forum and/or customer service.
• At the annual rally, the service centre technicians visit the campground and perform their magic. Repairs are complimentary and are available to every coach, regardless of warranty. At the 2016 rally, with our coach 18 months out of warranty we received a brand new microwave, new ceiling fan and all exterior lights replaced.

In summary, are Redwood perfect, sadly no, but unless you want to venture into ultra luxury/hand crafted products, no manufacturer is perfect. Have Redwood always produced a consistent quality of product, again the answer is sadly no. I believe the early coaches were quality and well built, but expansion of production due to booming sales, negatively impacted quality for a period of time. However, I believe the current management team is cognisant of quality issues and is trying to address the issues.

Well written Andy ,
I have had many RV's since my first camper, which was a 19' TT back in the early 80's.
None of the issues listed are specific to RW, in fact if one wants to, they can find a large list for ANY RV at any price point.
Heck, I personally know 2 DRV owners that had brand spanking new fifth wheels, both got rid of them within 2 years.
The issues were too many to deal with...
It can happen to any rv