I'd Stay Away From Thor Products
Written: May 17 '02
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Pros: Size, Price
Cons: Very Poor Quality, Construction, Service
The Bottom Line: The product is plagued with problems, and resolution of those problems is not timely nor satisfactory.
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| dtittus's Full Review: 2000 Thor Industries Aero Dutchmen Classic |
We purchased our Dutchman Classic 747SL in February 2000 and took delivery in April. This camper has had nothing but problems since day one. The day we went to pick it up there was a crack in the front storage compartment and it was leaking. When I asked the technician what they were going to do about it, he told me they were going to caulk it. I don't think so! Must have been a newbie. The dealer did end up replacing the storage compartment before we brought the camper home.
Since that time we have had numerous other problems with the camper. These include a gas leak, the LP detector not working, the furnace not working (when needed, of course), cracked sink base, leaking faucet, and rusted stainless steel stove. Also, the weather-stripping they use to attach the vinyl tent to the camper box keeps tearing. Dutchman must have recognized this as a quality problem because when the new or repaired pieces of tent are returned they have a stronger piece of weather-stripping. These repairs have had the camper in the shop for 11 out of the 24 months of ownership thus far. The dealer has also indicated that the 2-year old camper requires some $400 worth of re-caulking. I have repair receipts for all of the above and a written estimate from the dealer for $400 of caulking, which I decided to take care of myself.
In April 2002 we took the camper to Walt Disney World from Rochester, NY. On the way back we heard a pop and shortly thereafter another pop. We pulled off I-95 to examine the camper and found that the A-frame which forms the hitch on the camper had broken where it welds onto the camper frame and the steel was tearing. This occurred in Savannah, GA. The dealer instructed us to get it home anyway we could. I had to have somebody drive down from Rome, NY with a 3/4 ton pickup, load the camper onto a U-Haul car carrier, and tow the camper back to the dealer. I took several pictures of the damage before taking the camper to the dealer. Luckily no one was hurt or killed by the problem. A couple of people have examined the damage and indicated that the passenger side would have let go first causing the camper and my minivan to jack-knife. We were in the middle lane of a 6-lane highway when the problem occurred.
Dutchman has apologized for the problem but has pointed the finger at their trailer supplier, MOR/Ryde International. MOR/Ryde and Dutchman approved the dealer having the frame straightened and re-welded at a local welder shop. The A-frame then had reinforcement steel welded onto the A-frame. We are pushing Dutchman to replace the camper or refund the purchase price. I believe this is Dutchman's problem because their name is on my camper and I purchased it as a single item, not in pieces. It's not my problem who their suppliers are.
I would recommend that you stay away from Thor products. They produce the following brands of campers: Aero Coach, Airstream, Dutchman, Four Winds, General Coach, Keystone, Komfort, and Thor.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 7900.00
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 747SL
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Epinions.com ID:
dtittus
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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