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Topic: Stay Away Joe! (Read 12 times) previous topic - next topic
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Stay Away Joe!
Yahoo Message Number: 147795
Until recently, I avoided the mothership like the plague.  After picking up Daisy in August of '06, I never went back until last month, even though I've needed numerous repairs through the years and I live in Jojoba Hills, just 75 miles from Montclair.  Whenever I needed a fix, I would elude them and go elsewhere.  Call it bad vibes picked up from the many negative reviews, both written and spoken, that I had read/heard through the years. That all changed last month when I was headed home from a long trip and Daisy was falling apart.  A factory visit was vital.  I made an appointment and a long list of things that ailed her.  I met Vince promptly at 8 on a Monday morning.  From the moment he said Good Morning, I started feeling relaxed and better about this visit.  He was friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable.  We painstakingly went down my list as he took the time to explain and offer his advice, item by item, in easy-to-understand, non-technical lingo.  I left there with a much better feeling towards the factory and especially Vince.   I've been back twice since then and we have developed a mutually amicable rapport.  Not sure what the moral of this story is or if there even is one.  I guess it's that you shouldn't always believe what you hear.  Sometimes you need to check things out for yourself.  Anyhoo, I just wanted to give the factory and Vince some well-deserved kudos.
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147812
I have to join in and share my very positive experience with Vince and the "mothership crew".  I know virtually nothing about mechanics, etc., but wanted to jump into the RV lifestyle.  After a lot of research into the quality and durability of various motorhomes, I zeroed in on a Lazy Daze.  In 2010 I found a 2006 LazyDaze in Pueblo, CO, on-line and traveled from Portland, OR to buy it (after getting it checked out by a local).  Although it only had 11,000 miles on it, it had been stored outside in the Colorado winters and had sustained some unusual cracking on the corner moldings.  I took it to Vince and his crew for repair and had a great experience.  He was very patient with me, answering all of my somewhat naive questions in great detail and I left not only with a repaired motorhome but a much greater knowledge of how to operate and maintain it, all at a very reasonable price.  I would highly recommend the service at the "mothership"!
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147815
I'm curious about the cold weather cracks. What did Vince think caused them?  How did he repair the cracks? Thanks

Ed

Also in CO.
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147824
some unusual cracking on the corner moldings ---- Just a FYI: I don't know if the cracks on your particular LD are unusual in some way, but end cap separations and cracks, including the corner wraps on the front edges of the body behind the cab, are very common, particularly in "older models", i.e., before the more efficient adhesive was used. The "end cap separation" topic has been discussed many times over the years; here's one link that might be useful:

http://lazydazearticles.blogspot.com/search/label/End%20Caps

Joan
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147828
Agreed. The cracks are regrettably common. A design defect.
What I would really like to know is exactly what LD did to fix the cracks? Replace the entire corner trim?  Seal the cracks in some fashion? Just what? And, ideally, how much?

Ed
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147833
I visited the Mothership in Oct 2012 after picking up my '99 RB from a private party in the L.A. area. I camped at the nearby KOA and called and got in right away with a list of minor concerns. Servicing an older RV can be a very quirky business. The toilet had a slow drip coming from somewhere and there were a few other odds and ends. Vince was very attentive and easy to deal with. As far as the cracks are concerned, that is my #1 concern with LD. The endcaps have separated and I have tried to remedy myself using info so generously shared here on this group. There are hairline cracks at the bolts on the front where the seams are. Just hoping she holds together for a few more years until I get the loan paid off and can afford to replace her if things go terribly wrong. Stored indoors so water penetration is a moderate concern. Not sure if extreme temps play any factor (50 days below zero last winter).

Todd '99 RB and  '02 CRV.
Todd (and Steve)
'17 Winnebago Minnie Winnie and '13 Honda CRV
(Former '99 RB owners from 2012-2016)
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147840
I agree the end caps are one of the few LD Achilles heels. The plastic has a much different thermal expansion rate than does the aluminum skin. A sensible fix would be to invest in a hydro-forming machine to make the end caps of aluminum too. That, or outsource the end caps to a company that can form aluminum (I assume they are using a vendor for the current plastic caps). This in not new tech, they were forming aluminum in compound shaped back in WWII (aircraft).

But, as we know, LD moves at sub-glacial speeds on this stuff. I asked them about larger and more solar panels (they only offered one 80 watt IIRC) and MPPT solar regulators back when I bought my '05. LED tail lights too. All such ideas were dismissed out-of-hand. But they do occasionally come around, albeit   v-e-r-y   s-l-o-w-l-y.

bumper
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: Stay Away Joe!
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 147899
ldukeb@...> wrote :..."it had been stored outside in the Colorado winters and had sustained some unusual cracking on the corner moldings.  I took it to Vince and his crew for repair and had a great experience... I left not only with a repaired motorhome..."

I join with Ed in asking you to report what the factory did to repair the end cap cracks.  Thanks.

Dan
2007 IB-30