Factory Refurbishment? August 10, 2018, 11:20:32 pm Hi folks. I did some forum searches and lots of surfing through the archives but couldn't find enough detail to satisfy my curiosity so I post this hoping someone has experience with the Lazy Daze factory and their product support. We would like to send or coach back to the factory for some exterior repairs and are considering replacing sofas, dinette cushions, carpet, window valances, and blinds. The interior is in good shape but it's starting to look dated with some wear and we really don't care for the interior blue used back in 2003. Is this worth exploring or is this a dead-end like trying to buy Rickson wheels? I read in a post that there is an 18 month back order for delivery of new units so what's the priority for refurbishing a 15 year old relic ? Thanks to all who answer.
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #1 – August 10, 2018, 11:41:31 pm A phone call to the Mothership should answer this one.Unless the upholstery and window treatments are interchangeable with the 2018 LDs, my guess is they will not do it because of the custom work needed. All of the trim comes from outside contractors.That's just a guess, let us know what they say.It looks like we may keep our 2003 FL for many more years, it's cheaper to refurbish than it is too buy another one and start over.Too much work has gone into this one to do it again. Larry
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #2 – August 11, 2018, 12:36:00 am Call Vince at the factory and ask. I would be very surprised if they would agree to do it. They do repairs on their old coaches, but I have never heard of them reburbishing one. I do know that as of last Fall, their leadtime for any type of significant repair was 9 -12 months out. I had to wait 6 months to get my roof resealed.Mike S.
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #3 – August 11, 2018, 01:12:31 am Thanks Larry, I've been hesitant to call because I'm not sure if it is a silly idea. Since both replies recommend calling I suppose the factory is pretty receptive to odd ball inquires. We are in exactly the same position as you. We've put a of bunch of work into our coach bringing it back to a mechanically sound condition. With a light interior refurbishment it could be as good as new.
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #4 – August 11, 2018, 10:34:11 am Jeff, the worst that they can say is 'no'and no harm done.Let us know what they say.Joel 1 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #5 – August 11, 2018, 10:39:56 am If the factory declines your request, you might want to check out this company in Woodland, WA; I have no experience with them, just offering a suggestion. Dave & LJ's RV Furniture, Interior Design, & Remodel Services 3 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #6 – August 11, 2018, 11:51:19 am During our visit to the Mothership on 27-June-18, we asked Vince about refurbishing cushions, repairing blinds, and other interior work for Sidra (2011 MB). Vince offered to sell us the new cushions they are installing in the 2018s and to replace our broken mini-blinds with their current model. He also fixed a mechanical issue with our antenna. For the rest of the interior work, he suggested we look elsewhere. As Larry indicated, they are happy to provide new replacements, but did not seem interested in any interior refurbishment work. Vince did offer to schedule some exterior repair work.Regarding the two interior items that were offered for purchase:We chose to purchase a mattress topper at Sleep Warehouse (as suggested by Joan Foam Mattress Topper ). We will use a local upholstery shop for the worn fabric.We decided to simply repair our blinds using replacement parts from FixMyBlinds.com. Sue 3 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #7 – August 11, 2018, 05:17:34 pm I would imagine that in Washington, there must be a lot of upholstery shops to handle the large numbers of boats and RVs that reside in this state. We have see a lot of boats and RVs this last week.The fabrics and foam used in both our1983 and 2003 LDs have worn exceptionally well, considering how many days of use they have been subjected to. If you want similar quality, be prepared to spend a bit, you will need to educate yourself on the types and grades of foam and upholstery fabrics.This is a subject I'm woefully deficient in, let us know what you end up doing.My wife has claimed for years that who ever picks LD's fabrics is colorblind but there is a reason why the patterns are the way they are, it's camouflage, designed to hide dirt and stains. Things happen while cooking, eating and drinking several thousand meals inside the rig. In the past, many removed the valances or cut them down in size, to expose more window area. Some even made smaller, new valances out of stained or painted wood or they upholstered them theirselves, lots of possibilities other than recreating what was originally there.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #8 – August 11, 2018, 05:43:39 pm JMO, but the upholstery fabric used in the most recent LDs is not comparable to the quality used in earlier models, i.e., when the upholstery was done by Butterfield. (LD was forced to change suppliers when Butterfield's owners retired and the business closed.) No accountin' for taste, but I think that, over the years, the upholstery fabrics have managed to retain the same degree of "OMG, who picked this out!?" But, yes, as Larry said, the value of the camouflage properties of the Pollock-esque nature of the designs and colors is something to consider. So is covering it with washable throws, a "blanket" solution that many of us have found very workable. YMMV, as always. 2 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #9 – August 11, 2018, 08:13:46 pm I've always assumed the upholstery was chosen by the original purchaser. Would that have been 'one of five choices', or perhaps 'one of a hundred choices' back in 2000? Ours is, well, gaudy, but not so offensive we are compelled to change it, considering how often we're in it. But the previous owner was the type to change things up, so she might have done it. I'll post a pic to see of 2000-era owners recognize it. (Apologies in advance if it turns out to be someone's favorite textile choice...)
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #10 – August 11, 2018, 09:05:50 pm Of the series of goals in fabric selection 'hide the dirt' was #1Of course its hidden by the couch covers
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #11 – August 12, 2018, 12:12:50 am Personally, I rather like the fabric design we chose for our ‘15. Out of all the fabric options available, we found it to be easiest on the eyes. 😳 But yes, the choices are an interesting mix.It wasn’t long before we covered the couches with very soft and monochromatic shams. The OEM fabric is a bit coarse on the bare skin. The shams are much nicer. Above all else, covering the couches with a couple of layers of additional fabric protects the material and when removed for cleaning the rig once again takes on that “showroom” appearance. Some time ago, we added two layers of protection on the dinette cushions and backs. I’m no pig but things do tend to slip through my fingers from time to time. I really feel Lazy Daze has a very refined sense of style that is matched by a classic RV design and a very solid foundation. There’s a reason they have limited choices of fabric available. They must have seen me coming. 🤨Kent 2 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #12 – August 12, 2018, 10:01:44 pm JCT - Hey thanks for the tip! I'll check 'em out. I'm looking at Truline RV in Spokane. The work on their website is amazingCBSShermans - What I really need for the exterior is a left hand fender skirt and the storage tub for the compartment just aft of the left wheel. Someone had a blow-out in the past and fractured the tub and damaged the skirt. Both are still useable but the skirt IS noticeable and the storage bin leaks from the bottom. Thanks for the link on the mattress topper. We've been looking for a replacement for the one that came with our purchase.To the discussion about durability. I completely agree. Someone burned a nickle and dime side hole in one of the sofas. We thought about trying to repair it but we just noticed the burnes after 9 months of ownership and the burned fabric edges are so tough that they aren't even fraying. Now if the recycled plastic they used to make my carpet was that durable I wouldn't be trying to replace it.
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #13 – August 12, 2018, 11:00:12 pm Quote from: JCT - August 11, 2018, 05:43:39 pmNo accountin' for taste, but I think that, over the years, the upholstery fabrics have managed to retain the same degree of "OMG, who picked this out!?" Margee read this post, laughed and then said, "I told you so!" She has often said that to me but we've not come out of the closet on this issue until tonight.We have a short-term project list which is now empty. We also have a one (1) year project list which right now has only one (1) item on it. Our longer-term project list includes updating the fabric in the interior. The key to this last project is the cost, which I'm guessing will put this project on the Dream List. I've been following this topic with great interest. 1 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #14 – August 23, 2018, 08:40:36 pm I haven't forgotten about this thread. I've been renting out my coach through Outdoorsy.com to raise money for the improvements. I have one more week long rental that starts next week and then I'm going to solicit bids for the interior renovation work. So far the rental revenue has paid for several improvements that otherwise would not have occurred. All of my suspension upgrades, custom headlights, and steering replacement costs have been recovered. Also, I now have all the pieces to convert every interior light to LED, plus an new Fantastic Fan is on the way to replace the small fan in the bath. We were late in deciding to rent-out the coach so we only had half the summer to raise funds. With a full season next summer I think we'll raise enough money to pay for a good portion of the interior work. 1 Likes
Re: Factory Refurbishment? Reply #15 – August 24, 2018, 04:43:44 pm If you're interested in reupholstering cushions/seat backs...it's pretty simple. It does cost money, but for those handy in sewing skills, no biggie.We've replaced the seat cushions on our MB in the lounge and the dinette. I have retained the seat backs in both areas because, for whatever reason, they were not worn out. We chose fabric offered by a local interior decorator (many, many thousands of choices and ordered by the yard) and took the material to a local boat cushion maker. He offered us choices in the foam for the cushions and made up new and zippered slipcovers. He also recovered those triangular cushions on the sofas and also made up some small "throw" pillows.You can order fabric from an interior decorator and not have any further obligation for additional services. You will find the kind of durability you need from those fabrics that you won't get from the usual "Joanne's" or other chain fabric stores.We went back to the decorator to replace the cab curtains, as well. Also used her professional seamstress for the sewing part. I did give the decorator the old panels to offer direction for the kind of attachments we would need to fit the track, but got them back at the end of the project.I have observed that if one wishes to replace the LD carpet and tile, one might be well advised to pull up the carpet and its staples (approximately 3 squidzillion according to LD practice) oneself and if handy, lay the Pergo-type or tile oneself, or then have a pro do the install.TinaP2006 MB "Wild Thing" 1 Likes
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