Photo Review of the Quality my 2015 179

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This spring, after
spending several days with my new r-pod at home, I was somewhat shocked by the low quality of its construction. Perhaps my disappointment  was  the result of
unrealistic expectations held by someone new to RV’s, my wife would say that is at least 50% of it....  I'll just say, that better quality control is certainly possible.....
This summer I took the unit on the road for over a month with my kids. For the most part it held up and functioned as it should, although a few things did break after about a month of use.  

I have finally gotten around to organizing and posting some photos of these issues. Hopefully this will help folks manage their expectations when considering a new r-pod. First I show the  issues the camper arrived with, then I the issues that came up after a month on the road. 

One of the first things I noticed was every time I pulled the trailer I would see saw dust on the floor, the reason for this became clear as I began to make some modifications. Each time I removed a drawer or panel I found the hidden areas filled with saw dust and dropped screws and small trash. 

Another build issue is just about every screw you look at inside the camper is over driven, often cracking the wood framing:

The framing under the microwave was cracked 

I found stapling that often missed the framing:

I found holes drilled like this-

The installation of the outside tag light left a space in the kitchen cabinet open to day light

The bathroom door frame is not flush on its corner, and had an area of sloppy glue work:

The wiring under the fridge gets pinned on the face of the panel it is supposed to go behind (this had separated the panel from some of its staples) leaving these hoses visible/exposed:

After a few days at home I noticed some torn rubber on the floor, I then found this torn area in the gasket/seal on the slide out

This is what my right tail light looked like after I drove home from the dealer thru some rain. (Actually it was 3/4 filled with water until I drilled a small hole to drain it. & I am happy to report none of the other exterior lights has leaked and this one still works and did not leak once I added some caulk)

One of the more serious defects in my r-pod was the fridge. After a few days of use in a humid environment it would become filled with condensation, which would cause the open door sensor to start beeping (which is exactly what it should do even if the door is closed because the fridge is not sealed!). After looking on line I saw this was happening to a lot of people. The only the "fixes" I read were to stop that sensor from working properly -to stop its beeping. Those who took the time to force FR or their dealer to replace these fridges were seeing the new fridges reproduce the issue. This indicated that FR's supplier was delivering fridges that were not sealed. So I took off the heat sinks in my fridge and discovered large gaps between the fridges plastic liner and the insulation behind it at these openings. I sealed those interfaces with SI caulk and also caulked the exit holes for 2 wires that were not sealed. I also put some ear plugs in the four screw holes just inside the door. Since then my fridge has run for 2 months without issue. I'm not certain where it was leaking from (behind the heat sinks, the wire exit holes or the screw openings or all those locations). But it is clear my fridge was not sealed and now it is. Here is a look  behind the lower heat sinks showing the gap between the plastic fridge liner and the fridges insulation. This is before I sealed that interface with Si caulk; the photo also shows one of the unsealed wire holes.

And now for some items more of a nit picking nature (if I'm not already doing that...)

The screws used on the kitchen curtain track block its movements

The bolt on my propane tank clamp was bent 

Some velcro tabs on the r-dome were just placed wrong

The lower track for the r-dome skirt does not allow the skirt peice of the dome slide to behind the wheel due to the location of these wires.  (Without the skirt I found the r-dome mostly just collects bugs on the inside.)

The window locks cannot close when the window is open (they hit the glass) and when the locks are open they get in the way of the blinds-

Given my impression of the initial quality I was nervous heading from the East coast to travel all over the West for a solid month with my family. But I was surprised how well the unit held up. For the most part, after I fixed the fridge, the r-pod 179 functioned as it should. 

A couple of things broke after a solid month of travel, lucky for me this did not happen until literally our last day on the road. First the slide out began to open on its own while we were driving. I traced that issue to the switch on the wall used to open and close it and have ordered a new one for $20. It surprises me  this switch can fail in this way given the potential consequences. I understand any mass produced units will have some failures, but one could design this switch such that failure would mean no signal not signal when you don't want it. I was able to close my slide out and then remove the fuse to its motor to get home. I have on order a new switch :)

The fantastic fan was another other thing that stopped working after a month, -and this not until I was parked at home on the final day.  It seems water collects on top of the fan (on the roof under the hinged skylight) in a pocket/hole just for the fantastic fan switch. On my camper, the only thing keeping this pooled water from the back of this switch was a round adhesive/sticker/tape. After a month the back of my switch got enough water in it to stop working. Another easy repair and something else Si caulk might fix nicely. But looking at how and why this switch failed after a month, -again I am "somewhat shocked" by the lack of effort to make a durable or quality product. Maybe they just forgot to add some caulk behind my fantastic fan switch on my camper. (I am adding a couple sentences about this switch failure a week after my initial post of these photos. I have had time today to take the fantastic vent fan apart and better understand my issue. Behind the switch there is nothing to stop water from getting into the switch, -just an small circular insect screen. I assume this means the switch gets hot and requires ventilation. I did not know this and thus the failure of my fan is really my fault, because as I usually drove down the road with the vent cover raised a few inches even in the rain, -to give my camper fresh air during the day. I guess the fan cover must always be closed while driving in rain because this switch is exposed on purpose.)

The other issues are cosmetic. The edging of the kitchen counter top has begun to slightly separate /come unglued near the stove top. The same thing is happening to a panel seem behind the stove. This failure of glue surfaces may be associated with the heat generated by the stove as we sometimes made pancakes and coffee on our trip:

After a month on the road I noticed this caulk start to fall off the top of a slide out seam:

One final complaint is this sticker on my r-pod which in the excitement of buying I failed to really ponder:

This could be translated to "Your brand new $13K camper is guaranteed not to leak for 3 months." 

And speaking of the owners manual, its is a very bizarre thing. It is not a manual for the rpod 179 or even r-pods in general. It is a "manual" for an abstracted /generalized RV camper trailer that is at once applicable to every RV trailer ever sold and useless to any particular trailer owner.  Did anyone else get a manual specific to what they bought? If so please let me know, I find the "manual" I got to be quite bizarre. I did get manuals for the fridge, oven, TV and radio that are more specific.

Well I hope this post helps others who are considering a new r-pod purchase to have more realistic expectations than I had going into my purchase. Despite my frustration with my 179 quality, it is a fact that my kids and I could not have had a better time traveling the West this summer. If I had a "do over" on my purchase,  I might look for someone selling a fully tested / repaired camper with their mods & improvements at a lower cost. 

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Jay in Maryland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 28 Feb 2015 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 30	Topic: Photo Review of the Quality my 2015 179 Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 12:56pm
	This spring, after spending several days with my new r-pod at home, I was somewhat shocked by the low quality of its construction. Perhaps my disappointment was the result of unrealistic expectations held by someone new to RV’s, my wife would say that is at least 50% of it.... I'll just say, that better quality control is certainly possible..... This summer I took the unit on the road for over a month with my kids. For the most part it held up and functioned as it should, although a few things did break after about a month of use. I have finally gotten around to organizing and posting some photos of these issues. Hopefully this will help folks manage their expectations when considering a new r-pod. First I show the issues the camper arrived with, then I the issues that came up after a month on the road. One of the first things I noticed was every time I pulled the trailer I would see saw dust on the floor, the reason for this became clear as I began to make some modifications. Each time I removed a drawer or panel I found the hidden areas filled with saw dust and dropped screws and small trash. Another build issue is just about every screw you look at inside the camper is over driven, often cracking the wood framing: The framing under the microwave was cracked I found stapling that often missed the framing: I found holes drilled like this- The installation of the outside tag light left a space in the kitchen cabinet open to day light The bathroom door frame is not flush on its corner, and had an area of sloppy glue work: The wiring under the fridge gets pinned on the face of the panel it is supposed to go behind (this had separated the panel from some of its staples) leaving these hoses visible/exposed: After a few days at home I noticed some torn rubber on the floor, I then found this torn area in the gasket/seal on the slide out This is what my right tail light looked like after I drove home from the dealer thru some rain. (Actually it was 3/4 filled with water until I drilled a small hole to drain it. & I am happy to report none of the other exterior lights has leaked and this one still works and did not leak once I added some caulk) One of the more serious defects in my r-pod was the fridge. After a few days of use in a humid environment it would become filled with condensation, which would cause the open door sensor to start beeping (which is exactly what it should do even if the door is closed because the fridge is not sealed!). After looking on line I saw this was happening to a lot of people. The only the "fixes" I read were to stop that sensor from working properly -to stop its beeping. Those who took the time to force FR or their dealer to replace these fridges were seeing the new fridges reproduce the issue. This indicated that FR's supplier was delivering fridges that were not sealed. So I took off the heat sinks in my fridge and discovered large gaps between the fridges plastic liner and the insulation behind it at these openings. I sealed those interfaces with SI caulk and also caulked the exit holes for 2 wires that were not sealed. I also put some ear plugs in the four screw holes just inside the door. Since then my fridge has run for 2 months without issue. I'm not certain where it was leaking from (behind the heat sinks, the wire exit holes or the screw openings or all those locations). But it is clear my fridge was not sealed and now it is. Here is a look behind the lower heat sinks showing the gap between the plastic fridge liner and the fridges insulation. This is before I sealed that interface with Si caulk; the photo also shows one of the unsealed wire holes. And now for some items more of a nit picking nature (if I'm not already doing that...) The screws used on the kitchen curtain track block its movements The bolt on my propane tank clamp was bent Some velcro tabs on the r-dome were just placed wrong The lower track for the r-dome skirt does not allow the skirt peice of the dome slide to behind the wheel due to the location of these wires. (Without the skirt I found the r-dome mostly just collects bugs on the inside.) The window locks cannot close when the window is open (they hit the glass) and when the locks are open they get in the way of the blinds- Given my impression of the initial quality I was nervous heading from the East coast to travel all over the West for a solid month with my family. But I was surprised how well the unit held up. For the most part, after I fixed the fridge, the r-pod 179 functioned as it should. A couple of things broke after a solid month of travel, lucky for me this did not happen until literally our last day on the road. First the slide out began to open on its own while we were driving. I traced that issue to the switch on the wall used to open and close it and have ordered a new one for $20. It surprises me this switch can fail in this way given the potential consequences. I understand any mass produced units will have some failures, but one could design this switch such that failure would mean no signal not signal when you don't want it. I was able to close my slide out and then remove the fuse to its motor to get home. I have on order a new switch :) The fantastic fan was another other thing that stopped working after a month, -and this not until I was parked at home on the final day. It seems water collects on top of the fan (on the roof under the hinged skylight) in a pocket/hole just for the fantastic fan switch. On my camper, the only thing keeping this pooled water from the back of this switch was a round adhesive/sticker/tape. After a month the back of my switch got enough water in it to stop working. Another easy repair and something else Si caulk might fix nicely. But looking at how and why this switch failed after a month, -again I am "somewhat shocked" by the lack of effort to make a durable or quality product. Maybe they just forgot to add some caulk behind my fantastic fan switch on my camper. (I am adding a couple sentences about this switch failure a week after my initial post of these photos. I have had time today to take the fantastic vent fan apart and better understand my issue. Behind the switch there is nothing to stop water from getting into the switch, -just an small circular insect screen. I assume this means the switch gets hot and requires ventilation. I did not know this and thus the failure of my fan is really my fault, because as I usually drove down the road with the vent cover raised a few inches even in the rain, -to give my camper fresh air during the day. I guess the fan cover must always be closed while driving in rain because this switch is exposed on purpose.) The other issues are cosmetic. The edging of the kitchen counter top has begun to slightly separate /come unglued near the stove top. The same thing is happening to a panel seem behind the stove. This failure of glue surfaces may be associated with the heat generated by the stove as we sometimes made pancakes and coffee on our trip: After a month on the road I noticed this caulk start to fall off the top of a slide out seam: One final complaint is this sticker on my r-pod which in the excitement of buying I failed to really ponder: This could be translated to "Your brand new $13K camper is guaranteed not to leak for 3 months." And speaking of the owners manual, its is a very bizarre thing. It is not a manual for the rpod 179 or even r-pods in general. It is a "manual" for an abstracted /generalized RV camper trailer that is at once applicable to every RV trailer ever sold and useless to any particular trailer owner. Did anyone else get a manual specific to what they bought? If so please let me know, I find the "manual" I got to be quite bizarre. I did get manuals for the fridge, oven, TV and radio that are more specific. Well I hope this post helps others who are considering a new r-pod purchase to have more realistic expectations than I had going into my purchase. Despite my frustration with my 179 quality, it is a fact that my kids and I could not have had a better time traveling the West this summer. If I had a "do over" on my purchase, I might look for someone selling a fully tested / repaired camper with their mods & improvements at a lower cost.
	Jay r-pod179 05 Tacoma PreRunner

Leo B Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4508	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 2:52pm
	That is ridiculous, we has a 1/2 inch crack in our a/c cover that was cause by the installer over tightening a screw................we saw it during our walk through, we pointed it out to the warranty girl at our dealership. She photographed it and got us a new cover on warranty. My wife also found a couple of gear teeth marks on the rubber gasket the goes around the slide out. again the warranty girl photo'e it and it was replaced under warranty. We pay good money for these r-pods and so far I have to say that my DEALERSHIP and FOREST RIVER have stuck by their product and fixed any complaint we have had. When we got our 179, it did not have a manual for the microwave. We went to our dealership advised them that we did not get a manual...................bam! They got us a manual. Make the dealership where you bought your pod accountable and they will motivate Forest River when needed. Jay, once I saw that pod and all the things you photograph, I would have hauled it right back to the dealership and has a little walk through with the warranty person (and her camera) and the service manager so he could line up the repairs for the tech person to complete.
	Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171

Jay in Maryland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 28 Feb 2015 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 30	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 4:14pm
	If you look at my photos, you can see they reflect on how the r-pod was put together at the factory. I'm not sure what a dealer could do about any of these construction issues unless they had a better built r-pod on their lot. In my travels this summer I came across two other 2015 179's. While I could not crawl over every inch of them as I had mine, I looked them over carefully and saw a level of quality comparable to my unit. For me, things not working right like a leaking tail light, unsealed fridge, and broken switches are more easily and quickly repaired by doing it myself, than by hauling the camper to the dealership to have the warranty enforced. A dealership can not improve on the r-pod's overall build quality even if it wanted to. FR could do a better job of quality control, and I suspect they did a few years back. I hope my photos here inspire them to get back on track.
	Jay r-pod179 05 Tacoma PreRunner

starboardcarve Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 26 May 2015 Location: TX/MatagordaBay Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 6:34pm
	Jay: I agree with you 100% on the items your listed and pictured, the frig will be taken apart tomorrow and caulked along with the fan switch, per your notes. I'm an old construction engineer and also fix things myself as the dealer techs don't know much more about a particular model than we do. We just got back from a 26 day trip from south Texas to the Apostle Islands on lake superior and all worked well on the R-179 with only a few minor repairs needed. Also the outside shower box installed over the electrical service plug really bothers me as a design engineer, I had to put a plastic baggie & rubber band on it, just because. I only got fed up with the frig alarm and after following everyone's advice/repairs on this site I finally resorted to taking the control panel apart, removing the circuit board and drilling a hole in the alarm's diaphragm, peace at last, peace at last, I don't care about any consequences from my actions, good Lord we have peace at last. My wife said if that frig beeps one more time I'm going back to ice chests like the old pop up camper days. Thanks for all your efforts in making a great post for others to see and learn from. Carl
	"You can't change the Wind but you can adjust your Sails." Carl & Marty 2015 R Pod 179 2003 Chev. Suburban

johnmaci Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 17 Jun 2014 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 202	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 6:53pm
	They must have taken the video down from YouTube, cause I can't find it, but I recall a bit over a year or two ago, a video showing a bunch of guys throwing together RPods. They were like machines, and I remember hearing they could build something like 14 a day. Does anyone else remember this?

CFWARREN Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 12 Apr 2015 Location: Spokane, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 148	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 7:39pm
	You're right about the owner's manual, we all got the same, it's just a generic manual, nothing specific to the Rpod. One thing you can't blame Forest River for is the non-lining up of the velcro stips on the Rdome. FR doesn't make it, it's made in China by Dometic. But I'm curious, do you know which of the two plants your Rpod was made at...?? I have a little theory going here....
	2016 179 - Hood River Edition 2008 Nissan Xterra

Jay in Maryland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 28 Feb 2015 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 30	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 8:01pm
	Carl, Thanks for the kind words, it took a couple hours to load an organize those photos, glad someone appreciated the effort. I had to laugh about your wifes attitude over the fridge. My wife wanted to smash me and that fridge the first time it starting beeping in the middle of the night and I could not fix it right away.... CFWarren, My 179 was made in Ohio. One of the two 179s I saw this summer was a hood river edition 179, and I thought its quality was comparable to my unit. Keep in mind I documented every imperfection I found while making some mods over a couple weeks. I suspect a week or two crawling around in most units could produce similar photos, -but I do not know that is true.
	Jay r-pod179 05 Tacoma PreRunner

Commander203 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 19 Feb 2015 Location: Central Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 87	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 8:53pm
	Jay, Thanks for the critique of your 179. You have provided a lot of insight on what to look for when making an R-pod purchase. We will be picking up our 179 the week of 7 September. You can bet there will be a very thorough inspection based on what you found with yours. We only made a down payment on our purchase and will have a cashier's check in hand for the balance. We will insist on our walk through prior to handing over payment. If we find as many discrepancies as you found, that check will remain in our hands. Again, thanks a lot for the review.
	Mike & Erin 2013 Tundra 4.6L V8 (Tow PK) 2006 Honda Goldwing GL 1800 2005 Honda VTX 1800N

CFWARREN Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 12 Apr 2015 Location: Spokane, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 148	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 10:28pm
	Commander, you can look over every square inch of the Rpod you are buying, and you may well find many of the same issues, and I can just about bet that the person doing the walk through will tell you that those things fall within FR's acceptable levels, or they might call it "tolerance level", or some other BS thing they might come up for it at that dealership.
	2016 179 - Hood River Edition 2008 Nissan Xterra

CFWARREN Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 12 Apr 2015 Location: Spokane, Wa Online Status: Offline Posts: 148	Posted: 11 Aug 2015 at 10:33pm
	And don't be surprised if they refuse to do the walk through until they have cash in hand. Depending on the laws in your state, if you've already signed a contract, that's it, done deal. Where I live, in Washington State, we have a 3-day termination rule, on any contract, you can get out of it within 3 days, for any reason. I bought my Pod in Idaho, and guess what...?? No such rule in Idaho...! It's in the paperwork, all deals are final and no "change of mind" or however they put it in the paperwork.
	2016 179 - Hood River Edition 2008 Nissan Xterra