It was not just disappointing, it was a nightmare. I could write a book detailing all the problems we had to deal with. Things were so bad, we had to end our vacation and turn around for home after 2 days.I’ll start at the beginning. There were significant “red flags” that I ignored when I picked up the RV. I should have recognized them and refused to take it.First, the 'CHANGE ENGINE OIL' message on the dash I pointed out to Tin (Leah's husband) during the pre-trip inspection. He assured me the oil had been recently changed and the message was due to something not being reset at the time. This message disappeared while returning home, when on the interstate in PA (still hundreds of miles from home) the entire dash lit up, the engine choked and restarted (while doing 65mph), and a new message appeared that read ‘OIL PRESSURE’ along with a real-time pressure reading that was bouncing between 38psi and 40 psi. I took the next exit and by some miracle found a place to pull over, where the psi reading dropped into the teens. After checking the oil (it was ¼ on the dipstick) and adding a quart, the pressure message was replaced by the original oil change message. I didn’t see where I had any choice so I got back on the interstate and headed for home again. It was nerve wracking in the extreme as I anxiously waited for the problem to return. To make matters worse, I was unsuccessfully trying to deal with another major issue (the generator).The 2nd huge “red flag” was Tin’s warning about the generator batteries. He assured me that the generator was functional, even stating that he had been running it with no problems for hours before I arrived for the RV. However, he expressed doubts in the batteries holding a charge, and wondered aloud if the batteries, that he recently replaced, might be defective. Tin assured me that I could purchase and install new batteries (he would cover the cost) if I decided it was warranted. Between his confidence and my ignorance, this would turn out to be the tip of the iceberg, and the RV was the Titanic.The 3rd “red flag” occurred after taking the RV home to get packed for the trip. The generator stopped running and the batteries were dead. I had to jump start the generator from my car battery to get it running again. The 4th “red flag” was when I found that the rear view camera screen would not power on and the driver side power window didn’t work (both worked when I picked the RV up). I called Tin and he immediately recommended replacing the fuse (located inside/under the dashboard console). The fuse was toast and replacing it addressed both these problems. It was at this time that I discovered that Tin kept dozens of spare fuses in the RV. I also noticed the picture quality on the rear view camera was extremely poor. I feel like an idiot that I did not realize the implications and cancel the trip right then and there.There were many additional issues and problems, too many to go into detail here, but here’s a sample of a few of them.
1. The driver’s cabin was infested with ants. They started emerging from the dashboard after we were underway. I purchased 4 ant baits and deployed them as soon as we found a Walmart. The ants kept coming, so I purchased and deployed 8 more the next day. Believe it or not, the RV seemed to be ant free when I returned it.
2. The generator started shutting down in CT while the RV was in motion. It would restart with a jump, but was running for shorter periods each time. In NJ, I decided to follow Tin’s recommendation and acquire new batteries. Each service area we stopped at did not carry the batteries needed. The last service area manager I met checked the batteries and the cells were bone dry, so he filled them with water. He used a battery test device and confirmed that the batteries were dead and would not hold a charge. He sent me to a massive truck maintenance facility that would surely have the batteries I needed. The truck facility manager looked at me like I was crazy and stated flatly “we do not service RVs”, adding “we won’t even touch them”.
3. At this point, I was at my wits end. It was getting dark, my family was suffering (no generator = no A/C, no running water, no refrigerator/freezer), and our travel timetable was blown. This is when, out of nowhere, a stranger approached me and asked if he could maybe help. This Good Samaritan, whose name I never learned, I will never forget. He calmly reviewed the situation with me and proceeded to save us, if only temporarily. He had an emergency road-side kit that he gave to me. For free. He even refused to take cash from me. He used an electrical testing device on the generator itself and determined that it was not putting out any electrical charge whatsoever. He told me this means any new batteries would simply run down until they were dead as the current ones (he was right). He then showed me how to jump start the generator by attaching the jumper cables from the generator batteries to the main engine battery (ie. I wouldn’t need another jump from another vehicle or charger anymore). This man was both saint and savior to me, and refused to take a dime in compensation.
4. The horn didn’t work. Found that out when some idiot cut us off. Turns out it is kind of critical for communicating with other drivers on the road. At the least, the RV would not have passed a safety inspection because of it. To be honest, I don’t know if the horn was working when I picked up the RV or broke after the trip started.
5. The water flow in the shower was terrible.
6. The generator functioned for a couple of days, running for shorter and shorter periods, until it simply would not run anymore. It got to the point where I would jump start it, it would run anywhere from 3 to 7 seconds, then shut down.
7. This vehicle (a 2004) was showing wear and tear commensurate with its age. Lots of little things that I failed to notice when I picked it up. At least one of the rear tires showed signed of rot. The slide-outs had left deep scarring on the floors. Dozens of small things – rips, scratches, dings, exposed nail heads – marring of both interior and exterior surfaces – even the engine hood did not latch properly. Even the drivers cabin A/C barely put out lukewarm air and made loud grinding noises when turned up to maximum. There’s more that I’m not even mentioning here. Added all together, the issues become significant.
8. Lastly, due to my abbreviated usage time, combined with the problems mentioned above, I never had the opportunity to camp, so there’s features and appliances I never even got to try. I did deploy the awning (it’s a filthy mess) during a downpour and it leaked. Never got try the oven, the TVs, the gas grill – I don’t even know if the folding chairs were usable.I’d like to make clear that I found Leah and Tin to be earnest and supportive. Nice people in my judgement, but I think they need to recognize that without major refurbishing and repairs, their RV should not be rented out to anyone. Even Tin mentioned that it may have reached “end of life” when I dropped it off and related some of the problems it has. But I’m certain there was no intended malice on their part. The only negative I would note is the lack of an offer for a full refund of the rental charge. I would have settled for a 50% refund. To his credit, Tin did offer a partial refund, but it was less than 1/4th what I paid.
