As a Brinkley owner (also Z3100), I can confirm that Brinkley's customer service is outstanding. I can also confirm based on personal experience and the various user groups I'm in, that Brinkleys are great and dealers are awful. We use a mobile tech whenever we can.
Thank you for bringing this to light. Holding companies accountable on a platform like this will force them to improve, or get them out of the way for a better company to step up. Similar to what Brinkley is doing with the RV industry.
Some minor history, I’m in my mid sixties and we’ve owned motorhomes about 30 years now and back in the day getting things fixed by the dealer was pretty simple per say, fast forward my latest coach we bought is a 2021, gulfstream 6320 which is a big c. I had one item that was warranty and they did it wrong so that said I did it right and made sure to rub their noses in it including the technician who did it. Yeah. I’ve wrenched and repaired most everything we’ve owned myself. Helps when you’ve owned semi trucks for forty years. The industry is a shambles as far as some manufacturers, including Brinkley. They are the shining stars on the market right now but we’ll see how that goes future tense. Not hard to believe they was that neglected in doing such a simple job. Whom ever did that should have been suspended for a couple weeks, hit em in the pocketbook.
So many good tips, especially about using the brass fittings instead. As soon as they popped up on the screen, Craig said "they're just plastic??" and then you immediately said the same thing lol!
Yeah, my first thought was why the hell would you put plastic fitting on something going into a vehicle!!! I'm sure they saved .0035 cents per machine doing it, but the consequences of having a leak costs way more than that. We now tell everyone that asks about the washer to get new hoses!!! Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@ourrvsunsetsmany rigs are put in with plastic pex fittings, they’re built like that from the factory and they last 20 plus years no problem, but I agree when going into an existing brass fitting I wouldn’t have chose plastic… however if that was all I had I would have taken good care of installing them instead of wrenching down on them until they stripped like this place did..
@@bounderchris Agreed, the problem wasn't so much the hardware, it was the wetware between the ears of the installer!! 😉 That said I'm still going to suggest herring better hoses with brass fittings. Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Rosie and I have had eight fifth wheels in the last 53 years we have been married. Love our Brinkley and the people there are the best! One thing we learned long ago is to learn how to fix things ourselves and not depend on dealers. I know it isn't always possible. I put a second solar panel on and four Battleborn batteries. I made my own system to fasten them. I also put a 3000-watt inverter in and worked with Brinkley on how to wire it. We travelled to Alaska last summer and spent five months recently living off grid at the LTVA near Yuma, Az So far so good. Love the way you try to stay positive. Best of luck on down the road. Visit Burlington Bill on you tube for some music and a few camper videos.
I'm slowly. learning to fix things as they break. I figure between me and TH-cam I can fix about 95% of it. Thanks for the comment, going to check out your channel now!
Great information guys and what crappy workmanship. We haven't had to go to a dealer to have anything done, but have gone to the Tiffin Service Center & they were spot on with their work and fixes.
Another great video you guys. We also are Brinkley owners, and would agree with you about dealers. Though we are generally satisfied with our dealer. But they installed our washer dryer and managed to pinch one of the hoses so we weren’t getting any water. We did not know what the problem was, but since they installed it, we had them arrange for a mobile tech to come out who did a fantastic job of moving the washer and dryer out and repositioning the hoses. But by enlarge dealers just really don’t care. By the way you guys are really great at making videos.
Great Advice; yet been around this now 4 yrs. And had a Mobile Tech take care of our Fridge and this is the way to go; I won’t allow a dealer touch my rig. I have an GD Imagine.
We have taken our rig to our dealer twice for some repairs. One was a warranty fix for our floors blowing up like a balloon whenever we used our furnace 😂. Second time I accidentally broke the grey tank valve. No complaints other than the $$$ for fixing the valve. I normally fix most issues myself. We have zero mobile techs in our area.
In hind sight I should have done these upgrades myself. Installing the washer and dryer is a bit difficult as they are large appliances in a small space, but not something too difficult for me to do. And as for the batteries I wound up having to do that install anyways even after paying the dealer to do it.
Tons of great advice, water is for sure the biggest nemesis! So many fittings and connections to monitor. Glad you tracked it down, and that they're taking care of it.
Dude, there is really nothing worse than waking up to water in your bedroom. You can only imagine how pissed I was when I found out it was dealer negligence. For us it was one of those live and learn moments. Thanks for watching and commenting.
we are still dealing with the mess the dealership did on our upgrade. I wish I had seen your video before we did it. We might’ve thought twice or at the very least it would’ve been nice to have a heads up. Glad you got it worked out, thank you for the advice of the mobile tech will definitely look into them next time.
Sorry to hear you had to go through this too. I can certainly tell you how frustrating it is to find damage to your 90K rig because some knucklehead at the dealership just didn't care. We can tell you that once it finally does get fixed you'll be back to enjoying your rig. We're just now starting off on our summer/fall travel and both our faces are in a perpetual smile.
I’m glad everything worked out and I don’t even like buying an Rv from dealership much less any upgrades, I’m looking at a Brinkley mostly for the customer service
Thanks Tommy. It was a pain to have to go through it all, and really frustrating to have it happen on a brand new rig. In the end though we found a great mobile tech, and discovered how great Brinkleys customer service is.
We are all about the positive as well, but this was important information for people to hear so they can check the upgrades before leaving the dealer lot.
We struggled a bit on doing this one because of the negative side of it. We see so much negative stuff that is just designed to be click bait and we were afraid that it would be perceived as such. However, in the end we decided it was more important to hopefully help someone else not have to go through what we did. Thank you guys for watching and commenting!
We bought a mini light TT at Blue Compass RV in Ft Worth. Had them install 2 slide out covers. They first stripped out all the screws on the install. Took it back and they put rivets in and when they drilled the holes for the rivets, they drilled clean through the other side and holes on the inside of the camper. They ordered new panels to fix the inside holes took about 1 month, in the meantime the rivets started coming out, so they redid it again. You are 100% correct about letting dealer install stuff. I normally try and fix and do the installs myself, but it was January and they were slow is I let them do it 😡but not again.
Holly smokes I thought I had an issue with my dealer, you really got taken through the wringer!! It's crazy the stories I hear about what people have to deal with. I hope they eventually got it fixed.
I am so grateful that our dealer had an amazing PDI tech, he told us about everything he discovered but he missed a few minor things. And the installer of our Battleborn GC3 was fantastic. Our front compartment would not lock, and he fixed that - I think the slam latches should be checked and locked to see if they are locking. Our Gen Y install was not an issue, but we found two defects (minor ones) in the release cable (bent and kinked with abraded covering material)) and our chain was wonky. All in all though the dealer did a great job, but I’m not sure I like the inverter on the ceiling of the compartment. I did not realize it at the time since it was done before we picked it up, but if the leveling system brain needs work it’s not accessible. BTW when we went looking for a Brinkley, yours was a dealership we contacted. We opted for one far closer.
Having a PDI done was a good idea, we should have done that as well. I'm sure they would have known there was a slide issue just from the sound alone. We never caught it because that was the first rack and pinion slide rig we have ever owned. As far as we knew the sound it was making was normal. It obviously wasn't and we discovered that when it broke. As for the dealer, I should say that the purchase process was fine. They made it easy and the sales staff was great, It's the service side of that dealer I would never trust. They should have flagged that slide issue, and they obviously should have done a better job on the installs they botched!!
@@ourrvsunsets I asked him if he was a pro or independent inspector and he wasn’t - just an employee. But he was a tank specialist in the Army! That does mean attention to details.
I have yet to talk with anyone that wasn't happy with the service they have gotten from Brinkley. We couldn't be happier with out decision to go with them. Thanks for the comment!!
I think your advice for using a mobile RV tech is sound advice. I really hadn't thought of using one until you had mentioned it as an option. Regarding RV dealers I think you are spot on. We own an Airstream and have been warned by other Airstream owners in the area to stay away from the Airstream dealer near up in WI as their work is poor and they charge alot. Instead we've used smaller service businesses that deal with trailers to do the maintenance like changing out the seven pin electrical plug and the cord leading back to the junction and repacking wheel bearings.
We made the mistake of thinking that we had good service from the dealer in the past, so we trusted them. I don't know if it was a change in personnel in the service department, or may the new owner was pushing then harder to turn things around. Either way the workmanship was just shoddy as all get out. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for putting in the time and effort to produce another informative video. We have had service done multiple times at our dealer, and have always been happy with their work. Of course it's a small privately owned dealership.
We're actually very happy to hear that you found a good dealer that has done good work, I was starting to wonder if they even existed. Please feel free to share the name and location so others can know who they are. I think because they are a small privately owned dealer plays into that. Smaller ones have to be more concerned about customer satisfaction.
We are waiting on delivery on our Z3610 that we ordered from Blue Compass. The service has been my fear since we placed the order. We’ve left multiple messages for Blue Compass sales over the past 6 weeks and they have never returned any of our phone calls. Thank you for putting this out there. We will not be using Blue Compass to install any of our upgrades.
You're quite welcome. It's crazy how dealerships can act like this. You've ordered a $100,000 rig from them and they can't even return a call. I can only imagine how frustrating that is. On the bright side I am sure you will love the rig once you get it. Also, in case you aren't aware, there is a Facebook group for Model Z owners that is run by Brinkley. They monitor it and it's a great way to get answers from them and other owners, I'll link it below. Congrats on the new rig!!! facebook.com/groups/modelzowners
Excellent video unfortunately at your expense. Excellent presentation you sucked us in and we hung on every word and your whole experience. So sorry we missed the premiere but made sure to watch right away. So wow we get you we have been lucky enough to have some great service but we have seen the RV industry and these places change ownership so many times and that can really make a difference. It sure pays to have a good tech. Funny thing one of the first things that happened to us in our current RV within a couple months on a big trip our slide wouldn't move omg it sucked anyway we called they walked us through a few things but couldn't help us until we got back but something we didn't know that made us hold our breath was we didn't know we can push the slide in and out ourselves and so we would push it out together and then went outside and pushed it in made us nervous but worked. It was fixed later but funny thing we just talked about last weekend which is almost 3 years later we still hold our breathe when the slide goes in and out. LOL!! 😊 no shocker this video was amazingly executed and done very well!! Gonna be a big hit and your tips at the end were perfect!! 😊 well done!
Thanks for the kind words on the video! Yeah the slide thing is something that always stresses us out too. The real irony is that we had a notoriously troublesome Schwintech slide on our previous Grand Design Imagine travel trailer and it never gave us any trouble. Then we got this rig and one the super robust rack and pinion slides goes south on us. We're actually glad it broke when it did though. We were stationary and had already made contact with our mobile tech for another issue. It's one of the reasons we bought the rig in November. We knew we would be in San Diego for 5 or 6 months so it was the perfect time for any that was going to break, to break!!
Thanks amigo!! Hey BTW congrats in the Silver Circle!! It really could not have happened to a more deserving guy. I got a big smile when I saw that you were being inducted.
Valuable information. I am getting ready to by a Brinkley. But, from I have heard the large conglomerate dealer are like that. You are better off with the smaller independently owned dealers for upgrades and ask to watch the installation process. However, that to can present problems when you are on the road.
We own a different mfg’s RV, but we can say the same about big dealerships. We took ours in for a few things that needed to be fixed and they had our RV for almost 3 months and we could not get a hold of anyone for an update so we had to literally drive to the dealership to take back our RV! And they still did not fix what they were supposed to and the customer service is absolutely horrible. There are multiple dealership locations where we are at that do this same thing…..keep the rv’s for weeks and weeks…..and no one at the dealership will respond. They are only good at selling an RV and that is it…..they don’t care about service after the sell.
Thank you for the great information and advice. We're in Canada and don't know of any mobile tech companies that operate in Ontario so fingers crossed out Z2900 doesn't have any issues we can't handle ourselves. Our dealership is privately owned and this will be our third RV from them and we are confident they'll install the generator, lithium batteries, inverter, slide toppers and Gen-Y gooseneck properly.
Yeah I think you'll have better luck with a small privately owned dealer. However I would make them aware of switching your converter over to lithium for the new batteries. To tell if they have done it open up the wall slide on the back of the pass through, from there you can see the converter on the side wall (passenger side of the trailer). Look through the cooling vents and you'll se a colored LED on the circuit board. If the light is green it's still in lead acid mode, if the light is blue then it's been switched over to lithium. Congrats on the new rig, you're really going to love your Brinkley!!
Excellent video guys sorry you had to go through all the pains with the crappy workmanship from the dealer. For your batteries they really don't need to be in a box that is vented to the outside. Just get a piece of sheet metal and screw it down just add a couple hooks and a strap to hold them in place.
Yeah, that's pretty much my plan. I want to remover that box, cover that area with a chunk of sheet metal and secure the batteries onto it like you suggested. Now just fining the time and resources to get it done.
Blue Compass gobbled up two, well-established, good reputation dealerships in my area. Not only are they not supporting customers who bought at those dealerships before the takeovers, every review since indicates they'll promise the world during the sale. However, once the purchase is done the support and service is horrendous! Unfortunately, I have friends and family caught up in the mess and Blue Compass really doesn’t seem to care about customers. Honestly, all the dealers that really cared are no longer in the business here. The slide mechanism issue. That's all Lippert. The frames are delivered with the slide mechanism in place. We had the EXACT same failure on my 2020 Solitude's kitchen slide. Lippert's mobile team repaired ours along with a Grand Design SRT. Good luck to you, and glad the manufacturer is supportive!
Not sure when that bracket bent on the slide motor, but the assembly that replaced it is a much better design. The way the motor is integrated into the ram will certainly keep what we had happen to us from happening again. Sorry to hear that Blue Compass is not supporting the previous customers, that's just bad business practice. Of course this is what happens when industries are allowed to conglomerate into just a couple corporations owning everything. Without competition the whole capitalist economic model starts falling apart for the consumer. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!!
Guys...we are so sorry to see all of these issues. QC in RV mfg is abhorrent and workmanship and responsiveness at dealers is equally abhorrent. We had a dryer vent installed and they were off by about 5 degrees so when we are level its not. Then when we had it in for service, their fork lift slammed our pin box and yeah...bent the S&*t out of it.
UHG!!!! Yeha, were done with taking the rig to a dealer for work. From here on out either we do the repairs ourself, or we get a mobile tech to do it. After talking with other RV owners about this kind of stuff I am amazed at how prevalent the shoddy workmanship and service from dealers are. I'm even more amazed at how we, the RV'ing public, haven't revolted against the dealers!!! Thanks for watching and commenting. Safe travels to you guys!!
Brinkley owners seem to be one of, if not the most satisfied RV owners out there right now. I just hope the rumors of them selling out to one of the large corporate conglomerates isn't true. Just look what's happened with Grand Design since that happened.
That rumor is just that, a rumor. It was started by a TH-cam channel looking for click bait. One of the owners of Brinkley commented on the video that they have not sold and have no plans to do so.
So i bought my first RV from Blue Compass in my opinion the are in a race with Camping world to see who can SCREW the most customers !!!! { note to self never again will i step foot in either company store }
I didn’t think it was possible to cross thread those fittings, I put a water pump in the other day and it was starting to cross thread only for the first thread and it just popped off both times I went around and then when I aligned it right it went right on… but at the end of the day I am always feeling for cross threading, and maybe it’s because I’m using plastic on plastic but you’d have to be a complete fool to cross thread those, IF it’s even possible… what it sounds like to me is they put them on and over tightened them with the channel locks and that’s what compromised it… because when you over tighten those plastic connections especially on brass then I could see them jumping off the threads and going sideways… I hope you dried everything out so there is no wood rot! As for letting the dealer work on it… ha… I’d assume to find the nearest toddler in pull-ups and pay him to do the work before I let the dealer do anything
After our experience I think the your right, the toddler would have been a better choice! We did leave the area opened and put a fan on it for a day to dry out everything we could. There was a little water damage on the wood cabinet but Brinkley sent us the parts to fix that. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry that was a loose end that I never tied up. The mechanism was still on the motor, it's just when the housing broke it shifted the motor to a point where that rod with the bolt head fell back behind the opening in the frame that it would normally protrude out of. Thanks for the comment and for watching!!
It certainly wasn't fun to have to go through all of that. But now that we're fixed up and back on the road things are much happier! Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Noticed your desk setup in the background, I need something similar. I assume you did that aftermarket, where did you purchase the desk unit from if you don't mind me asking? All the best to you!
It's actually the original desk that came with the Brinkley. They have since changed over to a new style desk, here's a link to a video on that one. th-cam.com/users/shortsfV5ZDapKB9g?si=eakdwdSWhuWvHBvD
I have a small issue with my travel trailer that I’m going to fix myself, even though my camper is brand new and hasn’t even been used yet. They want to keep the camper for “maybe a month” for what should maybe take half an hour.
That's crazy. You're doing the right thing by fixing it yourself. I try to fix all of our stuff whenever I can. Between me and TH-cam most of it is doable.
I’ve not heard one person say they had a good dealer. Really wish Brinkley could cut out the dealer. Great video! Are you still happy with the washer/dryer decision?
I wish Brinkley would cut them out as well, but I am sure setting up to be your own dealer is a lot more complicated than we realize. Manufacturing seems to be their forte so I'm just glad they are doing that so well. As for the washer and dryer we would make the same decision again. Toni is so much happier and less stressed over laundry now, it was so worth it!!
I'd like to know about the Brinkley itself - sounds like you are satisfied with the unit and company. I'm considering the new bumper pull unit they are coming out with.
We 100% are huge fans of the Brinkley, both the trailer and the company. In all honesty the issues that were caused from the botched install of the washer were caused by the dealer, not Brinkley. Brinkley could have easily told us we have to deal with the dealer since they were the cause of the damage. However, they never once even hinted at that. They immediately said they would cover the repair, both parts and labor. They were very timely sending the parts our way, and had no issue with us using a mobile tech. Having something break on a new trailer is a certainty, it's just going to happen. That said I think the most important aspect of a manufacturer is their service after sale. Brinkley has that service in spades. Even with the issues we've had we would 100% purchase a Brinkley again!
They seem to be trying to unseat camping world as the largest dealer. As you can imagine they certainly won't be getting anymore of our business. Thanks for watching!
First thing I thought when you said blue compass it’s a mega company and they have a horrible reputation across all of America Please everyone buy off of a mom and pop dealer do you research everyone on your dealership don’t trust all these you tube channels representing their dealership
I would agree with this. If you can find a small mom and pop dealer I would go there. I think with a smaller dealer there will be a better chance that they'll value customer service as well as sales volume. Thank you for the comment!
Master plumber here, in the market for a Brinkley.... Your thoughts on the cross thread is accurate. Any type of compression fitting that uses a plastic nut is hideous - not a Brinkley issue but it just goes to show how bad the RV service industry is. It's laughable, from a professional contractors perspective. The slide mechs.... Ffs..... Do all these garbage producing support manufacturers all recruit the same mechanical engineers from the same local junior college? It's astounding how bad these folks can design. I truly hate to say it but China engineers better mechanicals.... Which is terrible. I want to be in a board meeting when the topic of cost savings and mechanical actuation comes up. These dummies go cheap on the most important structural accessories. That said, for me personally, I can fix all this crap. This however is my career, not yours or anyone else's. The fact I want to buy a 120k+ 5th wheel, knowing I'll use all of my college education (EE) and work experience to perform a handful of cool upgrades and numerous repairs is (bloody) madness. As I sit, I am currently reenginnering a residential NAME BRAND tankless water heater to fit and perform far better than the junk rv manus are incorporating. When I figure it out, I'll move on to condensing units that use about 20% less LP. my goal? Wash a load of whites (hot) take a shower, while my wife fills a pitcher of reverse osmosis water & preps for dinner all while boondocking. But that's just me. With respect to this video... The thing that annoyed me the most was the 2 spot welds that appear to hold the control arm in place was made of scrap metal on the floor in glorious Indiana. Unacceptable with this price point. While I can appreciate your wanting to pump out positive content, facts and actualities without the sugar coatings far outweigh feelings of bliss and arm tingles. Thank you for posting what is and not a lens filter narrative 👍
Thank for this post. I agree that there is a lot of substandard workmanship when it comes to the RV world. That's why I have always said that the manufacturer standing behind their build is what is really important! Luckily with Brinkley that has been the case so far. Thank you as well for noticing we are not putting the rose colored glasses on this. We want to push out the positive side of things, but we also want to be honest about it. There is a lot of upside to full-time RVing, but you have to take the good with the bad. And we'll talk about that side as well. Thanks for watching and taking the time to add your comment!
We live about 2 miles from that Holland/Blue Compass RV dealer and went through their options on the lot. The sales folks seemed great, but I did get a feeling they just wanted to sell me an RV and get me out the door. Did you use an RV inspector when you bought your Brinkley? We plan to when we finally decide what to get, but don't know who to call yet.
We didn't use an inspector, but if we had to do it again we absolutely would have. I'm certain that an inspector would have noticed there was something wrong with the slide. If you watch in the video when the slide breaks, you can hear that the gears on the motor are mot meshed correctly and are binding up. With us being new to rack and pinion slides we just assumed that's what they sound like. I am certain an inspector would have noticed that and discovered the bent bracket. And honestly the dealer should have noticed that sound and done something to fix it. Instead they unloaded the problem on to us. If you are thinking about buying from that dealer the sales process for us was pretty straight forward and easy to do. I would just avoid the service side of the place. And yes have an inspector go through the rig first. If you have upgrades you want to do just purchase those after market and then contact the mobile tech we linked in the show notes and have him do them. We've recommended him you other folks and everyone has been happy with his work. Good luck purchasing your new rig. It can be a stressful process but after it's done you're off on new adventures!
If you want a Brinkley, drive to Mike Thompson RV in Fountain Valley. They’re very clean and their Unite are in perfect condition. FYI they let you hire a private inspection from an outside company.
@@tishb62 Thanks! I'll check them out... and when it boils down to it, if any place says I can't use a private inspector, I just won't do business with them.
My dealership change won't from a local owned place to a blue point also customer service went considerably downhill unit sat there for 6 months and didn't get fixed and when I picked it up there was a dent in the back that I have to take it back and get fixed probably not going to happen
@@ourrvsunsets they offered to but need to take back within 30days and we had to much camping plain and pay for no way I could do that. And they where going call me when part came and they never did. So guess in the end they did nothing. Because The fireplace still not working
Probably because it's more profitable to just get the rig out the door and move on to the next one. And when you're a big national chain of dealers you're not depending on people coming back to you for service. It's unfortunate but I think its true.
If you have had to have service done in the past did you have a dealer do it? If so how did that turn out?
As a Brinkley owner (also Z3100), I can confirm that Brinkley's customer service is outstanding. I can also confirm based on personal experience and the various user groups I'm in, that Brinkleys are great and dealers are awful. We use a mobile tech whenever we can.
I couldn't have said it better myself amigo! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thank you for bringing this to light. Holding companies accountable on a platform like this will force them to improve, or get them out of the way for a better company to step up. Similar to what Brinkley is doing with the RV industry.
Agreed! Thanks for the comment.
Great video! This is why I do EVERYTHING myself.
Yeah, after this experience we either do it ourselves, or use a mobile tech. No more dealers for us!
It was so nice to meet you both and thank you again for the impromptu tour of your Brinkley yesterday !! Happy travels 🎉
It was lovely to meet you as well. Good luck on your hunt for a 5th wheel. You're gonna love the full-time RV life!!
Some minor history, I’m in my mid sixties and we’ve owned motorhomes about 30 years now and back in the day getting things fixed by the dealer was pretty simple per say, fast forward my latest coach we bought is a 2021, gulfstream 6320 which is a big c. I had one item that was warranty and they did it wrong so that said I did it right and made sure to rub their noses in it including the technician who did it. Yeah. I’ve wrenched and repaired most everything we’ve owned myself. Helps when you’ve owned semi trucks for forty years. The industry is a shambles as far as some manufacturers, including Brinkley. They are the shining stars on the market right now but we’ll see how that goes future tense. Not hard to believe they was that neglected in doing such a simple job. Whom ever did that should have been suspended for a couple weeks, hit em in the pocketbook.
Yep I would agree with your statements here. Thanks for watching and commenting!
So many good tips, especially about using the brass fittings instead. As soon as they popped up on the screen, Craig said "they're just plastic??" and then you immediately said the same thing lol!
Yeah, my first thought was why the hell would you put plastic fitting on something going into a vehicle!!! I'm sure they saved .0035 cents per machine doing it, but the consequences of having a leak costs way more than that. We now tell everyone that asks about the washer to get new hoses!!!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@ourrvsunsetsmany rigs are put in with plastic pex fittings, they’re built like that from the factory and they last 20 plus years no problem, but I agree when going into an existing brass fitting I wouldn’t have chose plastic… however if that was all I had I would have taken good care of installing them instead of wrenching down on them until they stripped like this place did..
@@bounderchris Agreed, the problem wasn't so much the hardware, it was the wetware between the ears of the installer!! 😉 That said I'm still going to suggest herring better hoses with brass fittings. Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Mobile tech’s are definitely the way to go!
#Truth
Rosie and I have had eight fifth wheels in the last 53 years we have been married. Love our Brinkley and the people there are the best! One thing we learned long ago is to learn how to fix things ourselves and not depend on dealers. I know it isn't always possible. I put a second solar panel on and four Battleborn batteries. I made my own system to fasten them. I also put a 3000-watt inverter in and worked with Brinkley on how to wire it. We travelled to Alaska last summer and spent five months recently living off grid at the LTVA near Yuma, Az So far so good. Love the way you try to stay positive. Best of luck on down the road. Visit Burlington Bill on you tube for some music and a few camper videos.
I'm slowly. learning to fix things as they break. I figure between me and TH-cam I can fix about 95% of it. Thanks for the comment, going to check out your channel now!
Great information guys and what crappy workmanship. We haven't had to go to a dealer to have anything done, but have gone to the Tiffin Service Center & they were spot on with their work and fixes.
Another great video you guys. We also are Brinkley owners, and would agree with you about dealers. Though we are generally satisfied with our dealer. But they installed our washer dryer and managed to pinch one of the hoses so we weren’t getting any water. We did not know what the problem was, but since they installed it, we had them arrange for a mobile tech to come out who did a fantastic job of moving the washer and dryer out and repositioning the hoses. But by enlarge dealers just really don’t care. By the way you guys are really great at making videos.
Great Advice; yet been around this now 4 yrs. And had a Mobile Tech take care of our Fridge and this is the way to go; I won’t allow a dealer touch my rig. I have an GD Imagine.
We have taken our rig to our dealer twice for some repairs. One was a warranty fix for our floors blowing up like a balloon whenever we used our furnace 😂. Second time I accidentally broke the grey tank valve. No complaints other than the $$$ for fixing the valve. I normally fix most issues myself. We have zero mobile techs in our area.
In hind sight I should have done these upgrades myself. Installing the washer and dryer is a bit difficult as they are large appliances in a small space, but not something too difficult for me to do. And as for the batteries I wound up having to do that install anyways even after paying the dealer to do it.
Thank you for showing us. You really know how to make videos interesting. Much respect to you sir. Great weekend to you as well. 👍
Thanks so much for your kind words on our videos!!! We hoe you are having a lovely weekend as well!
Tons of great advice, water is for sure the biggest nemesis! So many fittings and connections to monitor. Glad you tracked it down, and that they're taking care of it.
Dude, there is really nothing worse than waking up to water in your bedroom. You can only imagine how pissed I was when I found out it was dealer negligence. For us it was one of those live and learn moments. Thanks for watching and commenting.
we are still dealing with the mess the dealership did on our upgrade. I wish I had seen your video before we did it. We might’ve thought twice or at the very least it would’ve been nice to have a heads up. Glad you got it worked out, thank you for the advice of the mobile tech will definitely look into them next time.
Sorry to hear you had to go through this too. I can certainly tell you how frustrating it is to find damage to your 90K rig because some knucklehead at the dealership just didn't care.
We can tell you that once it finally does get fixed you'll be back to enjoying your rig. We're just now starting off on our summer/fall travel and both our faces are in a perpetual smile.
I’m glad everything worked out and I don’t even like buying an Rv from dealership much less any upgrades, I’m looking at a Brinkley mostly for the customer service
You'll be happy with Brinkley. Their Customer service is stellar!
You’ve convinced us… no upgrades for the dealer. Sorry for the ass pain you had to go through. Great video!
Thanks Tommy. It was a pain to have to go through it all, and really frustrating to have it happen on a brand new rig. In the end though we found a great mobile tech, and discovered how great Brinkleys customer service is.
We are all about the positive as well, but this was important information for people to hear so they can check the upgrades before leaving the dealer lot.
We struggled a bit on doing this one because of the negative side of it. We see so much negative stuff that is just designed to be click bait and we were afraid that it would be perceived as such. However, in the end we decided it was more important to hopefully help someone else not have to go through what we did. Thank you guys for watching and commenting!
We bought a mini light TT at Blue Compass RV in Ft Worth. Had them install 2 slide out covers. They first stripped out all the screws on the install. Took it back and they put rivets in and when they drilled the holes for the rivets, they drilled clean through the other side and holes on the inside of the camper. They ordered new panels to fix the inside holes took about 1 month, in the meantime the rivets started coming out, so they redid it again. You are 100% correct about letting dealer install stuff. I normally try and fix and do the installs myself, but it was January and they were slow is I let them do it 😡but not again.
Holly smokes I thought I had an issue with my dealer, you really got taken through the wringer!! It's crazy the stories I hear about what people have to deal with. I hope they eventually got it fixed.
I am so grateful that our dealer had an amazing PDI tech, he told us about everything he discovered but he missed a few minor things. And the installer of our Battleborn GC3 was fantastic. Our front compartment would not lock, and he fixed that - I think the slam latches should be checked and locked to see if they are locking. Our Gen Y install was not an issue, but we found two defects (minor ones) in the release cable (bent and kinked with abraded covering material)) and our chain was wonky. All in all though the dealer did a great job, but I’m not sure I like the inverter on the ceiling of the compartment. I did not realize it at the time since it was done before we picked it up, but if the leveling system brain needs work it’s not accessible. BTW when we went looking for a Brinkley, yours was a dealership we contacted. We opted for one far closer.
Having a PDI done was a good idea, we should have done that as well. I'm sure they would have known there was a slide issue just from the sound alone. We never caught it because that was the first rack and pinion slide rig we have ever owned. As far as we knew the sound it was making was normal. It obviously wasn't and we discovered that when it broke.
As for the dealer, I should say that the purchase process was fine. They made it easy and the sales staff was great, It's the service side of that dealer I would never trust. They should have flagged that slide issue, and they obviously should have done a better job on the installs they botched!!
@@ourrvsunsets I asked him if he was a pro or independent inspector and he wasn’t - just an employee. But he was a tank specialist in the Army! That does mean attention to details.
that exact water leak happened to us in our g3500 and Brinkly handle it amazingly amazing they are a so far they are a great company
I have yet to talk with anyone that wasn't happy with the service they have gotten from Brinkley. We couldn't be happier with out decision to go with them. Thanks for the comment!!
⅓ of the way through this video, the first one of yours I’ve watched, and I hit the subscribe button. Well done you!
Well thank you for the subscribe!! Have a look around and see what else you like. And if you have any questions feel free to fire away with them!
Thanks so much for the video. I have been very impressed with. Brinkley customer support.
Yep, they have been amazing to work with. Thank you for watching and commenting!
I think your advice for using a mobile RV tech is sound advice. I really hadn't thought of using one until you had mentioned it as an option. Regarding RV dealers I think you are spot on. We own an Airstream and have been warned by other Airstream owners in the area to stay away from the Airstream dealer near up in WI as their work is poor and they charge alot. Instead we've used smaller service businesses that deal with trailers to do the maintenance like changing out the seven pin electrical plug and the cord leading back to the junction and repacking wheel bearings.
We made the mistake of thinking that we had good service from the dealer in the past, so we trusted them. I don't know if it was a change in personnel in the service department, or may the new owner was pushing then harder to turn things around. Either way the workmanship was just shoddy as all get out. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for putting in the time and effort to produce another informative video. We have had service done multiple times at our dealer, and have always been happy with their work. Of course it's a small privately owned dealership.
We're actually very happy to hear that you found a good dealer that has done good work, I was starting to wonder if they even existed. Please feel free to share the name and location so others can know who they are. I think because they are a small privately owned dealer plays into that. Smaller ones have to be more concerned about customer satisfaction.
We are waiting on delivery on our Z3610 that we ordered from Blue Compass. The service has been my fear since we placed the order. We’ve left multiple messages for Blue Compass sales over the past 6 weeks and they have never returned any of our phone calls. Thank you for putting this out there. We will not be using Blue Compass to install any of our upgrades.
You're quite welcome. It's crazy how dealerships can act like this. You've ordered a $100,000 rig from them and they can't even return a call. I can only imagine how frustrating that is.
On the bright side I am sure you will love the rig once you get it. Also, in case you aren't aware, there is a Facebook group for Model Z owners that is run by Brinkley. They monitor it and it's a great way to get answers from them and other owners, I'll link it below. Congrats on the new rig!!!
facebook.com/groups/modelzowners
Excellent video unfortunately at your expense. Excellent presentation you sucked us in and we hung on every word and your whole experience. So sorry we missed the premiere but made sure to watch right away. So wow we get you we have been lucky enough to have some great service but we have seen the RV industry and these places change ownership so many times and that can really make a difference. It sure pays to have a good tech. Funny thing one of the first things that happened to us in our current RV within a couple months on a big trip our slide wouldn't move omg it sucked anyway we called they walked us through a few things but couldn't help us until we got back but something we didn't know that made us hold our breath was we didn't know we can push the slide in and out ourselves and so we would push it out together and then went outside and pushed it in made us nervous but worked. It was fixed later but funny thing we just talked about last weekend which is almost 3 years later we still hold our breathe when the slide goes in and out. LOL!! 😊 no shocker this video was amazingly executed and done very well!! Gonna be a big hit and your tips at the end were perfect!! 😊 well done!
Thanks for the kind words on the video! Yeah the slide thing is something that always stresses us out too. The real irony is that we had a notoriously troublesome Schwintech slide on our previous Grand Design Imagine travel trailer and it never gave us any trouble. Then we got this rig and one the super robust rack and pinion slides goes south on us. We're actually glad it broke when it did though. We were stationary and had already made contact with our mobile tech for another issue. It's one of the reasons we bought the rig in November. We knew we would be in San Diego for 5 or 6 months so it was the perfect time for any that was going to break, to break!!
You're a natural, my friend.
Thanks amigo!! Hey BTW congrats in the Silver Circle!! It really could not have happened to a more deserving guy. I got a big smile when I saw that you were being inducted.
Valuable information. I am getting ready to by a Brinkley. But, from I have heard the large conglomerate dealer are like that. You are better off with the smaller independently owned dealers for upgrades and ask to watch the installation process. However, that to can present problems when you are on the road.
Totally agree with this statement. I think going with a smaller mom and pop type dealer is the way to go.
We own a different mfg’s RV, but we can say the same about big dealerships. We took ours in for a few things that needed to be fixed and they had our RV for almost 3 months and we could not get a hold of anyone for an update so we had to literally drive to the dealership to take back our RV! And they still did not fix what they were supposed to and the customer service is absolutely horrible. There are multiple dealership locations where we are at that do this same thing…..keep the rv’s for weeks and weeks…..and no one at the dealership will respond. They are only good at selling an RV and that is it…..they don’t care about service after the sell.
That was exactly our experience, great at selling and nothing else. Sorry you had to go through all that.
Do you think all the small dealerships are talented and care? lol
Thank you for the great information and advice. We're in Canada and don't know of any mobile tech companies that operate in Ontario so fingers crossed out Z2900 doesn't have any issues we can't handle ourselves. Our dealership is privately owned and this will be our third RV from them and we are confident they'll install the generator, lithium batteries, inverter, slide toppers and Gen-Y gooseneck properly.
Yeah I think you'll have better luck with a small privately owned dealer. However I would make them aware of switching your converter over to lithium for the new batteries. To tell if they have done it open up the wall slide on the back of the pass through, from there you can see the converter on the side wall (passenger side of the trailer). Look through the cooling vents and you'll se a colored LED on the circuit board. If the light is green it's still in lead acid mode, if the light is blue then it's been switched over to lithium. Congrats on the new rig, you're really going to love your Brinkley!!
@@ourrvsunsets thanks
Excellent video guys sorry you had to go through all the pains with the crappy workmanship from the dealer. For your batteries they really don't need to be in a box that is vented to the outside. Just get a piece of sheet metal and screw it down just add a couple hooks and a strap to hold them in place.
Yeah, that's pretty much my plan. I want to remover that box, cover that area with a chunk of sheet metal and secure the batteries onto it like you suggested. Now just fining the time and resources to get it done.
Blue Compass gobbled up two, well-established, good reputation dealerships in my area. Not only are they not supporting customers who bought at those dealerships before the takeovers, every review since indicates they'll promise the world during the sale. However, once the purchase is done the support and service is horrendous! Unfortunately, I have friends and family caught up in the mess and Blue Compass really doesn’t seem to care about customers. Honestly, all the dealers that really cared are no longer in the business here.
The slide mechanism issue. That's all Lippert. The frames are delivered with the slide mechanism in place. We had the EXACT same failure on my 2020 Solitude's kitchen slide. Lippert's mobile team repaired ours along with a Grand Design SRT.
Good luck to you, and glad the manufacturer is supportive!
Not sure when that bracket bent on the slide motor, but the assembly that replaced it is a much better design. The way the motor is integrated into the ram will certainly keep what we had happen to us from happening again.
Sorry to hear that Blue Compass is not supporting the previous customers, that's just bad business practice. Of course this is what happens when industries are allowed to conglomerate into just a couple corporations owning everything. Without competition the whole capitalist economic model starts falling apart for the consumer.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting!!
Guys...we are so sorry to see all of these issues. QC in RV mfg is abhorrent and workmanship and responsiveness at dealers is equally abhorrent. We had a dryer vent installed and they were off by about 5 degrees so when we are level its not. Then when we had it in for service, their fork lift slammed our pin box and yeah...bent the S&*t out of it.
UHG!!!! Yeha, were done with taking the rig to a dealer for work. From here on out either we do the repairs ourself, or we get a mobile tech to do it. After talking with other RV owners about this kind of stuff I am amazed at how prevalent the shoddy workmanship and service from dealers are. I'm even more amazed at how we, the RV'ing public, haven't revolted against the dealers!!!
Thanks for watching and commenting. Safe travels to you guys!!
Brinkley owners seem to be one of, if not the most satisfied RV owners out there right now. I just hope the rumors of them selling out to one of the large corporate conglomerates isn't true. Just look what's happened with Grand Design since that happened.
That rumor is just that, a rumor. It was started by a TH-cam channel looking for click bait. One of the owners of Brinkley commented on the video that they have not sold and have no plans to do so.
So i bought my first RV from Blue Compass in my opinion the are in a race with Camping world to see who can SCREW the most customers !!!!
{ note to self never again will i step foot in either company store }
Yep, we're done with them too.
Big shout out to Blue Shit R.V. They bought out Harper Camper Land in Kansas,the dealer i used to like. Will procede with caution . Thanks
Honestly the sales side was fine, but the service department really dropped the ball on this one. Thanks for the comment!
Agree with you 💯 %
I didn’t think it was possible to cross thread those fittings, I put a water pump in the other day and it was starting to cross thread only for the first thread and it just popped off both times I went around and then when I aligned it right it went right on… but at the end of the day I am always feeling for cross threading, and maybe it’s because I’m using plastic on plastic but you’d have to be a complete fool to cross thread those, IF it’s even possible… what it sounds like to me is they put them on and over tightened them with the channel locks and that’s what compromised it… because when you over tighten those plastic connections especially on brass then I could see them jumping off the threads and going sideways… I hope you dried everything out so there is no wood rot! As for letting the dealer work on it… ha… I’d assume to find the nearest toddler in pull-ups and pay him to do the work before I let the dealer do anything
After our experience I think the your right, the toddler would have been a better choice! We did leave the area opened and put a fan on it for a day to dry out everything we could. There was a little water damage on the wood cabinet but Brinkley sent us the parts to fix that. Thanks for watching and commenting!
The sad part is we see this all the time!!
Great video... what happened with the manual slide out rod and nut that was missing? Thank you!!
Sorry that was a loose end that I never tied up. The mechanism was still on the motor, it's just when the housing broke it shifted the motor to a point where that rod with the bolt head fell back behind the opening in the frame that it would normally protrude out of. Thanks for the comment and for watching!!
Sad story
It certainly wasn't fun to have to go through all of that. But now that we're fixed up and back on the road things are much happier! Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Noticed your desk setup in the background, I need something similar. I assume you did that aftermarket, where did you purchase the desk unit from if you don't mind me asking? All the best to you!
It's actually the original desk that came with the Brinkley. They have since changed over to a new style desk, here's a link to a video on that one.
th-cam.com/users/shortsfV5ZDapKB9g?si=eakdwdSWhuWvHBvD
@@ourrvsunsets Nice to know, really appreciate you sharing this!
@@provisiontech1 No problem at all amigo! Good luck on the desk hunt. Having a comfortable work space is super helpful!
Hello, just passed you on the 15 in Norco, Ca
Hi right back!! We’re you in the Valor??
I haven’t heard great reports about Blue Compass
I have a small issue with my travel trailer that I’m going to fix myself, even though my camper is brand new and hasn’t even been used yet. They want to keep the camper for “maybe a month” for what should maybe take half an hour.
That's crazy. You're doing the right thing by fixing it yourself. I try to fix all of our stuff whenever I can. Between me and TH-cam most of it is doable.
I’ve not heard one person say they had a good dealer. Really wish Brinkley could cut out the dealer. Great video! Are you still happy with the washer/dryer decision?
I wish Brinkley would cut them out as well, but I am sure setting up to be your own dealer is a lot more complicated than we realize. Manufacturing seems to be their forte so I'm just glad they are doing that so well.
As for the washer and dryer we would make the same decision again. Toni is so much happier and less stressed over laundry now, it was so worth it!!
I'd like to know about the Brinkley itself - sounds like you are satisfied with the unit and company. I'm considering the new bumper pull unit they are coming out with.
We 100% are huge fans of the Brinkley, both the trailer and the company. In all honesty the issues that were caused from the botched install of the washer were caused by the dealer, not Brinkley. Brinkley could have easily told us we have to deal with the dealer since they were the cause of the damage. However, they never once even hinted at that. They immediately said they would cover the repair, both parts and labor. They were very timely sending the parts our way, and had no issue with us using a mobile tech.
Having something break on a new trailer is a certainty, it's just going to happen. That said I think the most important aspect of a manufacturer is their service after sale. Brinkley has that service in spades. Even with the issues we've had we would 100% purchase a Brinkley again!
@@ourrvsunsets Thanks!
Blue compass buying up all rv here in texas
They seem to be trying to unseat camping world as the largest dealer. As you can imagine they certainly won't be getting anymore of our business. Thanks for watching!
First thing I thought when you said blue compass it’s a mega company and they have a horrible reputation across all of America
Please everyone buy off of a mom and pop dealer do you research everyone on your dealership don’t trust all these you tube channels representing their dealership
I would agree with this. If you can find a small mom and pop dealer I would go there. I think with a smaller dealer there will be a better chance that they'll value customer service as well as sales volume.
Thank you for the comment!
Master plumber here, in the market for a Brinkley.... Your thoughts on the cross thread is accurate. Any type of compression fitting that uses a plastic nut is hideous - not a Brinkley issue but it just goes to show how bad the RV service industry is. It's laughable, from a professional contractors perspective. The slide mechs.... Ffs..... Do all these garbage producing support manufacturers all recruit the same mechanical engineers from the same local junior college? It's astounding how bad these folks can design. I truly hate to say it but China engineers better mechanicals.... Which is terrible. I want to be in a board meeting when the topic of cost savings and mechanical actuation comes up. These dummies go cheap on the most important structural accessories. That said, for me personally, I can fix all this crap. This however is my career, not yours or anyone else's. The fact I want to buy a 120k+ 5th wheel, knowing I'll use all of my college education (EE) and work experience to perform a handful of cool upgrades and numerous repairs is (bloody) madness. As I sit, I am currently reenginnering a residential NAME BRAND tankless water heater to fit and perform far better than the junk rv manus are incorporating. When I figure it out, I'll move on to condensing units that use about 20% less LP. my goal? Wash a load of whites (hot) take a shower, while my wife fills a pitcher of reverse osmosis water & preps for dinner all while boondocking. But that's just me. With respect to this video... The thing that annoyed me the most was the 2 spot welds that appear to hold the control arm in place was made of scrap metal on the floor in glorious Indiana. Unacceptable with this price point. While I can appreciate your wanting to pump out positive content, facts and actualities without the sugar coatings far outweigh feelings of bliss and arm tingles. Thank you for posting what is and not a lens filter narrative 👍
Thank for this post. I agree that there is a lot of substandard workmanship when it comes to the RV world. That's why I have always said that the manufacturer standing behind their build is what is really important! Luckily with Brinkley that has been the case so far.
Thank you as well for noticing we are not putting the rose colored glasses on this. We want to push out the positive side of things, but we also want to be honest about it. There is a lot of upside to full-time RVing, but you have to take the good with the bad. And we'll talk about that side as well.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to add your comment!
Were you going to share a link to the hoses that you used when you replaced the OEM hoses from Splendide?
Oh hell, I forgot to add the link. Dropping it in the show notes now, but here it is as well. amzn.to/3WlRdfQ
Holy Crap Batman!!! That dealer Sucks!!!!!! Glad to hear Brinkley RV is still good to there customers!! Unlike Grand Design!!!! Our Dealer sucked to!!
Brinkley has been awesome!!! So glad we went with them!
We live about 2 miles from that Holland/Blue Compass RV dealer and went through their options on the lot. The sales folks seemed great, but I did get a feeling they just wanted to sell me an RV and get me out the door. Did you use an RV inspector when you bought your Brinkley? We plan to when we finally decide what to get, but don't know who to call yet.
We didn't use an inspector, but if we had to do it again we absolutely would have. I'm certain that an inspector would have noticed there was something wrong with the slide. If you watch in the video when the slide breaks, you can hear that the gears on the motor are mot meshed correctly and are binding up. With us being new to rack and pinion slides we just assumed that's what they sound like. I am certain an inspector would have noticed that and discovered the bent bracket. And honestly the dealer should have noticed that sound and done something to fix it. Instead they unloaded the problem on to us.
If you are thinking about buying from that dealer the sales process for us was pretty straight forward and easy to do. I would just avoid the service side of the place. And yes have an inspector go through the rig first. If you have upgrades you want to do just purchase those after market and then contact the mobile tech we linked in the show notes and have him do them. We've recommended him you other folks and everyone has been happy with his work.
Good luck purchasing your new rig. It can be a stressful process but after it's done you're off on new adventures!
If you want a Brinkley, drive to Mike Thompson RV in Fountain Valley. They’re very clean and their Unite are in perfect condition. FYI they let you hire a private inspection from an outside company.
*units
@@tishb62 Thanks! I'll check them out... and when it boils down to it, if any place says I can't use a private inspector, I just won't do business with them.
@@tishb62 Thank you for posting this!!!
My dealership change won't from a local owned place to a blue point also customer service went considerably downhill unit sat there for 6 months and didn't get fixed and when I picked it up there was a dent in the back that I have to take it back and get fixed probably not going to happen
Dude they dented your trailer while they had it?!? That's crazy! Did they fix the dent?
@@ourrvsunsets they offered to but need to take back within 30days and we had to much camping plain and pay for no way I could do that. And they where going call me when part came and they never did. So guess in the end they did nothing. Because The fireplace still not working
Wait Brinkley outstanding 😂
LOL!!! Right! For those of us that own them this is no surprise!
so much disappointment. Just why wouldn't the dealer do it right the first time.
Probably because it's more profitable to just get the rig out the door and move on to the next one. And when you're a big national chain of dealers you're not depending on people coming back to you for service. It's unfortunate but I think its true.
Brinkley customer service is great after we wrote the check for our z2900 fun town RV doesn't know us or care RV dealers suck
Yep, their customer service is just amazing!