New owners: how is the Quality Control of your rig? Grade it!

[John E Davies 0]

I think its ridiculous for people on this forum to get mad at us for telling the truth about our experience. Karen

Hey Karen, I for one am not mad at you, I agree 110%. Some folks at Oliver are obviously upset at the public responses here about QC, but they should knuckle down, hire capable workers, train them well, and just fix the darned issues without delaying too long.

 

Not fixing the fresh water problem for a decade is crazy bad PR IMHO.

 

I plan on keeping Mouse indefinitely since there is nothing out there that is better, but I don't like having to fix the factory mistakes and goofs. No way.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg 1]

Karen,

In our 08 , when the guage says empty, we're empty. Trust me . We dry camp most of our travels.

We refill from a 40 gallon bladder, with a five gallon container leftover.

I know it requires patience, but there will be a fix . For you.

Sherry

[SeaDawg 1]

I'm also wondering about the build difference in the early legacy and the newer ii .

 

[STEVEnBETTY 0]

My take on the quality of our Elite ll is outstanding! Is it absolutely perfect no, but I never expected anything hand built by man to be perfect. We were in Hohenwald last week to get some minor issues addressed and the staff took care of everything promptly and efficiently. I realize not everyone has the luxury of returning their camper to Hohenwald for every little issue, but when I first called Jason about an issue, his first response was to try to talk me through it, and if that didn't work take to someone who could fix it. I guess the point I'm trying to make is they go above and beyond to try to make things right. I didn't get the new suction tube installed in my water tank at this time but I was assured that the "fix" is forthcoming, and I believed them!! One of the engineers informed me it will be an easy fix that most fairly competent repairmen can perform on their own, or they will take care of it through outside vendors, but he assured me it will be fixed.

[Hap 0]

I am new to this site but have been considering an Oliver. Is the general opinion that Oliver quality has gone down?

After putting many miles on two Legacy Elite ll's, it is my opinion that the quality has gone up, not down. Sorry to disagree but, we have been on two long trips with our current trailer, and we have had only a few minor issues and nothing that the Oliver people haven't quickly addressed while under warranty. Recently while on our way home from the west coast, we stopped in Hohenwald to have the bearings greased and a couple of other minor out-of-warranty issues addressed. We had the opportunity to see some of the new Olivers and we were impressed.

As far as the problem with the fresh water tanks and leveling: Although I'm not anal about leveling, I do try to get the trailer mostly level side to side, but I've always had the trailer slightly higher in the front. No one has ever told me to do this, but I've always just thought that would be better for draining the shower and we've never had an issue with the fresh water tank. Also having the trailer slightly higher in the front is not noticeable to us while in the trailer. We have never had an issue with the refrigerator, so I assume that it doesn't hurt the fridge.

[Kayrae51 0]

Hi all.....I'm sorry that some owners have had issues with their Olivers, I'm sure it's been heartbreaking but I do  believe that the Oliver team will take care them, learning from their issues and helping all of us.

 

We will be picking our Ollie up the 31st of the month. I know I've build up some high expectations after lurking these board for so long but I'm also a realist & aware that nothing is perfect. Even the most expensive motorhomes have problems! It's how those problems are addressed by the manufacturer that makes the difference. From what I have heard here and at the rally, the Oliver company truly cares about their owners and goes out of their way to take care of problems, regardless of whether they are on warranty or off. To me, that says it all. They may be having some growing pains but they'll get it all worked out, I'll bet on that!

 

Clair & I started started out, many years ago, with a small pop up trailer. I really loved it and we had so much fun! Clair broke 3 fishing poles that he'd tucked inside when he pulled the beds out during a rain storm one night. He was not a happy camper. We moved on from that unit to a small 5th wheeler that we pulled with an under powered & very old Dodge truck. That was interesting & quite funny at times, to say the least. I enjoyed the 5th wheeler but Clair hated the siding on it. It was far to difficult to keep clean and drove him crazy with black streaks....so we moved on to a small Class C. That one was a big mistake, we both hated it! So, that was traded for a larger Class C that we lovingly named "Big Bertha".  For some reason, it didn't suit us for very long but it was nice when we were showing our dogs. From there we moved on to a Titanium 5th wheeler that turned out to be a wonderful unit but we had to let it go with the economic downfall. I kept telling my husband that I wanted an Oliver when we retired because I wanted something small, easy to travel with, and easy to clean but we had a few years to wait for that.  A couple years ago we decided it was time to start camping again. We wanted something small so we ended up with our 26 ft. Rockwood. It's OK but doesn't meet up to the standards of any of our others and it's got constant nagging little issues.  Just little things but it's always something.  On our last trip a weld broke on one of the supports holding up the gray water tank. We had cars & trucks flagging us down on that one...sparks flying everywhere.

 

I'm very happy that we chose to go with the Oliver Elite II. I know that we will be happy even if we do have a few minor issues here and there. We want this one to be our forever trailer. There are so many things to love about the Oliver! I know it's not for everybody but it's definitely for us. We can get the same experience we had when we were in our pop up living in a classy, easy to clean, modern Ollie.  I am getting so excited, can't you tell!? I have all of the bedding made and I've been pulling together the basics for inside, trying to keep it as simple possible. Clair has everything prepped for outside.

 

Just a few more days guys and we will be part of the Oliver family!

 

Smiles....Kathy

[bradbev 0]

Kathy,

 

I enjoyed your post and agree that you will be a happy camper.!!!  Beverly and I picked up our Elite II about a week ago, and the pulling experience back to New Mexico was wonderful.  It tows like a dream.

 

We prioritized the punch list and got the major items addressed before we left for our trip home.  We're planning a trip back east in a few weeks and plan to stop in Hohenwald to get a few other minor problems resolved.  These guys are proud of their product and will see to it that it's as good as possible.

 

Someone asked today how many RV's we've had since we started 40 years ago.  I believe this is number 12.  And like you, we think this will be our forever rig.

 

I consider owning a RV to be comparable to owning a boat or airplane - there's always going to be some minor issues.  But if it's safe, let's enjoy the trip.

 

Brad - Santa Fe, NM

[u075908@yahoo.com 0]

Has the quality improved?

 

new owners, are you happy with the quality?

[John E Davies 0]

It is good for owners to have their forum signatures filled out, so we can see your hull number (along with any other vehicle or personal info you want to share). My hull is 218 and it appears from many conversations that this was a period of very fast growth, accompaned by growing pains, AKA quality control problems.

 

Though I continue to believe that many  these issues were PREDICTABLE by management and to a high degree avoidable, and that they have not yet gone far enough to correct the affected trailers. I have yet to see Tech Bulletins for some of the known problems (such as overinflated tires, fresh water pickup tube, window brackets, brake adjustment, airborne drawers, incorrect or missing hardware, poor wiring), so many owners who are not regular Forum readers may be completely unaware of them ... unless they have been contacted directly by phone or email, which is entirely possible. I have no idea if any of these issues are on a Honey Do list tacked to a wall at the factory, and are quietly taken care of in the background during a service visit. I hope so, that would make me feel very good.

 

If I were buying a new Ollie today, I would not have any additional worries. If I were buying used, I would be be sure to get it inspected, and ask for a service history.

 

The trailers truly have come a long way since the very beginning, and they continue to evolve for the better. After 18 months I am still finding things wrong with “Mouse”. I just swear a little (sometimes a lot), fix them,  alert others and continue to enjoy this wonderful trailer. I have no qualms whatsoever about recommending that somebody buy one. There is no better built trailer out there, though there are a few better other types of RVs for an lot more $$$$.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[BackofBeyond 0]

Ok, I'll bite. As a point of reference:

As a matter of record, my background includes 25 years of manufacturing, where quality - built-in, inspected in, repaired in, or otherwise,  was the metric driving success. I fully know what it takes to build - repetitively - a product that meets design spec, and fulfills quality standards - which if done correctly - meet or exceed customer expectations. My standards are usually much higher than others, yet tempered with reasonable expectations, given the product and process.

Has quality improved with the Oliver product- I have no idea, without multiple data points, no trend exists. Subjective opinion may or may not indicate a quality issue, as it may be nothing more than preference. It is kind of a - based upon what, subjective - it meets my expectation- proposal.

 

So, how is the quality level of my 2018 Oliver Elite II, #359, delivered in July, 2018. Overall -  My experience leads me to state  - Oliver delivered quality is far higher than industry standard,  given "my" comparisons to competitors products. My unit met my expectations for a $70K rv.

 

I found a few issues that should have been found in the delivery process - most revolve around exterior finish - most issues I took care of with elbow grease and polish. There are some design issues I find questionable, but, they were executed to design spec, and thus not actually a quality defect.

 

Perhaps the question you are posing - Are you as a customer, Satisfied with the purchase of the Oliver?

 

Given my relatively short ownership experience I can say,  yes, very much so, and in some respects, the more time I spend with the Ollie, the more my satisfaction increases.

 

Edit -In the end, only the consumer decides what "quality" is or is not. However, I too often chuckle at what people find fault with, and why. Point or reference is important, a former aircraft technician, sees things with a  different perspective than say an accountant, neither is wrong, both have valid opinions. I would love to see Oliver internal quality metrics over time, customer feedback since the reboot, and their documented quality process. Yes I took the tour, I knew what I was looking at, and I have a good idea of their process capability, and actually am pleased with their level of execution, given my observations. The tour was perhaps the determining factor on my purchase, that and reputation for customer response. One day, given their success, the personal touch I value, will diminish, and Oliver will find itself running with the rest of the industry. I hope not, but it seems inevitable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KarenLukens 0]

If you look at the classifieds, you see that a lot of 2017 trailers were sold to others at a loss... 2017 was a bad year in that Oliver ramped up production and made a lot of cost saving changes that took the overall quality of the trailer, down just a touch. Plus with the increased number of trailers, being that less then 200 trailers had been made in the last 10 years before that, more people found existing faults. This entire thread from the first post from over a year ago attest to this, along with many other topics that list and fix the problems from last year, or 2017, these posts really attest to what happened. The trailers being sold today have at least a few of the problems fixed and you don't see the 2018's being plastered for sale in the classifieds. The quality really went up with the water tank and bladder fix, so the answer is Yes! The quality has gone way up from all previous years, it's a much better built trailer this year.

 

Reed

[KWRJRPE 0]

This series of posts reminds me of the Airstream forum - after spending time on the Airstream forum, I got so concerned with Airstream quality issues I bailed on buying an Airstream (my lifelong obsession) and came to Oliver. Up until now, I was convinced (through this forum,) that Oliver quality is second to none. Now, I am worried. Already put down 15% deposit for build start in December 2018 and pickup in April 2019 - Now I am thinking, do I have time to cancel and get my money back? The 15% is not so bad, but the full $70K is an awful lot of my retirement savings that I do not mind to spend for an A+ quality trailer. These D ratings are not very comforting (not sure I ever noticed a D rating on the Airstream forum, although those Airstream folks seem to be mighty critical owners). For $70K, is Oliver the best out there? My career was at times aggravating, but I got paid to do it. Here, I am paying $70K to be aggravated? Just venting, I guess. If Oliver is listening, please straighten out your quality problems before I pick up my trailer in April 2019. I figured in retirement some of my time would be spent going to the doctor, did not plan on spending time going back and forth to Hohenwald, TN. I understand a "trickle" of issues, but this post feels like a major flood.

[KWRJRPE 0]

Update - when I posted a few minutes ago, I must have been reading an older series of posts where folks were pointing out many issues and assigning D ratings, but my post a few minutes ago is attached to a pretty positive set of comments. Obviously, I am not all that good at maneuvering this forum. Anyway, I am now on the positive side of things and glad to read the opinion that quality seems to be improving compared to 2017. Hope I did not offend anyone or create "negative vibes" on this mostly upbeat forum. I truly am super excited about picking up my Oliver in April, and undoubtedly will have the future opportunity to share posts about minor problems and fixes encountered along the journey. Unfortunately, I am not near as handy as many of you and will not be able to fix the more complicated problems. But, with the assistance of this forum, diagnosing problems is a breeze.

[Overland 0]

There was definitely a drop in initial quality on the early 200's, but that seemed to slowly improve over the course of the year.  I don't think any of those quality issues should harm the resale value of those units over time, however, since they're things that can and likely would be repaired either by Oliver or the owners.  I'd ask a premium for mine if I were to sell (not a chance), because I've gone through and upgraded all those problem areas to a higher spec than Oliver delivers.

[BackofBeyond 0]

KWRJRPE:

 

What evidence do you have - objectively - for your concern? How many people (actual owners) have sung the praises of Oliver TT as opposed to how many have commented 0n quality issues they experienced - real or perceived.  Where have you found statistical data supporting any build issues, quality concerns, defects, or other wise. The vast majority of comments may be opinion, may be fact, may be - whatever-  laced with actual this or that didn't work. No doubt there have been issues, and over time, most get rectified, and new ones appear. There is a small body of work here - about 400 units, only Oliver can tell you accurately what the issues over time have been, and what their response was to the issues.  Jason in service, probably has the best data base on this subject. Do you have actual data on AS  quality, or just similar comments on a forum.

 

The real issue, in my opinion, is,  if you have an issue- does Oliver take care of it until the customer is satisfied.  To date, I have not found any post, comment, or otherwise that indicates Oliver is less than stellar in this aspect.

 

I have not visited the Airstream factory, so I will not comment on their process, nor their quality levels. I don't like the AS due to its design and less than optimum options - at least the ones I require. I did spend a lot of time in the Oliver facility - its not perfect, but I would wager a coin or two, sight unseen,  that the AS facility is no better - or worse. This is a process driven product - fidelity to process, given the process meets design criteria,  is what is important. People seem to hate process, and most of the issues I have read about are just this, and appear to be corrected when discovered.

 

I won't tell you to buy or not buy, but I will tell you there is little evidence of long term unhappy customers due to quality.

 

I spent $70k+ on my Oliver, and I'm happy with my purchase.

 

You can put together a detailed inspection checklist and when you go for delivery take your time and go over it with the Oliver delivery tech. You are given as much time as you need - I took several hours for our pick-up. Other than a few less than perfect polished areas on the hull, I have not found anything else worth mentioning.  As I have stated previously, I am more impressed with my unit as each day goes by.

 

I wish  you well with your decisions.

 

 

 

Edit - KWRJRPE you in no way offend me in any way, I expect people to be discerning buyers, clear eyed and fully aware in decisions of this magnitude. Just because I spent good money on one, doesn't mean I'll have a bias. Please continue to share your questions, as is said - there are no dumb questions. Yes I know I'm a little to verbose here - but manufacturing was me for a long time - is hard to get the disease out of my system:-)

 

 

 

 

[KWRJRPE 0]

Excellent points - I have no data to back up any of my concerns - only reading these reviews by actual owners (I am not an owner yet). Another excellent point, how a company addresses problems is the true measure of caring. From what I have witnessed from reading this forum (and, as purchase time approaches, I read it daily), the Oliver company is extremely customer focused and the owners are very proud of their product. Apologies for my being over-dramatic - being a first-time travel trailer purchaser, I am a bit nervous and have nothing to compare other than reading reviews and opinions of others. We are all-in on trying out the camping lifestyle in retirement (as evidenced by all the Amazon Prime purchases originating from recommendations from this forum). Lastly, great suggestion to compile a checklist of past issues identified by this forum and use it during delivery. Someone also suggested camping a few days near the factory following pickup - another great idea. Thank you for your suggestions

[Raspy 0]

KWRJRPE:

 

What evidence do you have – objectively – for your concern? How many people (actual owners) have sung the praises of Oliver TT as opposed to how many have commented 0n quality issues they experienced – real or perceived. Where have you found statistical data supporting any build issues, quality concerns, defects, or other wise. The vast majority of comments may be opinion, may be fact, may be – whatever- laced with actual this or that didn’t work. No doubt there have been issues, and over time, most get rectified, and new ones appear. There is a small body of work here – about 400 units, only Oliver can tell you accurately what the issues over time have been, and what their response was to the issues. Jason in service, probably has the best data base on this subject. Do you have actual data on AS quality, or just similar comments on a forum.

 

The real issue, in my opinion, is, if you have an issue- does Oliver take care of it until the customer is satisfied. To date, I have not found any post, comment, or otherwise that indicates Oliver is less than stellar in this aspect.

 

I have not visited the Airstream factory, so I will not comment on their process, nor their quality levels. I don’t like the AS due to its design and less than optimum options – at least the ones I require. I did spend a lot of time in the Oliver facility – its not perfect, but I would wager a coin or two, sight unseen, that the AS facility is no better – or worse. This is a process driven product – fidelity to process, given the process meets design criteria, is what is important. People seem to hate process, and most of the issues I have read about are just this, and appear to be corrected when discovered.

 

I won’t tell you to buy or not buy, but I will tell you there is little evidence of long term unhappy customers due to quality.

 

I spent $70k+ on my Oliver, and I’m happy with my purchase.

 

You can put together a detailed inspection checklist and when you go for delivery take your time and go over it with the Oliver delivery tech. You are given as much time as you need – I took several hours for our pick-up. Other than a few less than perfect polished areas on the hull, I have not found anything else worth mentioning. As I have stated previously, I am more impressed with my unit as each day goes by.

 

I wish you well with your decisions.

 

 

 

Edit – KWRJRPE you in no way offend me in any way, I expect people to be discerning buyers, clear eyed and fully aware in decisions of this magnitude. Just because I spent good money on one, doesn’t mean I’ll have a bias. Please continue to share your questions, as is said – there are no dumb questions. Yes I know I’m a little to verbose here – but manufacturing was me for a long time – is hard to get the disease out of my system:-)

 

It's clear, however you want to characterize it or seek actual evidence, that Oliver has had some problems.  These fall into different categories.  The "statistical Data" comes from conversations here and fixes that Oliver has made.  Some problems are mistakes, some are design changes, some are poor workmanship.  But none have been disastrous or have turned me away from loving my trailer.

 

Some examples are:  Drawers falling out, this was caused by the use of wrong screws and stripping them. Missing ground wires.  This was careless and can be easily fixed.  Change to a different solar control system, unexpectedly and after promoting the previous model.  I'd say sloppy marketing here.  Switch away from the telescoping tongue. This was previously touted as an Oliver advantage and then disappeared without notice.  Use of an undersized spare tire.  Microwave ovens poorly secured.  And the water tank issue where only about 60% of the water could be accessed.  I designed the fix for this and it went into all new trailers.

 

These are a few examples that are well documented and were items of concern for some.

 

The general wiring system has also been improved over time and the drawers are now dove-tailed construction.  The sub-frame truck assembly has been extended to allow easier jacking and the whole jacking procedure has been re-written since the time they used to say the stabilizers were used to lift the trailer.

 

So, some things were defects, some were oversights, some were carelessness, some were re-designs and some were just re-thinking earlier procedures.

 

I've made about 30 modifications/upgrades to my trailer and it keeps getting better. It's a keeper.

[donthompson 0]

"The real issue, in my opinion, is, if you have an issue- does Oliver take care of it until the customer is satisfied. To date, I have not found any post, comment, or otherwise that indicates Oliver is less than stellar in this aspect."

 

I agree completely with the comment above.  I took delivery of Hull #126 in March, 2016.  Oliver has provided the best customer service post-sale that I have experienced with any product of any type I've purchased.  My issues have been few and none have been serious, but the company has always responded as if I'm their only or most important customer.  I hope Oliver remains a small, family-owned company and never sells to one of the large manufacturers.

 

Anyone considering purchasing an Oliver has many things to consider:  size, price, etc., but quality and customer service are not concerns, but instead are huge reasons to purchase an Oliver!

[Mike and Carol 1]

This thread caused a lot of consternation for a lot of folks. Now that it has been resurrected it looks like it is having the same effect on current future buyers. The really negative comments were from one owner. Most everyone else, even with some initial problems, were happy campers. I listed the initial issues I had and my total satisfaction of how they were addressed by the Oliver company. There’s much more positive in this thread than negative. Mike

[roguebooks 0]

My wife and I live full-time in our Oliver Legacy Elite travel trailer. We are first-time trailer owners, but have a varied past tent camping and spending a great deal of time outdoors.  Beginning in early 2018 we sold our Florida home and then this summer we dispensed with our cabin in northern Michigan. Our Oliver is now our only home. We chose this trailer because of visits to see first-hand the Oliver company and then its competition. We looked at other fiberglass trailers, Airstreams, and also whatever you call the higher end teardrops. The superior quality of the Oliver trailer stood out far above the rest. And so did the price.  We both believed at this sales price the Oliver should be free of defects and all quality control issues handled at the plant during initial construction. But we discovered, again, that nothing is perfect when humans have a hand in making something.

 

Oliver Travel Trailer Company has addressed the few problems we have had thus far. They have been accommodating and fair whether they personally make the repairs, send me the necessary equipment I need to do them myself, or reimburse us for expenses incurred in the process. Jason Essary has ALWAYS been available to answer a question, respond to a text message, or teach me something I need to know to better operate my equipment.  There is a learning curve. One must be prepared to go through these sometimes disagreeable adventures.

 

To read the posts of a few talented people on the forum who perform their highly detailed and complicated maintenance procedures or modifications is at the least daunting.  It could be a bit overwhelming for those of us not so gifted with our hands. There is no way I will ever be doing the modifications these engineer-types perform. But I can learn the basics. I remember early on in this thread where the Lukens advised me that before my journey was over I would be everything I wasn’t in my forty-year career in the building trades. Our survival now depends on it.  If I had to choose any travel trailer today my first choice would be Hull #309, the very one we eventually purchased. We love our Ollie and hope in the years to come it takes care of us as well as we take care of it.

 

 

[bugeyedriver 0]

As owner of Hull number 14, picked up in March of 2008.  I've now pulled The Wonder Egg 124,000 miles from Florida to Alaska and California to Newfoundland, including most points in between, I do admit that 2018 Olivers include a more refined bit of quality control "between the hulls", and some cool toys are being thought of (push button awnings).  That being said, my venerable Wonder Egg has faithfully provide me with the dream retirement, wandering the roads 4 to 7 months each year and traversing everything from smooth interstate highways to mind boggling frost heaves in Nova Scotia, car swallowing potholes in Newfoundland, and literal hundreds of miles of dirt roads in Alaska and Montana. The trailer's "bones" are sound.  Items that have failed over this period have either timed out (10 years for the original microwave and water pump) or been abused by my failure to properly care for the entire mechanical system (because I live in south Texas and was complacent about winterizing). I believe this was causative to one of the internal pressure regulator's failure.

 

Many wonderful changes have been made by Oliver over the years, such as placing a furnace between the hulls to quiet the noise when it is on.  But to do this, the power cord reel was eliminated. I do love my 45 ft, 30 amp cord that winds into the trailer with a push of a button.

 

Sure, there were QC issues at the beginning as the company went through the slow maturation process to where they are today.  But since the first Ollie graced the roads of this nation, the company has stood by their "Trailer to Last a Lifetime" idea and always made it right for the customer. Even second owners are treated like part of the family.   Now, with checks and double checks taking place throughout the building process.  They have, indeed, come a long, long way in the Quality Control department.

 

Some owners have minimal skills when it comes to turning a wrench or selecting the right widget for a mechanical job (take ME , for instance) Others are gifted with the ability to discern how something could be improved upon, and have the tools and wherewithal to make it so.  Bless their hearts and thank goodness they are out there to improve their rig and help the Ollie be the best it can be.  Some of their ideas make it into future Ollies and others stand as examples of how their unique rig has given The Starship Enterprise a run for its money in the "pizzaz" factor.

 

It is apparent that recommendations for improvement are noticed by the company and incorporated when it is deemed feasible to improve the Ollies rolling off the line.  But, we must realize not every good idea will make it to the production floor for a myriad of reasons.  Ultimately, the company decides.  It is nice, though, that they have and will likely continue to listen to us.  Keep those ideas coming.

 

Bottom line, to the original post of this thread, how is the quality control of an Oliver Travel Trailer?  Has it improved over the years?  You bet it has. This opinion is formed from my years as an early adopter of the Ollie and talks as well as face to face meetings with owners all over the country throughout the last ten years.

 

Pete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BackofBeyond 0]

The really negative comments were from one owner. Most everyone else, even with some initial problems, were happy campers.

My point exactly. In my comments I did not intend to imply there were no issues, simply that not all - is as it seems. My 10,000 + hours of toil tell me this.

[KarenLukens 0]

Mike and Carol wrote:

The really negative comments were from one owner. Most everyone else, even with some initial problems, were happy campers.

My point exactly. In my comments I did not intend to imply there were no issues, simply that not all – is as it seems. My 10,000 + hours of toil tell me this.

 

Ok, you got me? You have 10,000+ hours of toil on your Oliver? I hope that you've made videos of your fixes.. ? haha. Heck, we only have 13,000+ hours living in our Olli full time and only maybe 20 hours of fix and repair. Can you put your hull# in your signature so that we can see where your trailer comes in? We've had thoughts about getting a new 2019 Olli ourselves with so many great fixes and upgrades in the last 2 years. The Dometic awnings and convection microwave are nice additions. Convection microwaves are faster and better then the old regular ones and we run our current microwave with the inverter most every day off the grid.

 

To any who know - Has Oliver changed out the leaky after a year exterior light seals? That would be another huge plus! The only regret that I have now after living in this trailer since February of 2017, is having not bought the street side awning. Those seals under the awnings really keep the water away from the lights and windows during those downpours that want to flood the interior. We put the awning out in the rain and the curb side stays nice and dry with that seal traveling the length of the awning.

 

Reed

[BackofBeyond 0]

Ok, you got me? You have 10,000+ hours of toil on your Oliver? I hope that you’ve made videos of your fixes..

 

The 10,000 hour rule is from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers: The Story of Success , which if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. My professional background is in manufacturing and quality systems. Twenty-five years+ in the trenches,  (10,000hrs) collecting, sorting, and responding to quality data, process data, SPC, voice of the customer, warranty data, and on,  gives one a healthy respect for data, statistical data, and a full awareness of how a few customer data points can skew a trend. One customer making 20 complaints about the same issue, in a small sample size - for example . Which may prompt some to state incorrect subjective opinionated views to be taken as fact, when, statistically they are not.  That is my Toil.  ha ha. That is my reference to Mike and  Carol.

 

I have little doubt Oliver quality - whatever your definition - has improved over time - I just can't prove it. But I can find antidotal evidence of customer satisfaction.

 

Bottom line, to the original post of this thread, how is the quality control of an Oliver Travel Trailer? Has it improved over the years? You bet it has. This opinion is formed from my years as an early adopter of the Ollie and talks as well as face to face meetings with owners all over the country throughout the last ten years.

 

Have a great day.

 

Edit - As in all things, the devil is in the details. In todays cultural wasteland, the "trend" is to quote feelings as fact, and dismiss reality as something to be ignored. I believe I will move to the sidelines, the popcorn crowd has more fun.

[KarenLukens 0]

I have little doubt Oliver quality – whatever your definition – has improved over time – I just can’t prove it. But I can find antidotal evidence of customer satisfaction...

 

 

The improved quality in your trailer if it's over Hull #230± has all of the proof built in. All of the fixes and modifications have been documented with pictures and movies right here throughout this forum with the inverter grounding cable fix being documented as the latest known improvement.

 

A couple of the easily visually seen improvements on your trailers over Hull #195± are 1, the full sized spare tire, and 2, the smooth bottom sewer clean out area. Then as time moves on, the propane area floor encasement and access door that came out this year... and these are just the visually seen exterior improvements... With the water tank pick-up tube, the bladder tank and the inverter grounding cable being hidden under the hood, so to speak. Now the convection microwave, Norcold fridges, and the Dometic awnings will be a big part of the easily seen 2019 improvements. The proof is all documented right here in these pages for all to see for themselves ?

 

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