New owner - 2011 North Country RBQ

Bri

Member
We are new owners of a 2011 North Country 22RBQ. After evaluating it at home for a few weeks then taking it out for the first time last weekend I have to admit we are a bit disappointed. There are some quality complaints and some design flaw complaints.
Here they are in list format:
Quality "fit and finish" complaints:
-The water lines coming from the water pump were very loose and right against the wood frame of the drawers next to the sink. The lines slapped around violently when the pump was turned on. It was ridiculously loud. I put some pipe inuslation between and around the water lines to quite the situation.
-The screws used to put the drawer framing together next to the kitchen sink are too long and poke out through the wood. If I weren't careful I could have received a nasty cut when fixing the rattling water lines.
-Interior wall covering/laminate above entrance is very wavy. (It looks like the piece of laminate was cut too long).
-The mattress is of extremely poor quality. The first night we slept on it I could feel sharp spring ends poking me. I weigh 140 lbs so it's not because I am too heavy!
-There were 20-30 scratches and gouges on the cupboards/woodwork. Most we touched up with a stain marker.
- The little brackets that keep the blinds on the windows from banging around - on two windows I need to remove and reposition them.
-One of the large closet doors in the bathroom is warped such that the latch won't hold it closed. On our first trip the towels in the closet were heavy enough to push the door open and some ended up on the floor. (I'll add another latch or two inside the door).
-There is something sticky on the bathroom floor, two spots about the size of a quarter.
-There is more surface rust on the frame of this trailer than on the frame of the 10 year old trailer we traded in.
Design Complaints
-The little panel covering the water pump compartment, located under the sink, is held in by two screws. The piece of "wood" (OSB covered w/contact paper) is already blown out from the screws, right from the factory. That same piece of "wood" is so thin that the screws have to be driven in at such and angle that it's almost impossible to accomplish. I'm replacing the OSB with a piece of oak.
- There is no ceiling vent/sky light in the bedroom area - since when is this an "option"?
-The rubber caps over the rear bumper ends are so loose we lost one on our first trip. This seems to be a well known problem why even use this style cap?
-There are no bubble style levels on the trailer, cost-cutting I'm sure but a little ridiculous.
-The A/C vents in the bedroom and bathroom area are almost useless. Very little air circulation makes it through. The fan on the A/C unit blows a lot of air in dump mode so it's not the fan. On the trailer we traded in, of the same size as this one. the fan could blow you off the bed when on high, so properly designed it can be done.
-The toilet bowl appears to me to be too shallow. It has to be empty, I mean empty of any clean water in the bowl, when driving or the water ends up on the floor. We usually add a little clean water to the bowl after each use. Another symptom of my "too shallow" opinion this (I will keep this as ungraphic as possible); when putting "fluid" into the toilet one must use caution to not allow it to splash or swirl back out of the toilet.

It sounds like a lot of complaining going on, but we really do like the overall design, layout and features of the camper. But, I have to wonder, with all of these little "flaws" out in the open what flaws/problems are hidden from view that will creep-up later? So we are somewhat disappointed after purchasing one of the "better brand" trailers.
 
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Bri

Member
OK add to the list a leaky kitchen faucet. We took the trailer out again this weekend and realized the cold water was leaking from within the cold water handle. I replaced all the O-rings and fixed it. This was our second trip out.
 

jagiv

Member
Hi, Bri,

Sorry that you have so many problems with your 2011 NC. We can all expect some issues, even with a new rig, but you appear to have more than your share.

To comment on a few of the areas you mentioned:

- we, too, had a very noisy water pump with water lines running next to wood so we had the dealer put in insulation where they could reach and it is now much better, although still noisy;
- our 2011 NC 29RLS came with a small vent in the bedroom and we had the dealer install a Fantastic Fan in it's place, one of the smartest things we did in customizing the trailer as we use it all of the time;
- we have the upgraded A/C unit and it delivers plenty of air to the bedroom when we have the ChillGrille vents in the ceiling unit in the kitchen closed. When the vents are open very little air gets to the bedroom.

Hope things get better for you as you get the bugs worked out. We are in our first season with our rig and are very happy with it.

John
 

Bri

Member
I know what you mean about the vent in the bedroom ceiling. We have no vent there now and I miss it. I want to put a vent in myself, the wife is frowning on it but I see a vent up there in the not too distant future:). I plan on replacing the A/C vents in the kitchen/dinning room area to the type that can be closed so we can get more air into the bedroom. The A/C vents in the 2002 Rockwood we traded were all the adjustable style they were so convenient. That trailer had a lot of nice features but it was an ultralight and thus sits low to the ground, that was the main reason we traded up.
 
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