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400: Amazing Trailer...Terrible QC

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  • manyman297manyman297 Member Posts: 1,359
    @Sharon_is_SAM
    For the sake of argument, I didn't mean to start this thread to bash and make assumptions about QC procedures. But if I'm being honest, the QC on our particular trailer was terrible. No assumptions there. It was just bad.

    I apologize if I interpreted @Verna comments as not being able to speak my mind. I guess that's what I gathered from it so my bad for misinterpreting that. 

    Yes a 1% on warranty claims is amazing and there's no arguing that. But I also think a lot of these issues just go unreported because customers end up just solving them on their own. I fixed so much on our last trailer and didn't even bother pinging the manufacturer because it would just slow things down.

    I want to see nuCamp succeed and continue to make amazing products but I also want to see them live up to their claim of high quality. Sure, warranty will take care of claims but not having claims in the first place would be ideal.

    Here's to more positive posts to come!
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 
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  • TomCanadaTomCanada Member Posts: 290
    Just to add a voice - we have had our new 2021 Tab 400 for a few months and have had it out for 12 nights so far.  So far - knock in wood - nothing major.  But there are definitely some minor annoyances:

    - ceiling trim strip slightly separated from ceiling
    - sink pot light cover fell off
    - under fridge drawer rubs against side rail when pushed in
    - rooftop trim pops out in high heat
    - black tank flush fitting loose behind Nautilus panel (leaking)
    - maybe the potential major one: water pump occasionally doesn't stop running (no leaks - just doesn't get to point where it shuts itself off) - any ideas on that one? A combination of running some water and toggling the pump on/off a couple times seems to resolve it.  Might post separate thread on this one too..

    Even with all the little stuff we are quite happy so far.  Fingers crossed we have seen the worst of it!

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  • SlackersSlackers Member Posts: 461
    I think this a valuable post and appreciate @manyman297 honesty. 
    2019 Tab 320 CSS, 2019 Ranger TV, OH
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  • manyman297manyman297 Member Posts: 1,359
    TomCanada said:
    Just to add a voice - we have had our new 2021 Tab 400 for a few months and have had it out for 12 nights so far.  So far - knock in wood - nothing major.  But there are definitely some minor annoyances:

    - ceiling trim strip slightly separated from ceiling
    - sink pot light cover fell off
    - under fridge drawer rubs against side rail when pushed in
    - rooftop trim pops out in high heat
    - black tank flush fitting loose behind Nautilus panel (leaking)
    - maybe the potential major one: water pump occasionally doesn't stop running (no leaks - just doesn't get to point where it shuts itself off) - any ideas on that one? A combination of running some water and toggling the pump on/off a couple times seems to resolve it.  Might post separate thread on this one too..

    Even with all the little stuff we are quite happy so far.  Fingers crossed we have seen the worst of it!

    Yeah, this all seems pretty minor and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Aside from the black tank flush fitting and water pump I'd look at those other issues as fixable and/or minor annoyances. The trim popping off is interesting and I've heard about it elsewhere as well. Luckily ours is holding up and our 400 bakes in the heat right now (100+ temps lately).
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 
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  • rrcbovrrcbov Member Posts: 109
    After a career with a large manufacturing company I learned that you have to have a process for identifying and tracking quality issues (e.g. turn backs) along with a culture throughout the organization that looks at turn backs as valuable information (not as personal criticism) critical to improved product quality.   I don’t get the sense that NuCamp (or other RV manufacturers) have this headset.  I, like others, tend to just fix things myself because it’s too much of a hassle to work through the manufacturer and their dealers.  As a result, the manufacturer doesn’t really know what their quality issues are.

    Competition in the RV business is intense and the need to control costs is critical.   Nonetheless, it seems like great advantage could be had for a company who could find a way to know objectively where their quality issues are.  

    NuCamp seems to be OK “encouraging” us to take their product back to a dealer to be evaluated and maybe fixed over an extended period knowing that most won’t make this effort.   They don’t incur warranty costs and also don’t really know where they should focus their product/manufacturing improvement efforts.
    2021 Tab 400 Boondock, 2021 Toyota Tacoma, Juno Beach Florida
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  • TomInPlymouthTomInPlymouth Member Posts: 22
    Good summary @rrcbov without trashing.  And it does seem like it would be a great advantage to know.
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  • bdraper172bdraper172 Member Posts: 1
    Last weekend we took possession of a new 2022 Tab 400 and everything went well until we tried to flush the black tank.. The black tank flush fitting was extremely loose behind Nautilus panel and started to flood the trailer.. I was able to fix the issue without the dealer and so far I haven't noticed any water damage.


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  • manyman297manyman297 Member Posts: 1,359
    @bdraper172
    I feel for you. Had the same issue but luckily saw several posts here and on FB about that fitting being loose. I had my brother turn the faucet on and I was inside...caught it before it did anything and it was indeed very loose.

    I can't believe they still haven't taken care of this yet? This fitting doesn't loosen on its own so somebody at the factory isn't doing their job...for the past year or so. Infuriating.

    Luckily you should have a composite floor so no water damage. Double check your p-trap fittings for tightness as ours was loose there too. Fortunately those were the only two fittings we had issues with. 
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 
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  • SMannSMann Member Posts: 1

    I first saw a Tab 400 at an RV show two years ago. I've also been considering Oliver and Airstream trailers. I liked the Tab's interior style, layout, materials and workmanship.  Finally, yesterday I made it to a dealer in my area that had a new 2022 to take another look, fully intending to put a deposit on one.  However, the fit and finish issues I saw on the unit they had gave me enough pause that I left without ordering one, and went home to research other manufacturers some more.

    The first thing I noticed was some truly awful caulking around the sink and stovetop. The cabinet door and drawer alignment was very poor. Then there was the astonishing number of plastic pocket screw covers, even in places where it seems they should have been on the _inside_ of the cabinets rather than the outside (and why aren’t they full circles—one edge is clipped off). These things I could either fix or live with, though disappointing in a $45,000 trailer. Probably the most concerning was that the ceiling panel just in front of the bed was sagging 1 to 1 1/2 inches, and it didn’t really seem to be intentional.

    Sigh. I really want to love my next trailer, but I'm worried that I'm going to love a Tab less than I had hoped.  This was just a 5 minute casual visit. What will I find if I spend a whole summer in it?  Kind of sad to think that a brand new Tab will be delivered to my dealer, but I might not even take it home until all the warranty repairs are done.

    Unfortunately Oliver is 2500 miles away, and the Airstream I would consider is $30,000 more and there are none available to look at.

    I am glad to have found this thread, so that I know what else needs to be looked at before using the trailer for the first time.  Would be great if there was a comprehensive checklist of stuff to check, adjust, tighten, etc. all in one place (maybe there is and I just haven't found it yet?).

    Are other Tabs generally better than this one?  I really hope this unit is an outlier, because I guess I’m probably still going to order one…

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  • manyman297manyman297 Member Posts: 1,359
    @SMann Sorry to hear about your discoveries. The vast majority of my issues were with interior cabinetry. I will say that the screw placement seems to be intentional for future access. I first had the same thought about all of the visible pockethole screws but realized they do give you valuable access behind cabinets in the event you need it.

    AsI mentioned before, I am quite happy so far with the guts of the trailer (heating, water systems, etc). Aside from the loose plumbing fittings everything is working quite well so far. We’ll see how true that is when we dewinterize in a couple of months.

    I just think this level of quality is what you get in general in the RV world. 
    2021 400 BD
    2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 
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