Jayco Silverline Experience

pikeys · Member

Jayco Silverline Experience

Bruce and Bev · Guru

And I thought we had bought a lemon from Supreme!!!

What a nightmare you guys have been through - you have my sympathies for having a whole lemon tree....this is the worst I have ever heard from the owners of new 'van

Have you been in contact with the ACCC - you might find things suddenly speed up and you get it fixed pronto with their intervention.

Bushpie · Guru

Sorry to hear of your problems with Jayco, however I am very glad you have bought it to the attention of forum members. There are quite a few new members around at the moment in the planning stages, including myself.

Given that this is not the first member to have problems with Jayco they would have a difficult time convincing me to buy their product in the future.

Good reasons to avoid their display at the upcoming Perth show in March........... Or at least let them know they need to raise the bar.

Hope all improves for you so you can get back on the road to see some great sights out there.....

Good Luck

Brisand · Veteran Member

I feel sorry for your experiences with your Silverline, a friend and I both bought Silverlines and have not had any problems, it certainly sounds like you have had more than your fair share of problems.

I note that you have sent an email to Mr Gerry Ryan, I would send him another email and say that you don't appreciate him not answering your email and will go to the press if your problems are not addressed to your satisfaction.

I have had three previous Jayco's and found their service to be first grade, I would also send an email to your Jayco agent requesting and end to the problems, they also need to step up.

I would not have taken it back from Jayco until all faults were fixed.

dogbox · Guru

I am surprised that admin allowed this post to stay open
jayco has a reputation of not the best quality but they have a reputation of fixing what needs to be fixed without fuss even after warranty out in some cases

an being your first post I hope we hear about any follow up as you managed to get to Dandenong why would you remove it from work shop if the repairs where not done to your satisfaction

why are you stuck in Darwin since may 2014! was that a misprint

who was the dealer are they the problem or have you gone past them an straight to jayco hopfully you will explain the process

moamajohn · Guru

Hi Pikeys. Very sad to hear of your misfortune ,I admire the way you have stated your problems simply and without emotion. I do hope that you have your faults dealt with soon .however should that not be the case please make us aware as when you tell the truth you cannot have any comeback with regard to a legal point of view .Cheers John

MicknEvie · Newbie

G'day Pikeys,

We are also new here and have been part time nomading in our little Eco-Tourer (which we are delighted with by the way)

Having said that, we have been Looking to upgrade to a bigger and better? van for about a year now and as such, have spoken to a lot of other nomads in our travels. There seems to be a fairly common feeling among many of the people who have bought new Jaycos and that is that they wouldn't do it again. Apparently their customer back up is usually pretty good but I think that a lot of these new van problems just shouldn't happen. What ever happened to quality assurance and pre-delivery checks?

Just our two bobs worth.

Mick and Evie Webb

Hey Jim · Guru

Bruce and Bev wrote:
And I thought we had bought a lemon from Supreme!!!

What a nightmare you guys have been through - you have my sympathies for having a whole lemon tree....this is the worst I have ever heard from the owners of new 'van

Have you been in contact with the ACCC - you might find things suddenly speed up and you get it fixed pronto with their intervention.

Hi The Pikeyes Bruce & Bex & Dog Box,

The fruit is very ripe. We collected our Flagship Jayco Journey Outback Pop Top this afternoon in Sydney. To put it in prospective We had 15 items to be addressed Three Fixed the rest either do not warrant attention.( Re our Photo's of kinked hoses) They work and flow so no fixes needed here ( Standard issue by Jayco according to the service Manager.(Quoted) And one, still not arrived from Melbourne, ordered on the day we collected our van on 23/ 12 2015. PIS POOR.

To our Face the service manager Again (Quote) The TV mount has been moved so the TV will now folds back without taking out the side of the cabinet. BS. MR GERRY RYAN. TV MOUNT HEX SCREWS were BACKED off and the TV Drags now on the flat surface.I used the Hex Key (Myself in their yard) While my wife was talking to another member of staff outside of our van ) supplied to retention.

No Drag now Mr Ryan. Its still now in the same Position as delivered Mr RYAN. Such Porkies to our faces.

I won't trust them to sevice our unit. I will do the fixing that they in their opinion don't need attention. This one ( Photo) is a cable running through a section of cut angle. The White shaffing You can see in the Photo is not shaffing it is white masktic (Quote the Service manager.) ( but they use black under here. I will be DE chalking this one MR Ryan and take yet another photo Mr Ryan for all to see.)

LEMON REPAIRS JAYCOin the rear. (The Fix) Fill it up with the chalking gun. DISSCUSSING.

Desert Dweller · Guru

We mistakenly thought that retirement was supposed to be a time of relaxation with no stress.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

DD - and so it should be - we're right with you. But how many times do you read here and on other nomad sites of people having the same terrible experiences with their new RV's?? When your expensive new vehicle is way below being below scratch, then stress kicks in big time - just when you thought you had had a life time of that raising your kids and keeping a job......

If I were t buy another 'van again (unlikely), it would be 2nd hand and well inspected by a caravan repairer with me standing there watching the inspection, or from a small family business (and theres plenty about) who only make a couple of units a week and do know the meaning of "craftsmanship" and "quality control" as most of them rely on word of mouth recommendations for new customers

the rocket · Guru

Hi pikeys, welcome to the forum. I will be following your post with interest. It is good u posted n here as thousands of people read it. Hope a little advertising of your problems gets them fixed asap.

Phil C · Guru

Hi pikeys, welcome.

We took delivery of our brand new Jayco Starcraft 20-62-2 in April 2013. Since then we have had a few issues with water, electrics (I have now re wired the van) and the shower floor. The water issue was fixed by Jayco under warantee and the rest I have fixed myself.

I will be the first to admit the van was built too fast and quality was not looked at seriously. Jayco (at least in Adelaide) were fast to fix the faults and easy to get along with. I wonder if this is not a local issue with re sellers and agencies?

Jayco accommodate the lower end of the market, those of us who can not afford a $90K+ caravan. Yes they are often riddled with problems which is a shame for people who put so much of their life into the purchase. However, we live in our van 24/7, I expect more issues as the van ages. These will be sorted out as I am lucky to be technically minded and have the correct tools to do the job.

I hope all the issues get sorted out, nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a $60,000 investment leaking and cracking. As far as Mr Ryan is concerned I dont think his minions would let an email get past them.

Cheers and good luck

PS: Despite all the issues I still love our Jayco.

Big TREV · Member

sorr to hear about your Silverline we have a Silverline outback 21-63 we have some issues but have been fixed the only thing that we are having troubles with the domestic fridge rm8555 is the freezer not freezing but there agent saying its working to there standards temps , hope Jayco offer you with a new 23 foot Silverline and if not I would fight them all the way to get your money back ! Then I would go and buy a retreat Hamilton or Kokoda caravan. Good luck

aussietraveller · Guru

This may not be a simple solution but there are a number of overseas manufacturers now bringing new vans into Australia (don't jump on me yet) and from what I have seen and heard when having a chat around the Caravan parks no one has made negative comments or found any serious faults like the ones we are hearing about Jayco.

One of our family members imported a very large 32' caravan from the USA brand new, paid freight, had modifications made here in Aus then went on a 12 month tour around Australia without any problems and no warranty issues, and how much did this very up market van cost, a total of $39000Au.

Maybe what our Australian industry needs is some serious opposition from overseas manufacturers and dealers here that care about providing buyers with after sales service, the only problem with this is it would cost Australians jobs but like in the car industry if you don't give the public what they want they will buy imports.

For anyone interested I have been told there is a guy in Qld who is now importing vans from the USA having them converted to our standards and selling them a lot cheaper than a comparable Aussie one.

jade46 · Senior Member

I believe Mr Jerry Ryan has stepped aside and appointed a new factory manager to try to sort out the mess, so maybe you need to find out his name and address your complaints to him.
I am told he is kicking lots of heads

As told to me by Brisbane Jayco dealership

DMaxer · Guru

Fortunately I have had no real issues with my Jayco (touch wood). I don't imagine any other industry would treat the consumer so badly especially knowing there are caravan forums where the unhappy consumer can vent his spleen to the World.

It seems the problem with a lot of industries is when they grow, the increased demand is met with an urgency to deliver the product as soon as possible to keep the cash flow running. Quality control is the first thing to suffer with the attitude being "they will bring it back if it is not OK". Once the money is in the tin, remedial work is not as important as selling another one. Whilst the demand is there, who cares, it is when the demand drops off that the soul searching reveals what made their business grow in the first place.

The articles I have read on this forum has steered me away from Jayco and on to manufacturers who are looking to increase their market share by supplying better quality.

Imagine what would happen if every member of the forum sent an email to Jayco asking if this is the way they would also be treated if they chose Jayco for their next van. Think about it.

dogbox · Guru

Big TREV wrote:
sorr to hear about your Silverline we have a Silverline outback 21-63 we have some issues but have been fixed the only thing that we are having troubles with the domestic fridge rm8555 is the freezer not freezing but there agent saying its working to there standards temps , hope Jayco offer you with a new 23 foot Silverline and if not I would fight them all the way to get your money back ! Then I would go and buy a retreat Hamilton or Kokoda caravan. Good luck

who builds Kokoda caravans

Swoffer · Senior Member

Anyone else suspicious about this thread ?

New member , 1 jaco bashing post then nothing .

Im not a jayco fanboy at all , but this just smells a little of rodent.

-- Edited by Swoffer on Saturday 16th of January 2016 02:27:47 PM

dogbox · Guru

give them time they could be out fixing something if they don't come back in a day or two then you might start to wonder

Bill B · Guru

Swoffer wrote:

Anyone else suspicious about this thread ?

New member , 1 jaco bashing post then nothing .

Im not a jayco fanboy at all , but this just smells a little of rodent.

-- Edited by Swoffer on Saturday 16th of January 2016 02:27:47 PM

Fair go the post was made less than 24 hours ago

Swoffer · Senior Member

Bill B wrote:
Swoffer wrote:

Anyone else suspicious about this thread ?

New member , 1 jaco bashing post then nothing .

Im not a jayco fanboy at all , but this just smells a little of rodent.

-- Edited by Swoffer on Saturday 16th of January 2016 02:27:47 PM

Fair go the post was made less than 24 hours ago

Ok , fair enough , we'll see then .

pikeys · Member

Hello again,

thank you all for your comments! And it is nice to know that many of you unserstand!

We just hope, that Jayco are monitoring these websites and this thread might spark some actions. So please, keep it coming!

If we get enough feedback on here, we will use it for another letter to the CEO or let the court have the information.

Surely this community has the strength to get manufactor to address their quality issues!

Thanks for your help

The pikeys

pikeys · Member

Hi dogbox,

why do you feel this post should not be allowed? Where else would we go to warn a community that deserves to know!

the van went for repair in the factory for one week as previously ordered Parts ( ordered while van was in repair in QLD in November) were on back order for months and we did not want to wait that long. Once fitted to the van by the factory, some parts were not of expected quality and the original part was in better condition than the new one!

Also testing of the satellite and water system is not possible until you are out and about.

we do have to ask why you are being so hostile in your comment? Working for Jayco?

The pikeys

pikeys · Member

Hi swoffer,

we do not monitor this forum 24/7 and are busy enjoying life

The pikeys

Bill B · Guru

You didn't purchase the van in Sept 2014 so how come you've been stuck in Darwin since May 2014 ?

Also I don't understand why you have to be out and about to test the water & satellite systems.

pikeys · Member

We would like to share our experience of a Jayco Silverline Outback with you and hope it will be useful to anybody looking to purchase a Silverline.

We took delivery of our Jayco Silverline Outback 23 in September 2014 for our trip of a lifetime!

A beautiful, modern and stylish van with a big slide out for some extra space! It was so exciting.

But our joy did not last long with a long list of faults that appeared within the first week of ownership.

Broken door and window blind, leaking shower and washing machine, the oven would not light and the 3 way fridge did not work on gas nor would it get cold enough, the water tanks were very difficult to fill and accessing water from the tanks was just as hard, the work benches scratched within a few days, the automatic satellite system was not working.

The fridge caused us trouble for the next 3 month and was finally replaced after several repairs.

Most other issues were addressed but some parts were not available and it took until January 2015 to get the repairs done. And even after 1 week in the service department in the Dandenong Factory the caravan left with repairs outstanding. The benchtops still have to be replaced, the satellite system is not working, the front window screen is still damaged and the water system is presenting the same issues as before.

Several other faults appeared within the first 6 month and every time the caravan moved something else went wrong. Draws fell out, cupboard doors came of hinges and so on. The reason for buying a brand new van was to get away from repairs but we had made it considerably worse by purchasing a Jayco Caravan. Very disappointing!

In April 2015 the slide out presented a problem and would not go out. The Jayco service team spoke to us on the phone trying to help, as we were in a remote location on the way to Darwin. The slide out would not move and we had to wait a week until we could seek repair in Darwin. Since then some strengthening repairs were done, but the slide out is not straight and will barely go in and out as well as the outside bottom front corner not closing. Jayco or the repairer did nothing until August 2015 even after several attempts to get the issue resolved. In a desperate attempt we wrote a letter to the Jayco CEO Gerry Ryan, but never even received a reply.

It is now January 2016 and we have been stuck in Darwin since May 2015! Our slide out, the water system, the bench tops, the satellite system.. still not serviceable!

If you consider buying a Jayco Caravan, please do not! They might have a support network, but the vans are of such poor quality, that we have to ask the question if they are fit for purpose!

This top of the line Jayco Silverline Outback has turned into a nightmare and legal battle for us and has ruined the experience of a life time!

Please be aware and do not make the same mistake!

The Pikeys

pikeys · Member

Our mistake! it should read in Darwin since May 2015!

Swoffer · Senior Member

Righto , crack .

dogbox · Guru

pikeys wrote:
Hi dogbox,

why do you feel this post should not be allowed? Where else would we go to warn a community that deserves to know!

the van went for repair in the factory for one week as previously ordered Parts ( ordered while van was in repair in QLD in November) were on back order for months and we did not want to wait that long. Once fitted to the van by the factory, some parts were not of expected quality and the original part was in better condition than the new one!
Also testing of the satellite and water system is not possible until you are out and about.

we do have to ask why you are being so hostile in your comment? Working for Jayco?

The pikeys

I said I was surprised that it was allowed to be posted as there are always two sides to every story an name and shame is usually frowned upon.

no I do not work for jayco an I don't feel that I was hostile in my repies to your original post I asked a few questions

it seem more people than not were happy with the way jayco fix their problems in the past, as mentioned previously might be new management at the helm as there seem to be a few disenchanted jayco purchasers of late

delatite · Veteran Member

Sorry, but I still seem a bit confused by this post.

It is the timeframes that are a bit hard to understand. Like others I picked up the "have been in Darwin since May 2014".

Obviously a typo.

You say your slideout was unserviceable in April 2015 and Jayco or its agents did no repair until August 2015. So your saying Jayco did no work to resolve the issue for 4 months?

You then say you are in effect unable to move/tow the van since May 2015 a period of 9 months, because Jayco refuse to repair your van.

You also say you cannot test the satellite or water test until you are out. I fail to understand this. If the satellite works, it works. It will work anywhere if you have the correct equipment for that area. ie correct gain antennae etc. Re water testing. The factory have their own water test facility. Why was it not able to be tested there when it was in for repair.

While I do not doubt you have had a large number of problems, the number you have had seems to be the largest ever had by any person on any of the forums. I gather you would photos to support your claim to Jayco. Is there any chance of posting some?

I must admit after 9 months I would have taken legal action against Jayco for repairs, assuming I can document every fault you have mentioned.

Lastly. I have no dealings with Jayco whatsoever, or any other manufacturer for that matter.