Thor RV/ Flexsteel Leather Upholstery Peeling

[evanfollas]

Purchased our 2012 Thor 32A Windsport in 2014 with less than 5000 miles. Within 6 months the passenger seat began to crack and peel. We had an extended warranty on the unit and were told the upholstery was only covered for 1 year. That should have been our first clue. Over the course of the next year, the driver's seat and dining seats began to peel, leaving residue from the fragmenting leather and glue all over our unit and clothing. We contacted Thor in Elkhart requesting pictures that were sent. We were told that it was out of warranty and it would not be covered and IF the company would compensate at all, they would provide the same upholstery at cost to have reupholstered at my expense. That is the craziest part, who would pay thousands of dollars only to have this same cheap cover. Seriously! The unit was 3 years old by this time.  To date all of the furniture including the free standing recliner is delaminating. Upon investigation, we have found that this is a very common problem. We have heard testimonies from their service people and the upholstery businesses in town. One shop keeps a sample of the shoddy material as an example of the problem. Thor consumer services argue that "women" use cleaning chemicals not meant for these units therefore causing this problem. Well not in this case. The upholstery was too fragile and the previous owner instructed me to use water only on spots if needed. That still does not explain why hard to reach areas are peeling.  The real telling sign came from their local upholstery shop who informed us that a different material was used on the dashboard and foot plate of the sofa and the dinette which explains why those pieces are not peeling. Thor points to Flexsteel and Flexsteel points to Thor and the consumer is trapped in the middle. I am so ashamed of the interior of this unit that I will not invite anyone in to see it when we are at the rallies. My son did a Youtube presentation from the interior of this unit regarding his business. I was so mortified when I saw the presentation. All I could see over his shoulder was white "leather" strips dripping off the seat cushion. I was so embarrassed that I could not even concentrate on his message. 

We have been very patient waiting to see if Thor will do anything to rectify this problem. All we get is the run around. They all say they will look at it but no one ever does and no one ever gets back to us. The dilemma we have is that we really like our unit. The floor plan and size is perfect for us and we don't want to leave it. We have mixed emotions over our RV much like watching your mother-in-law driving over a cliff in your new Cadillac. 

If you are having similar problems with your Thor, let FMCA know by dropping them a line. If there are more complaining, maybe they'll do something. In the meantime, Happy RVing!

[docj]

24 minutes ago, evanfollas said:

Thor points to Flexsteel and Flexsteel points to Thor and the consumer is trapped in the middle.

As you noted this is a very common problem.  RV manufacturers establish "price points" that they wish to pay for subsystems purchased from other vendors.  Vendors such as FlexSteel have to meet those price points in order to stay competitive.  That means cheapening either the upholstery material or the furniture frame or both.  

Three years ago we purchased brand new deluxe FlexSteel captains chairs from Bradd and Hall of Elkhart.  The ~15 year old chairs we replaced were still in reasonably good condition and weren't peeling.  Our new ones were upholstered in Ultraleather which retails for $60-70/yard.  Unfortunately, there are lots of lower cost and lower quality imitations of Ultraleather and, in addition, there are a lot of poor quality "bonded leather" fabrics out there.    

[manholt]

evan, welcome!

It's not Thor's problem...contact FlexSteel,  it's their problem!

[docj]

3 hours ago, manholt said:

 

It's not Thor's problem...contact FlexSteel,  it's their problem!

I don't know why you consider this FlexSteel's problem.  It sold Thor furniture that met its price specifications and lasted through the warranty period.  That's the extent of their obligation.  If Thor drove subcontractors to use substandard materials to meet cost objectives why is that the subcontractor's fault?

[huffypuff]

I looked at a Tiffin Phaeton that was only a couple years old with peeling seat covers and rejected all Tiffin coaches after that.  

[f433921]

I have been in contact with FlexSteel about replacement of the upholstery on seat of the Euro chair in my 04 HR Endeavor.  The upholstery has held up well in my coach, the issue with the Euro chair was caused by my dog scratching.

FlexSteel has responded to my inquire and has acknowledges that they have the pattern to fabricate the covering and had requested that I send a sample of the material no make sure it will match the arms and back of the chair.

Will keep you posted as this progresses.

Jim

[9tioga5]

We had the same problem with our Georgetown 2015 270s. We drove up to Elkhart to Bradd and Hall. We replaced both captains chairs and tore out the dinette and got a ultraleather matching couch. We are very happy. The seats are much more comfortable and worth the extra money we had to pay. It shouldn't have happened but c'est la vie. Got more fish to fry :-)

[manholt]

9tioga5, welcome to the forum!

You did what I would have done...happy wife, happy dog, happy you! 

[MarcyKKey]

I have a 5 year old Thor Four Winds, front seats and leather dinette doing the same thing, the "leather" is flaking off all over the RV....what is appropriate thing to do?  I have an extended warranty, but doesn't sound like this would be covered.  What should I do?  Anyone?

[jleamont]

10 hours ago, MarcyKKey said:

I have a 5 year old Thor Four Winds, front seats and leather dinette doing the same thing, the "leather" is flaking off all over the RV....what is appropriate thing to do?  I have an extended warranty, but doesn't sound like this would be covered.  What should I do?  Anyone?

Give these folks a call. I understand they provide a DIY option;

https://www.seatdoctors.com
 

[Wlynch8829]

Check out youtube blogger, "our journey-in Myles"  Couple does good videos-just watched one where they had their flexsteel furniture redone by a company in WI (I think).  Lots of good info on the topic.