RV Podcast 283: Rapido’s Rebuilding of the Roadtrek Brand

This week we talk with the CEO of the new Roadtrek Inc. and how the company is counting on a new emphasis on quality to overturn the tarnished reputation left when the once iconic maker of Class B campervans was caught up in a massive financial scandal last year. We also update you on the recalls and investigations plaguing the old company as the new owners begin production at their Cambridge, Ontario, Canada factory. The old company was known as Roadtrek Motorhomes. The new one is Roadtrek Inc. This episode of the TV Podcast features a very candid interview with Dane Found, the new CEO of Roadtrek Inc, owned by the Rapido Group of France. Found talks about the challenges involved in restarting production and winning back business following the sudden collapse of the old Roadtrek, once the best-selling Class B manufacturer in North America. Plus, we have lots of RV news, tips and an off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #283 Feb. 26 2020 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER We're on the road, heading into Florida this week doing last-minute research and taking lots of photos for our 7 Day Adventure Guide series on different regions of the country. We’re recording this podcast from Albany, GA, where we stopped to see our son and his family and take in a baseball game with grandson, Jacob. MIKE I used the visit to put the final editing touches on the movie I made that chronicle’s grandson Matthew’s senor year of playing football. JENNIFER And on the way down we stopped north of Atlanta and were able to have dinner with our grandson Nick and his girlfriend, Liz. Our 4th grandson, Zachary, is moving to Phoenix, so we won’t be able to catch up with him in person until we et there later in the spring. That’s one of the nice things about traveling North America in an RV…we get to visit with our kids and grandkids, who are scattered all over the country. As this podcast is being released we will be heading to Forida, where we’ll be spending the next couple of months. As we travel, we're trying to do meetups from various spots. The first will be this Saturday, Feb. 29 at the Ocala RV Show in Ocala, FL from 11AM to 1PM at the Sunshine State RVs display. We look forward to meeting our Florida followers and snowbird friends wintering down there. MIKE We're also posting videos, photos and lots of social media updates on our travels, meetups, adventures, and plans, especially on Instagram. You can follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rvlifestylemike As a special for the leap year day coming up at the end of February, we've decided to mark down our Beginner's Guide to Boondocking to just $20 from TODAY (2/26) until the end of the month (midnight EST, Sat 2/29)! No discount code needed. Use our guide to get more comfortable with boondocking (or learn some new tricks), throw off the shackles of traditional RV Parks and campgrounds, and STOP paying high fees every night that you spend in your RV! Get Your Copy Of The Beginner's Guide To Boondocking Here! This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Lack of Chinese tourists because of coronavirus expected to impact Yellowstone tourism industry this year Yellowstone National Park tourism groups are preparing for a downturn in visitors this year as a fall out of the coronavirus. About 350,000 to 400,000 Chinese tourists visit Yellowstone each year but because of the virus, the Chinese government has proposed mandatory quarantines on parts of the country and the U.S. government has greatly restricted travel from China. All Chinese tour groups are completely suspended right now. My guess, based on the numbers of Chinese visitors we have seen in our travels, that many U.S. national parks will see their numbers down as Chinese tourism stops until the virus is under control. MIKE Ever wonder how many campsites exist in the National Parks? Take a look! Ever wonder just how many campgrounds there are in the National Park System? Or ever wonder which of the campgrounds are the busiest? A break down by the National Parks Traveler last week explored the question of whether there are enough spots. It is not easy to get a campsite in many national parks and we found the information so interesting we had to share. We will build in a direct link in the shownotes for this episode at rvlifestyle.com/283 JENNIFER Yosemite's famous fireball phenomenon may be a bust this year Recently we wrote about the Yosemite National Park's "Firefall" tourist attraction where the Horsetail Waterfall looks like a fire or lava fall in mid-to-late February for a few minutes before sundown. The illusion has become Internet famous and attracts hundreds of visitors, triggering special parking and viewing instructions. But this year it is looking like the attraction of the seasonal waterfall may be a bust. The reason? No water. MIKE Toddler dies after falling into a septic tank at a Texas RV park A 2-year-old fell into a septic tank at a Texas RV park and died last week in a tragic accident. The toddler was apparently jumping on the lid of the tank when it buckled under her and she fell in. Several news reports (click here) said the lid was not screwed down properly. Family and neighbors at Paradise Lagoons RV Resort in Arkansas Pass tried to reach the toddler with a rope, but the rope wasn't long enough and the toddler died. JENNIFER About 2,000 recalled Roadtreks need to get second row seatbelt removed The owners of about 2,000 recalled Roadtreks should take their RVs to a dealer to have the second row seatbelts removed, and a new warning sticker put on. Apparently bankrupt RV manufacturer Erwin Hymer Group North America could not prove the second row seats were safe, and this was the solution provided. MIKE The safety concerns point to some unsafe and highly questionable actions by the management of the Erwin Hymer Group of North America. Those concerns arose last April when the receiver was given a 2016 test report from a former Erwin Hymer Group North America employee that indicated the second-row seats inside certain Roadtrek RVs did not pass Canadian or American motor vehicle safety standards, known as "pull tests." The receiver, along with certain former employees, conducted an extensive search of the bankrupt company's books and records and spoke with other former employees about the issue, but still could not determine if the seats passed or failed those important safety tests. So they hired an engineering firm to study the problem and it found the design did not pass the tests. The Roadtrek brand was purchased last summer by France-based RV maker Rapido Group, but the purchase agreement included a clause that expressly excluded any liability or obligations related to the recalled RV units. So who is responsible for fixing this? The owners. Erwin Hymer of North America is no more and the new French owners say they had nothing to do with causing the problem. JENNIFER Isn’t this the second major recall following Erwin Hymer Group North America's closure a year ago? MIKE Yes. Hundreds of new tow-behind trailers were also recalled last year after the court-appointed receiver for the bankrupt Hymer of North America outfit realized the trailers had not received final approval from the Canadian Standards Association for critical hitch and brake components before they were shipped to dealers. I suspect there will be more bad news still coming because a multimillion dollar insurance claim has been filed by many of the suppliers and creditors left holding the bag when Roadtrek shut down. That suit alleges Roadtrek misrepresented its operations and cash flow in the years leading up to the purchase by Hymer back in 2016. it seems there have been very questionable financial dealing there going back to 2013. JENNIFER So we probably haven’t heard the last yet about all this? MIKE Not by a long shot And you have to feel sorry for the Rapido Group, which is now trying to move forward with the brand. As you’ll hear in the interview with the new CEO of the new Roadtrek coming up in a few minutes, the main emphasis now is in restoring quality… something that it appears the old Roadtrek suffered greatly from going back to the recent years before the financial collapse. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK This week, we want to share an awesome email we received from one of our listeners: Hello Mike, and thank you for the content both you and your lovely bride Jennifer provide, though I am new to your Instagram and podcast programs it always a joy to hear you speak On what got me into the world of RVing, it’s kind of long-winded, however it has stayed with me for many years. Several years ago working as a mechanic I had a customer that brought her motorhome to us for a repair. She asked if it was alright that her and her husband remained in the coach while I performed the repair. This is not normally a practice that is accepted by professionals for many reasons. However I agreed to it. In conversation I asked the woman just what got her into RVing. She said it was never her real desire to leave her home and to do this, however she told me when her and her husband first got married he had told her when they retire he wanted to travel the United States so he could show her just how wonderfull this country is.