Chumley,
Sorry to hear about your woes. that sucks.
after all you've been through this really ices the cake.
I would think SMB would have pressure tested the water lines beforehand.
If done in a home, all is well until an earthquake hits. But in a van that moves and twists, not so.
If one of the connections popped open, then opening the shower valve wouldn't do anything. you already have an open source that will drain first. You would think once the pressure has neutralized and all the water that is higher than this point drains, and you don't activate the pump, then the leaking water would stop. Maybe you're at that point now with some slight residual. Don't like the idea that you can't access this area easily, which I think is how you described it. something was glued down. when they redo this area, have em screw the covers on, no glue. appearance is less important than functionality and the ability to gain access. I guess in an RV, you're going to have problems at some point since the thing is rattling around all the time. You need the ability to patch or fix it yourself in the field.
The thing about the dash is maddening and total BS. Replacing a dash in a new vehicle is not the answer for being careless. collateral damage from construction work is always a pet peeve with me. that's why I do most of the home remodeling myself, but I can't do it all and must rely on outside help sometimes. it's a struggle and I have to be on top of them constantly. Sounds like an SMB build is the same story. Sadly.
What have I learned from your experience:
1- Being able to troubleshoot and fix in the field is really important. access is key.
2- The more amenities you add to an RV the more that can go wrong. keeping it simple isn't so bad
3- Tolerances can vary so don't design like you're building a piano.
4- Trust your instincts over the builder's practices. You're probably right in most cases plus it's your property
you want to protect.
5- I'm guessing that SMB West doesn't excel when it comes to custom designs and special requests.
I wish others would share their experiences in the same detail that you have so we can understand a vendor's strengths and weaknesses
6- SMB West seems to have a disconnect among their build team - Sales Guy, Shop Foreman, Line worker.
The left hand isn't talking to the right hand. Who is in charge of Quality Control?
Appears to be self inspection, which only works when you're really good at what you're doing.
7- Don't plan a big trip after your build is complete. Adds too much stress in trying to get the build done
in time and doesn't leave enough wiggle room for fixes.
So I wonder, is Chumley the first guy to come along with so many build problems or is he the first guy to document the problems or even notice them or care about them? Would love to know that answer. I have my suspicions. Same applies for all three SMB build locations. And Chumley's point of "what if I lived out of the area" is very valid. I've read that some guys don't see the build until it's complete, flying in for the first time. talk about a leap of faith. Maybe it's acceptable for a custom RV build to have a punch list of problems and issues when done. You can only specify a certain amount of detail in a plan and the rest is done as it goes. Note sure that would work for me. I'm a very detailed oriented person so my hair is on fire right now
Let's hope this story has a happy ending. Reading through Chapter 8 (ie page 8) it's been a mystery/adventure story bordering on becoming a murder mystery
Good luck Chumley