Forest River CEDAR CREEK CHAMPAGNE 38EL reviews

Our second new CC Fifth Wheel. Actually upsized from our 2020 34ik. Love the floor plan. Like the fact that we could get carpet in living room and bedroom for our dogs. ( They slip otherwise). Like the dealer we got both from. Or should say former dealer. (He wouldn’t stock 4 new ones per factory , because he is smart) Now the bad. Underbelly has fallen down on the highway twice! Wiring, insulation..etc dragging…Buy some serious amount of 4 inch wide Gorilla tape. My dealer even riveted a brace all the way across. Lasted 2 trips. Works great until wind grabs one of those 4x6 panels. Almost stranded twice. Full size Refrigerator broke loose from its cheesy spot. Had to be properly secured. Auto level works about 50/50. Big slide won’t come in unless level. Constantly fixing level.And calibrating. Would like to buy another if they would let us order from dealer. Would stress Refrigerator security. Underbelly security. And auto level warranties. Otherwise we like it. Going to fix the siding that was blown apart by a tire explosion. H rated tire, not blaming them on that one. But it damaged the rig. Also a note. Our 2024 GMC 3500 diesel stopped communicating with the trailer brakes because the solar panel charged the Fifth wheel batteries to more voltage than the truck. Had to remove inline fuse for solar panel to get trailer brakes to work. A 2024 issue for GM HDs. They are working on a fix. Show less

Before I bought the trailer I researched it and thought it was a good unit . All aluminum construction , even the roof trusses are aluminum. When I first seen it I was excited but that soon wore off . For the cost of the rv I would have thought the attention to detail would have been there . Main awning was not aligned correctly, the door is really hard to open and close , the fridge is not freezing molding on outside of trailer is falling off and every where you look around the inside of the rv you can see imperfections like marks on the walls and have dabs of silicone to cover the marks . Paneling joints are not smooth and even but the ac does work well and the trailer stays cool even though it is 35 degree Celsius outside Show less

We love the storage and the aesthetics. It’s a beautiful RV. The craftsmanship , not so great. They forgot to do some major things. The residential refrigerator was never fastened in. The king bed never bolted down. We had a crack in the exterior which we had to have repaired. It wasn’t covered under our warranty because we’re the second owners. There were several other things that were not right. It cost us thousands to get all things repaired. So look them over very very carefully. Show less

My unit had a few issues but were worked out. I think the factory relies on their dealers to do support so calling them directly can be frustrating. I just don't think the factory has a real customer support culture. I think this is the case with all RV factories. I worked my entire career in a customer facing position in a different industry that was also a manufacturing facility. I have researched all mid to upper price range 5th wheels. In my opinion the Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL is the best value and best built in that space. Your best option is to take your Cedar Creek to Amish Family RV in Topeka, IN for Service every couple years. They are usually booked 6 months out but well worth the wait. Show less

The support from the company itself, forest river, is terrible. You can tell they are super corporate, and more worried about the bottom line, then the customer. Local dealer was able to help. I would not buy another Forest River related product. Show less

I have owned several RV’s over my lifetime and this one is built like a tank. I tows well behind my 2017 F-350 Lariat 6.2L 4WD SRW. This is the only coach that my wife and I have both enjoyed. We have had NO regrets - we love it! Show less

I love everything about this RV. After living in another one first I found out what I needed to live comfortable. You dont know till you get in one. I looked for a while driving even 5 hours away. There are lots of RV's out there. But this one met all my wants..(Things I love most) 1. The beauty for sure. 2. The quality it which it is made. 3. The room. I knew I wanted a bathroom that I could move around in, get dressed in that my arms and legs weren't hitting the walls. Bedroom that could walk around my bed(a must) 4. Storage. I have so much storage (another must) 5. Hot water on demand (a MUST ) hot water for as long as I want it 6. Keyless entry (love) 7. Beautiful wood cabinetry with drawer (no trying to reach back of cabinet) 8. Large double sink 9. Residential Refrigerator 10. Residential size porcelain toilet. So easy to pull and rides so smoothly. Its GREAT !! Show less

We purchased this RV in 2017, 2017 Forest River Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL. This is considered a luxury 5th wheel. With full body paint it is a beautiful unit. Paid a lot for it. Last year we began seeing that the vinyl recliner headrest material was starting to bubble. I called forest River and they declined to help with repairs because it was outside the warranty period. only a couple of years old this should not be happening. After a few more months the entire headrest material was disintegrating. I again contact the manufacturer and they told me it was a lazy boy chair.. I called lazy boy and they would not help me, saying it was made by one of their affiliate manufacturers, but they would not tell me who. I searched the chair and found the manufacturers name and the piece number. Called them and they felt that the material should not do what it was doing. very helpful and sent me a new back for the chair at no cost to me. Contacted an upholsterer who told me that the material was top coated vinyl which is the cheapest material that RV companies use. we really thought we were getting leathers recliners. We paid way too much for our RV to be having an issue like this and for the RV manufacturer do refuse to help us. Buyer beware!! Show less

OMG where do I start. Upon check into the dealer where they sold me my Cedar Creek Champagne I was told to go to the lounge and they would have my RV repaired by the end of the day. Well, at 3:30 pm that day no one had contacted me in the lounge to advise me of anything, but the young lady (receptionist) came back to ask all the people in the lounge if our tech had been in contact with us. Not a single customer in the lounge stated they had heard from their tech. The dealer has a 60" TV screen with divided screens so that you can see the work going on in their NEW 120 ACRE service center in Cleburne, Texas. So the young receptionist calls my tech in front of me and tells the tech she needed to call me for an update. The Tech did not call instead went back to what she was doing (NOTHING). Short story, the dealer has had my RV for 3 weeks and keep saying they are waiting on parts but have been shipped on a donkey. After getting management involved, because the warranty company first refused to cover the repairs and the 7 year warranty states my issues should be covered, come to find out the service tech wrote up the repairs incorrectly. Some of the parts have arrived only to find out that whoever researched the problem with the slide failed to order a arm that pulls the slide into the unit that is missing teeth. Not sure their mechanics are fully qualified to work on a Cedar Creek Champagne. It's sad when you spent $100,000. on an RV and once you leave the showroom they WILL NOT TAKE CARE OF YOU without calling your attorney. Hope to get my RV back this year. Show less

We own a 2019 cedar creek champagne.We are full-time RVers and have had multiple issues in the one year of ownership with no dealer support. Now that we are 1 yr., 2wks. dealing with multiple issues we have a broken topper. We spent the last year sending pictures of broken fireplace, toilet and seal, slow-rise shade, drawer rails and numerous other issues along with requests for assistance but customer service is unable to help. We are told to find a dealer. When we contact dealers they ask if the unit was purchased from them, then they tell us they can't help. They are swamped with their own customers. Show less