Red Bay, Alabama, where all Tiffin Motorhomes are built. Pictured is a 1976 Allegro Gas RV.We veered away from the beauty of the Natchez Trace Parkway to make the obligatory stop that every Tiffin owner has to make: the trip to Red Bay, Alabama, home of Tiffin Motorhomes.
Yes, this is Meriwether’s birthplace. For those new to the blog, Meriwether is the name of our 2004 40′ Diesel Tiffin Motorhome, named after Meriwether Lewis. Even though we had only owned Meriwether for less than three months, there was a certain nostalgia in making the journey to where he was built. That and we needed some work done.
The city of Red Bay is located in the northwest corner of Alabama and has a total area of 9.9 square miles. It’s a tiny town with a population of 3,374 people as of the 2000 Census. It’s the kind of town where I walked into the post office to check on a package we were waiting for, and the lady behind the desk was not an official postal employee. I’d honestly never seen anything like it before in my life. She smiled politely and explained that she was “just helping out,” as she fumbled around looking for postcard stamps.
To the casual visitor, there simply isn’t much there. Like many other small towns in America, you’ll find a McDonald’s, Subway, and a handful of gas stations and grocery stores. If you were just driving through, you’d probably blink and miss it.
But Red Bay is actually rich in history and well documented by the local museum. There is also a famous saloon nearby, which is built into a cave. And, of course, you’ll find the Tiffin Motorhomes headquarters. More on these highlights in a moment.
Our first stop was the Tiffin Motorhomes Service Campground.
Tiffin Motorhomes Service Campground in Red Bay, Alabama
To say this is a park or campground is an overstatement. From the mouth of the desk clerk at the front office, “This isn’t a campground; it’s a service center.”
That about sums it up.
A huge concrete and gravel parking lot with water, electricity and sewer connections. No picnic tables, no pads, no frills. Get in, get your work done, and be on your way. There is no reservation system. It’s a first-come, first-served operation. And there are Tiffin Motorhomes RVs as far as the eye can see…
Tiffin Motorhomes Service Campground in Red Bay, Alabama. Yes, those are all Tiffin RVs as far as the eye can see.It basically works like this: you check in, get a number (they are mostly all pull-through sites with a handful of back-ins) and you park. Then you stay in your rig from 7 AM to 3 PM every week day. At some undisclosed random time, someone comes by and goes over your list of needed repairs, so they can be entered in the system.
Then you are put “on the list” and you wait until called. During your wait time, a Tiffin representative will stop by and check the silicone seals on the slides of your rig. They’ll also check to see whether you have the known “Wet Bay” issue.
Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with the initial technician who came by to assess our issues. He had the personality of a rusty nail. Combine that with the lack of communication from Tiffin to us about when we could expect to be serviced, and you can imagine it was pretty frustrating. Having said that, those were the only two negative issues during our time there. Everything else went fairly smoothly.
Our spot at the Tiffin Motorhomes Service Center Campground in Red Bay, AL. We were one of the older rigs there. We faithfully waited for four days to get called in for service. It would have been nice to have more communication from Tiffin.Needless to say, there’s something unsettling about not having a clue as to when you will be seen. The front desk told us we couldn’t go into the service area, so we followed their direction and didn’t go in to ask what was going on. Only later, after the work was done, did we find out that we could’ve gone in and asked.
Lesson learned. If you go to the Tiffin Motorhomes Service Campground, it’s ok to go into the service office and ask about your expected wait time.
Meriwether finally got his turn in Bay 8 of the Tiffin Motorhomes Service Center.When it’s finally your turn (in our case, four business days later), they call you, you go into a bay and the work gets done. The cool thing is that you can stay with your rig and watch the technicians, ask them questions as they work, and learn! We went with an “Express Bay,” which was two Tiffin technicians for three hours. We got our money’s worth for sure. These guys were capable, knowledgeable, helpful and kind.
To our dismay, we were advised that we had the Wet Bay issue. This is basically an issue where the floor underneath the tanks rots because of the flooring originally chosen for the coach. It’s a known problem with the Tiffin line during certain years. The good news is that Tiffin Motorhomes said they would fix our wet bay free of labor costs, but we still had to pay for parts because our rig was older than 8 years (otherwise it would have been free).
So we got that taken care of the next day, as you can see in the photos below. It took two men four hours. Our cost was minimal, and Tiffin also discounted our camping costs for the week because we had this issue. As I’ve said, Tiffin Motorhomes is known for their customer service. Though I wish they had fixed it for free, they did what they could within their regulations to make our stay and repairs more affordable.
A rotting wet bay floor is no fun at all. Look at all that gunk! Tiffin Motorhomes replaced it at cost. No labor was charged. Oh, and they threw in a brand new water pump! Now that’s service!
A brand new wet bay floor for Meriwether! This one won’t rot. We’re really glad we got this done!
Brand new sparkling clean wet bay floor installed in Meriwether!Though getting repairs done is never fun, life is what you make of it. So while we were in Red Bay, we did what we do best…EXPLORE!!!
Three Must-See Places in Red Bay, Alabama
When life gives you repairs, go sightseeing. Before ever going to Red Bay, I’d become friends with a Tiffin employee named Mark Richardson who turned me on to some of the local places worth checking out. Mark is a genuine guy and a delight to know. He wasn’t acting on behalf of Tiffin when he gave me these recommendations. He was just being a friend.
Among Mark’s recommendations were the Red Bay Museum, Rattlesnake Saloon and, of course, Tiffin Motorhomes headquarters. Following his suggestions, we visited all three. Let me say up front that they were all worth the visit.
1. The Red Bay Museum: Located at 110 Fourth St SE Red Bay, Alabama 35582, the Red Bay Museum is not to be missed. It was perhaps my favorite stop of our entire Red Bay trip. Mr. Scotty Kennedy and his team prepared for years, gathering artifacts for the museum with help from townspeople. In 2004, the building on main street was secured to display the items.
Inside the Red Bay Museum. Make sure you stop here if you are in the area!
Extra points if you can guess who the kid on the right is in this photo. He’s pretty famous in certain circles.If you can get a tour from Scotty himself, you’ll be amazed by the rich history of the city of Red Bay, Alabama. I didn’t think I was going to be impressed. I was dead wrong. It is much larger than it looks from the outside, and exhibits take you back in time to the old soda fountain, the old church, the old bank, and more. Most of the items on display are originals. It’s incredibly impressive and a definite must-see!
2. The Rattlesnake Saloon: Located at 1292 Mt Mills Rd Tuscumbia, AL 35674, this bar is under a bluff, in a cave and only accessible by a 4×4 truck. Yep. This is the Rattlesnake Saloon.
The Rattlesnake Saloon sits in a cave under a bluff. If you look carefully, you can see Brittany there on the right. This place is huge!
The entrance to the Rattlesnake Saloon in Alabama.Don’t worry if you don’t have a 4×4. There is a parking lot at the top and a shuttle that picks you up and takes you down to the saloon. It’s about 30 minutes from Red Bay, but definitely worth the drive. They are only open Thursday-Saturday from February to November, and through Sunday from April to September. Beer is served only after 5 PM. But they do have a full food menu of fun stuff to try, including what is supposedly one of the best burgers in the state. When we went on a Thursday night, there was karaoke. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard an Alabama boy sing country music at the top of his lungs in a cave. Quite the experience.
3. Tiffin Motorhomes World Headquarters: Located at 105 2nd Street NW Red Bay, Alabama 35582, this may be the mecca of the RV industry. I highly recommend you take the factory tour. It’s fascinating to see how these rigs are built. The tour starts with a short video presentation. Then each tour member is given a radio, so they can hear the guide above the noise.
The front of an unfinished Tiffin Motorhomes RV. Part of the tour at the Tiffin factory.
A Tiffin Motorhomes technician at work on the chassis of a brand new Tiffin RV while the factory tour takes place right behind himThe tour walks you straight through the Tiffin Motorhomes plant and it’s really intense. You’ll be walking amongst the workers as they build coaches. You can’t get more up close and personal than this. The tour is free, and worth the time spent. Take it!
So that was our Red Bay, Alabama experience. From Red Bay, we headed back to the Natchez Trace Parkway and then onto Nashville.
Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love comments on the article, and I’m happy to help answer anything I can.
-Eric
Ahh…Did not know you were here at Red Bay. We’re still here in site 40. Waiting on our new fan clutch and fan assembly. Sorry we missed each other. Safe Travels!
We are so behind on our articles Brenda! Our client work demands our attention. (We’re really thankful to have our work with us on the road though!) We were there March 16th through the 21st. Hope all goes well for you and that you get a chance to take in the Red Bay Museum. Don’t forget to ask Scotty Kennedy to show you around!
Yes, the process of waiting for your work at Red Bay can be very frustrating. Sounds like you had it pretty good though – we were there for 2 weeks when we went the first time! We didn’t have the wet bay issue but we did have to have the floor on one of our slides replaced as well as our roof rails, both covered by Tiffin. We did meet a lot of great people and since we were brand new RV owners at the time it was time well spent. Glad you made it to Rattlesnake Saloon – that place is crazy!
Thanks Jennifer! Rattlesnake Saloon was a lot of fun! What the heck did you do for two weeks? That’s a long time to be there!! Brittany and I were surprised to see so many newer coaches while we were there. We wondered to ourselves, what could possibly be wrong with this many new coaches. Honestly, we thought that we’d be surrounded by units around our age of 2004. Boy were we wrong!
We read a lot and watched a lot of movies! We did get a lot of work done though – we bought our 2010 coach used and the previous owner had some repairs done that weren’t done correctly, and Tiffin was nice enough to fix all of that for us also. Also we were there when all the snowbirds were there so it was crazy crowded. And yes it is interesting how many new/top of the line RVs are there! All RVs need work done, old or new. I think the new RVs go to Tiffin because they know they can get their work done for free. The older ones are probably getting their work done somewhere where they don’t have to wait through Tiffin’s antiquated priority/wait system.
Did you just have your wet bay floor replaced this month and can I ask what year your motor home is? We have an 03 Phaeton 40RH (which looks just like yours) and I was last August that the wet bay repair is not covered because our motor home was older than 8 years old and also that they only repaired 04s and newer. Let us know. Thanks. Mike
@michel_de_breyne:disqus Meriwether is an 04 built on an 03 Freightliner chassis. Hey, ours is also a 40RH! I’m not sure about them repairing only 04 and newer they never said anything about that to me.
I know for a fact that they will do it free for all rigs that are less than 8 years old as of March of 2014. For rigs older than 8 years, they’ll do it “at cost” which means you only pay for parts and NO LABOR! So it is really well worth it!
I also learned while I was there that they have authorized repair facilities around the country and that they are able to ship the parts to one of those places to have the repairs done. Not sure how that part works with costs. I’m guessing that Tiffin would pay for the labor from the authorized service center and you’d pay for parts and shipping. But I could be off on that.
Best thing to do would be to call them to find out. My guess is that they will repair your Wet Bay if you have the issue and that they’ll do it at cost for you. But it’s just a guess, I’d give the service center in Red Bay a call at (256) 356-0261. Hope that helps! ~ E
Thanks for the quick response. I’ve already checked with them and they told me they will not cover any of the costs (although they did send me the repair instructions DVD for shipping cost only) since mine is a ‘2003’ and the problem only occurs on 2004s and newer (my build sheet and Tiffin serial number says 2003 ’40RH’ (even though they didn’t appear to offer a 40RH in 2003 and I think mine is really more of an ‘early-04 (03-2003 build date)). I’ll see if I can find someone local to help me fix it for cheap.
If I was closer to Red Bay, I’d probably just bring it and see if they’d do it but we’re over 1200 miles away so I don’t want to drive there on the chance they might decide to fix at cost!
Hmmm, I’m not sure I’d close the door on this just yet @michel_de_breyne:disqus . Ours is also serial numbered as a 2003. But the 40RH was NOT available until 2004. When I went to Red Bay, I told Tiffin that mine was an 04 on an 03 chassis and they DID take care of the labor. I just had to pay the parts. My advice would be to call again and ask to speak to a supervisor there. Doesn’t hurt to ask another person perhaps higher up the food chain. ~ E
Thanks for the extra info. I’ll keep hounding them and see if I can make a trip by there in the fall. Paying just for parts and having them do it definitely beats trying to find someone locally that’s never done it before.
Oh and I just sent you. (I think it is you) a private message on FB about this issue. Go to your home screen, then messages. You should see an inbox and your “other” tab which is greyed out a little. Click on that and check for my message. Hope this gets resolved!! ~ E
Eric, I talked with someone in the warranty department here at TMH. They said the normal procedure was that if the unit is ’04, they provide the labor here, if you’ll pay for the parts (as you did). He said he thought the same went for an ’03 model but the best person to talk to about this would be Wade Humphres, our parts manager. You can call 256-356-0261 and ask for Wade. He did know that the only way TMH would pay for the labor was if the job was done here. Hope that helps. Oh be sure to have the last 6 or 8 of your VIN# handy when calling in, Michel. Thanks.
Thanks Mark, appreciate you following up with that for @michel_de_breyne:disqus hopefully he’ll give Wade a quick call.
I’m late to the party (way late) but we’re getting ready to take our 2008 Allegro Bay this weekend. Having a hard time actually finding any usable info on the “campground” so this is like a goldmine! One question: can you tell me what the nightly rate is? Because to this point, no one has mentioned that to us. Thanks so much!
Hi Thurby. I just asked a friend of mine out at the campground today on 8/1/14. As of today here is the answer: The campground fee is $20 per night if you’re not within your one year warranty. If you are under warranty, that fee is waived. After warranty work is performed and a day has passed, the fee is applied to warranty customers too. I say a day, but actually if the service center finishes up a job at 8:00 a.m. , the meter might start running then. Most of the time, however, the techs will finish up with a unit, and it will be deemed too late to leave.
Does anyone have pictures of the roof rails and caps, wet bay floors and slide floors with issues before the repairs have been done? I need some clues which may indicate problems.
Have a 2007 Phaeton lined up to purchase and am concerned about the wet bay floors, roof rails and caps as well as the slide floors. Thanks in advance. I’ve really enjoyed your blog.!
Just found your blog on Facebook. Thanks for the great information on the service center in Red Bay. We just purchased a new 2014 Phaeton and we love it! Our Phaeton also has two different years of make on it, the coach is a 2014 and the chassis is a 2015. We were concerned that this could be confusing when we go to sell it down the road but now I see that this happens a lot. We will be following your blog, so keep the great information coming.
Thank you for sharing your experience – we are heading to Red Bay tomorrow from Nashville. We have the wet bay floor issue and a few other minor things to be done. Byron and Cyndy Streitz 2010 Allegro Bus 43 QGP.
Hello we have 2 Allegros ! One gas from -82, and one diesel fom -98, we have rebuilt them and we have a problem finding the P-rubber sealant for the lower side hatches, can we by thath direct from You ?
Best Regards
Robert Hjelm
Hi, Robert. Unfortunately, we don’t sell Tiffin parts. But there are many little (and big) shops in Red Bay that do. Have you tried calling around?
We are travelers ourselves. We don’t sell parts. ~ Eric