I have been in the RV industry for a while and I noticed that a lot of people ask about key features and quality on RVs that go unanswered. So I am going to review a new travel trailer, toy hauler, fifth wheel and motorhome each week. Feel free to post your own review of an RV on our site. Go to www.timetorv.com, scroll down the home page. On the right hand side click login icon, then click creat account and that’s it.

The RV that I reviewed is a Forest River Cedar Creek. This unit is a luxury fifth wheel and is made in Indiana. Cedar creek has been in production for 10 years and the market cap continues to grow for this brand. This unit is usually not a first time Rver unit. It’s price point is between 50K to 70K, depending on options.

Here are some key features about the Cedar Creek:

* Insulated tanks for cold weather ( this helps prevent your tanks from freezing and cracking ).

* Gel-coat exterior, including entry door and all compartment doors ( this helps the exterior hold its apperence ).

* Automotive UV Clear Coat Paint, Guaranteed for 7 Years,
on all Refrigerator Vents, Microwave Vents, and Entry
Door Window Frames, Preventing Early Discoloration

* Handmade 2 x 2 – 16″ (or less) OC Sidewalls with Individually Fastened Custom “L” Brackets Combined with Uniroyal®Silaprene Adhesives for a Strong Flexible Frame without Welding or Lamination. (475 PSI at 2″ Per Minute, Marine Grade) The benefit of having this is, when your side walls are welded they can stress and crack over time without you even noticing it until it’s to late. Remember these unit flex while on the road.

* All slide-outs are insulated all the way around ( 5 sides ). This may sound crazy but a lot of manufacturers don’t insulate the whole slideout.

* R-7 insulation in the walls. It is not possible to get thicker insulation without having thicker walls. If some one says they have R-10 or R-14 in the wall then they must have 2×4 studs not 2×2. Also, some RV manufacturers count the side wall skin as insulation.

* All end caps are insulated for better climate control in the fifth wheel.

* Day and night shades, no more radeling from mini-blinds.

* Central Vacume, for ease of cleaning

* Huge out-side storage to take every thing including the kitchen sink.

* Forest River goes the extra mile with this product by providing the owner with road side assistance from Coach-Net for the first year

Another thing, I witnessed personally is, the workers for Cedar Creek are very proud of what they do and don’t cut corners just to get to their lunch break. Cedar Creek believes in quality first, not quanity and that starts first with the employees. The turn around for emloyees is very low adn when they need to hire someone else, they don’t even put out an ad. Most employees are referred by another worker at the plant. Below is a list of some standard feature taken from the Cedar Creek website. I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to post your own reviews.

Exterior Features

* #30 Gas Bottles with Bottle Cover & Automatic Change Over
* (2) Scare Lights – Door Side & Off Door Side w/ Separate Wall Switches
* 110V. Outlet in Below Deck Front Storage
* 12V. Battery Disconnect
* Large Surface 12V. Heating Pads on All Holding & Fresh Water Tanks w/ Thermostat
* 15,500 LB Rated Extended Pin Box
* 16″ Tire Underbelly Carrier
* 12V Storage Lights in Below Bath Deck & Front Storage Areas
* 30″ High Gel coat Compartment Doors for Side-to-Side Storage, Turning Your Front Storage Area into a Front Storage Shed
* 30″ Radius Front Door Entry w/ Deadbolt Lock & Drip Cap w/”Soft Top” Entry Storm Doors that Allow Full View to the Outdoors
* 55 Amp Power Converter
* All Exterior Compartment Doors, Exterior Lights & Corners are Sealed w/ Butyl Rubber & Silicone – Proven to be the Best Sealant in the Industry – No Putty or Foam Tap
* Black Tank Flush
* Break Away Switch
* Cambered 10″ I-Beam w/ Unique “Z” Frame Storage
* Convenient Single Access Phone Jack & Cable TV Connections
* Detachable 30 AMP Power Cord
* Enclosed & Double Layer Insulated Underbelly
* Flush Floor Bath & Bedroom Deck
* Folding White Enamel Assist Handle at Door
* Front Power Electric Jacks w/Quick Release Front Facing Jack Pins
* Hard Heat Duct Boot Leading into Your Front Upper Deck for 2x More Efficient Delivery of Heat
* Hitch Light
* Hydraulic Front Landing Jacks on 6RD6S, 37CKQS & 37RDQS
* Large Framed Dark Tinted Jalousie Clamp Ring Windows w/ Superior UV and Weather Protection
* Lighted Entry Step
* True Gel coat Lockable Clamp Ring Exterior Baggage Doors w/ Thumb Grip & Door Catch
* Opaque Jalousie Window in all Toilet Areas
* Custom Artwork Graphics
* Porch Light
* Radius Wrapped Bottom Metal Skirt
* Silver Metallic Clear Coat Wheels (No Rusting White Rims)
* Smooth, Easy Operating, Easy Grip, Entry Steps – Extra Wide for Confident Footing
* Taillight Assembly w/ Back-Up Lights Included
* UV Automotive Paint Coating is Placed on Refrigerator Vents to Prevent Premature Color Changes
* White Enamel Rear Ladder

Interior Features Bedroom

* New Oiled Bronze Hardware that is Continued throughout the Bedroom & Bathroom Areas
* 9-8″ Deep, Drawers in Main Bedroom Area
* Bedroom Roof Vent
* Central Television Cabinet Location
* Full 6′8″ on Headroom
* Luxurious Bed Spread which Includes Elastic Mattress Grips, Pillows, & Shams w/ Solid Wood Shelves
* Soft Gray Mirrored Closet Doors that Conceal One of the Deepest Closets in the Industry
* Swivel Mount TV Antenna w/Power Booster
* Upgraded Pillow Top Residential Mattress
* Solid Wood Dresser Top (No Formica)

Kitchen

* 9 Cu. Ft. Refrigerator w/Exterior Digital Temperature Gauge
* 30″ Over the Range Microwave w/ Built-in Vent
* New Laminate Countertop w/a 2″ Solid Oak Edge
* 60″ x 48″ Window in Dinette Area
* Coagulum Diamond Floor
* Crown Molding Complementing all Overhead Cabinets in Kitchen area
* Durable, Residential Stainless Steel Sink w/Full Twin Deep Wells & Includes a High Rise Swivel Spout & Vegetable Sprayer & (1) Sink Cover
* Entire Water Filtration System which Includes Tank & City Water – Even Your Shower Water is Filtered
* Full 42″ Easy Entry, Double Pedestal Dinette Table w/2″ Solid Oak Edging
* Layer 65-Gallon Demand Water System
* Lazy Susan
* Pantry
* Residential Style Full Extension Roller Drawer Guides w/ Travel Locks – No Binding
* Silverware Drawer
* Solid Ash Drawer Fronts w/ Baltic Birch Sides & Ends Convenient 5″ & 8″ Sizes
* Toe Kicks at the Base of the Kitchen Cabinet
* Hoosier Cabinet (34RLSA) w/2′ Extendable Countertop & Appliances

Miscellaneous Appliances

* 30 AMP Detachable Power Cord
* LP Gas Detector
* Carbon Monoxide Detector
* Smoke Detector
* Single Residential Style Thermostat for Heating & Cooling
* Solid State 55AMP Power Convertor
* Suburban 30,000 (Minimum) BTU Furnace
* Wall Mount Monitor Panel
* Water Heater By-Pas System for Winterization

Living Room

* 35″ x 9″ “Skyview” Side Window in Living Area
* Carbon Monoxide Detector
* Ceiling Fan
* Coordinating Wall Paper Border
* Create a breeze Fantastic Fan w/ Thermostat & Rain Sensor in the Kitchen
* Day/Night Shades
* Fireplace
* Fluted Hardwood Main Slide Fascia Supported by Oak Columns & Post Pad at Carpet
* Lambrequin Style Valances w/ Curtains Throughout Except Bedroom
* LP Detector
* Main Slide-Room Height 6′7″
* Pre-Drilled & Counter Sunk Fastened Cabinetry w/ Lumber-Cor Cabinet Sites
* Queen Ann Style End Table (W/A)
* Smoke Detector
* Solid Ash, Cathedral Style, Cabinets Doors w/ Heavy Duty Hinges, & Residential Handles & Knobs for a Beautiful Crisp Clean Look
* Trackless Plush Pile Carpeting in All Living Room & Bedroom Areas
* Living Room & Bedroom Areas
* TV Cable, Satellite & Decorative Overhead Dinette Light
* Wall Clock

Bathroom

* 12″/10 Blade Bathroom Breeze Power Bath Vent w/Convenient Wall Switch
* 3 Tier Bath Towel Rack
* Wood Grain Passage Doors w/ Residential Door Handles
* Large Bathroom Mirror Medicine Cabinet w/Overhead Make-Up Lights
* One Piece Molded, Residential Style, Fiberglass Shower w/Seat that Wont Deteriorate w/Age
* Skylight Over Tub
* Foot Flush Porcelain Toilet
* Wall Switch Ceiling Lights in Key Locations

The need to monitor automotive dealers’ brand image online is increasingly imperative, as 75% of new vehicle buyers in 2008 used the Internet during their buying process. According to J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable report, investment in high-quality digital and social media content is essential to change customer perceptions of a brand, as well to raise brand awareness and consideration levels. Social media is the latest and the fast growing marketing and communication tool online.

Social media marketing improves automotive dealers’ online reputation through building close rapport with the existing as well as potential customers. The points below discuss why social media management is important for an automobile dealer’s online marketing strategy.

Happening marketing tool
It is evident that social networking online has brought a drastic change in how we communicate online. Many of us have at least one user account in a social media website such as Twitter or Facebook. For this reason, many of the perceptive marketing companies are using social media to reach the customers in a ‘friendly’ tone and set an impression. As car buyers are more online savvy, automotive dealers have a great opportunity to spread out the word more easily.

Builds reputation
Auto dealers can improve their brand’s reputation by establishing their presence on social networking sites particularly by targeting the vehicle buyers. Creating profiles and fan pages often increases opportunities to interact with prospective buyers among the social media users. Car dealers can share promotional information such as photos, offers and service details with the existing consumers. Social media helps to spread this information among the people connected to those customers and increases the visibility and response.

Two-way communication
Social media is the communication platform that has interaction and information sharing as the fundamental theme. It lets consumers directly give their reviews and dealers in turn can communicate with the customers by responding on social networking sites. Feedback received helps in improving the service and performance. It is a win-win situation for both the consumers and car dealers. Dealers benefit from the existing customers spreading positive information with other prospective buyers voluntarily while consumers gain valuable information that may not be available otherwise.

Pinpoint Target market
Businesses can accurately target their potential customers with the help of their profiles on the social networking sites. This makes easier to sieve through the large masses and save the marketing and advertising expenses that they usually spend on the much wider segments in traditional advertising.

Provides competitive edge
Car dealers can have a competitive advantage by maintaining a loyal customer base with the help of social networking media. There is a good marketing opportunity to car dealers with social media, which allows them to promote their services, cars and other related content on social networking platforms. Social media makes the dealer more accessible to its customers, which differentiates it from the competitors.

Social media marketing strategies are becoming popular among many businesses and auto dealers are no exception. It has become an essential marketing tool to amplify your online presence and to improve business.