Having owned both a Grand Design Imagine and now an Alliance Delta, I’ve had the opportunity to compare these trailers where it really counts: real-world use. However, when shopping for a travel trailer, most reviews focus on floorplans, features, and first impressions. In reality, what really matters after purchase is the punch list—the issues that show up during ownership. Therefore, how do I measure the Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine? To answer this, let’s compare the punch list I had with Grand Design in 2017 to what I’ve experienced so far with Alliance.

To begin with, let’s break it down.

Punch List: Grand Design Imagine (Entire Warranty Period)

During the course of the warranty period, here’s a summary of the issues experienced:

• Leveling jack failure
• Decal issues
• Entrance door sticking (causing paint wear on upper left door jamb)
• Screen door alignment problems with the main entrance door
• Deadbolt not fully engaging
• Kitchen cabinet alignment needed
• Exterior storage door binding
• Slide foam gasket missing (visible gap to ground)
• Improperly installed/broken slide screw (This later became part of a major recall.)
• Slide wipe seal twisted/warped
• Cosmetic issue on front cap
• Misaligned drip rails
• AC gaskets not tightened
• Electrical short behind recliners
• Ceiling panel bubbling
• Defective front cap lights
• Ultimately a major roof issue (“roof fiasco”)

Takeaway

Overall, the Imagine had a long and varied punch list, including:

• Structural concerns (roof)
• Electrical issues
• Fit and finish problems
• Hardware failures

Therefore, these issues point to quality control inconsistencies during manufacturing.

Punch List: Alliance Delta (Early Ownership, Still under warranty)

Now, lets look at what has come up so far with the Delta:

• Slide cable fraying
• Dump handles hard to pull
• Interior slide trim damage from sticker removal.
• Loose backsplash
• Outdoor satellite connection not working
• Toilet gasket leak (antifreeze found)
• Roof quality (not exceptional, but typical for industry)
• Wrinkled/misaligned exterior decals

However, to be fair, the Imagine list reflects a full warranty period. In contrast, the Delta is still early in ownership—but even at this stage, the difference in severity and frequency is noticeable.

Takeaway – Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine

The Delta’s issues are more limited in scope and severity, and so far, fall into:

• Minor fit and finish
• Component usability (dump handles)
• Isolated hardware issues
• Satellite coax line severed (factory installation issue)

Side-by-Side Comparison

1. Volume of Issues

• Imagine: Extensive list across multiple systems
• Delta: Shorter, more focused list

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

2. Severity of Problems

• Imagine:
  • Missing slide gasket
  • Electrical short that caused multiple outlets to lose power.
  • Roof failure and AC gasket
  • Recall-related slide issue
• Delta:
  • Mostly cosmetic. However, the exception being the slide cable fraying and the satellite coax cut in half.
  • A leak (toilet gasket), but easily explainable and fixable.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

3. Structural & Build Concerns

• Imagine: A major electrical short, Slide recall, ultimate roof issues, AC gaskets never tightened raise big manufacturing red flags.
• Delta: The roof is not great from a quality perspective.  The slide cable being improperly installed and the satellite coax being severed and then hidden in the bundle raises quality control concerns.

Therefore, slight advantage: Alliance Delta

4. Fit & Finish

• Imagine:
  • Door alignment issues
  • Cabinet adjustments
  • Ceiling panel bubbling
  • Exterior door alignment problems
• Delta:
  • Backsplash loose.
  • Wood facia damage caused by decal removal.
  • Wrinkled informational decals on exterior of trailer (black tank sticker etc.)

The number of fit and finish items of both units is pretty comparable. However, the Delta issues are more minor and isolated.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

5. Electrical & System Reliability

• Imagine: Electrical short behind recliners
• Delta: Satellite connection issue only – The Delta’s issue is isolated to a non-critical system, unlike the Imagine’s electrical failure that affected core functionality and is a huge safety related issue.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

6. Customer Support

In addition, customer support is another area where these two brands differ significantly.

• Alliance Delta: Support is handled primarily through email. In other words, you cannot immediately connect with a live representative. Responses are promised within 48 hours of receiving the email.
• Grand Design Imagine: Customers can speak directly with a live representative right away.

As a result, the difference in responsiveness is substantial. For example, being able to immediately talk through an issue can save time, reduce frustration, and help diagnose problems faster.

In contrast, waiting up to 48 hours for a response can slow down troubleshooting and extend downtime. This approach will not meet expectations for owners who need real-time support while on the road.

Therefore, clear advantage: Grand Design

Real-World Owner Perspective

Here’s the honest takeaway:

• The Imagine delivered a great ownership experience overall. However, it required significant warranty attention, including at least one major issue.
• The Alliance Delta, so far, feels more dialed in from the factory, with issues that are:
  • Easier to fix
  • Less intrusive
  • Less concerning long-term (with the exception of the roof, perhaps.)

Final Verdict

If you judge strictly by punch list experience:

Alliance Delta comes out ahead. However, keep in mind I still have 8 months left on the Delta’s warranty. We will revisit this if anything changes.

The Alliance comes out ahead right now, not because it’s perfect, but because:

• Fewer issues
• Less severe problems
• No major system failures (so far)

That’s exactly what most RV owners are looking for—less time in the shop, more time camping.

Finally, as many of you know, I loved our Grand Design Imagine. After the initial punch list items (and Roof issue) were resolved, it really was trouble free. There will always be things that fail after the warranty period (like schwintek slide motors). Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

We had almost nine wonderful years crisscrossing the country in out 2950RL. That says something about the overall build quality back in early 2017.

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1971 Jayco Jaywren

1990 Mallard Sprint

1992 Fleetwood Prowler

2001 RVision Trail Cruiser

2007 Coachmen Captiva

2015 Jayco 24RBS White Hawk

2015 Jayco 27RBOK White Hawk

2017 Grand Design Imagine 2950RL

We switched travel trailers based on changes in our camping lifestyle. While you can see that we had three Jaycos, those decisions were based on floor plan changes that we desired, not brand loyalty.  However I have always maintained that the Jayco’s we purchased were pretty solid campers.

Then in January of 2017 we went to an RV show in Dallas and saw the Imagine 2950RL.  We loved the look of the residential interior and the floor plan which checked off a number of boxes for us. I went home, researched the company, and found their operating philosophy and owner reviews very impressive.

Based in that research we found a 2950RL about sixty miles from us and officially took possession of it on March 31st of 2017.  However before purchasing this particular trailer I climbed on the roof and had some concerns regarding the roof. After sending pictures and texts to a corporate representative I received a guarantee from Grand Design that they would stand behind the roof. 

So our journey began with the Imagine 2950RL.

The Trailer was not without problems during the first two years (show me a new unit that doesn’t have issues) but Grand Design took care of every problem we encountered. I have never experienced a higher level of customer service from any other RV manufacturer.  

On one of our first trips they authorized a Mobil RV service to come to our campsite and repair a water leak caused by a screw rubbing on a water line.  Grand Design recommended an RV repair shop near their plant where we could have an independent technician perform warranty work on our trailer. It was one of the best RV repair places we have visited.

In late 2019 I noticed what appeared to be some semi-serious issues with the roof. I immediately reported them to Grand Designs Customer Service Team. True to their word, they told me they would replace the roof.  Since the roof wasn’t leaking we scheduled the repair to be done at the Grand Design repair facility in September of 2020.  The timing of the repair was mainly due to us being in the area.

There were a number of things that did not turn out correctly with the replaced roof done at the factory.  There is no need to detail the specifics here.  I understand people make mistakes, and that happens in any industry. In addition, Grand Design contacted me and made no excuses for what went wrong. They took responsibility for it, and that DOES NOT happen in every industry.  Really what more can a customer ask for?  

Now, they are replacing my Imagine’s roof at their expense at a facility near me.  This is about as good as it gets from an RV manufacturer. Just look on-line and you’ll see there’s no better customer service organization in the RV Industry.  

If you read my blog, you know I call it the way I see it. I don’t sugar coat the RV industries woes at all, or Grand Designs for that matter. However, I give credit where credit is due.  Additionally, I am not a keyboard warrior spewing poison. Relationships or perspectives are not built on that kind of behavior.  I have always tried to be balanced in my approach in my blog and in my books.

When I say Grand Design has the best customer service in the industry it’s because I know it to be true based on my own personal experience. I have never recommended a particular travel trailer nor would I.  All travel trailers have issues, even more in a boom year; like the one we are experiencing now.  That being said if customer service sells RVs, Grand Design is going to outsell the competition.  If customer service is high on your priority list, then you will want to, at the very least, consider Grand Design as a manufacturer.

I have always said that if trailers were made better you wouldn’t need customer service.  Let’s face it no one who buys a trailer looks forward to dealing with warranty repairs; they just want to camp  However, when you look at the sheer volume of travel trailers coming out of Indiana right now (The first quarter of 2021 was the highest number of shipments on record) it would be wise to put stock in the customer service side of any purchase.

I’m typically not “Brand Loyal” with perhaps one or two exceptions. As it stands right now I don’t see myself moving away from Grand Design. To learn more about Grand Designs Story click here.

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Tammy was having shoulder surgery on the 30th, so I would need to leave Saturday the 26th. The plan was to drive there and stay in their campground until Monday, at which time I could meet with them and talk about everything they found and repaired. Unfortunately, things are never that easy; at least for me.

At 7:00 AM on Saturday the 26th I drove straight from the Dallas area to Middlebury, Indiana, and pulled into the campground about 11:30 PM eastern time. I was a little concerned that the new diesel truck might wake up my neighbors; but they all told me the next day that they never heard a thing.

There was a young couple in a new momentum fifth wheel to the left of me. They are full timers, traveling with their son who is 13 years old. They also had a Boxer that was very cute, and I wanted to go over and pet him; but I didn’t want to intrude. I believe they were in the shop for repairs to their auto leveling system.

A retired couple were in the spot to the right of me. You would never find friendlier people than these two folks. They had just gone full time and were in for some repairs to their radio system I believe. The technicians had already diagnosed the issue but were waiting on a part that was due on Monday. Their trip to the factory would take a nasty turn on Monday after their repair, due to no fault of their own. That however might be a good story for a blog at a later time.

A Heavy dew covered everything on Sunday Morning. However, by 10:00 AM I felt it had evaporated enough so that it would be safe to go up on the roof. The last thing I needed now was to slip off the roof. As I came around the rear of the trailer I noticed immediately that my ladder was bent.

Then I walked forward on the roof and could see that not only had they not completed the front seal caulking, but there was roof adhesive all over the top of my front cap. Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper at this point.

Next, I went inside to check the bathroom skylight, knowing they had removed it. I found deep scratches across the inside in three different spots.

This isn’t the kind of work I expected from the company that gave birth to my travel trailer. This is the kind of work I’ve come to expect from a dealership. The whole point of the “trip to the factory” was to avoid poor workmanship.

There were other minor things, that bothered me as well. Service had promised that my electric jack blocks would not be missing; that they would put them in the storage area. They were missing. When I reported this, they said they were there – I think they were looking at my rubber jack pads. So net/net, I need to order some more blocks; in the grand scheme of things a very small issue.

They also left my chains in the sand while they were in storage so now my tow chains are rusty. Then they also removed my propane tank cover, apparently to do a system check, and broke my Tire Pressure Monitoring Sending Unit from its mounted location inside the cover, as well as tearing the sending units negative wire at the battery. They also broke off the cap to my black tank flush port. Overall, just a real lack of care taken with my unit.

I met with the head of their service organization on Monday Morning after sending her an email on Sunday. They moved my rig into their shop quickly and repaired the ladder, skylight, and front seal as well as removing the adhesive on the cap. I left their parking lot around 11:20 Eastern, and drove to Memphis for a stop over at the Memphis KOA. The next morning I drove home.

On the flip side of all of this, I have to say the roof looks good; much better than when it was new. Also, I appreciate the fact that the company stood behind their word to take care of the roof. That says something about their integrity as a company. I can’t say a bad word about anyone I dealt with at Grand Design. They are all very friendly and treated me well.

I wrote a quick letter to the President of Grand Design, not so much to complain as just trying to inform. I’m sure that he doesn’t hear everything that happens down at the shop level, nor would I expect him to. However, things never get better in a vacuum, so I sent a note. I don’t expect him to reach out to me, and that’s fine. However, if by chance he does I will come back and add his comments.

(Update: It has been five months since this blog, and he never responded so I must admit I am disappointed.)

I still love my Imagine Travel Trailer and I still love Grand Design as a company; I’m just disappointed. I realize my experience is probably (hopefully), not reflective of most of their customers. Would I take another trip to the factory for repairs? Jurys out on that one!

In reading over this post five years later, it takes an ugly turn later on. One I never expected. Now I have to say, I would not recommend a grand design product or a trip to their factory.

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Packing and sorting in the back of the truck continued for the last few days at Cliffside. In the middle of the packing I made a call to the manufacturer and found the rep that had made our appointment had left the company. What followed was a back and forth with another rep that could not find anything on the scheduled repair. Needless to say when you don’t have access to the computer that holds all your email correspondence it’s hard to reconstruct all the conversations.

After going through some sent emails on my iPhone, I located an email where the service department was copied on the repair. Next I left a voice mail for the head of service and Trent and I took off in the truck to make a visit to Dollar General. As we were leaving the store, the phone rang and I was told that the manufacturer was ready for us to drop the trailer. What a relief!!!

Trent and I stopped later on to pick up some McDonalds and I finished packing the truck after lunch. When Jennifer arrived later in the day we emptied out our refrigerator and gave her all our perishable food items as we couldn’t very well take them with us after dropping the trailer. This also allowed me to clean and dry the fridge.

The next morning we left about 9:00 AM to head to Indiana. However, first we needed to dump the tanks on the way out of the park. After we completed that task and threw our trash in the dumpster we were ready to leave Wisconsin. We entered the address in the navigation system and rolled out of the park.

I’m not keen on driving through Chicago during the day, but as it turned out, Chicago wasn’t really an issue. What was an issue was the interstate heading out of Wisconsin. At least twice Semi’s came into my lane forcing me to swerve and lay on my horn. This coupled with some pretty heavy winds were a little more than I bargained for. The wind at this point would be nothing compared to what hit later in the day after we had already arrived at the manufacturers campground.

I would like to note here that I got a rude awakening on the charge for using the skyway bridge to leave Illinois. The cost was $26.50 USD. That is ridiculous! Next time I’ll go 30 miles longer to avoid that toll. If I had gone at off-peak hours (which I guess is around midnight to 4:00 AM), I would have only paid $18.00…and that is still ridiculous.

We arrived at about 1:00 PM in Middlebury, Indiana at the Grand Design Repair facility. I met with Valerie who leads the customer service department and we did a walk around the RV and I added a few items for her to investigate.

As I have mentioned on several different occasions; I think this company has the best customer service organization of all the RV manufacturers currently. We owned many different brands and I have to say they are second to none. Of course it would be great if you never needed customer service, but that is just not the real world with travel trailers.

After Valerie finished her paperwork, I took Eva for a walk around the grounds but she was more interested in all the noise coming from the factory. She is a very inquisitive seven month old puppy.

As the day continued, the wind increased. I was thankful we were not under that tree at Cliffside any longer.

The next morning the winds had subsided, and we rolled out of the campground at 7:00 AM EST. We drove straight home, making stops for Eva along the way, over a 900 mile trip. There was also a lot of conversation about upgrading the tow vehicle. I will talk about this in the next blog post.

We rolled into the house at about 11:00 PM; and I started unloading some stuff from the back of the truck. Eva did not appreciate this at all, since she was in the house and unable to help. It led to much barking, which I’m sure woke up Corrine and Jeff. They had arrived there the day before us.

In short order we went to bed; but I knew what was waiting for me tomorrow. Lot’s of cleaning and straightening things out before the October return to Grand Design.

This will not be the last time we go to Cliffside; it’s a yearly trip. We have found very few places that rival this campground. If you decide to visit I encourage you to make your reservations early. You are able to do that online. For information about Cliffside Park click here. You will love this campground!

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March was going to be a really hectic month for us because we had so many things scheduled. First on the list was a scheduled trip for March 30th at Grand Designs Factory. This stop was for a new roof on our Imagine Travel Trailer.

The Raised Decking on the roof.

So we completely emptied the travel trailer at Grand Designs request, no easy feat. Now with it empty we could drop it off in Indiana at the Grand Design Factory. Then we would head north to stay with my Daughter Jennifer and Son in-law Bob, in Wisconsin.

I haven’t talked much about this repair situation in our blog so here’s the backstory; it starts in March of 2017.

Tammy and I knew exactly which model of travel trailer we wanted to buy in March of 2017. However, we had problems finding it at a dealership near our house. There was one available about two hours away, so we went to look at it.

We loved the layout of the Imagine 2950RL. However when I decided to get up on the roof to check it out I found some issues. I could see objects under the membrane in addition to a less than perfect job of laying down the fabric. It was at this point that I started to think that maybe we would pass on this particular trailer and wait for the next shipment to the dealership. After assurances from Grand Design directly that they would stand behind the roof, we pulled the trigger and purchased that unit.

Fast forward to Summer of 2019. I am on the roof after our camping trip, and I can see the decking is now rising up under the roof membrane. This is happening at every seam. After I send pictures to Grand Design they tell me that they want to replace it at the factory. They stood behind their word. For that I am grateful and have a great deal of respect for their company. As I have mentioned before, Grand Designs Customer Service is more than likely the gold standard in the industry at this time.

Our prior travel trailer was a Jayco White Hawk. I will say this about the Jayco; it had a better than industry standard roof. When you walked on the roof, you could feel the difference in quality. I would absolutely love it if Grand Design built a roof like that, but that doesn’t mean that Grand Designs roof is weaker than the other RV roofs out there; its just weaker than Jaycos.

I also have a feeling that the GD roofs are nailed not screwed, but I’ll find out more about that when I get to the factory.

OK, that is the backstory on the roof.

Next up in March, we had to get all of our insurance (Auto and Home) renewed as well as our energy company selected and in place. In Texas, you compare electricity rates and select a company to enter into a short term contract with. Rates vary across companies as do their price breaks. It is a pain to research.

I have three motorcycles that need registration renewal, so they need to be inspected before they can get tags. There is half a day down the tubes.

Our pool vacuum booster pump failed around the 20th of March. So that needed to be fixed before the trip. Unfortunately for Tammy and I – it was not cheap! The pump alone was over 300 dollars. I am still struggling with why the pool booster pump motors that are made today will only last five years on average when they run only an hour a day. They are garbage pumps at a Cadillac price. I’m going to see if I can rebuild the old one so I have a spare on standby.

At the same time that the booster pump was repaired the Covid-19 Virus lock-downs began. In addition, campgrounds and waysides across the country began to get shut down. On the heels of that news, Texas began to shut down non-essential businesses and asked people to restrict their travel.

Based on the way the country began shutting down I called Grand Design and asked if they were still working in the repair facility. The answer was yes. The next question I asked was if we could push the repair date out. Our Representative Brian said that moving the appointment out would not be an issue. So, we said we would come up in the fall for the repair; and of course I second guessed that decision for a few days. Five days later I received a call from Grand Design saying that they would not be taking trailers into the facility for repair. Apparently the repair center didn’t know I had cancelled already). So obviously I made the right decision. Had we just left for Indiana (a 900+ mile one way trip) we probably would have had to turn around on the way there.

This actually worked out well for us because we ended up picking up our new floor child earlier than expected. Here She is, Eva Grace:

Don’t let her cuteness fool you, there is an incredible amount of energy in her tank! It’s been 13 years since we have had a puppy; and Tammy is remembering a lot more about that stage than me. All in all shes been really good, and I’m sure its a big adjustment for her too.

If you read our post from earlier this year about the loss of our girls (https://traveltrailernation.com/2020/01/06/bittersweet-camping-to-begin-2020/); you can imagine how hard it has been without our girls roaming the house and camping with us. Eva has some really big shoes to fill, because our girls were nothing short of wonderful. She also is going to have a great life with us, wherever we go. We are looking forward to having great times with her in the trailer. Camping probably won’t be happening very soon because we need to get through the puppy stage first. However, by September, I thing we will be all rolling down the road together.

Here’s hoping April is better for all of us from a travel, and personal perspective. Stay Safe.

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As you probably all know there is give and take on all travel trailers when it comes to options offered.  In this case we lost our outside kitchen and electric stabilizing jacks;  but we gained a ton of counter top, kitchen storage, and a bedroom you can actually move around in.  In addition there are windows everywhere in the trailer which makes it seem wide open.

I bought an electric drill and put a 3/4″ socket on it to use with the jacks. As a result, they move about ten times faster than the electric ones.  So the loss of the stabilizer jacks was easily remedied.

The warranty is pretty decent (some parts of the warranty are not as good as the previous Jayco, and some parts are better) and the quality of interior is the best we have ever had.  From residential cabinets to leather furniture, this really is like towing your house with you.

The last trailer had a huge punch list of things to be fixed under warranty before we left the lot-this had zero, and that’s a big plus.

The Girls are still getting used to their new house on wheels but as you can see Kendra is settling in nicely.

This is Travel Trailer number eight for us and probably our last as it has everything a person would ever need.

As I mentioned in the previous post, there really is something for everyone at an RV show!

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