Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

Montana_2505 · 11-22-2004, 04:45 AM

Interesting comments from everyone. I agree totally that quality control is the problem. Besides at the factory.... We did buy ours off the lot (OK, the Refrig is ENTIRELY our fault for being so enamored over the looks and arrangement that we simply didn't measure the refrig--so no use even talking about that anymore), but the dealer kept this RV for 10 days after we decided to buy that they might go over EVERYTHING to make sure all components worked. Some 90 point check or something like that!

SREIGLE,
Thanks and we can tell you realllly put a lot of thought into your reply...but....Perhaps in 2002, Keystone paid a bit more attention as to making sure it's products were done right. They didn't get their good reputation (which seems to be deteriorating) by making shoddy RV's in the past. This is not our first RV either...it's our 5th. We've had a Shasta, a Sportsman, a Thor (which we traded in on this one only because we wanted a bit bigger area,more storage, and a different floor plan). Our Shasta was 6 years old when we bought it--2 years and never had a problem. The Sportsman was 13 years old when we sold it this spring (no problems that were from poor workmanship) and the Thor we traded in for this Montana. We bought the 1 year old Thor from hubby's partner in N. Dakota last Feb. (who bought a King of the Road) No complaints AT ALL structurally or electronically OR Insulation wise on our Thor!
(And, it had a 10cuft Refrig--oh, yeah, I wasn't going to talk about that frig again!! and an RCA Surround Sound that WORKED!)
We debated about a King of the Road or this Montana. (the K O T R had 10' frige and double-paned windows and a NORMAL thermostat)---SAME PRICE as the Montana! Was a long tough decision as both had features we liked.This one had more storage, and we liked the floor plan better. Both manufacturers had a good reputation.
Hubby inspects and supervises repairs on drilling rigs for the past 30 years--and we have built and remodeled 5 stick houses. We're not sit-around uninformed tourists! We have plenty of electronics (surround sound, etc) so it's not like we don't know how to use our hands or our brains. We know how to repair a pc and program a VCR AND Surround sound. Dealer couldn't even fix this unit.
Really.....telling us that the DVD must say "SURROUND SOUND" to have all the speakers working?? And that some DVD's only have maybe 30 seconds of surround sound in the whole movie??? That was Dealer's excuse for it not working. We were in Walmart yesterday, and I searched thru every DVD they had to find one that said "SURROUND SOUND". Guess what.....they all said "Dolby Digital" and nothing more. We're not asking for a $5000 unit, just a unit that WORKS in brand new RV! We spent at least 5 hours (Before the week in the shop) trying every setting) and have spent 2 hours since they "replaced" the unit trying to get it to work. Hubby switched the speaker wires so at least we get sound from all the speakers and can use it when watching TV. All Mono, of course, but we "pretend". If they're not going to include a Surround that WORKS, and we're going to have to buy one ANYWAYS, why don't they just NOT PUT ONE IN???? and take the $50 off the price of the RV??
FURNACE: Pretend you had the remote thermostat and it went wacko, or your batteries died, or your nephew flushed it down the toilet. It's 30F outside, winds about 40-50 mph, and sleeting and snowing outside. You can't walk over to the wall thermostat and turn on the furnace. You must call nearest dealer (how far away??) and hope they have one..... And if they don't, you wait a week to 10 days for them to order it. There's nothing you can do on your own. Most folks can replace a wall thermostat if there's a problem..... For example, Dealer said our remote was indeed malfunctioning....and replaced it.
It's been a week, and it does seem to be working as it should, but knowing it can happen again is NO commfort.
In our kitchen slideout, we have a coffee pot. Nothing else that wasn't prewired (Microwave, fireplace, and the entertainment center)
To use the toaster, we must unplug the coffeepot. We have two other plugs that are on this circuit, but useless. Bad, sloppy, inconsiderate design.
Towel Rack on the shower door--DEALER told us about the door shattering when using the towel rack to open the door. Not to worry that WE would use the towel rack as a door handle, but it's just inviting trouble. If DEALER warns you, then it's obviously a known hazard.
DEALER installed Trailer hitch and never mentioned voiding warrenty.
Said I wasn't gonna, but...we didn't EXPECT a refrig "just like home". But we could put a frozen pizza in our Thor refrig. Hardly anything in this one. And we know how to economize space. We've done tent camping, too. But we didn't pay this much for our tent, or our Shasta OR our Sportsman OR our THOR.
Thanks for the tip about the back wall where the wires come in. We will check that out amoung all the other little spots that may allow seeping in of cold air.
After Dealer insulated and closed up hole at trailer hitch, kitchen floor is walkable (No ICE!) and cabinets are MUCH better.
I've already put window film on the windows. Did it on some of them before it even got cold. And we have two electric heaters also to cut down on propane use.
Yes, the leaking bedroom is serious. And Dealer's caulk job is NOT PRETTY! Hasn't rained again enough to see if we're going to stay dry. Only had some light sleet and snow.
Dealer fixed noisy bathroom fan. If this unit was 2 years old we would replace the fan with an even quieter one, but....it's BRAND NEW!
Dealer told us the Fantastic Fan thermostat NEVER works. However, I did figure that one out. It does work and we are pleased with the fantastic fan.
Most NORMAL thermostats allow you to either turn on the AC or the Furnace, but not both at the same time. Ahhhh, to have a NORMAL thermostat.....
We're aware that DEALER should replace the propane tank if something doesn't work. DEALER is good at making excuses for not being responsible for much of anything. Yes, and hubby tried to UN-stick valve. DEALER had filled tanks in PREP Checkup before we picked up our RV, but obviously didn't "check" them.
As far as our neighbors RV's: We've been next to them for 10 months, and when you're living this close (15' apart), it's hard to keep problems too much of a secret.
Remember, your RV was build a couple of years ago, and Keystone may not be the same today....
Steve, One more thing...I know your thoughts were intended to help ease "our pain"!! And we appreciate it.

11-22-2004, 04:45 AM	#23
Montana_2505 Established Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Parachute Posts: 15 M.O.C. #2505	Interesting comments from everyone. I agree totally that quality control is the problem. Besides at the factory.... We did buy ours off the lot (OK, the Refrig is ENTIRELY our fault for being so enamored over the looks and arrangement that we simply didn't measure the refrig--so no use even talking about that anymore), but the dealer kept this RV for 10 days after we decided to buy that they might go over EVERYTHING to make sure all components worked. Some 90 point check or something like that! SREIGLE, Thanks and we can tell you realllly put a lot of thought into your reply...but....Perhaps in 2002, Keystone paid a bit more attention as to making sure it's products were done right. They didn't get their good reputation (which seems to be deteriorating) by making shoddy RV's in the past. This is not our first RV either...it's our 5th. We've had a Shasta, a Sportsman, a Thor (which we traded in on this one only because we wanted a bit bigger area,more storage, and a different floor plan). Our Shasta was 6 years old when we bought it--2 years and never had a problem. The Sportsman was 13 years old when we sold it this spring (no problems that were from poor workmanship) and the Thor we traded in for this Montana. We bought the 1 year old Thor from hubby's partner in N. Dakota last Feb. (who bought a King of the Road) No complaints AT ALL structurally or electronically OR Insulation wise on our Thor! (And, it had a 10cuft Refrig--oh, yeah, I wasn't going to talk about that frig again!! and an RCA Surround Sound that WORKED!) We debated about a King of the Road or this Montana. (the K O T R had 10' frige and double-paned windows and a NORMAL thermostat)---SAME PRICE as the Montana! Was a long tough decision as both had features we liked.This one had more storage, and we liked the floor plan better. Both manufacturers had a good reputation. Hubby inspects and supervises repairs on drilling rigs for the past 30 years--and we have built and remodeled 5 stick houses. We're not sit-around uninformed tourists! We have plenty of electronics (surround sound, etc) so it's not like we don't know how to use our hands or our brains. We know how to repair a pc and program a VCR AND Surround sound. Dealer couldn't even fix this unit. Really.....telling us that the DVD must say "SURROUND SOUND" to have all the speakers working?? And that some DVD's only have maybe 30 seconds of surround sound in the whole movie??? That was Dealer's excuse for it not working. We were in Walmart yesterday, and I searched thru every DVD they had to find one that said "SURROUND SOUND". Guess what.....they all said "Dolby Digital" and nothing more. We're not asking for a $5000 unit, just a unit that WORKS in brand new RV! We spent at least 5 hours (Before the week in the shop) trying every setting) and have spent 2 hours since they "replaced" the unit trying to get it to work. Hubby switched the speaker wires so at least we get sound from all the speakers and can use it when watching TV. All Mono, of course, but we "pretend". If they're not going to include a Surround that WORKS, and we're going to have to buy one ANYWAYS, why don't they just NOT PUT ONE IN???? and take the $50 off the price of the RV?? FURNACE: Pretend you had the remote thermostat and it went wacko, or your batteries died, or your nephew flushed it down the toilet. It's 30F outside, winds about 40-50 mph, and sleeting and snowing outside. You can't walk over to the wall thermostat and turn on the furnace. You must call nearest dealer (how far away??) and hope they have one..... And if they don't, you wait a week to 10 days for them to order it. There's nothing you can do on your own. Most folks can replace a wall thermostat if there's a problem..... For example, Dealer said our remote was indeed malfunctioning....and replaced it. It's been a week, and it does seem to be working as it should, but knowing it can happen again is NO commfort. In our kitchen slideout, we have a coffee pot. Nothing else that wasn't prewired (Microwave, fireplace, and the entertainment center) To use the toaster, we must unplug the coffeepot. We have two other plugs that are on this circuit, but useless. Bad, sloppy, inconsiderate design. Towel Rack on the shower door--DEALER told us about the door shattering when using the towel rack to open the door. Not to worry that WE would use the towel rack as a door handle, but it's just inviting trouble. If DEALER warns you, then it's obviously a known hazard. DEALER installed Trailer hitch and never mentioned voiding warrenty. Said I wasn't gonna, but...we didn't EXPECT a refrig "just like home". But we could put a frozen pizza in our Thor refrig. Hardly anything in this one. And we know how to economize space. We've done tent camping, too. But we didn't pay this much for our tent, or our Shasta OR our Sportsman OR our THOR. Thanks for the tip about the back wall where the wires come in. We will check that out amoung all the other little spots that may allow seeping in of cold air. After Dealer insulated and closed up hole at trailer hitch, kitchen floor is walkable (No ICE!) and cabinets are MUCH better. I've already put window film on the windows. Did it on some of them before it even got cold. And we have two electric heaters also to cut down on propane use. Yes, the leaking bedroom is serious. And Dealer's caulk job is NOT PRETTY! Hasn't rained again enough to see if we're going to stay dry. Only had some light sleet and snow. Dealer fixed noisy bathroom fan. If this unit was 2 years old we would replace the fan with an even quieter one, but....it's BRAND NEW! Dealer told us the Fantastic Fan thermostat NEVER works. However, I did figure that one out. It does work and we are pleased with the fantastic fan. Most NORMAL thermostats allow you to either turn on the AC or the Furnace, but not both at the same time. Ahhhh, to have a NORMAL thermostat..... We're aware that DEALER should replace the propane tank if something doesn't work. DEALER is good at making excuses for not being responsible for much of anything. Yes, and hubby tried to UN-stick valve. DEALER had filled tanks in PREP Checkup before we picked up our RV, but obviously didn't "check" them. As far as our neighbors RV's: We've been next to them for 10 months, and when you're living this close (15' apart), it's hard to keep problems too much of a secret. Remember, your RV was build a couple of years ago, and Keystone may not be the same today.... Steve, One more thing...I know your thoughts were intended to help ease "our pain"!! And we appreciate it.