[ALAN]

I realize that the Gel coat topic already exists but I have a reply that covers that and another subject discussed on this forum. If the moderators want it split into two items I will do so.

I had a 1 1/2 hour talk today with Charles Wade from Keystone. He was here for an annual sales event at a local dealer. We covered many subjects that I am sure would be of interest to our members, but I do want to take up that much of your time. The two items I will cover here concern the Hi Gloss Gel coat and Warranty service.

He restated what I had been told by the Dealer, that Keystone does not like to deliver units to areas of the US that have high heat and intense sunlight, i.e. Southern CA, AZ, NM, TX, etc. Over the years they have had a number of warranty claims mainly due to the graphics on non Gel Coat units, as well as the yellowing effect on the sidewalls with non Gel coat coverage. It takes a number of years for this to appear, but in the meantime, Gel coated units hold their appearance longer and in his opinion is worth the extra cost. If I decided to order a non gel coated unit, Keystone would try to convince me otherwise but in the final analysis would sell me the unit without the gel coat. His concern extended to units that tend to sit in the same place for long periods of time, and therefore have the same place on the unit exposed to the sun everyday. Gel coat units hold up to this situation better than non gel coat.

The other question concerned a comment I read on this forum from a member who was told that if he went out of state to buy a Montana, that the local Dealer was not obligated to service his trailer. I believe after hearing Mr. Wades explanation that there was a misunderstanding on either the buyer or dealer. As I understood Mr. Wades explanation,there are basicaly two warranty periods that Keystone offers. One is a 90 day adjustment warranty and the other is their standard 1 year warranty. For the first 90 days, if you have a minor adjustment that needs to be made, the selling dealer will be reimbursed by Keystone for this expense. Such as cabinet doors that don't close correctly or some other minor items. System failures or major items would still be fixed via the 1 year warranty. If you have a minor adjustment any dealer other than the selling dealer is not obligated to make the adjustment at no charge. They may decide to do so, but may not be reimbursed by Keystone for this service. If I understood him correctly, that is a long way from the implied thought, that the local non selling dealer would not work on your unit. Mr Wade went to great lengths to ensure that I understood the difference between these two warranty issues. I think that there may have been a misunderstanding either between the buyer/dealer or in the dealer/keystone communication.

I found Mr. Wade to be a delightful person to talk with an very knowledgeable on the Keystone line. He says he reads this forum almost every day and a number of improvements or changes have come about due to the comments made here. He told me an interesting story on how the remote control system was developed which was a direct result of a member of this forum. He told similar stories on other items, the background of each helped understand the commitment of Keystone to their products.

Alan & Kathy