Oh no! Did I make a mistake buying Keystone

[Montana_3184]

We picked up our '06 329RLS Mountaineer on
Saturday, stayed in back off the dealership with full hookups to try everything out. Sunday morning before leaving we both took showers, thats where the fun begins. I noticed water coming out of the cargo compartment right below the bathtub. Service dept. was, of course closed. Our salesperson was very nice and got down and looked in the inspection panels and even try to tighten all the fittings, no luck. We are living in the Mountaineer while our house is being built, so I couldnt leave it at the dealer, drove 65 miles home over the Grapevine. Monday morning, drove back over the Grapevine to the dealer, sat around for 5 hours while they worked on the trailer. Tech. assured me that he had fixed the leak, drove back over the Grapevine home, next morning, guess what, it's still leaking. Also on the drive back the rod in the closed broke, the GFI in the bathroom fell out and the ceiling fan is making a strange noise. I cant help but think that I made an expensive mistake, I expect some problems but not so many in the first 2 days of ownership.

[gungho]

AH its fairly typical. About half the problems i had on purchase. It keeps you busy until you get the bugs worked out. Partly Keystone and the rest dealer problems.

[CountryGuy]

tdager,

do a search, and search the archives, this tub leaking thing has been a rather popular subject here at MOC over the years.

We replaced our ceiling fan, with one from Lowe's. Some of the ones from the manufacturer are noisy, others are not, we got 2 bad ones, did our own thing, with nice results.

Keystone has been known to stick up for their customers, with a little patience and a soft approach from the customer.

[Native Tex]

tdager - we had a Mountaineer 335RLBS a couple of years back. Fortunately it never gave a problem. Don't get discouraged as things like this seem to happen for some reason. It would appear that a good QC check at the point of assembly would find some of these. However, it takes a pressure test to find water leaks. Our dealer on the previous and current Montana puts all his units on a 24 hour test before final prep and deliver. It helps with such issues. Keep the faith!

[Wordsmith]

Very sorry to hear about your problems; I know that you have to feel like you are living the old adage “When it rains it pours.” I have heard some true nightmare stories about new units—some from Keystone but also from numerous other companies as well—and quality control is an issue with the RV industry. It has been discussed numerous times here and on other forums.

Hang in there!

[Montana Sky]

tdager,
Sorry to hear your having some trouble with your new coach. It can be frustrating, but it can be fixed. I have to agree Carol, Keystone has been really good about fixing problems and standing behind their customers. I hope your dealership is able to get the problems fixed soon.

[richfaa]

Well out of the Huge number of members of this forum there have been a couple horror stories like yours but they are in the great minority.
Sounds like those skilled old world Craftsmen did not show up the day they built yours.


Here is the E mail for the Montana/ Mountaineer District sales manager krolm@keystonerv.com (Mark Krol) Phone # 574-535-2124
FAX 574-535-2174

He May not be your district rep but he will know who IS...

[Hemlockusa]

TDAGER - What you experienced is nothing but the Dealers and Salesman's fault, and dealer worth their salt would have put your unit through 24 hour test prior to your walk through and taking possession of it... SHAME ON YOUR DEALER....My Dealer as with MOST other owners I have talked to have pressure tested and really went through the unit before you ever get to the front door.... There should be no SURPRISES for a new owner... After you sign those papers and head for home, you should have nothing more than a great smile on your face.... I am so sorry to hear that the first experience of ownership has been messed up by a slip shod dealer and salesman. As Rich has indicated take the number he has given you and contact your Montana (Keystone) district Manager and express your displeasure with the whole ordeal. We on this forum will all do our best to make the experience of owning your Keystone 5er a great experience. John H (aka Hermlockusa)

[Montana_70]

tdager,

I know how you feel. It is so disappointing after all the hard work that goes into making 'the' selection of the right unit for you. You can do a search on my history to know I have been there.

I know from reading the forum that some Keystone owner's have had problems out the gate, got them fixed and moved on. My personal experience was much different, and I cannot agree with Hemlockus's statement, that "what you experienced was nothing but the Dealers and Salesman's fault". I feel he or she is commenting from personal experience but that's just not true for every problem and and every unit. It was not true for mine.

What I would recommend is you contact Keystone now and let them know what you are dealing with and get them involved.

[Northstar]

Tdager, sorry to hear about your troubles. Not every dealer performs the tests that should be done. Hope things work out for the best.

[steves]

Sorry to hear about your problems but persevere as they can be fixed. Many of us have had to deal with these initial manufacturing problems (and they exist in all the manufactures of RVs). Just document your problems and make sure Montana
Customer Service is aware. I had the same leaks in my unit and they were all fixed. As many have said Keystone will warranty the repairs and get your coach fully operational.

[VanMan]

I'm sorry to hear about your problems, but if you do have problems, you want them to happen all at once and in the first 2 days !! You'll certainly get the dealer's attention ! Hopefully you'll get 'em fixed and that'll all be behind you !!

[dannyl]

I agree that the dealer is at fault. The unit was not checked out and properly setup. My dealer ran my unit for 24 hours before I spent the night in it. The unit had been checked when received and again before I stayed in it.
I also stayed in a KOA behind the dealer in Colbert, Oklahoma and there were a few little questions about operation but no problems. The service manager was there to walk me through the setup and the next day for any questions I had.
Your RV should be a good one. Have the dealer make sure.

[gkbutler]

While there was no excuse for the unit rolling off the line in the condition it was in, it did, and the dealer is just as much to blame as Keystone for you getting it in that condition. In our case, after we looked at what was available and decided to order our 2950RK, our salesman took us to the service department where we were introduced to the service manager who has handled all of our inquiries since we bought her. We were also given a tour of the service facility, and talked to several of the technicians working that day. Needless to say we were very impressed with what we saw and heard.

Once our Monty was sitting on the dealer's lot, it went through a 100 point check before we were allowed to sign the final papers. The only thing they didn't do was run a cycle through the washer/dryer. (We know that because we had to turn the water on at the washer.) Long and short, the dealer needs to share the responsibility for your unit being in the shape it was in. Sounds to me like service after the sale doesn't exist at your dealership.

[weinervill]

I know how you feel, I have a 06 Mountaineer 328rls and have the same problem. I am too far from my dealer so Keystone send me to Camping World for repairs...well I still have the leak and now a mildew smell. Called Camping World they can not help me until I bring the trailer back in and they get another authorization from Keystone...what a run around..good luck

[Mike and Wendy]

Be happy you got an authorization.Montana division of Keystone is excellent with warranty repairs. You won,t see anything better unless you buy a unit that retails between $150,000 - $300,000.

[Wrenchtraveller]

In the end, only you can decide if your Montana purchase was a mistake. I hope it turns out that it was not a mistake but only time will tell. Best of luck getting your problems resolved and I hope your Montana regains your confidence. I have bought a few things in my life that really let me down and it is an awful feeling. Take care, Don.

[rvfirefighter]

I had leak problems with my unit under the shower, replaced the foam gasket with plumbers putty on all drains. Also had numerous leaks on connections where compression gaskets were cross-threaded. Also had to caulk the underside of the faucet to keep it from leaking under the shower, a replacement unit did the same thing. Also had to have the 12 volt pump replaced, it was leaking under the kitchen sink. A new unit should not have these problems. This is my second unit and does not have the quality of my 2000 unit.
I am having problems with my DVD home theatre unit. I have been reading the problems others are having, maybe I can get it replaced with a new unit. I also have had my half-time oven replaced 4 times.
I hope I am at the end of my problems, but I haven't had the unit but 6 months.

[ronstan]

We have a 2004 3295. We have had about 5 little problems with ours. No big problems at all. I don't care what you buy you are not going to get anything perfect. Nobody is perfect. Oh there might be one on this forum. I have read some of the posts on this forum and I would not want to sell them a trail because I think they would be a pain in the you know where. Maybe we were lucky. You know what they always say don't buy one made on a Monday or Friday.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I think because RVs contain appliances, heating systems, cooling systems, and have electrical, mechanical, and plumbing as well as furniture and all the structural problems of a house that is moved down the highway, of course you will have a few issues and the super expensive RVs are not immune to this either.

My 06 Montana continues to impress me with it's quality construction and I still feel that Montanas offer good value for your RV dollar. I would never expect to own an RV that did not have a few little problems from time to time and it must be a nuisance for people that have to take the unit back to a dealer for every little adjustment. I will take mine back for real problems that require warranty coverage to fix but most little things like adjusting cupbourd doors or plumbing leaks, I would find easier to repair myself than all the bother of bringing the unit back to a dealer. I can see by the replies that most RV lovers feel the same way. Take care, Don.