Roof Staples coming out near outer walls.

[jloftice]

I have a 2013 3402RL with about 10,000 miles on the unit now. Washing the roof after 30 days on the road this September when I noticed bulges in the roof membrane near the outer walls. mostly towards the rear of the unit. Turns out they are staples that are backing out and are so loose I can push them in with my thumb. Took it to my dealer. 8+ hours not to mention parts to peel the membrane back and make repairs. Anyone else having this problem? Keystone says it's out of warranty so they'll do nothing. This after they took it back to the factory to fix a cracked frame last December.

I'm considering RV Armor which comes with a lifetime warranty labor and material. More staples will surely work their way out and this becomes an easier fix with RV Armor from what I can tell. Anyone out there with an RV Armor experience?

[mlh]

Until and if the staples push through the roof no harm has been done to your camper. I would take a wait and see. If they don't come through do nothing but monitor if they do pull the staple out and put a patch on the hole. You can put a new roof on anytime. Until you must replace the roof save your money.

[1retired06]

Common problem

[Rondo]

Had it happen to our 3582 and they(Keystone) also checked the doorside roof edge because it was somewhat soft. Nothing was found on the edge but they did roll the roof covering back and pulled the staples and put in screws instead. I was told there really wasn't any problem and it is a common happening. IF they should come through the covering, that is when you have a problem and they have to remove the cover, pull the staples, put in screws and then stretch and re-glue the covering to the underlayment.

[bethandkevin]

As others have said, it's common. It happened on our 13' 3402RL built in April 2012. Keystone covered exactly the repair you described while it was still in warranty November 2012. Maybe with some persistence, you can get some help from Keystone.

[jloftice]

Thanks all for the replies. I recognize the problem really begins when the staples push through the membrane but being an airplane drive I prefer preventative maintenance. I don't want to push through while on the road the night before a big rainstorm then have a huge mess on my hands. Just looking at my roof I figure it's a matter of time before one pushes through.

I'm not happy to hear this is a common problem. Seems Keystone would have found a better way by now. Good part is no one has said they've had a staple push through yet.

This is our first venture into the RV world. Seems like something new breaks every year and of course it's just out of warranty. Extended service plans don't cover this kind of issue, at least none that I've seen. Becoming a frustrating experiment.

[jcurtis934]

Being your first rv it takes a little time to develop the layed back attitude you need in the rv world. Relax... I had a lot of those stamples coming up near the edges and still no poke throughs yet. Don't really expect any either...the rubber membrane is tough and there isn't any cross movement between membrane and staples. Just another minor irritant like a fly buzzing around your head. John

[joe1047]

hello, had it happen on my 2008 keystone Everest, and now again on my 2014 Montana. both times the dealer peeled back the roof on both sides and replaced the staples with screws . have them do both sides from front to back. if you do just the ones that are pushing up, in the future the rest will also push up.
do them all at one time. you would think that keystone would change the way they do this after all these years, and all the complaints. good luck

[jloftice]

Thanks for additional input. Like I said, I flew for a living and I don't like mechanical failures especially when on the road so my thoughts are to fix it before I have a puncture in the membrane. Looking like it is very common so I may just take the wait and see path for now.

My dealer wants to peel the membrane back full length on both sides and pull the staples and probably put screws in but that's a minimum of 8 hours plus supplies. Got to do some more fighting but for now Keystone says, sorry it's out of warranty, so any repair would be on my dime at the moment and I figure its would be something over $1000. Mostly angers me since this seems to be a common and ongoing deficiency in the manufacturing process.

I'm having generator problems also so I'm just a bit frustrated with the trailer, dealer, and manufacturer of the trailer and generator. Nobody wants to stand behind their product.

Thanks again for the input guys.

[bigskyjimmy]

Yep don't worry about it ,I've had a 2004 and a 2012 and my new 2015 and they ALL have had a few staples pop up and has NEVER been a problem ,my buddies newer SOB Same thing,as a RV owner for many years you just "roll with the punches" and get a Extended warranty to pay for other things that might go wrong as well and being a good handyman helps too with the little stuff,I tell ya one thing owning and maintaining a RV IS WAY CHEAPER than keeping up with Boat breakdowns and repairs

[jloftice]

Big Sky Jimmy that last statement is just way too funny but I do have to agree. I have a number of friends and relatives with boats and airplanes & the RV is way less expensive. I bought the extended warranty for just the reason you say but it doesn't cover staples coming out of the roof. Still seems like a deficiency in the manufacturing process to me.

Thanks again to all for your input. I'm already sleeping better.

[richfaa]

Crap like that is just what we all accept in a RV. We know they are going to have problems and we live with them.. I can not figure that out.

[wrehfield]

Over time you'll discover lots of manufacturing deficiencies in Keystone Montana's.

[jloftice]

Wanted to update this issue. After Keystone refused to fix my staple problem I sent them and email asking them to reconsider. It was again denied. So I asked the lady specifically what I should do right now. This is the reply I received.

Mr. Loftice,

Thank you for your reply, at this time you could place a board over the staples and pound them back down. I do believe that would be the best fix at this time.

Best Regards,

Jasmine Armstrong
Owner Relations Advisor
cid:image001.jpg@01CAFB50.D374C0C0
cid:image001.jpg@01CF893F.F9C75950
Ph 1-866-425-4369
Fax 1-866-273-1451
ownerrelations@keystonerv.com

I'm not a master mechanic by any means but this was the most ludicrous response I could imagine. One hit of those staples and the likely result would be a cut in the roof the size of the staple head.

So again, as in my generator problem, I asked my dealer RCD to be more aggressive with the issue. Once again they stepped up. They were not able to get Keystone to pay for the entire repair but at least got $500 out of them. By all the replies I got here about the roof staple issue I believe Keystone needs to take another look at their manufacturing process to eliminate this issue. I was basically told to gamble and leave the staples alone and if one happened to puncture the membrane they would reconsider. I don't like the idea of waiting to find out I have a huge leak because I let it go.

Anyway, RCD in Pataskala, OH worked with Keystone to get some relief on the repair. Their guys in the shop pulled all the gutters, rolled the roof back, hammered the staples back down, installed a screw along with putting tape over the staple head and gluing everything back down again. So hopefully my roof staple problem is a thing of the past.

[jimcol]

I understand their fix except, "installed a screw" Where did they install this screw?

[RRman]

Well, I noticed a few (3-4?) bulges along the edges of my 7 year old roof recently and I just pushed the staples down with my finger (no board needed!) with no harm to the EPDM roof. If they keep "rising", I'll put Eterna-Bond patches over them to reinforce the EPDM. Not a big deal compared to most issues!

[Jimmer]

I had the same problem with my 2014 3582RL. I got the same story when I called Keystone. I finally convinced them to let me take it to my dealer to have them inspect and then they would call them. Mine were getting really bad. They turned my dealer down twice and finally my dealer told them that he is not going away and since it is still under warranty they better fix it and they did. Ridiculous that they do not stay behind their product.

[bshgto]

quote:Originally posted by RRman

Well, I noticed a few (3-4?) bulges along the edges of my 7 year old roof recently and I just pushed the staples down with my finger (no board needed!) with no harm to the EPDM roof. If they keep "rising", I'll put Eterna-Bond patches over them to reinforce the EPDM. Not a big deal compared to most issues!

I have staples up too. I keep it covered during the winter and walk the roof after each trip looking for something I did wrong. RRman`s idea seems to be the best solution to the problem IMHO.

[mamamoose]

Originally Posted by jloftice

Thanks for additional input. Like I said, I flew for a living and I don't like mechanical failures especially when on the road so my thoughts are to fix it before I have a puncture in the membrane. Looking like it is very common so I may just take the wait and see path for now.

My dealer wants to peel the membrane back full length on both sides and pull the staples and probably put screws in but that's a minimum of 8 hours plus supplies. Got to do some more fighting but for now Keystone says, sorry it's out of warranty, so any repair would be on my dime at the moment and I figure its would be something over $1000. Mostly angers me since this seems to be a common and ongoing deficiency in the manufacturing process.

I'm having generator problems also so I'm just a bit frustrated with the trailer, dealer, and manufacturer of the trailer and generator. Nobody wants to stand behind their product.

Thanks again for the input guys.

keystone wiil not help in any way after warranty.had flex armor roof installed on 11/2 year old big sky.no more keystone.the only thing I now trust on unit afer the problems we have had.2014 unit.