First Trip - So Far So Good - Montana Owners Club

Sharhu · 09-05-2012, 04:12 PM

We also returned from our first weekend trip with our new 2012 3455SA. Thankfully we didn't have as many or at least not as serious a list of issues as Carol has had.

First off we had to stop at the dealership to have them replace the manifold for the hydrolics which they were already aware of and had been waiting for the part to come in. We had noticed a leak on our walk through and sides could not be independently operated.

While there we showed them again that the awning comes down fine but goes up extremely slowly 10 seconds down, over a minute back up. This time under battery power it wouldn't even retract and had to be manually rolled up. As they had the parts but weren't going to have time to fix it that day so we have to schedule to go back. At least later when we left the campground it did retract all be it slowly while still on the campground power.

The top of the pullout cabinet between the stove and refrigerator is splitting and the formica or whatever the coating is on it is lifting up. The dealer has ordered another one.

One of the latches on the bedroom closet is broken and they have to replace.

On walk through a tear was discovered in the fabric of sofa when it is opened out. We have to bring it back so their upolstery repair person can fix. If I am not satisfied we will push to replace that part of the sofa or the whole sofa. It isn't a large tear but a tear in a seam so hopefully it is just a matter of stitching it up and it will be fine.

While we were away I noticed a buckling or bubble of part of the flooring in the kitchen near the cabinets. Looks like didn't glue down all the way or something. We still have to notify the dealer about that.

We were also disappointed that the unit was not washed before we picked it up, when my husband commented he was told for insurance reasons they cannot get up there to wash it. Doesn't make sense to me.

Lastly, we were fortunate that my husband decided he wanted to turn around two of the lights over the sofa so the off/on switches were facing away from the wall and more accessible when standing infront of the sofa. We are glad he did. One of the lights had 2 60 wattt bulbs installed despite a warning label that said not over 40 watts. The bulbs and the entire light were quite warm and there was a lot of sawdust in the lamp covering which could have also contributed to possibly causeing a fire. Whether the bulbs were installed in the factory or had burned out or been missing and someone in the dealership just grabbed bulbs and replaced them I don't know. The dealer said not.

So far nuts and bolts holding up well, as are the tires which we will plan on replacing by next spring if not before. Hitching and unhitching went well, and the pull through site made getting settled in much easier. My DH even managed to back into our driveway on our return in about 10 minutes, which is a big inprovement from when we brought it home.

We are taking another weekend trip this weekend so hopefully no other surprises turn up. I really love the floor plan and storage and everything about the Montana so hopefully once these things get fixed that will be the end of our issues list.

**DQDick** · 09-05-2012, 04:32 PM

Glad to hear you're getting the bugs out. I also found 60's on those fixtures when I changed to LED bulbs. I also mentioned turning the fixtures around to the head of the Montana division and he blew me off. Said looks trumped functionality.

BusyCarol · 09-05-2012, 06:39 PM

Congratulations on the successful first shake down Sharhu! Sounds like you guys are getting all of the bugs figured out early. Tell your hubby GREAT JOB on parking within 10 minutes. We aren't quite there yet...but we did improve. Our driveway is about the size of a small aircraft landing strip and has quite an angle and slope to it so I don't give my husband too much grief. I will be happy when we get the real hang of it and be able to do it as second nature (or close). We got pretty good with our travel trailer but this is a different beast.

Enjoy the trip this weekend! Stay safe and enjoy the relaxation in your home away from home!

snfexpress · 09-05-2012, 06:52 PM

Perhaps you might want to change your lights to LEDs...

Glad that you are getting your problems resolved and welcome to the forum...

DarMar · 09-06-2012, 01:05 AM

Welcome to the 3455 club and glad to hear things are going well so far. Keep us posted.

**DQDick** · 09-06-2012, 02:39 AM

Just one thing to worry about. The "so far so good". When a window washer fell from the window washing platform on a big bank tower, every floor he went past they heard him say "well, so far so good".

Sorry, couldn't resist.

richfaa · 09-06-2012, 03:53 AM

Send that e mail to Keystone. Let them know of the defects

BusyCarol · 09-08-2012, 05:21 PM

Sharhu we have the same bubbling of the linoleum floor. Thanks to you I knew to check for it and sure enough near the one furnace floor vent there was a 1'x1' section that has lifted up and has bubbles in it. UGH! Oh well...it has to go back for some other repairs as well. No biggie...I just hope they don't have to replace the floor!

jim n deb · 09-09-2012, 02:00 AM

I would bet if you check the linoleum is not glued down any where. I have had two montanas a 2001 and 2010 and neither one was glued down.

1retired06 · 09-09-2012, 03:49 AM

You indicated the awning was manually rolled up. Exactly how did they do that?

Sharhu · 09-10-2012, 12:49 PM

Mike and Lorraine, Since we were at the dealer one of the staff got up on a ladder and assisted it rolling back up guiding it back up. My DH said there is a procedure on Dometic's website in the user guide for how to manually close the awning in case of power failure. He made a copy in case we needed to use it but on campground power rather than just battery it retracted, but very slowly.

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