2010 3000RK Frame flex problems

[mijo]

In October 2011, just before our 1 year warranty expired, we had a problem with the wall in the front closet bulging and pooping the nails. We took it to our dealer in BC and were told that is was just that Keystone used too short nails. They re nailed it and told us to monitor it on our Winter trip south. when we got to Quartzsite our furnace quit so we took it to Lifestyles RV for repair. As soon as they put the forklift on to move the unit they realized that there was a problem due to the amount of movement in the hitch pin. Lifestyles got approval from Keystone, on Thursday, to pull the cover on the unit around the pin box to see what was wrong. They found a small crack and also that one side of the frame was moving up and down a way more than it should. They sent all the pictures and details to Keystone on Thursday at noon but Keystone did not approve further exploration before they shut down at 3 PM Friday for their weekend. Joanne and I spent the weekend, in our unit, in the Lifestyles Shop, waiting for Keystone. Monday morning approval was received so work went on. The cap came off and revealed that the front construction had been subject to very poor quality workmanship. It appeared that one side was done by a different person than the other. The good side had screws up through the floor into the frame while the side that had given away had the screws down through the frame into the floor and had pulled out. The ply board that had been used for the closet back wall looked like someone had just grabbed two pieces of scrap and stapled them on. On the defective side there were seven or eight screws that were intended to go into a piece of frame but all missed it by up to a half inch. Even lay people like Joanne and I could see that there obviously had not been any quality control inspection of this unit before the fiberglass covered up the work. On the side that had failed, the frame was moving up and down abut an inch with all kinds of bad noise in the wall. The aluminum frame was out of line and not firmly attached to the steel frame. The positive side of this story is that the staff at Lifestyles RV were fantastic and were able to repair the unit and I believe have repaired it in a manner that is stronger than it originally should have been when it came out of the factory. Keystone, other than the slow response, did come through in that we had the repair done at no cost to us. We spent 5 nights and six days at Lifestyles and I must say that the owner, James Angerami and all his staff are the best of any RV dealer we have dealt with in over 30 years of RVing. The fact that they can do Keystone warranty work is a big bonus for those of us spending time in Quartzsite.

[8e3k0]

Mijo; we are so glad your Monty is on the road again! It is nice to here positive results from RV Service Centers like Lifestyles.
There likely isn't anything worse than sitting somewhere with a mechanical breakdown and not knowing when or where the repairs will be completed. We'll be ready to meet and celebrate when you arrive in Yuma!!!

[DonandJudy_12]

Some things do not change- The frame problems have been ongoing for ten or more years- A class action lawsuit seems to be our only real alternative to force Keystone [Thor} to get it right- Our 2000 3555RL has had the Goshen repairs and still has problems due to an inadequate frame- We have spent $3k in an attempt to cure the problem but the repair facility can't cure the problem- I have read other posts on the subject- My next unit will not be a Keystone [Thor] product!!!!! JMHO- Don

[DonandJudy_12]

P.S. The relationships we have gained with the members here are treasured and I will continue to visit this venue daily in order to continue to learn and contribute to the forum- JMHO- Don

[swanny]

Your right Don, There is ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY and pride in the workmanship. IMHO they won't change until the consumer changes, We buy them expecting defects we hope to get them all fixed before the warranty is up. We tend to spend a lot of money getting our rigs road worthy and livable.

kevin

[CORattler]

Kinda like Microsoft where the users are Beta testers!!

quote:Originally posted by swanny

Your right Don, There is ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY and pride in the workmanship. IMHO they won't change until the consumer changes, We buy them expecting defects we hope to get them all fixed before the warranty is up. We tend to spend a lot of money getting our rigs road worthy and livable.

kevin