Looking at new fifth wheels

[mlh]

Wound up fixing every thing my self. That might be the key here. Some people just fix every thing their self and don't think it's a problem.
Lynwood

[HOOK]

We are in our 2nd Monte. This one has Big Sky package. We have been pleased with both. Very little issues.
While I'm a part time sales person at CW I see lots of new and used, all brands. Monte, IMHO, is by far the biggest bang for your buck. Many of the new Montes we sell leave and never return for Ser. Yet, many Monte buyers are seasoned RV owners and do many repairs themselves. In my presentation, I always suggest that it's good to have hand tools and be able to use them.
We difficulty keeping Montes in stock as their reputation is excellent.
We have 5 in stock now, and they will soon be gone.

[woodman]

Like all manufacturers, Keystone will make changes in their design or periodically deal with different vendors, most of which whom have had a consistent pattern of quality themselves, however; some of which get decided after a litany of complaints are registered with their customer service dept. Such was the case with the decals, according to Keystone's engineering dept. It wasn't until after years of exposure to the elements, did Keystone recognize there were inherent problems with the decals, thus they changed the vendors and corrected the problem. I think the same has occurred with the tires, they're no longer using Marathons. Quality control is two dimensional, it requires not only the company that ultimately builds the unit have quality control, but also from the vendors thru which supplies are derived. In other words, some things are out of Keystone's control, especially when your making changes crafting new designs, seeking new technology and just finding that the vendor you've been dealing with, has undergone changes in ownership, management or whatever. In business, it happens all the time. You want to experience consistency, and for that part, I think that the Keystone Montana division has done an admirable job. Many owners of other brands have experienced real structural or cosmetic defects, and they believe that that is the norm or in some cases, that company had gone out of business. They often times have not done the research or asked the right questions. Many of them bought impulsively or via the poor advice of an acquaintance or friend. When we started looking at 5th wheelers, it was a 2-3 year journey which resulted in a 5th wheel that had consistently high quality standards. In essence, we became educated and we're happy with our choice. Have we experienced problems? Yes, but most have been very manageable and nothing like we've seen in other brand models. At this time, I'll stick with Montana or their new Big Sky, period. Granted, this site has a partisan group of owners, but many have said much of the same. IMO, it is still the best choice and value for the dollar spent.

[richfaa]

I have got to ask about keystone engineering department. Never met anyone from that department.. We are scheduled for the Mor Ryde IS system install July 10/ 11. IMO and based on previous experience that will relieve much stress on the frame. The two tank failures were NOT due to improper installation but plain ole tank failure. we are rolling the dice again on keeping this 13 Big sky.

New wall panels replacing the ones that tore off the walls will be replaced. Two Holding tanks that leaked will be replaced. the 87 1/2 inch wall sconce over the kitchen slide that fell off will be properly secured. A new gate valve replacing the one that failed will be replaced.

Maint will be performed on the wheel bearing and the brakes will be inspected . The rear window screen on the big window that does not fit will be repaired. The main entry door that never fit right will be repaired. All this along with the other 28 items that have been corrected by the Service center , my self or the extended warranty and the addition of the IS system should insure that the 3402 will give us the service we require..

[gjetzen]

mlh, The only reason "I fixed it myself" is because the Monty was under warranty I could not get the selling dealer nor keystone to admit or see that there was a problem. I finally got tired of the situations and just fixed it. the middle hinge on the water closet broke 3 times, while under warranty, the would replace the hinge but not fix the problem. The door jamb was bulged in the middle causing the door bind putting pressure on the hinge. I took the jamb apart and trimmed the wall board put everything back together and haven't had the problem since. 12 months and 33 days from delivery (12/22/2005) I came home from work only to find the Monty nose down in the snow. The front landing gear failed. The transmission bar that goes between the jacks split, buckled and fell off. I called Keystone the next day because the selling dealer was over 100 miles away and there was a keystone dealer 3 miles from my home. Keystone said that they would make arrangements to have the local dealer handle the problem. No one ever showed up. I waited a week called the local dealer and was told from them you didn't purchase the unit from us and we are too busy right now. I called Keystone back and told them what happened and they replied Your Montana is out of warranty, there is nothing else we can do for you. My graphics started to curl and fall off when the unit was 8 months old. I took it back to the selling dealer they took photos sent them to Keystone. They would not replace them. I tried 4 more times, sent photos and was denied. I was told by someone on this forum that I wasn't talking to the right person, they said to contact person XXX. So I did, explained my situation and was told that graphics replacement was on a case by case basis and to send photos so I did. Person XXX emailed me a few days later, didn't have the decency to call, and wrote saying, "I have noticed that you have requested new graphics for your 2005 Montana several times in the past and that your request has been denied. I am sorry to say that again your request has been denied. Your Montana is now 5 years out of warranty and we will not consider any future claims. Signed XXX

So, My experience with my Montana has been quite good but the selling dealer and the Keystone staff not so good.

[gjetzen]

woodman, saw new (2) 1-2013, 1-2014 Montana's on dealer lot 2 weeks ago in Hamburg NY CW with peeling graphics.

[scattershot]

What is the MorRide IS? It's a new term to me.
Thanks.

[richfaa]

quote:Originally posted by scattershot

What is the MorRide IS? It's a new term to me.
Thanks.

It is a suspension syatem that is OEM or a Option on several High End units, It replaces the entire OEM Montana Suspension system..

http://www.morryde.com/aftermarket/s...ension-37.html

[richfaa]

There is a positive side to the camper being in the shop for two months. We missed our Memorial day campout with our local group as well as two other . Missed the N.E rally and as we speak should be in Vermont for the FCRV national rally and a tour of the N.E states.Our trip that we had planned for over a year was to attend the N.E rally move on over to Vermont till the FCRV rally then continue our tour of the N.E states. That trip alone, Diesel fuel, rally fees, C,G fees, etc was budgeted at 3K $$$ so we probably did not spend about 4K $$. We might actually break even. That is not a good trade off but it is what it is.

[scattershot]

[

It is a suspension syatem that is OEM or a Option on several High End units, It replaces the entire OEM Montana Suspension system..

http://www.morryde.com/aftermarket/s...ension-37.html
[/quote]

Thank you.

[nowinter]

Thank you all very much for your responses. I have not had any positive Keystone responses for any of my problems from Keystone RV. My most recent call to Keystone was very negative regarding decals and the piece of plastic under the bedroom slide (significant cracking). So why should I spend my money on a company that does not respect me as a future customer with legitiment concerns with my existing product or at least try to work with me? I like my Montana but have spent numerous hours of work to repair and maintain my Montana. I have to thank Ozz for directing me through most of my repairs. I still can not believe that Montana still uses ABS waste tanks (others do not), Chinese tires and questionable graphics. The dealer network requires significant improvement. Much easier to repair things myself than deal with the dealers, especially since we live in the Montana four months out of the year in the north and reside in Naples, Florida.
I feel I know my Montana better than any of the sales people I have spoken to and most can not answer the most simplest questions. I still might buy another Montana but I am spending more time looking at SOB's. Now that we are retired and on a fixed income, I am very careful how I (we) spend our assets. Once again, thank you very much for your thoughts and opinions.

[mlh]

Rich why do you think those tanks leaked? What happened to them?
Lynwood

[gjetzen]

nowinter, We are waiting for the Hershey show in September to view the new Big Sky's, after that we will make a decision on weather or not a new Montana is in our future or an SOB. Will also go tour some assembly plants this summer. That is what the DW and I did in 2004 before we purchased our 2005 Montana at the then Harrisburg show in Sept.2004. We had settled on 4 brands at the time, Montana, Holiday Rambler, DRV, and Numar. I really wanted a Numar until I looked real hard at them.... WOW they were bad! Glad to see HR is up and running again. We will be looking real hard at those 3 Montana, HR, DRV. Wish I could get to Kansas to see how the Excels are put together. As far as our Montana goes as I stated before my 2005 seems to have been put together with some care or craftsmanship. I have had few problems and we really enjoy or like the floor plan. The DW and I do not fulltime or even long time but we used it a lot in 10 years, but I guess in "richfaa years" it's only 5 LOL. I only wish Keystone would have treated us better. Maybe I am asking too much.

[bigskyjimmy]

Last time we looked After ASV(Allied Specialty Vehicles) bought out Navistar which owned Monoco,Holiday Rambler,Beaver Safari ,Holiday Rambler was making the New Presidential but after making about 40 of them ASV pulled the plug on Holiday Rambler 5th wheels now they will only be making Class A's too bad we use to love the Presidential's

[richfaa]

quote:Originally posted by mlh

Rich why do you think those tanks leaked? What happened to them?
Lynwood

Defective tanks. We were sitting on our lot in Florida 4 months. We would on occasion fill the gray and galley tanks to flush them out. Both of those tanks split with just the weight of the liquid in them . Keystone is responsible for the quality of the vendor product as well as the quality of the assembled Montana. The galley tank split on the bottom and not on a seam. The gray tank had two splits about half way up..

[mazboy]

just was in Escanaba, Michigan and they have a 2015 Big Sky....loved it. it even had a dishwasher.

as for Montana responding to owner issues I can say that I've had a lot of experience with problems with our montanas and keystone has always fixed what needed to be fixed. We'd buy that Big Sky in a minute but I don't want to spend $75-85K on a trailer.

[richfaa]

One should always look around before purchase.. The dealer we purchased both Montana's from also sold the Jayco. They had both times a Jayco that was near identical to the 06 3400 and the 13 3402 and we were able to compare them side by side. The Jayco had some features that we preferred over the Montana but IMO the build quality was no better and it was significantly more $$$$. Why spend more $$$ and get the same problems.