LED Received Finally

[JandC]

Back story: One of our ceiling LED's were out immediately on our 2014 3725RL. Selling dealer (Lazy Day's) checked it out and said they would order one. Six months later we were back to Lazy Days to get LED installed plus other warranty issues. They then decided that they had the wrong LED. So 19 months after purchasing our unit I received two new LED fixtures that are the correct ones in the mail this week.

Pulled the old one and wired the new one exactly how the old one was wired. New one didn't work either. Switched wires around and of course it worked. Put the old one back on, wired the opposite way that Keystone had it wired, and what do you know.....it works also!

So this is a Dumb and Dumber situation for sure. Keystone's tech in the assembly line isn't smart enough to even wire a LED light the right way. Then of course two different techs at Lazy Days just assumed, I guess, that a brand new LED "burned" out. They must have never checked the wiring during either visit.

I guess the lesson I learned was that no matter if it is warranty or not, you may as well try to do it yourself.

[PackerFan]

Good job Joe, we will make a "Master Tech" out of you yet! What are you going to do with the new ones?

[1retired06]

On our 2015, we lost two. Dealer discovered the same thing, wired backwards. Strange they worked at all.

[DQDick]

The rig moves ever 15 minutes on the assembly line whether you've wired it correctly or not. Doesn't leave time to check your work.

[waynemoore]

Had to replace a LED on my rig also. Dealer got it in in about two weeks and I did the install myself. It was working so I never thought of trying to rewire it.

[JandC]

I am just guessing here, but these LEDs just don't "burn" out in a few weeks. So if it is like DQDick says, they just don't have time to check if they are wiring them correctly, then what if the same individual was wiring the same LED's for weeks and weeks?

Maybe he was only spacing out and wiring one out of five wrong, or even one out of ten, or maybe he just wired most of them wrong on Mondays after being drunk all weekend, who knows. My point is that even if he was only wiring one out of 20 wrong it would still be worth it to Keystone to have enough quality control in place to catch it. These LED fixtures are not cheap.

Scott, what I would love to do with my two extra ones is sell them back to either Lazy Days or Keystone RV. I would make either of them a heck of a deal, say $5,000 per fixture and I would pay shipping.

[jcurtis934]

Since most led light fixtures are polarity dependent, it would be wise to mark wire leads. Some fixtures have circuitry to allow the fixture to work no matter how it is wired, but these cost more and wouldn't be used by keystone. Proper engineering of wire loams, etc on the factory floor would take care of most issues except sloppy workers. These should be taken care of by quality inspections by a quality group, but that is money so you know that doesn't exist. The end user is the last stop. Look at this as a means of educational opportunity. John

[JandC]

Since I posted this under a section that references Dealers issues, I will make a final post.

After putting my screwdriver away I decided to sit under my new functioning LED ceiling light and knock out 2 quick emails, one to my wonderful dealer (Lazy Days), and the other to Jamie Salazar (Keystone Customer Relations).

Neither email set a friendly tone, but more of a "you really have to do much better than this" tone. Jamie from Keystone answered right away and apologized on behalf of Keystone RV. He also assured me that my email would be passed on to someone in the Montana group. I still haven't heard anything back from Ellen (Service Manager @ Lazy Days).

So Keystone RV at least responded in a timely manner and were professional about it. Lazy Days, the "worlds largest RV Dealer" blew me off and once again has made me feel like the "red headed step child". It has always felt to us when returning to Lazy Days that customers like us that only spend $60,000 to $70,000 should be using the alley entrance because the fancy front entrance is reserved for the $500,000 MH customers.

[1retired06]

We had a retired couple in our park in Florida, she walked with difficulty and a cane. Lazy days gave them royal treatment and took them around in a golf cart. Looking at a motor home in the distant part of the facility, they indicated there was no way they could afford the rig. The salesman got in the cart and drove off leaving them to hobble back to the main entrance on their own.

[JandC]

That story doesn't shock me. Salesman probably got a call from one of his high-end MH customers to come lick his boots some more.

[sambam]

Ouch! I guess I'll never shop at Lazy Days! Electrical problems always intrigue me. I find it interesting to grab a multi-meter and set out to figure out an electrical issue. This new hobby of mine has saved me a few dollars. I still wouldn't consider myself proficient, but it's amazing what you can learn using one of these. It makes it easier to track down simple problems. YouTube is a good source at figuring out how to use them, as well.

[rohrmann]

The original problem, other than the light not being tested after installation, was more likely caused by the fixture manufacturer using LED's that are dependent on polarity, instead of using LED's that will work either way. They probably can sell the fixtures for a few cents less than some other supplier. Keystone/Montana could save even more if they would spec out the better LED in the fixtures and then not have to worry about lights not working.

[paulinbaja]

IF the bulbs in the fixture are reversible the fixture may be wired correctly. Some bulbs require correct polarity and others don't. The real question, Why didn't the factory catch it and why didn't the Dealer PDI catch it? Use of LED's is new but it is obvious when they don't work.