A few warranty items on my 2005 Montana 3380RL - Montana Owners Club

Chad Brooks · 09-26-2005, 08:36 AM

Just wanted to post up and let you guys know of my problems. Although I am very pleased overall with my purhcase, I have had a couple problems.

1.) leaking window above desk. My floor got soaked from this leak, but I think I was spared any real damage. (repaired)

2.) Locks on outside storage door will not lock.

3.) screw in slide out sticking out 1/2". Dealer cut off screw and sealed lower slideout plastic cover. The screw is gone, but there is now a small tear in the lower slideout seal that is hardly noticeable. (repaired)

4.) Water feed line to toilet has a very small leak. This has been ther since new I am just now locating the problem. It drips very so often into my slide out tool tray (scheduled to repair)

5.) Front decals peeling!! This just bugs me! It doesn't look that bad but I think I should get replacement decals. If they agree, the old decals will be removed and the entire front fibderglass cap refinished and the new decals will be applied. I think this will make the RV look great and be less mantenance, as far as cleaning off bugs is concerned!

6.) Surround sound volume knob does not work, and didn't work when i picked up my RV from the dealer. I use the remote anyway, so this is not a big deal to me.

Other than these items (so far) I am highly pleased. This rig pulls like a dream and the brakes work flawlessly. I can't wait for our cross country trip next summer.

BillyRay · 09-26-2005, 09:25 AM

nice to hear nothing major! there will always be little items!

jrgwdenner · 09-26-2005, 07:01 PM

Chad, sounds like things are going pretty well with your Montana. We also have the 3380RL, 2004 model. I was surprised to see one manufactured in 2005. We thought they were discontinued for 2005 but reinstated in 2006. I'm glad the model is still around as we really enjoy our layout. Hope you're as happy with the floor plan as we are.

Chad Brooks · 09-27-2005, 03:44 AM

Judy, I too was confused when I first looked at the 3380 and they told me it was an 05. It is even stickered like an 04. Montana had a early 05 brochure that had the 3380 in it, and then mid 05 they dropped it. I looked at both brochures when I was at the dealership. Technically it is a leftover, late 04 production that was released as an 05. Here is a link to one just like mine. http://www.rvsearch.com/findrv/index...61/vid-114780/

jrgwdenner · 09-27-2005, 01:31 PM

And I guess they're starting to make them again. Whatever, I hope you enjoy your model as much as we enjoy ours. We saw a Big Sky 3380RL at Fort Stevens State Park, near Astoria, Oregon over the weekend. That was news to us.

sreigle · 09-27-2005, 04:21 PM

Chad, tell me more about refinishing the front cap and, especially, about bugs not sticking as much. I'm always open to suggestions on that one.

Also, what do you mean by the locker doors won't lock? The tang on the back of the lock may need to be bent out a bit? They can get bent and then there's no way the door will lock until they're bent back out. Any chance that's the problem?

Chad Brooks · 09-28-2005, 02:15 AM

Steve, them being bent is surely a possibility, but I think the lock was installed too high. It may just need a longer lock arm installed.

As far as the front cap goes, I will be sure to take photos of the operation. The fiberglass front cap is somewhat porous and bugs seem to just soak into it and stain it. I plan on spraying a white sealer to the cap then top coating it with a single stage acrylic urethane. This paint is designed for Fleet trucks and is very very hard. It holds up very well against bugs and rock chips. With the cap refinished like this and a couple coats of Race Glaze polish/sealant, the bugs should be alot easier to keep washed off. Also, the painted cap will not fade and look dingy like the fibderglass cap.

Clyde n Deb · 09-28-2005, 10:13 AM

Chad:
Most of the water supply lines in out 2955RL eventually leaked before we attended to all of them. I think the culprit was they were not snugged up enough when the coach was built. Initial towing managed to loosen them up abit it seems. Dealer fixed them all, usually replacing a little seal that's in those connections also to help justify the arranty claim I think. The fill to the toilet was the most annoying one....took them 2 trys to get it stopped.
Didn't believe me it was leaking until I made him stick his hand up on the line and it came away wet! They were somewhat intermittent.

jrgwdenner · 09-29-2005, 10:08 AM

We had a serious water leak in the underbelly soon after we bought our fifth wheel. When the dealer checked, he told us there were 56 loose water connections. Once they fixed them, we've had no more problems. I think our rig was started the day before Christmas.......

richfaa · 09-29-2005, 11:34 AM

Will take a good look at the water lines on our tour next week...How can there be that many loose connections..soneone is not paying attention.

Parrothead · 09-29-2005, 01:14 PM

When our previous 5th wheel was new, every water connection was loose. I was by myself setting up the new unit. Lost a hair dryer under the bathroom sink. Kitchen sink, shower, fresh water tank, outside shower - they all leaked and only needed to have the connection tightened. We have had no leaks with the Monty.
Happy trails................

8.1al · 09-29-2005, 04:05 PM

Chad,
Take a look at the clearance between door and the framework around it along the bottom. If yours is like mine the door frame will be close to the door at the outer edges and have quite a gap in the center. Now open the door and you will see the screws that hold that frame in place. The center ones need some sort of shim under the frame to keep it from pulling down when the screws are tightened

Chad Brooks · 10-04-2005, 03:14 AM

As an update: I took the RV in this past Saturday morning. The leak in the toilet feed line was just a ferrel that was not compressed all the way and just needed a little snugging down. The door latches, in fact, work just fine. You just have to press in on the door hard to get the weatherstrip to compress enough to allow you to lock it. This should get alot better as the weatherstrip gets a little age on it. As far as the decals, the dealership agreed that they needed to be replaced under warranty and put in an order for them. I will start on the front cap refinishing, as soon as my decals arrive. I want to get everything on my RV in tip top shape for my cross country trip planned for next summer!! thanks

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