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Old 08-22-2016, 04:24 PM   #1
Fire_Hazard
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Problems everywhere!

Out again this last week with the kids. Leveling system still not working, took it in for the 9th time. Front air still cycling, Stainless panel on fridge falling off, door trim pieces falling off and fridge won't cool below 47-50 degrees. The last few weeks we have been at full hook up sites so we did not make the kids use the bath house for toilet and it won't seal and fills the camper with the smell. We were on a 300 mile round trip and my truck with a factory trailer break gave me messages that the break was not detected then attached every time I hit a bump. Took my truck to a Ram dealer and they said the truck was fine. Same thing coming home, so I hook up the car hauler Sunday and put on 70 miles and there was not a problem, but it did the same thing taking to the dealer today. I am out of patience with this thing, anyone had a dealer replace a camper? On a side note I did meet a very fine fellow at the dealer from Omaha area who gave a couple things a look over with a few ideas. As I was leaving I noticed he had a Montana owners bumper sticker, such great people in the RV community!!
 
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Old 08-22-2016, 04:45 PM   #2
jcurtis934
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Ditch the thetford for a dometic 310 or 320. Don't forget about the shower drain to let in grey tank smells...it doesn't have a real p-trap. Fridge probably not installed per manufacturer specs (not fridge manuf. fault). Stuff falling off inside...yeah another build them super quick issue. Truck giving disconnect faults...keeping my fingers crossed I never see that with my ford. Hope it smoothes out for you. John
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Old 08-22-2016, 05:54 PM   #3
1retired06
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Maddening to have all those issues. 9 times at the dealer for the leveling system not good. Plumber grease or Vaseline will often seal the toilet ball although a domestic replacement is the way to go. We had the same issue with our frig, same temps. In our case, packing material left on the back of the cooling unit. Because it ran hot, dealer considered the cooling unit compromised and keystone replaced the frig. That sounds like your big ticket issue. Temps cited are unsafe for food. You could have a short or loose wire in the trailer harness. Hopefully you will get some fast resolutions.
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Old 08-22-2016, 06:09 PM   #4
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You need to come to the Fall Rally in Goshen and talk to the people there. Which Montana dealer did you buy you unit from. Are they taking care of things or giving you the run a round? Have you called Keystone Customer Service and started a file on your unit? I'm sending you a PM also.
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Old 08-22-2016, 06:24 PM   #5
Fire_Hazard
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With these temps we take a cooler and ice, we also use the outdoor fridge for important things like beer. The grey tank is not the problem as we did not notice it until we started with full hookups. The worst thing is I have fixed some of the problems myself. I can pull a motor and rebuild it, but for this kind of cash it should work on a new unit.
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Old 08-22-2016, 06:43 PM   #6
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I have spent hours on the phone with Lippert and the dealer (Leach) in Council Bluffs has been wonderful. They get it in and out and have sent someone out 2 hours to work on it on a Saturday. It only works on a flat level concrete pad. I started using a tape measure to make sure the jacks were not out of compliance (3 inches) lippert tells me. They say plug into shore line, turn battery disconnect off, turn it on, drive up on ramps, don't disconnect pigtail from truck. I will be opening a file with Keystone this week if they do not get something worked out. I really wonder if anyone else has had this many problems and was able to just get a new camper? We just got it new the end of April and just wish we had our old camper back.
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Old 08-23-2016, 01:40 AM   #7
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Had the brake warning with two trailers and in both cases there was a brake magnet wire rubbing in the brake drum.
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Old 08-23-2016, 03:11 AM   #8
WeBeFulltime
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Fire_Hazard

It only works on a flat level concrete pad. I started using a tape measure to make sure the jacks were not out of compliance (3 inches) lippert tells me. They say plug into shore line, turn battery disconnect off, turn it on, drive up on ramps, don't disconnect pigtail from truck.
What is this hogwash?! Are they saying you have to already be level before the leveling system will work? I have never done or heard of anyone having to do those things stated in the last sentence either. I think they left off the part about standing on your head and gargling peanut butter too.

Is your system electric or hydraulic? Mine is hydraulic and has worked flawlessly for 5 years. It will start the auto leveling from whatever state the Montana is in after pulling the truck out from under it.

I have only seen one electric system in operation and it did the same job as my hydraulic system but MUCH, MUCH slower.

Have you tried recalibrating the system?
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Old 08-23-2016, 04:10 AM   #9
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It is electric, they have recalibrated every time it goes back in and yes they say it needs to be level before I can level it. I am getting error messages on the front jacks and Lippert actually told me I was not "qualified" to reset them as I am not a certified tech so back to the dealer every week. It works in the shed when I don't have an error code flashing but it is a flat level concrete pad. I have personally only seen the all six jack go down maybe 4 times, all were on flat level concrete pads. We got it to work once in Kansas but it also was a flat level concrete pad.
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Old 08-23-2016, 04:14 AM   #10
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I should add that at my home park it has become a game, when they see me pull in they all congregate and place wagers on will it or won't it work. Over-unders on how long will it take to set up.
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Old 08-23-2016, 05:11 AM   #11
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I bought my 2016 HC 375 FL on 2 June. It is still in the shop getting minor things + air conditioning repaired. So far 15 hours of labor were approved by Keystone, it is now waiting parts the last two weeks. I drive by the dealers to visit it every now and then. I bought a 100 days of camping at a local resort on 2 June and will not get more than 75 of them used before winter sets in. I have no idea why it takes Keystone days to approve work and 3 weeks to ship parts.It has spent 6 weeks mostly sitting in Warranty Dealers waiting on Keystone. I do know General RV will laugh at you for trying to turn a lemon back in. Two weeks ago my owner relations rep instructed me to have the dealer order the parts level 2 which would be a approved. I thought that mean expedited but it appears it means 2 weeks+. On my electric levelers the folks told me that it has to start the auto level with the front level or high so they told me to extend the front legs at least three holes before unhitching to insure the auto level did not get confused.
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Old 08-23-2016, 05:34 AM   #12
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I have the Ram box which is a little deeper with Anderson hitch so mine is always a little higher. My dealer has always been so good, never taken more than a week for parts and repair. Last time it was in for them to replace the entire leveling system, that also did not work, I called on a Friday dropped off on a Monday and picked up Thursday. They are almost as frustrated as I am. Which is why I say just replace it and move on.
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Old 08-23-2016, 06:39 AM   #13
jcurtis934
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Me, I would be installing a bigfoot leveling system at my cost, then writing about the virtues of the electric leveling system in trailer life and other media sources. There comes a point when the circus has to leave town! You guys got way more patience than this old fart. John
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Old 08-23-2016, 06:59 AM   #14
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I have had the case where the trailer disconnect/reconnected scenario. In my case, the fit of the trailer wiring harness into the truck isn't real tight and depending on how I have my cord, every now and then it will disconnect then almost immediately reconnect. pretty rare any more as I think we have just learned how to place the cable. FYI I have an in bed mounted connection point for the wiring.
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Old 08-23-2016, 07:00 AM   #15
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I bought my 2016 HC 375 FL on 2 June. It is still in the shop getting minor things + air conditioning repaired. So far 15 hours of labor were approved by Keystone, it is now waiting parts the last two weeks. I drive by the dealers to visit it every now and then. I bought a 100 days of camping at a local resort on 2 June and will not get more than 75 of them used before winter sets in. I have no idea why it takes Keystone days to approve work and 3 weeks to ship parts.It has spent 6 weeks mostly sitting in Warranty Dealers waiting on Keystone. I do know General RV will laugh at you for trying to turn a lemon back in. Two weeks ago my owner relations rep instructed me to have the dealer order the parts level 2 which would be a approved. I thought that mean expedited but it appears it means 2 weeks+. On my electric levelers the folks told me that it has to start the auto level with the front level or high so they told me to extend the front legs at least three holes before unhitching to insure the auto level did not get confused.


I ordered parts from Keystone and they took 5 weeks to arrive from Indiana. I made a order from Amazon and it was fulfilled in INDIA. It was shipped to Germany, Then to France arrived in New Jersey and I had it a week after the order was placed. Something is wrong with this picture.
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Old 08-23-2016, 07:18 AM   #16
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The factory has parts for what they are building and for whatever the building queue is. If someone needs a part, that part order is placed with the supplier and you enter the queue behind everything else...unless the supplier happens to have extra of that part and they don't have to manufacture it. Basically, this is the JIT model (just in time) that was developed a whole lot of years ago in a whole other business. john
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Old 08-23-2016, 09:39 AM   #17
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Jcurtis I asked about that upgrade and they assured me they could make this system work. Mjammer I also have the in bed version, my cord is long enough and it does the same thing in both plugs and my other trailer is working.
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Old 08-25-2016, 02:52 AM   #18
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Go with the dometic.
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Old 08-25-2016, 07:19 PM   #19
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On the frig problem. I just put in a baffle to direct the air flow up the back and out the vent as there was not one installed at the factory and the hot air could just pile up in the big void 5" high across the top of the frig. I filled the void with insulation also. Dometic customer service told me this needed to be done to enable the frig to cool properly. There is also a diagram in the Dometic installation manual showing where the baffle should be. Dometic 1350.
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Old 08-25-2016, 08:08 PM   #20
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Was the baffle in the upper opening or lower opening? I will be near the dealer in the morning, and am going to stop and check on the progress.
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