New trailer problems

[Mlenest]

Let me start by saying I know that these trailer are house on wheels and they are going to have problems. But how many problem are normal?
My 2020 3780 has been in for service 3 times
2 times for DR code on refer
1 time bed room vent not been hook up
1 stair noise
And the big ones bedroom slides floor balling up
And no trailer brakes lose brake line to brake caliber.

[MARK A]

Well...It's upside down for one thing.
Sorry, just trying to lighten things up.
It took me a year to work the bugs out of our 2016. It wasn't hard as it was frustrating. Had I waited on the dealership I would still be at it. They're pretty good rigs for the most part. Just be diligent and don't let the issues pile up. Before you know it you're going to be using your rig and not having pesky problems.



Mark

[beeje]

All new units will have issues to be worked out. Unless it is major and expensive, I would just repair it myself. RV dealer warranty repairs and vastly different that cars dealers. Car dealers will get you fixed up quickly and correctly as opposed to RV dealers that will keep your unit for weeks/months on end to fix stupid little things.

Not to mention, you will most likely get a free loaner car to drive at the car dealer. Anyone ever get a free loaner camper, NOT.

[jeffba]

WJW is it just me or are there a lot of complaints about factory installed brake failures?

[ForBruce]

Originally Posted by jeffba

WJW is it just me or are there a lot of complaints about factory installed brake failures?

Brake pad separated from Brake shoe 600 miles from home
and $912 later ...so yes you are not wrong

and by the way this 5th wheel is about 6 months old

[DutchmenSport]

In the first year of ownership of my current Montana High Country, I had 78 different issues. Some warranty fixed, some I fixed myself, but warranty should have covered everything.

Now, my second year with the Montana has been REALLY nice. I suppose all the bugs finally got worked out. The second year was a real joy with it. The only repair in the second year was the water heater electric element that I burned out myself.

Hang in the fellow Montana owner! Eventually all those issues will be resolved and then you'll have one great camper! And just a word of warning .... expect more problems for at least the first full year of ownership! After that, life is good!

[scuba dude]

Hang in there buddy, It takes a while to get the bugs out but it will. I bought a 2020 3813 Legacy package full paint in March. I have had it back for several problems, several small, one not so small when that famous transfer switch shorted out and ruined the shore power cable. Then something happend to
the main door latch and it locked us out of the camper, that got interesting. A couple of paint problems and just little things. The best thing you can have is a dealer that cares. That makes all the difference. One thing I have learned the nicer the camper the more problems you can expect to have. With that being said I expect more problems in the future and thats why I purchased my first extended warranty that covers me for seven years.

[Vet4jdc]

Same story here. Took us about 18 months to get all the bugs worked out of our 2019. Now I feel like we have a good unit. Hang in there and don't get discouraged.

[Mlenest]

I just pick it and all the problem are fix but the need to order a née refer door
We are going to take it out @ the end of the month.
Also got use the new Ford Pro backup system WOW I love it

[Ram Montana High Country]

We've been Blessed from our first year in 2020 373RD other the rear AC went out and dealer was fighting Covid supply issues. Hopefully i didn't just play the jinx card for our second year

[Welty753@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Mlenest

Let me start by saying I know that these trailer are house on wheels and they are going to have problems. But how many problem are normal?
My 2020 3780 has been in for service 3 times
2 times for DR code on refer
1 time bed room vent not been hook up
1 stair noise
And the big ones bedroom slides floor balling up
And no trailer brakes lose brake line to brake caliber.

I have had two montana fifth wheels. Bought both used. My current 3150 RL had an extended warranty which I transferred to my name. Turns out came in handy few months later when the pump went out for the large slide. My advice, pay for the extended warranty. And while under warranty have the dealership fix everything. It pays to be persistent. Good luck and safe travels!

[Route66Rambler]

Our MHC 330RL had the furnace duct to the bedroom completely ripped in half so very little heat was getting into the bedroom. Basement was toasty warm thought. Went to Lowe's and bought a section of dryer vent hose for a few bucks and fixed it in a few minutes. Not worth the effort to take it to a dealer even though we had just purchased a few days before. The steps up to our bedroom squeak some too but so do steps in a house. Neither of these was a big deal for us. Just comes with owning an RV.

[allenclme]

We only had two major issues during year 1 that our dealer said was normal, that we didn't figure out for 2 years once it was out of warranty, that really wasn't.

1. Braking performance was terrible. We were told "It's a big trailer and you need to get used to it". When we had another dealer repack the bearings in year 2, we found out that the bearings were over-greased and the brake pads were all contaminated with grease. $900 and all new brakes later, it works great.
2. Lousy A/C performance - Dealer said it was fine. Found out later from great information on this forum that it was really crushed ducts. Once we fixed that ourselves, it's been fine, actually works really well. We also had to replace the thermostats.
3. We had the flex frame issue in year 2.5 that Keystone took care of out of warranty. CW did a really good job on that repair.

We still have to tighten loose screws and do other minor repairs, but that's normal. The only trouble-free trailer I ever owned in 35 years of having trailers was our 2000 Terry 25W (Fleetwood RV). That was perfect and gave us 10 trouble free years of service. I was bummed when they got out of the towable business.

[DaveK]

My previous Keystone Bullet travel trailer had zero failures in 4 years, so I purchased a 2019 MHC 5er.

It had 6 issues on my warranty repair list:
Slide "D" seal replaced
Key TV connections
Furnace control replaced
Awning started to become detached
Bathroom door latch misaligned
Fridge didn't seem to cool.
I fixed a few minor issues myself.

The fridge worked well for the dealer so TBD. Everything else fixed. COVID delays, dealer backlog plus factory /dealer coordination issues took 5 1/2 months. In summary: Dealer repairs OK. Dealer/manufacturer coordination frustrating. I will try to never use dealer again, pay for mobile tech.

I do have an extended warranty. If I have a single repair that the extended warranty company gives me grief over, I will cancel it ASAP. I'd rather pay out of pocket than deal with that baloney.

RVs are fragile and get beat up terribly on the road. All RVs have issues. I spoke to a new Class A Tiffin diesel pusher owner. He had 41 issues on his list. I felt lucky with six.

[Spike]

I feel your frustration!!
I’m just past my 1 year warranty. In that first year we had over 60 different issues.
Everything from heater issues, hydraulic malfunctions, and propane leaks, to panel brackets falling off so the side panel on the trailer flapped like a flag going down the road. (This is not mentioning the accidental flooding of the trailer when the dealer winterized it in early in 2020)
I’m recently retired and our plan is to get the issues fixed in the first two years, before headed out full-time. It’s been a very frustrating year.
My biggest frustration is “RV sales are rocking” resulting in service departments so busy we can’t even get our trailer in for repairs for over a month after setting up an appointment. We’ve had our trailer out only four times this year, and every single trip has resulted in a trip back to the service center with a new repair list.
(We’re heading back out again tomorrow and hoping things go smoothly.)
I understand the issues of buying something new, but between the service appointment time, months actually in the shop, and waiting for parts, our 2020 Montana 3790RD has ended up spending 60% of the time I have owned it, in the shop.
Now that it is out of warranty I will start repairing a lot of smaller things myself rather than adding them to the list, as it goes into the shop. Hopefully We’ve got the major items repaired.
The bottom line is,... if you can get through the first years, it will be worth it.
I also agree with allenclme, Our only trouble free trailer which we owned for 9 years was our 2003 Terry ( made by Fleetwood)

I miss the old days, when quality was job one. Not foo foo designs and marketing

[ejerni]

Originally Posted by Mlenest

Let me start by saying I know that these trailer are house on wheels and they are going to have problems. But how many problem are normal?
My 2020 3780 has been in for service 3 times
2 times for DR code on refer
1 time bed room vent not been hook up
1 stair noise
And the big ones bedroom slides floor balling up
And no trailer brakes lose brake line to brake caliber.

Ours did the same thing on one side. Had it fixed under warranty and now it has done it again. Extended warranties don't cove it. Now we discovered that the bed is lower on that side by 1/2" How do you fix that?

Thanks
Liz

[ejerni]

Problems is, most extended warranties don't cover floors, doors or windows.

[ojo123]

Some Keystone dealers need a qood whooping! Just bought a new 295RL in August. Not too many issues but one main one... water leak in bed slide. We travel and bought the 5'r in a different state than where we live. one and a half months at a keystone dealer in the PNW with 99% of the five items not fixed including the leak. Had to take it to a reputable repair shop (not a sales showroom) and all problems solved. I think Keystone is stepping up to the plate for this but frustrating warranty items are not a priority in the dealership worlds.

[Willjim]

Yes I understand. I have a 2020 3813MS and have had several problems also. 2nd day hyd pump failure had to be replaced, toilet leaked, door entry lock came apart twice. Replaced with new touchpad lock myself. Heater stoped working, fixed myself. Lots of issues but just fix what I can myself. Good luck with yours.

[sourdough]

I buy nothing but new trailers, and yes, even my new 1985? Terry Taurus by Fleetwood had a furnace failure in the first week.

It's the nature of the beast. I do not, and won't, try to count the issues we have; just encounter them and fix them - either myself or the dealer (if big enough) under warranty. When buying an RV one must know that it isn't a "buy and go have fun" exercise that doesn't come with a some required TLC. Something's going to happen/break - take it in stride and deal with it.

That said, I will say this - I have extremely high expectations of everyone and everything along with a zero level of patience - except the RV. Over many years I finally learned to either accept it and deal with it or have a stroke/heart attack/blown gasket. The RV business; manufacturer/dealer/owner relationship is so complex and convoluted that I decided I wasn't going to fix it.