Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > GENERAL DISCUSSIONS > General Discussions about our Montanas
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-16-2006, 12:42 PM   #1
indy roadrunner
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Brownsburg
Posts: 1,186
M.O.C. #5634
More Info Please

I am seeing topics that "this broke" "that broke", "this needs attention" "this needs replaced" "look at this and here is a fix" but one thing I miss when reading these types of threads is the age and model and use of the Monty. How long have you had it? Are you a full timer with heavy use or a part timer week-ender. Is this a brand new model or somewhat used or heavly used? If a pin shears in a shaft, have you been using this unit for years with lots of repetitions or is this a newer unit. If a wiring harness breaks, comes loose or what ever - how many times has the slide been cycled. In short, I am going out to my new unit with little use and a lot of the problems I am hearing about is not manifesting itself in my unit. I spent lots of time checking on something that nothing was wrong with. Preventive Maintenance is a good thing don't get me wrong, but with these failures, it would help to have a little more background about the unit.

Phill & Gladys
Sometimes me sits and thinks - sometimes me just sits.
06 GMC 2500HD Duramax 4x4
06 Montana 3400RL
Bichon - CEO
 
indy roadrunner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 12:45 PM   #2
Montana Sky
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Down the Road
Posts: 5,627
M.O.C. #889
Great idea Indy!!


2004 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD CrewCab Duramax
2004 Montana 3400RL
Montana Sky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 12:51 PM   #3
borfaloo
Seasoned Camper
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kennewick
Posts: 82
M.O.C. #5608


Someone who is good with spreadsheets could put a spreadsheet together
with this kind of detail. The moderators would have to control uploading etc but it could be done.I also think it would be a great tracking tool not only for us owners but also for Keystone to track trends in product use etc... Wait maybe Keystone should have this kind of thing on their website.

Unfortunatly I am not the excel guru ( I have to have a guy on my team at work help me with everything)

Sean
borfaloo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 01:13 PM   #4
Glenn and Lorraine
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Clearwater
Posts: 10,917
M.O.C. #420
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by indy roadrunner

I am seeing topics that "this broke" "that broke", "this needs attention" "this needs replaced" "look at this and here is a fix" but one thing I miss when reading these types of threads is the age and model and use of the Monty. How long have you had it? Are you a full timer with heavy use or a part timer week-ender. Is this a brand new model or somewhat used or heavly used? If a pin shears in a shaft, have you been using this unit for years with lots of repetitions or is this a newer unit. If a wiring harness breaks, comes loose or what ever - how many times has the slide been cycled. In short, I am going out to my new unit with little use and a lot of the problems I am hearing about is not manifesting itself in my unit. I spent lots of time checking on something that nothing was wrong with. Preventive Maintenance is a good thing don't get me wrong, but with these failures, it would help to have a little more background about the unit.
Sorry Phill & Gladys but these situations apply to all years, all makes, all models, new or used. Of course older units do get more wear and tear than the newer rigs and full timer's rigs even more so but "this broke" "that broke", "this needs attention" "this needs replaced" "look at this and here is a fix" applies to all rigs new or used. You can have the same problems in someone's 2007 Monty as a fellow member has in his 2000 Monty and of course the same problems are not unique to the Montana line but to every RV manufactured, yesterday, today or tomorrow.
Glenn and Lorraine is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 01:41 PM   #5
RKassl
Montana Master
 
RKassl's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Fall Creek
Posts: 1,328
M.O.C. #3699
Glen you said it well. All of our Montana's are actually multi-system machines that require TLC. I think that my new hobby is maintaining the coach with good preventative maintenance to make our RV time as enjoyable as possible while traveling.

Happy Camping

Bob and Nancy Kassl a.k.a. Buck and Muffin
2005.5 2955RL Montana Spruce Interior
2004.5 Chevy LT 2500HD D/A CC SB Dark Metallic Green
Bilstein Shocks/Timbrens SES /Westin Platnium Pipes
Reflex Bed Liner/Access Cover
Major MSC USAR Retired




RKassl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 01:59 PM   #6
Cat320
Montana Master
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,696
M.O.C. #5751
My money would be on the full timers units having less problems than the part timers. Lots of the appliances work and operate better when turned on, left on and used on a daily basis. Those that sit for a few months, then used for a week only to sit again for a while, some times have the most problems. Like vehicles, the daily drivers have less problems than the low mileage vehicles that are used sparingly.
Cat320 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 02:40 PM   #7
boat391
Montana Master
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Ronan
Posts: 513
M.O.C. #5756
Phill & Gladys I personaly will only speak to my use our 5'er. it is a 06 3400 and we have had our share of little problems cabinet doors being the biggest of all. I do not care for our dealer and have the tools and exper. to fix most all issues I have had I have contacted Keystone with every problem and solution and have yet to hear back form them. but I can tell you this all of problems I have had exist in any other model. I have looked at many just to compare and find the same little issues as with ours. I do find great joy in improving our unit but thats kind of my deal and I understand others going to there dealer for repair. as for sat. level we are very sat. with our monty and the wife keeps telling me she likes the little things I have done to make it better. so I guess I keep the monty and the wife lol. good luck and if you need any help just ask me and I will try to give the best help I can.

tim ford
boat391 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 02:59 PM   #8
richfaa
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Ridgeville
Posts: 20,229
M.O.C. #2839
Your suggestions are well taken and we should be a bit more specific. I have a nearly new, delivered May of 06 3400 and I will admit that when someone says ..This broke or that broke.I do run out a check out my camper.I figure if it broke on theirs it will sooner or later break on mine..Example the Apollo oven handle. Mine did not break..yet..But I called got a new one and installed it..preventative measures. I for one will follow your request and attempt to be more specific..It is a good idea.

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box


richfaa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 03:04 PM   #9
indy roadrunner
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Brownsburg
Posts: 1,186
M.O.C. #5634
The point I was trying to make is when people get on this forum and complain about something breaking - is it brand new or old unit. Thats all. I can see I must have made a big mistake buying a Montana Glenn. I traded in a Fleetwood Storm 32A this year that was a 2000 model and the only thing I ever did to that unit was replace chassis battery and fix the electric steps when the ground wire went bad. Oh and there was a Samsung microwave oven recall they took care off. So I traded in a unit that I never had any problems with for a unit that I can expect to fall apart just any day now. It appears I need to stock about three to four grand worth of spare parts and tear my new unit down to the frame and rebuild it.
I just really hate to disappoint everybody that this 3400 I have sitting out here that we have made several trips with has yet to give us any problems. Lets see a flashlight that didn't work and put some tape over the bedroom slide flashing. Gosh you know I may look out there tomorrow and a wheel may have fallen off. I'm all for the preventive maintenance, inspect things regulary, but until it breaks or doesn't look right I am leaving it alone.

Phill & Gladys
Sometimes me sits and thinks - sometimes me just sits.
06 GMC 2500HD Duramax 4x4
06 Montana 3400RL
Bichon - CEO
indy roadrunner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 03:13 PM   #10
indy roadrunner
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Brownsburg
Posts: 1,186
M.O.C. #5634
Rich, thanks for the support. I know my unit was built just a couple of months before yours and when I see your post with a problem I go check my unit for same because I know we both have relative new units. But being relative new to the forum I don't know how old some of the units of people posting might be. I'll tell you one thing. If I would have known about this forum before I bought Monty, I might have had second thoughts.

Phill & Gladys
Sometimes me sits and thinks - sometimes me just sits.
06 GMC 2500HD Duramax 4x4
06 Montana 3400RL
Bichon - CEO
indy roadrunner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 03:53 PM   #11
Montana Sky
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Down the Road
Posts: 5,627
M.O.C. #889
Indy,
On the other side of that coin now, I can tell you I use my coach from April - October every year as a lake cabin down at the river. This is my 3rd summer w/ this coach and so far I have only had 2 issues. One being the A/C, which is not an issue from Keystone, it is a Dometic issue. The dealership is working on it. The 2nd issue surfaced last fall, my bedroom slide is not operating smoothly. I had the dealership look at it last fall, and again this spring. To no avail, the problem has not been corrected yet. I got in touch with Dale from Lippert and have set up an appointment to have his crew take a look, and correct whatever is wrong. Thats it, those are my 2 problems. My coach was the 14th 3400RL built back in 2004 when Keystone first put this coach into their production line. I have not had any trouble with screws, cabinet doors, wheels, tires, and many of the other problems our owners have faced. I hope you are able to get your Montana fixed and have it back on the road enjoying it the way it was meant to be. Overall they are one of the best quality units in their price point. =)


2004 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD CrewCab Duramax
2004 Montana 3400RL
Montana Sky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 04:22 PM   #12
TheCoachPotatoes
Montana Master
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lake George
Posts: 1,078
M.O.C. #3847
Phil and Gladys,
Wouldn't it be rather difficult to explain to everyone our camping habits, and how old our unit is, and how much we use it, every time we have a problem? I read a lot of posts and feel I already pretty much know who's full-time, who's half time, and those of us who only go out on weekends and vacations. Plus, most people have the year of their units already posted. Most people aren't going to tell you that they never have problems with cabinet hinges or that their DVD or microwave works. We all look to our Montana friends for advise for any problems we may have. Sooner or later something will need attention, and it's just nice to know that you can get answers from experts here on this site. Don't stress over what might go wrong. Just go out and enjoy yourself, and if you have a problem just holler!


AL and Nita
2003 Chevy Dually
2005 3670RL
[IMGhttp://tinypic.com/e0sf1y.jpg[/IMG]
TheCoachPotatoes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 05:17 PM   #13
richfaa
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Ridgeville
Posts: 20,229
M.O.C. #2839
IndyRR..This forum unlike others is not a love in where everyone has only good things to say about their brand and nothing goes wrong.This forum is honest and truthful about the Montana..things go wrong... as they do in all brands..we talk about our problems large and small and ..here is the big difference..offer constructive solutions to the issues. When Ozz drops his under belly and is bombarded with junk and sees wires rubbing on the frame..I am dropping my under belly and with all due respect I do stress about what might go wrong because I don't want to be broke down along the interstate repairing something I could have addressed in my driveway. We have actually had no trip interrupting problems with our brand new 3400. The Apollo door did not stick because I repaired it in my driveway, Cabinet doors did not fall off because I repaired them in my driveway. I won't be wondering where the front jack fuse is because I found it in while my driveway.My valve stems won't leak because I replaced them while in my driveway..it goes on a on and it all came from other folks on this forum. Like you I want all the information I can get on problems no mattter how small.Every issue that we correct in our driveway is one issue that will not happen on the road..and so it goes... Oh..about having second thoughts..Forest River cardinal, Jayco Designer series, Pilgrim Open roads. all fine campers..same issues..We are way ahead of the game here.

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box


richfaa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 05:51 PM   #14
Montana Sky
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Down the Road
Posts: 5,627
M.O.C. #889
I like to focus more on the enjoyment of my Montana, and less on worrying about what might or could happen. As Rich said, precaution helps provide a great trip, but it is not the main focus.


2004 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD CrewCab Duramax
2004 Montana 3400RL
Montana Sky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2006, 06:28 PM   #15
mobilrvn
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Livingston
Posts: 474
M.O.C. #2056
Maybe the moderators could take one of the underused forums and convert it to a "Things gone Wrong", where each owner could list their unit and how they use them. Then list the problem items, what to look for, and how they were repaired and who did the repairs.

MoBillTuxRex&Princess
Fulltiming since '93
'04 3575; '06 2500HD Duramax/Allison
mobilrvn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2006, 04:55 AM   #16
sreigle
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
Phil, I think it's a good idea. The signature sometimes help answer your questions, but not always. Also, almost two years ago during the rally factory tour Keystone told us they'd produced 20,000 Montanas. That was two years ago. So maybe that helps put the number of problems in perspective a little bit.

See another Montana or Mountaineer on the road? Flash lights twice, it might be one of us!
Steve Reigle (pronounced Regal)
Fulltiming since 3/21/03
'03 3295RK
'05 Ford F250 SD Lariat CC SB 6.0L PSD/TS FX4 4x4

Our RV Travels (now Firefox-compatible)

sreigle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2006, 05:01 AM   #17
indy roadrunner
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Brownsburg
Posts: 1,186
M.O.C. #5634
Steve you are so right, I think Montana Sky summed it up quite nicely and that is the road I'm taking.

Phill & Gladys
Sometimes me sits and thinks - sometimes me just sits.
06 GMC 2500HD Duramax 4x4
06 Montana 3400RL
Bichon - CEO
indy roadrunner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2006, 06:36 AM   #18
padredw
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Ore City Texas
Posts: 1,648
M.O.C. #2224
Send a message via Skype™ to padredw
indy roadrunner, I think your suggestion is a good one. All you are saying, if I understand, is that a few specifics about the situation would be helpful. The same thing often goes for location (eithr home or on the road as relevant). If all that is in the signature that would be fine, but it often is not. No need to go to the exteme measures which some have mentioned in good faith. Just the one or two relevent points that would help to understand the situation and what model it was on.

I have often found myself wondering, and many of the problems (and features) mentioned by others do not apply to my 2955 while others apply across the board.

David and Shirley -- East Texas
2955 RL Montana
Chevrolet Duramax 2500 Allison Trans
http://www.dwilliamson.com/mont.jpg

padredw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-18-2006, 06:03 AM   #19
sreigle
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
Posts: 20,028
M.O.C. #20
As for problems, we've put roughly 50k miles on this 2003 3295RK. We had the frame flex problem and the shackles problem, as well as a leaky gray tank. All were fixed by Keystone at no cost to us. Other than that, we had a crack in the freezer a bit over a year ago. That was covered by Dometic. The rest of the problems have been minor. The little pull out door by the sink came loose at the hinges. Toothpicks fixed that and it's been fine. We had a couple of other similar, minor, problems, so small I don't even remember what they were. We're in that "last week" jitters, thinking this one has been a good one and hoping we're not trading a good one for a problem child.

See another Montana or Mountaineer on the road? Flash lights twice, it might be one of us!
Steve Reigle (pronounced Regal)
Fulltiming since 3/21/03
'03 3295RK
'05 Ford F250 SD Lariat CC SB 6.0L PSD/TS FX4 4x4

Our RV Travels (now Firefox-compatible)

sreigle is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Need info Drifty1 Navigation 2 07-06-2014 02:36 AM
Name Tag Info bncinwv North American MOC / Mid-Atlantic-Virginia Region 24 08-09-2010 05:21 PM
Need some Info weinervill Tow Vehicles & Towing 9 06-03-2006 02:36 AM
Need some Info on GPS Montana_738 General Discussions about our Montanas 6 08-18-2004 04:14 PM
Need Info, Please. Montana_1403 General Discussions about our Montanas 0 04-15-2004 11:17 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:17 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.