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Old 12-21-2010, 02:44 AM   #1
Joshuatree59
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3 recalls in a week!

Was wondering if anyone else has receive three recalls on the 3750 Montana Frame flex recalls, Norcold fridge recall, and now a transfer switch recall. I'm npt terribly impressed with the quality of this unit. One would think for $70,000 it wouldn't need all these repairs within the first year. And of course the recalls arrive AFTER I have winterized the unit and have it covered.
I'm also having difficulty with the generator that was installed as part of the purchase. It has never run for more than 30 seconds before shutting down. And of course the dealership says they don't do generator repairs even under warranty. I have to haul it to an Onan dealer.
As long as i am venting..the rear back up camera's antenna was broken when I received the unit. I didn't realize it until on the way home, hit a minor bump and the antenna on the monitor FELL OFF! Dealer and the back-up unit manufacturer said I need to take the unit AND the tow vehicle and leave it for several days. They couldn't give me a time frame on when a rep would be there to check it out.
We've had the unit out THREE times and now the front door is dragging on the frame.
1st time out, the key for the front door wouldn't come out and it ended up breaking off in the lock!

Keystone QUALITY??? Not for this RVer. And the dealership has been no help whatsoever.
I expect some minor problems with a new unit, but I am totally disgusted with Montana and Stinnet RV in Indiana.

Thanks for letting me vent.
 
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Old 12-21-2010, 03:22 AM   #2
Art-n-Marge
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Well, you certainly more than deserve to vent like that. Many manufacturing recalls are not their fault since the transfer switch, and the fridge recalls are probably vendor based and therefore can span several manufacturers. But a lot of that other stuff is just wrong. How long have they been making trailers? You wouldn't expect some of this stuff. Why aren't recalls automatically done at the dealer BEFORE selling it to you? As soon as a recall is announced, the dealer should perform them on their inventory BEFORE selling the product. I had one and others have bought our rigs, then there was the "oh by the way, you need to bring it in for a recall" and you find it's been out for 6 months or more. This tells me Montana doesn't want to spend money on what they need to fix until they have a buyer.

There were a few problems when we got our unit, the worse one being that the refrigerator died within four months. We don't fulltime and a good thing too, because it took the dealer 7 weeks to fix a brand new unit and fridge. They took care of a Dometic recall at that time and acted like nice guys that were doing me a favor until I found the recall almost a year old. Then there's the "it's not my problem" attitude for the multitude of parts in there. I feel a dealer should own a problem for what they sell and force their vendors to work with them for each customer problem. For example, the dealer should be responsible for getting Onan to service the rig either at their location or transporting it to a suitable service center. Then credit your warranty for how long it takes. It works for the auto companies and home warranties. Isn't an RV a "vehicle" you live in?

As a slight consolation, there have also been worse stories than yours, not that it should make you feel any better, but every time it's terribly sad to hear of an owner's troubles. I can only offer sympathy and understanding that you deserve to "b***h" because you've earned it. But even if you are able to get all these things taken care of we can't be surprised that you chuck the thing. But I'm not so sure all manufacturers have the best in quality construction. There are horror stories even amongst the best of them.

The Montana brand is one of the most popular names out there under the Keystone line but I sure wonder why Keystone just puts other subnames under it to keep it high in sales, then they are having quality issues? What's up with that? Are they trying to make up sales losses from customers straying away because of quality issues by sticking the Montana name in front of other of their models? Montana now includes, Montana, Mountaineer, Big Sky and High Country. I recall when it was ONLY Montana.

Then there's dealers that do not stand behind what they sell. On the other hand my dealer stands behind my Monty, but they stand way behind. So far behind, I don't even go through them any more. Fortunately, the things I've addressed are no where near what you are experiencing even after almost five years of ownership.

I hope you feel better now that you got me going too. You ain't alone even if I haven't had as bad a time as you. Hang in there and the best to your future ownership and travels.
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Old 12-21-2010, 03:30 AM   #3
bncinwv
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Yes, I have received the three recalls for the RV. First of all, before disparaging Keystone and the dealer, one has to realize that the recalls are for parts of the rig that Keystone only installed, they did not manufacture them. Personally, I am glad that at least they stand up and remedy the recalls. In order to diagnose what is going on with the generator, after it shuts down, there should be a light blinking in the middle of the start switch on the front of the unit. There is a procedure outlined in the operator's manual to obtain the primary and secondary fault codes that will give you a big hint as to why the unit is shutting down, and whether it is only a dealer serviceable problem. With regards to the door dragging on the frame, that will occur if the unit is not level. For instance, if you are parked at home and the rig is not level, the doors can drag. I don't know if that is what is happening, but it may be, if it is not, then it is a warranted matter. If the dealer continues to give you the runaround, if it were me, I would be contacting Keystone-Montana directly. I will state that we have had no problems to date of any significance with our 3750, and hope that yours will cease as well.
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Old 12-21-2010, 05:31 AM   #4
CamillaMichael
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Sorry to hear of you "troubles," but I do not think what you have experienced is the "norm" with Keystone quality...could be that is wishful thinking on my part, but has been our experiece so far. Hope you are able to get your issues corrected and get back to happy camping.
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Old 12-21-2010, 06:55 AM   #5
SlickWillie
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The way I read the transfer switch recall, the overheating potential is due to improper installation, not a vendor problem. On the Norcold recall, I would say it is a vendor problem; the Dometic fridge is junk, and apparently the Norcold is too. I don't understand why they can't build a quality product for what those two sell for. Heck, we had an Arkla-Serval absorption fridge when I was a kid. Never the first problem. But, Keystone brings many of the problems on themselves by the quality of the products they select. Cheap products are exactly that; cheap.
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Old 12-21-2010, 07:13 AM   #6
Joshuatree59
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bncinwv wrote: "First of all, before disparaging Keystone and the dealer, one has to realize that the recalls are for parts of the rig that Keystone only installed, they did not manufacture them."
True, Keystone did not manufacture those components, but THEY selected them for installation on a unit with THEIR name on it. I find little solace in the fact it wasn't manufactured by them. It is on a MONTANA. If your new car breaks down because of a bad bearing, do you say, "Those damn bearing companies!" Or do you say,, "Chevy (Dodge or Ford) makes an inferior product!" I purchased a Keystone product because of the purported quality of their product, which includes ALL of the components they chose to supply in and on that product.
As for the dealership, I have found very litt;e to be pleased about when it comes to service. Their tech broke the antenna to the back up monitor, yet didn't have the courtesy to mention it BEFORE I took possession of the unit. So try as I may, I again find no comfort in the poor downtrodden dealer who gladly took my cash and then turned his back on my plight.
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Old 12-21-2010, 09:36 AM   #7
HamRad
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Joshuatree59,
Keystone, indeed, has some responsibility but it sounds to me like you have a dealer that is simply not standing up and doing what they should. Everything you described sounds like something the dealer should FIRST take care of. Then if necessary go to Keystone. I'm not sure but that dealer's name has come up before. Can't remember in what context but from what you describe I'd guess it would be in a negative manner.
Best of luck.... HamRad
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Old 12-21-2010, 11:18 AM   #8
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Sorry to hear about your recalls, but be happy that it is being taken care of without any static.
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Old 12-21-2010, 02:01 PM   #9
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Quality, yes; when we purchased ours new and took it back to our Dealer for repairs the total was $5000 plus dollars that Keystone had to pick up. Slide adjustments, Decals cracked and peeled, wall paper defect, leak at filler pipe to fresh water, plus other little items that should have been caught by Keystone's Quality Control. oth my DW and I spent 4 plus hours going over the unit prior to purchase with a detailed PDI list from members of this forum.
Each time this happens, it cuts into profits and increases the purchase price to the customer. I can relate to your problems in many ways. We did a lot of those quality things on our own as I consider myself capable of mechanical/electrical challenges, plus our Dealer overall was in support of our concerns. Then again when you are the manufacture and presumably select lowest tender from suppliers there will be malfunctions in our Hi Tech world.
Today our 3400RL is serving us well and hope we have eliminated all those gremilins until we move on to the next RV and start all over again!!
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Old 12-21-2010, 02:29 PM   #10
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We bought a '09 3400RL 10th anniversary edition 16 months ago and have been fultiming in it. We have not had one problem the unit is great maybe we are just lucky I don't know. sorry you are having troubles but hope the dealer takes care of you. George
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Old 12-22-2010, 01:12 AM   #11
Tom S.
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While Keystone certainly shares in the blame, it's not all their fault. There are only a few suppliers in the RV industry and Keystone doesn't have a lot to select from when it comes to items like refrigerators. Even the frame flex issue is a third party issue (Lippert). So while I don't blame you for being upset, let's put the blame where it belongs.
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Old 12-22-2010, 05:30 AM   #12
Captain Joe
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I understand your problems, but we need to plow throw them and get everything right. I am more concerned with your comment that alludes to the fact that you paid $70K for your coach. I sure hope you didn't. If you did, your dealer took you for a ride. Mine was under $53K. Ouch!
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Old 12-22-2010, 10:33 AM   #13
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Captain Joe:
The $70K I alluded to in my first post was the "sticker" price on the invoice. Add in a 5500 Onan generator, wireless back up camera system, and a few other odds and ends, it gets close to that..
I appreciate all the words of encouragememt with my problems. It's more frustration than anything else. And as I said, I was venting. Keystone is working with me to correct those problems.
As for the dealership: When I purchased the unit I asked who would do the in warranty repairs. I was told, "We have a full service center for anything that would go wrong." So when I mentioned the problem with the generator, I was old they weren't an authorized center and I would need to find an Onan facility and drop it off there. So much for full service.
Okay, enough venting. Thanks again for all your input and condolences
I did check the blinking light codes and it appears the regulator is faulty. My dealership again told me that was a warranty problem and I would have to take it elsewhere. That wasn't what I signed on for. He also told me he couldn't check the pressure without a charge, since THEY didn't install the generator.
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Old 12-22-2010, 03:44 PM   #14
bncinwv
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It sounds like you need to have a direct, very pointed conversation with both the owner (general manager) of the dealership (not a tech nor the service manager) as well as the customer support representative from Keystone-Montana. Tell them what the dealer is stating and emphasize that you expect the dealership or Keystone to arrange the servicing under the terms of the Keystone warranty. Keep in mind that attitude is everything when dealing with any of the above and that the attitude should not be antagonistic. Keep us informed and good luck.
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Old 12-23-2010, 05:47 AM   #15
Captain Joe
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Hang in there. I have an appointment next month and have a few things on my list, as well. The dealer is telling you the truth. I had an Onan in both of my motorhomes. All service has to be done by Onan. Luckily, on dealer that I had was an Onan service center, as well. Worked out great. Merry Christmas!
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Old 01-12-2011, 10:23 AM   #16
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Hi where can I find out more about the transfer switch recall?
I have the recall for the frame, I have the recall for ther fridge I have also been sent the parts for the recall for the outside water connection. We have also had the undersides of the front living room slides delaminate and the plastic hanging down that is a big concern to me but they are working on it. Our rig also was delivered witht he brake wires all cut and not connected and the dealer is working on this for us too... the list just seems to keep growing. But we still love the unit. Thanks for any input on the transfer switch issue.
Hal Thomas
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Old 01-12-2011, 10:57 AM   #17
SlickWillie
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by ht7755

Hi where can I find out more about the transfer switch recall?
I have the recall for the frame, I have the recall for ther fridge I have also been sent the parts for the recall for the outside water connection. We have also had the undersides of the front living room slides delaminate and the plastic hanging down that is a big concern to me but they are working on it. Our rig also was delivered witht he brake wires all cut and not connected and the dealer is working on this for us too... the list just seems to keep growing. But we still love the unit. Thanks for any input on the transfer switch issue.
Hal Thomas
2010 3750fl
Doesn't show up on the Keystone site, but here is the recall from the NHTSA.
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