Has Montana Warranty or Construction Changed?

[Monty_Jim]

Hi all!

This is my first post here. My wife and I are about to finalize an order for a Montana model 3855BR with the Legacy Package to use for full timing starting next spring for the next several years.

I have been doing an incredible amount of research and pretty much determined Montana is the way to go. I’ve looked at most high end makes and models and just keep coming back to Montana and the 3855BR. For example, we looked at the Jayco Pinnacle line, which I really like, but I still feel the Montana beats it in overall design and layout. A lot of folks promote the Pinnacle wide body vs the Montana, but they don’t realize the Montana has deeper slides it seems (especially the bedroom slide), which more than makes up for the extra 5 inches of space in areas you don’t notice it anyway. For these sort of reasons is why the DW and I feel Montana is the way to go, but I have a question absolutely no one has seemed to address anywhere and I just don’t trust dealers enough to get into this.

Here it goes:
Looking back through previous years of Montana brochures as I have, I noticed that pre 2019 they went to great lengths to promote their industry leading insulation and greatly detailed the construction design of the Montana line. They also made specific reference to their Warranty applying to Full Time RVers. This was the case until the 2019 brochure.

Starting in 2019 they have nearly gone silent on the 4 season aspect of the Montana line, removed all details relating to construction methods and don’t even mention the full time use warranty now.

I’m really interested if anyone else has noticed this and if something changed in this regard or Montana simply decide to not take part in the endless games of promoting and misrepresenting cold weather use as so many manufactures do???

Jayco for example makes specific mention of all of the above and promotes how they test their units in different climate conditions. Did Montana cut back this level of quality and no one noticed is my main concern?

Plus I find the lack of mention of the full time warranty interesting. Does it still apply?

Of course going full time these questions are very important to us.

Any thoughts and insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Jim
Vancouver, BC

[Andy Smith]

Hi Jim! I have a 2020 2855BR and there is a 4-season sticker on the side by the door. I spent the winter last year in Ohio (not my wisest choice) and found the insulation and heating to be fair. We never had pipes freeze, but did go through a lot of propane. I've had a few components need replaced, so far all of which I did independently through the component manufacturers without actually going through my dealer (Gander) for the most part, or Montana/Keystone. I have had no questions this way about full time usage, as the component manufacturers never cared. I did go through Gander for the stereo head unit failure and they said just bring the failed one in and gave me a new one. Lippert has especially been helpful about replacing parts even outside of warranty, just not being willing to pay labor.

On the Montana site I recall at the time they went into quite a bit of detail about the four season insulation. At https://www.keystonerv.com/product/m...y-fifth-wheels it does indicate the 4 season living package is standard. One thing I would mention, if you have the option, would be the double paned windows. That was our biggest heat loss in the winter, and the condensation was pretty bad so we had to run dehumidifiers often.

[rames14]

Jim, we just purchased our fourth Montana. They were a 2005 3400, a 2010 365 Big Sky, a 2015 3160 and now a 2021 3230CK. We do not full time, but spend about 6 months a year traveling. I think the reason they don’t push it so much about full timing and four season is that is their demographic and they assume peo0le know. So, since 2004, we have towed a Montana from Florida to Alaska and Texas to Maine, hitting 44 states and 4 Canadian provinces. We have endured temperatures from the 100’s to -12. There are several reasons that keep us coming back to Montana. One of the biggest is the MOC and the members we have met over the years. Second, the company has listened to their customers, although sometimes it takes longer than we would like. A few recommendations. First, since it will be your full time home, contact MorRyde and get on the list for IS. Currently they are into 2022 now. Determine how you will use your unit. If you only stay at campgrounds with services, definitely go residential refrigerator. If you boondock, definitely get an RV fridge and look at Super Solar. Regardless, get lithium batteries and a battery monitoring system like the Victron 712. And most important, choose your dealer wisely. If you want more info, feel free to PM me. Best of luck.

[NCFischers]

A great deal has to do with their target demographic at the present time. Industry wide, the target is younger people and a different generation of weekenders and people making short trips with their families. These people aren't looking to full time in cold weather for the most part so marketing tends to emphasize the things they are interested in.

[BB_TX]

Their brochure available on their web site has the phrase on the front.

"WARRANTY FOR FULL TIME RVING
Reference Keystone RV Company owner's manual for limited warranty details".

Typical statement as virtually no warranty is unlimited. Maybe someone with a new unit can check their owner's manual.

Also on their web site, there is the statement that it is designed for temps down to 0 degrees without pipes freezing.

[phillyg]

I'm guessing the basic box construction is unchanged, but their marketing hype has. It should be obvious to most people that mainstream RVs are not built like houses, and every slideout allows air in and out. Expectations that they are okay for full-time, 4-season use are specious, at best. I recently saw a YouTube video showing that even high-end Lux and a couple of others were unable to maintain interior comfort in 120° in Las Vegas. Alternatively, propane use will be very high in the winter.

[DQDick]

We have full timed in our Montanas for over 11 years now in all types of weather and yes we do use a lot of electricity in summer and propane in winter, but we stay comfortable which is more than some of our neighbors in their rigs can say.

[Mikelff]

If you are going to be in freezing weather on a frequent basis, and will be hooked up to 50amp service, you might want to consider an aftermarket electric furnace add on to your propane furnace. Actually, there is only one that I have found. They are more efficient than the propane and crank out some heat. You might be able to run both at the same time, but don’t remember for sure. Not cheap, but if I were going to full time and spend much time in cold and freezing weather, I would definitely consider it. The other suspension upgrades mentioned above are also something to consider. New shackles with wet bolts are a must IMO. If you don’t go with an independent suspension upgrade, consider adding Sumo springs, as they are progressive springs and absorb a lot of shock and vibration. If camping in the deep south, and south west, consider a third A/C unit, or at least have two 15k A/C units. Don’t believe the Montana hype about their insulation, and 4 season claims. You will need some modifications which you will find on the forum. Definitely get the dual pane windows. Be prepared to do many repairs yourself, unless you want to wait months for dealer service. Keystone/Montana pushes all warranty service to the dealers, so pick a good one. Research on your dealer is as important, if not more important, than research on your brand and model. When you do your walk through on your rig at time of delivery, take your time and inspect EVERYTHING. Run everything to make sure it works. It should take you about 3+ hours. There are some good checklists on the MOC. DO NOT SIGN ANY PAPERWORK until your repairs are done. Otherwise, you go to the back of the line and wait weeks/months for your rig. The dealer wants to close the deal so insist that the repairs are done first, and you WILL have some, and you go to the front of the line. As far as overall quality, Montana is better than most with a couple exceptions, but that is not saying much. Read through the topics and threads on the MOC and most of your questions will be answered there. On the Warrenty, what is NOT covered is more important that what is. Read the fine print, the devil is in the details. If you do an extended warranty, pay attention to the LABOR RATE the warranty will pay. If your labor rate at your repair center is higher, you pay the difference. Many people upgrade their tires. Your rig should come with G rated tires. High Country now come with F rated tires. If you have F rated tires, upgrade to G. One last thing, ask the dealer or Keystone/Montana for the build sheet on your specific rig. If there are any questions or disputes about your rig, the build sheet will verify everything that went into your rig. Again, read through the topics and threads on the MOC and most of your questions will be answered. Hope this helps. Happy camping.

[dieselguy]

Some good info so far ... I've owned 3 Montana's over the years as well as a Brand "X" or two. Two things stand out over my 24 years of RV ownership.
1. All manufacturers advertisement of "4 Season" cannot be compared to your experience in your stick house. You can only install so much insulation in a 2" wall or a 7/16" slide out floor. Dual pane glass helps immensely (IMHO) over the standard glass that has a lot of acreage on about any RV. RV's will not compare in the higher and lower temps, but that should be easily figured out.
2. What some responders definition of "comfortable" is on any RV website may be a long ways from your definition. Some feel 50's to 60's in winter is optimal ... for us, in that environment, I would be going to the "Big D" and I don't mean Dallas.

[Monty_Jim]

Thanks a lot everyone for the replies.

This is all very helpful information!

Your insights mostly confirm what I have been figuring is the Montana marketing has shifted focus relating to their target audience and they’ve dropped a lot of these details as opposed to changing to inferior construction practices.

I’d still very much like to see more on the Full Time Montana warranty though, because mention of it seems to be gone from all their marketing material and website. Any recent buyers of new units who can confirm would be fantastic!

[rames14]

Jim, I keep all of my manuals, documents and brochures in Apple Books. So, I thought I would look at the 2021 Brochure. Lo and behold, there on the front page of the brochure. As you can see, Full Time Warranty is right on the brochure. It references the Owner’s Manual, which you can download from Keystone’s website. It has five pages on warranty. By the way, I highly recommend an Extended Warranty.

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by Monty_Jim

Thanks a lot everyone for the replies.

This is all very helpful information!

Your insights mostly confirm what I have been figuring is the Montana marketing has shifted focus relating to their target audience and they’ve dropped a lot of these details as opposed to changing to inferior construction practices.

I’d still very much like to see more on the Full Time Montana warranty though, because mention of it seems to be gone from all their marketing material and website. Any recent buyers of new units who can confirm would be fantastic!

Jim, try calling Keystone/Montana customer service. They should be able to send you more information about that Full Tim Warranty. Thats how I got the build sheet on my 2018 High Country. Worth a phone call.

[beeje]

IMHO Keystone did not reinvent the wheel. A so called 4 season unit is mostly hype. At best dual pane windows that still leak as much air as single pane ones.

And what difference does it make anyway because they all are only under warranty for a year anyway. Possibly 2 years on some sob,s