Trailer Walk Through Inspection Advise

[Houndie Dog]

Hi,
I am picking up my new Cougar 326MKS in about 3 weeks. I have never owned a trailer before and I want to make the most of my walk through. I am an aircraft inspector by trade so I am really good at catching things that are out of the ordinary but would like to make a check list of items to look at.
Can anyone give me some suggestions of items to pay particular attention to, or items that you might have found on your inspection at the dealer. I would really apprecaite anyones input.
Thanks,
Grant

[Bowline]

Hi Grant,

It's been about a year since we purchased our Cougar 27 RLS travel trailer. (By the way, we have been extremely happy with it.) Our dealer conducted a very through walk-through; however, there were a few things that were missed and needed repair. Based on my experience, there are some items you should be aware of: Insist that the unit be plugged into 110 volts, and then systematically test every electric outlet in the unit. Test the air conditioning, and make sure the duct work is unobstructed and allows strong air flow to all vents. Test the furnace the same way. (Some units have poorly installed ducting.) Bring along an oven thermometer and test your oven's thermostat. Ours needed to be replaced right away. Ask to see the location of the water heater winterization bypass valve. Raise and lower all of the window shades in the unit to make sure the operate freely. One of ours could not be moved past a window crank knob, and had to be modified. Look carefully at the sealant on the exterior of the trailer, paying close attention to sealant applied inside exterior compartments that house the remote cook station and the water heater. Ours had gaps I noticed after we brought the unit home. Severe water damage would have resulted had I failed to catch this. Look also for gaps in sealant around outside lights and door frames. Get up on the roof if you can and take a look at the seals up there, paying close attention to those where the fiberglass meets the rubber roof. Also check out the sealants on top of your slide outs. Then, check out the sealant job in your shower. I had to do an emergency repair on our first trip, as water was leaking all over the floor and under the shower. Ask that some water be put in your potable tank, then run water through all taps, checking for leaks in the plumbing below, including drain elbows. Ours needed to be tightened right away. Finally, don't forget to check the torque on your lug nuts each time you use your unit. Each time I check mine, I invariably find a loose one. Same with tire pressures, checked first thing in the morning.

I hope this helps. Best wishes for lots of good times with your new trailer. We have certainly enjoyed outs. On Friday, we are leaving for a two week trip to the Oregon coast.

Don

[hankpage]

Flyguy .... one of our moderators has a PDI (pre-delivery inspection) list on his home page http://www.eaa1358.com/Passport This list will give you all the info you are looking for. Good luck and enjoy your new trailer, Hank ... and welcome to the forum.

[Houndie Dog]

Bowline, that was a thorough response. There were a lot of items that you mentioned that had not even crossed my mind. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
By the way, I am from Oregon (but live in STL now), Hope you have a great time on your trip there.....I used to spend all my summers in Winchester Bay fishing for Salmon.....good memories.
Thanks again,
Grant

[Houndie Dog]

Thanks Hank, Appreciate the link........

[Houndie Dog]

I used all the tips in this forum and performed a 4 hour PDI on my trailer. I came prepared and thanks for all the suggestions.
I have to say that I was impressed with the lack of discrepancies that I found. I am an aircraft inspector and believe me.....I can do some serious inspecting.
I was a bit taken back by one thing though, I found that someone gouged a piece of wood in the kitchen, and instead of fixing it they put some woodgrain colored tape over it. This practice is obviously endorsed by the company or they would not be doing it. I guess some people just don't care about or take much pride in the work they do.
That being said, Keystone did do a good job building the trailer and the dealer addressed every discrepancy that I found.

[hankpage]

Good luck and enjoy your new trailer, Hank