2011 Alpine 3200

[JOCA]

We ordered a 2011 Alpine 3200RL. After reading all the complaints about Alpine, we would like to know if anyone out there has good things to say regarding their Alpine. We have owned a Cougar and a Montana. No complaints there. Minor problems during the break-in period. Have been very happy with Keystone.

[DocData757]

We had our share of start up problems, one was significant, but since they have been corrected, we are doing fine and love our Alpine 3500RE. I will say that Keystone customer support has been very good for us.

We still have one small issue left with the thermostat but we can work around that until such time as Keystone and Dometic get their stuff together on it.

[geo]

JOCA -

You will find others have made this statement and that I am just echoing and paraphrasing what has been said, "People will tend to quickly say bad things about something rather than praise the good in something."

Yes, I have shared my gripes about our Alpine 3460RL across this Forum along with others and their Alpines. It does appear that there have been a few Alpines that have been constructed that would have been better off staying in the lot behind the plant in Goshen. But that is with anything. Yes, we have had a few problems with our Alpine. Yes, we love it and plan to have many years of use both part-time and full-time in it. Yes, I have modifications to the Alpine completed and planned.

But when it does come down to the "look me straight in the eye and tell me what you think", my reply would be that we are happy with our Alpine.

I don't think there are but a few among us that have not had problems with RVs, trucks, cars, houses, kids (!), etc. And we would all be quick to tell you the bad that we experienced or observe in someone else's product. So why does one have to be prompted to say something positive? I don't know. Shall I ask, "Sign of the times?"

Ron

[DocData757]

I think the bad issues are reported quickly in the hope of finding someone else that has had the same issue and possibly a solution or at least a work around.

I think it is this way with most things in life. If things are going fine, we are happy and therefore silent unless specifically asked for an opinion.

[LI Happy amper]

I too have an Alpine. At the present time my Alpine is back at Keystone since November for repairs. I have listed the problems in a pevious post but I could not be happier with Keystone's customer service. I live in the north east so I told Keystone to take their time I don't need it back until March. I just want the unit back with everything fixed. They have kept me advised along the way of everything they were doing to fix my issues. I love my Alpine floor plan and would but another one. I will keep everyone advised once I get my Alpine back and camp for a little while with it if all is fixed.

[Just4us]

JOCA,

We have a 3500RE Alpine that we purchased in May, 2010. We have had several small issues, with the largest issue being the replacement of the main A/C (recall put out after we had ours replaced). Overall we are happy withour unit. I do wish that some things were built better, but for the price I think it was a good value. My wife is extremely happy with the layout and we have looked at many other RV's lately and have not found one that we like better. The local Keystone dealer in Ocala (Suncoast) has been very helpful and all of our warranty claims have been taken care of.

After reading many of the posts I was also beginning to wonder if anyone was happy with Keystone. I also think you only hear about the bad and the good goes unreported (kinda like the local nightly news). While they are far from perfect, I believe we have been treated fairly by Keystone to this point.

Let me know if want more information on the issues we have had with our unit and I'll be happy to let you know.

Thomas and Diane

[JOCA]

Thanks to everyone who replied. We are anxiously awaiting our unit. Due to the lack of counter space (in the 3200) we are having a local cabinet maker make us an island on wheels which will lock in place. Two top drawers over two doors. One side for garbage can pullout and the other side with two shelves for additional storage. The cabinet maker has identified the name of the corian counter top, it is called Maui. The weight of a four slide unit is too heavy for our truck.

[mikell]

3640 Rl here and love it were full timing in michigan so I think dealing with that is always a learning curve. Other than that my complaint would be labling the water works and I wish the light switches wer not in a cabinet. Were working on a list of mods to make it even better

[Ray1262]

I just purchased an new 3200rl and was wondering how your island turned out. I would love to get a picture of it. My wife and I had discussed doing the very same thing. You can PM it to me.Thanks in advance. Ron

[turbopilot51]

We had our share of start up problems, one was significant, but since they have been corrected, we are doing fine and love our Alpine 3500RE. I will say that Keystone customer support has been very good for us.

We still have one small issue left with the thermostat but we can work around that until such time as Keystone and Dometic get their stuff together on it.

What is the issue you have with the thermostat?

[hsmunoz]

I have an 2011 3500RE , excluding the minor fit and finish stuff ( a loose screw here a nail there. I had the following problems
-rear jack motor burned out on first trip, replaced and they sent a different motor, so I am thinking this was not a unique occurance
-microwave microelement not working, convection fine
- loose screw on one of the dining room chairs cracked the chair when 'i sat on it.

that's pretty much it! so yea I am happy with this unit.

[geo]

What is the issue you have with the thermostat?

Turbopilot51 -

Dave discovered that the Dometic thermostat had a problem between the times of midnight to 01:00 and 12:00 to 13:00. It reversed those times, so for one hour, if one used the programmable option, day became night, and night became day ... for one hour. Dave literally spearheaded the task of explaining this to Keystone and Dometic. And he did a very fine job! You can read about it here: http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1859.

Ron

[dmsmacomber]

We have had our Alpine 3700RE since last summer and we have had not a single issue. I think we may be the exception to the rule, but I am not complaining. We love our rig and are now full-timing it!!

[Smitty43]

Has anyone else had the problem of the bracket screws pulling out. I put them back in with epoxy and will let ya'll know if this fix holds up. If this fix fails, I will drill thriugh the dorrs and put bolts all the way through with nuts on the other side.---Smitty

[geo]

Has anyone else had the problem of the bracket screws pulling out. I put them back in with epoxy and will let ya'll know if this fix holds up. If this fix fails, I will drill thriugh the dorrs and put bolts all the way through with nuts on the other side.---Smitty

Have not had this problem. But if I did, some small carriage bolts and clear silicone caulk would make a good fix.

Ron

[Smitty43]

As of right now the epoxy seems to be doing fine, time will tell.---Smitty

[Dam-man]

I had this problem on my Avalanche. I used slightly bigger screws and Gorilla Glue-the stuff that dries white. It worked great and that was two months ago. The one of us opens it at least once a day. We are fulltiming and have not had any serious problems. Have had a few but nothing a little common sense won't fix.
Not related to Gorilla Glue

[livefreeordie]

I have a 3500RE Alpine and have had some issues but overall I am very pleased. Keyless entry was a problem but new keypad and door work corrected that. I had issues with thermostat and the water pump needs quieting but I will fix that. I agree the switches in the cabinet are inconvienient. Overall, I think my Alpine is as nice or better than most of my friends and co workers who travel to jobs for a better price.