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   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Lite Weight Trailers
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-11-2014, 11:58 AM   #1
lizzie
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Florida & North Carolina
Posts: 12
Difference in interior workmanship front and back?

Last month we purchased a 2013 Keystone Bullet 248RKS. It is the latest in a long line of RV's for us and was not an impulse buy. I spent hours in it over three days before making a decision. I noted from the beginning the difference in the workmanship in the living area of the TT (rear kitchen, dinette, sofa, cabinets, etc.) and the bed area. The cabinets around the bed are poorly installed with brad nails clearly visible. There is even a gap in the back of one where the alum frame can be seen. The clothes rods in both wardrobes were installed at an angle and one was so near the top it could not be used. Despite all this, we liked the unit and the price was right. I would never have bought it new though. Did it just slip through quality control or is this common in Keystone products? lizzie
lizzie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 01:04 PM   #2
hankpage
Site Team
 
hankpage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Venice
Posts: 5,346
lizzie, Is it possible that the trailer was damaged in delivery to the dealer or by previous owner and not repaired correctly .... maybe a leak??? Being a '13 it might explain the trade in the first year. JM2˘, Hank
__________________
Hank & Lynn
2007 Cougar 290RKS, E-Z Flex, 16" XPS RIBs ( SOLD .. Gonna miss her ... looking for new 5r)
2004.5 Dodge 2500 QC, LB, 5.9HO, WestTach gauges, Ride-Rite
hankpage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 01:07 PM   #3
mom2budnbug
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Washington
Posts: 290
My guess is that is slipped through the cracks. We have a 2014 Bullet 230BH and workmanship is consistent. The only issue we had was some of the "wallpaper" wasn't secured at a seam in the bedroom area. Rubbing it down took care of that.
mom2budnbug is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 02:32 PM   #4
GaryWT
Senior Member
 
GaryWT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MA
Posts: 3,153
Could be either of the above, slipped through or was damaged and repaired poorly. Our Premier Bullet is the same throughout, maybe even nicer in the bedroom. Hope all works out, if under warranty, see if something can be done.
__________________
2013 Premier 31BHPR
2014 F350 6.2L
Soon to be just DW and I
GaryWT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 05:11 PM   #5
lizzie
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Florida & North Carolina
Posts: 12
There is no damage. We checked that out very carefully. It is just sloppy workmanship. I can lie on the bed and look up and see every nail used to attach the bottom of the cabinet to the top. Inside the cabinets, the pieces are poorly fitted and don't quite meet. Since the rest of the unit is very nicely finished I can only assume this slipped by somehow. It was not a deal breaker and so far we are happy with it. We bought it while on the road so used it for three weeks right away. A good way to test it out. I have a question about a mod but will make that another post. lizzie
lizzie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 05:45 PM   #6
GaryWT
Senior Member
 
GaryWT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MA
Posts: 3,153
A lot of times something looks different standing looking at it vs. laying down and looking up at it. I remember when I had a Canterbury, the bottom up the cabinets over the bed were unfinished but you could only see it while in bed. As for the hanging rods, we never hang anything while camping so it would not be a big deal to us.
__________________
2013 Premier 31BHPR
2014 F350 6.2L
Soon to be just DW and I
GaryWT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 05:56 PM   #7
cabinfever
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 441
The new guy on the assembly line was working that part of the TT? Or maybe that was finished before the last shift of the week.
__________________

2007 Silverado 2500HD 4X4
2013 Springdale 303BHSSR
cabinfever is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2014, 11:44 PM   #8
jljfstar
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London, Ohio
Posts: 28
We have a 2014 Premier 30REPR and trust me its the Keystone workmanship. We bought it new and its been one thing after another. The latest thing is the front cap. It has bubbles in it and keystone says its damage. Buyer of a Keystone Fiberglass beware. More on this in another thread when we find out more of what Keystone will or won't do. Also other things that have happened is the fender skirts all broke and had to be replaced. Both Propane hoses leaked and had to be replaced. Cabinets fit not good at all. Lemon, I think I got the Lemon. Wished we would have looked around more.
jljfstar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 08:16 AM   #9
Bob Landry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
Keystone's claim to fame as well as the other manufacturers in that area is the use of skilled Amish labor. This conjures up visions of an elderly gentleman in his shop building a piece of furniture with hand tools by the light of a kerosine lantern. The reality is that these people work on a production line to supplement their incomes. They do it the way they are told and at a prescribed speed and everything is done to a strict production schedule with a requirement of X number of units a day out the door. I would submit that when a buyer happens to get a 'Lemon", that trailer is the result of playing catchup on a lagging production line and when they go home to work their fields or whatever they do, everything stays at the plant and remains so until the next shift. The scrutiny of the bean counters and the production supervisors trump personal pride in their work and that's just simply how it has to be to survive in any production business. We don't like it, but it is what it is.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L

Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 08:55 AM   #10
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,836
X2 what Bob said.

The company either makes a profit or closes the doors. It's no secret that the RV manufacturing business turns over "brand names" on a regular business. In fact, Thor (Keystone's parent company) just bought Monaco RV Industries, the maker of multiple brands including Monaco motorhomes and Holiday Rambler. In a recent article, the president of Thor indicated that the Monaco brand names were available for the various Thor production companies to "adopt" if they choose to.

Who'd have ever "thunk" that Airstream, Holiday Rambler and Cougar would have been "brothers" under the same parent company.

It's all about profit. If quality just happens to "get on the bus for a ride", so much the better, but the first one off the bus will likely be quality, not profit.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 09:27 AM   #11
Bob Landry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
Company mergers and acquisitions are not always, actually usually not, good for the consumer. Such acquisitions are usually fueled by unstable economic conditions or quality issues and are seldom beneficial for the consumer. One is also usually a step above the other in some form or fashion, and a merger can go one of two ways. Either the better company will elevate the lessor one to a higher level or it will go the other way. An example was the ATT&T/Cingular wireless merger. I had Cingular service for a long time with no issues, and had tried ATT&T a couple of times with terrible results. When Cingular was taken over by ATT&T, my cell service went from very good to not being able to talk on my phone while sitting at my desk unless I was facing a certain direction.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L

Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 12:43 PM   #12
HappyCamperMN
Senior Member
 
HappyCamperMN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 287
Quote:
Originally Posted by jljfstar View Post
The latest thing is the front cap. It has bubbles in it and keystone says its damage. Buyer of a Keystone Fiberglass beware. More on this in another thread when we find out more of what Keystone will or won't do.
You seem to be adding this comment in every thread you comment in.
__________________
2015 Premier 31BHPR
2011 Ford F350 SuperDuty 4x4 CrewCab 6.2L

https://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w...psyh8hlsyo.jpg
HappyCamperMN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 01:16 PM   #13
jljfstar
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London, Ohio
Posts: 28
If you had to pay 4K for a front cap that you had nothing to do with damage of any kind and the company does not stand behind its product it makes for a very unhappy camper and people should be aware of this when they are looking at a fiberglass camper. I hope everyone checks out any company's warranty not just keystone's before purchasing. Our Premier is only 10 months old and has been camping a total of 4 times. Enough said.
jljfstar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2014, 02:42 PM   #14
GaryWT
Senior Member
 
GaryWT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MA
Posts: 3,153
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyCamperMN View Post
You seem to be adding this comment in every thread you comment in.
Agreed and with no details, no explanation. Is your dealer not fighting for you. As I asked earlier, what does your insurance company say. Let's move on.
__________________
2013 Premier 31BHPR
2014 F350 6.2L
Soon to be just DW and I
GaryWT is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
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

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:08 AM.


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