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Old 05-30-2013, 06:00 AM   #1
Hardway
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: East Wenatchee
Posts: 18
Saga of the purchase & ownership of a keystone-raptor 381lev-2013 model

This a a document relating to the purchase of a Raptor in March 2013, of the trials and tribulations for whom ever is interested.

SAGA OF THE PURCHASE & OWNERSHIP OF A KEYSTONE-RAPTOR 381LEV -2013 MODEL

The wife and I had been searching for something we could haul toys(800EFI Razor, 225 Yamaha, 520 KTM, 400DRZ motorcycles and have a little more space for extended living. Still own a Big Foot Camper, Chev 1T dually, and a Triton Enclosed Trailer that I have used for living and transporting the toys.
Let me say if you leave the dealership without several days of living in it (any livable RV Rig), you will end up a very frustrated person. If they don’t have a spot at the dealership, locate the nearest RV Park and go there till you get tested out. (unless of course your dealership is in your home town.
Our dealer arranged so we could stay at the dealership as they had three camping spots with water/sewer/ 50amp receptacle.
Here is what we ran into with 4 nights stay, arriving on Tuesday for a PDI and then parked and hooked up(Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri) and left Saturday morning for the 120 mile trip home.
1. Small leak under kitchen sink from a fitting
2. Main entry misadjusted and took two tries to repair
3. Automated leveling system was not calibrated correctly
4. One screen missing
5. One door stop bumper missing
6. On filling freshwater tank to maximum, heard a loud popping noise and discovered the freshwater tank had broken its supports and the back of the freshwater tank had dropped down about 9 inches Pulled screws that hold the underbelly fabric on through the material.
7. Leak at the filler neck to the freshwater tank
While hooked up, I tried every switch(labeled them also) Checked every outlet for 120V. Tried all electronic devices (radios,(3) TVs). Used 120 Volt & propane hot water heater, ran all vent fans, used the hydraulic slides numerous times(running back and forth to dealership garage) Used Refrigerator on both propane and electricity. Used generator, used dock jacks(2) and leveling jacks numerous times. Used the pressurized water from city as well as the on board pump.
In short I had planned on staying only two nights to test everything but was not able to leave until Saturday morning. Also did not get to completely test everything (would have liked to fill grey water and black water tanks to max) but the dealership assured me they had already done this as part of their predelivery.
Once at home have discovered a couple of other items;
1. Neon lights under awnings(2) don’t work
2. Gutters on door entry side are seamed right over the entry way and water rains down right on the main entry steps
3. Minor hydraulic leak on front docking jack. When I called LCI to try and find a parts breakdown( so I maybe could install seals) They told me I had to buy a new one as no parts were available ($426) Could run it through on warranty but that’s 120 miles away. As this jack is made by LCI I don’t understand their reluctance to release information. (Aluminum housing, 1-7/8” shaft)
My biggest frustration to this point is during the negotiations, salesperson had assured me there would be no problems getting an electrical and plumbing schematic. On contacting the Keystone rep (with salesperson) he told me this was proprietary information and was not available. He explained they had techs on duty 24 (7’s) and they would walk me through it. I have made three calls to the dealership trying to resolve the neon light problem and was told they would get a service tech to call me. One plus month later still nothing.
Important observation: If you are buying try to buy in the early spring. The dealership was able to almost immediately get the toy hauler in their repair facility to make repairs. Now it would take you weeks to get scheduled in and get the repairs made. Bad side to buying in the spring: the trailer may have been towed in adverse conditions. Snow, sand & ice melter on the roadway, which results in serious rusting of the frame that is exposed. Dealer nor Keystone will not take care of this. Dealer offered to have a coating placed on exposed members to the tune of +$2000. (Declined)
Things to do in near future and before first trip: Manually open and close slides(2 hydraulic, one electric) and learn how to manually override docking and leveling jacks
Keystone manual is so generic as to be almost useless. Trying to get all this down during the PDI is almost impossible even when taking notes. You need to get out there and do it yourself to make sure you have all the sequences of operation down.
The ramp door on the Raptor with the railing on the sides to make it a flat area, was so heavy that I really had to struggle to get it down or raise it to the closed position. Have since remove the railings and the associated hardware which has made it easier to open and close. Bad side to this is the ramp door wants to stay about 4 inches off the ground.
Dealer was very helpful while we were there resolving issues, propane tanks were filled, gas tanks were filled (60 gallons) and free use of their electricity and water. It was a good shake down test right in the yard of the dealership and they would use their fork lift to move the trailer in and out of the camping spot when it needed to be moved to the dealership repair shop.

Hope this proves useful to someone....hardway
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