2022 26UML Outback Flooring Problems

[Oned]

I purchase our trailer back in May of this year and have use it twice. earlier this month we notice staining pattern in the middle of the floor per attached pics. There has not been any interior surface water on the floor and no detectable leaks, nor anything spilled on it. Does anyone have any ideas or has run across this before?

[JRTJH]

It looks to me like you may have mold on the underside of the vinyl flooring. I'd suspect that there is moisture trapped between the floor wood decking and the vinyl sheeting. Whether that moisture is from a leak in the sidewall or even from the roof "through the sidewall to the floor" or a "window leak to the floor" is something that needs to be resolved. Since the trailer is only 6 months old, I'd "hot foot it back to the dealership" and let them fix it properly.

There will likely be a question from Keystone about whether YOU have performed the required roof sealant/inspection as outlined in the Owner's Manual... Sealant on the roof needs to be inspected regularly and repaired/resealed as needed. If you read your Keystone warranty carefully in the exclusions, you'll find that the roof sealant is only warrantied "by Keystone" for 90 days. After that, it's the owner's responsibility to perform the inspections/resealing. So make sure that the dealership includes ALL of your inspections/maintenance against leaks when they report the problem to Keystone....

Give them a list of what inspections you've done so they know and can report to Keystone that you've fulfilled your responsibilities in maintaining the trailer to prevent leaks.... Otherwise, there's a good chance that Keystone will initially deny the warranty....

It's much easier to get approval with good documentation the FIRST TIME, rather than to try to battle uphill after the denial.....

[Oned]

Thanks John, I did take it to the dealer and he is going back and forth with Keystone. He stated that like any warranty or insurance type claims they ask many questions ( not all at once) and it could take weeks just for the pre approval of the claim. I agree with you I believe it is moisture in the layers of the Hyperdeck causing mould. I have inspected the roof and its penetrations every month (habit from owning an old class c). All looked good.

[JRTJH]

Make sure your dealer knows your inspection routine and that he DOCUMENTS it for Keystone to review !!!!! If Goshen doesn't have the information sent to them, it's like it never happened and they will slow down at every obstacle. The more obstacles you and the dealer remove from their approval path, the faster they get to the "decision end of the road".....

[Oned]

Update: All information and maintenance records sent by dealer, keystone’s response is “ it looks like there was standing water”. Doesn’t quite make sense as there was never any standing water, their flooring is vinyl, hyperdeck is waterproof, there is no stain or residue on the surface.
Has Keystone always been this difficult to deal with warranty? In these days of multi media exposure and tough competitive market I would if thought they would be more accommodating on faulty workmanship and poor quality.

[jlc]

Seems like it could be water leaking in somewhere going underneath the lino possibly-check your compartment that has your water control hookups. I would have have the plumbing system inspected for leaks. Is this area directly in front of the kitchen? I could not tell for sure.

[JRTJH]

This is where your dealer has to go to bat for you and refute the Keystone "opinion"....

They need to document their findings, state specifically that there is NO EVIDENCE OF STANDING WATER and remind Keystone that the surface of all their vinyl flooring has a "waterproof clear vinyl overlay" so any standing water on the surface could not "seep through the vinyl to wet the underside". They might also need to document with photos and inspection results that there is NO EVIDENCE OF STANDING WATER along the baseboards and kickplates on the cupboards that would indicate any standing water on the surface of the flooring. In other words, they need to be firm and tell Keystone that their "standing water theory" is not the cause of this underside mold/moisture problem....

It's going to be up to your dealer to state their opinion that this is a manufacturing defect or a construction deficit, not a "user abuse by allowing standing water on the surface of the flooring".....

You're correct, Keystone and every other RV manufacturer has tightened their approval process to save money (make hay while the sun shines) but there still is a warranty program and that program is responsive to repair warranty issues. It's just more difficult and the dealership HAS TO DOCUMENT the problem in such a way that Keystone (from 1000 miles away) doesn't have to second guess what may be "obscure and questionable" in the words the dealer puts on paper.

Sad to say, but it's more a game of "who is the best English major" rather than "who is the best at repairing a problem".....

[Oned]

Yes this area is in the middle of the floor Infront of the kitchen counter. The water hookup station is at the front of the unit a good 12-13 feet away.

[sourdough]

I would repeat what John said previously. Keystone will automatically go with the self protect decision if allowed to do so and understandably; they are confronted with thousands of warranty claims that aren't legitimate (I've seen a few) so the automatic response is to deny. Realizing they are far away from the situation with no eyes on the problem and their own "experts" trying to analyze from afar. The key then is the dealership, their knowledge/expertise, the way they write up their findings to convince Keystone that it was indeed a warranty issue (then stand firm) and all that hinges most importantly on - the dealership and their desire to represent you and actually DO WARRANTY WORK. Some dealerships do not want or like warranty work so they find every reason to make sure "Keystone denies" your warranty claims.....which one yours is time will tell.

I will say this; sometimes the owner has to be involved. My last warranty repair was very involved and expensive. Keystone wanted to deny, then approved with minimal repairs after my involvement. That was not adequate so I enlisted the help of the SM and we sat on our phones together one day, him about 20' from me as he talked to the manager of the Keystone service techs that analyze/authorize and I on the phone to the manager of the whole Keystone warranty division. They approved all repairs in the manner I had requested which was nothing like what they wanted to do. It took a lot of time and persistence on everyone's part plus the dedication of the dealership team to assist me.

[RET.LEO]

One other possibility, very rare but possible. I have read about it in a run of Ember TT's. Apparently a adhesive was used that was not compatible with the vinyl flooring. It left staining exactly like you have pictured. The only way to confirm would be a lab to test the stain to see what it is. Just a thought.