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 RV Customer Comments > Keystone RV Service & Warranty Issues
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-10-2016, 02:19 AM   #1
AF0115
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 9
Front main decal on our '12 Bullet

I have kept our 2012 Bullet in excellent condition. I have kept it washed and clean, going out of my way to keep my decals protected with 303 spray. I have stored our unit indoors every winter for 6 months since we bought it new in March 2012. And all of the decals and the unit itself look great. Except the main "Bullet" decal across the front of the unit. It started to crack and fade early on and it has been getting considerably worse over the past year. I have to believe there is a defect issue with this particular decal since the other decals, including the stripes on the front, are all in great condition.

And yet after contacting Keystone by email, their customer service has not been favorable. I was initially told to have our local dealer that we purchased the unit through submit a preauthorization for the replacement of the decal but the dealer states the preauthorization was rejected by Keystone due to us submitting the claim outside of their "goodwill" post-warranty period. I was surprised at that because their customer representative I initially spoke with commented on how our unit was only 4 years old and shouldn't have a decal issue like we have.

We went through a manufacturer defect on bad seals/seal design with our old Forest River Rockwood Roo and Forest River/Rockwood was much more responsive. In fact, they took our unit back to the factory for free out of warranty and did a refurbishment. In this current situation, I only want the Keystone to provide me a replacement decal and I offered to install it myself since I did not some decal work on buses back in college.

Anyone have any contact with Keystone over a similar issue?
__________________
[SIGPIC]Andy
2012 Keystone Bullet 281BHS
2008 Toyota Sequoia
ProPride 3P - what a hitch!
AF0115 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2016, 06:02 AM   #2
dcg9381
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Texarkana, TX
Posts: 1,052
There are lots of posts on fading decals / caps with Keystone (and some other manufacturers). Response from Keystone seems to vary within the first 2 years.

IMHO, it's not uncommon.

If the decal is still available, you can replace it (out of pocket). Expect the same quality.
Some sign shops can make duplicates.
Or you can have it painted (solid) - this seems to run anywhere from $400-$1800.
dcg9381 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2016, 07:33 AM   #3
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
Andy -
I think if you were to comb through all of the posts regarding cracked and/or fading decals, you would find that Keystone's response has been inconsistent. Some members whose dealers submitted a claim that is outside the warranty period have had success and their decals replaced. Others have not and their claim has been denied since the warranty had expired.
It seems that it is a "bit of a crapshoot" as to whether or not the claim will be approved. There are several factors that appear to affect the outcome - some of which are:
1) the amount of time the unit has been out of warranty;
2) the dealership and their relationship with Keystone;
3) the dealership and their relationship with the customer.
4) to what extent is your dealership willing to "go to bat for you"?

If it looks like you won't be having any success with the dealer or Keystone (or both) it might be better in the long run if you were to take care of the problem yourself. Some people have "solved" the problem by simply removing the decal and not trying to paint or apply a new one. Others have had the cap repainted while others have purchased decals and applied the new ones.

Try searching out ebay, Amazon or visit www.trekwood.com (not cheap BTW) for Keystone decals.

Good luck in solving your decal problem and keep us informed as to how you make out.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2016, 07:50 AM   #4
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
I did a search on E Bay for "Keystone Bullet RV Decal" and the first two hits were these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-KEYSTONE...lSani~&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/outback-Bull...9Vw9v7&vxp=mtr

There were other listings, some of which might be what you are looking for.

Keep in mind the widely varying pricing. The first is listed at $19.50 and the second is listed at $125.00. You'll find many decals that are very similar and sometimes identical with prices that run from affordable to obscene. So, shop wisely.

You might wonder why I went "straight to buying replacements" rather than dwell on a warranty repair option. At this point, with the 2017 models on showroom floors, your unit is considered a 5 year old RV. Chances of getting anything from the manufacturer is likely to be more in the "it's a miracle" category than in the "gonna happen" column.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2016, 05:15 AM   #5
AF0115
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 9
Thanks everyone for your responses. I appreciate it.

I won't let Keystone off easy. They took a considerable amount of money from me for this camper so they will hear from me quite a bit and any dissatisfaction in the long run will be widely known although it will be in a respectful manner. I don't have time for rudeness. Their employees are people too.

I think what I will do is look at removing it myself next year if Keystone fails to act and then look at replacing it with a custom higher grade decal instead of anything that relates back to Keystone. They won't have their name on my camper if they won't back their product and using the excuse of out-of-warranty for something that is/was clearly defective from the get-go is unacceptable.

Happy Rving!!!!!!

Andy
__________________
[SIGPIC]Andy
2012 Keystone Bullet 281BHS
2008 Toyota Sequoia
ProPride 3P - what a hitch!
AF0115 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 04:39 PM   #6
bobbecky
Senior Member
 
bobbecky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Box Elder
Posts: 2,898
Instead of putting on a new decal, why not find a good artist who can airbrush anything you want on the front of your rig, and truly make it your own. I see beautiful art work on many rigs going down the road, mostly on diesel pushers, but why not on a fifth wheel. If we didn't have that large window at the back, we would have some nice scene on ours.
__________________
Bob & Becky
2012 3402 Montana
2012 Chevy 2500HD D/A CC
bobbecky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2016, 06:26 AM   #7
sourdough
Site Team
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,600
I think pressing Keystone to replace a faded decal that's 5 years old is a big stretch, nor do I think they made a bad product. Decals are a weak link and susceptible to sun damage.

Back when, our fleet director bought Dodge vans for the company in gray. Hundreds and hundreds of them. At about year 4 the gray would begin to peel. By years 6-8 the paint was completely gone from the roofs and some from the hoods. No one even dreamed of contacting Dodge about "warranty" re-painting nor did we think they should. They had an explicit 12 month bumper to bumper (now 36) and after that it was just the power train. We knew it and understood it. Initially we repainted some but it became so prevalent that they just quit and the techs got to ride around with peeled roofs

All that to say that if Keystone refuses to repair it, and I believe they will, I completely understand it. If you do get it repaired on their dime - congratulations!!
sourdough 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 03:23 PM.


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