2013 Cougar 327 RES Control Panel Problem?

[gooselover]

We have owned our 2013 Cougar 327 RES for about 6 months now and are very pleased with it! No problems at all, exception maybe this one...

We keep it parked at an RV resort. Everything is turned off when we leave except for alarm clocks and frig. However, every time we come back out, DH has to "take apart the control panel to reset it". What I mean by this is...the control panel will come on, but only operates a few things - the slides and awning to be exact...it will NOT operate anything else (lights, etc). So, per the dealer, DH has to take all the screws out of the control panel, gently remove it due to the 1000's of wires, and unplug this one little thing and immediately replug it in.....put the damn thing back and put all the screws in.

Now, what causes this? The dealer is thinking a power surge and wants us to buy this $350 unit....no one else seems to have had this problem, but then again, we are the only 2013 Cougar 327RES out there.

Any ideas?

[Festus2]

There are quite a few Cougar 327RES members here who might be able to shed some light on your problem. There are also quite a few members who have reported issues with the control panel in their unit so you are not alone IF the problem is caused by a faulty CP. In some cases, it had to be replaced and in your case, yours may be out of warranty. Check out your expiration date to see if it does need to be replaced, if it will be covered.

I'd hold off buying the surge protector for now until you find out more about your CP. However, having a surge protector is a good idea.

[JRTJH]

Do you disconnect the battery using the battery disconnect switch? Do you leave the remote control in the trailer or take it with you?

[gooselover]

When we leave the RV, we do NOT disconnect the battery. We do keep the electrical on, of course, since we have the frig running. We do NOT take the remote with us...it stays in the RV.

[Festus2]

Since the problem with the CP is not an isolated one, you might want to do a forum search and find out more about it. Try typing in "control panel" or something related - I'm sure you'll get enough reading material to keep you busy for a while. Hopefully, some useful information that you can use will come out of that search.

[gooselover]

Festus2, did exactly what you suggested and was shocked to find out that this control panel problem seems to be a common one! Thank you!

[bridge4d]

Yes, its common, I have it too. To get the panel working again I unplug the electrical cord from the rear of the camper and turn the battery disconnect to OFF. Then re-connect electrical and turn battery disconnect back ON. This resets the panel.

[Elstonian]

gooselover, we have a 2013 Cougar 324rlb that we bought new last June and our CP has had that problem since our walkthrough, we have documented it with our dealer and we are finally getting a replacement in a few weeks when the season is over. Our panel is being replaced with one that isn't touch screen since Keystone has had nothing but problems with them. But an easier way to reset the panel is to pull out and then put back fuse #5, a lot easier than taking all the screws out & all that. But I'd also say Festus2 is also right a good surge protector is always a good idea as well.

[Yosemitebob]

However, every time we come back out, DH has to "take apart the control panel to reset it". What I mean by this is...the control panel will come on, but only operates a few things - the slides and awning to be exact...it will NOT operate anything else (lights, etc). So, per the dealer, DH has to take all the screws out of the control panel, gently remove it due to the 1000's of wires, and unplug this one little thing and immediately replug it in.....put the damn thing back and put all the screws in.
Any ideas?

Well, you seem to have a cure for it by unplugging whatever the dealer told you to do and re-plug it. How about adding a switch between those wires you have to unplug. If it's two wires then add a double through double pull or one wire a simple switch would do. You can mount it close to the panel and thereby not opening it up all the time. Granted this is not a fix, but if that is all the dealer is going to do, well....