Disappointed with the Quality of 328RL

[raddad73]

So I have had my 328RL for 4 months now. I was so excited when we first pulled it home bit, now after only 5 trips I am starting to become disappointed with the quality.

The two couches are less the quality, the fold out bed is starting to show wear and I fear that it will need to be replace, the other couch is all ready not reclining well. not too mention that it is very uncomfortable to sit in.

DVD player Starting to have sound problems playing through TV.

Trim is starting to fall off around door and slides.

One of the two refrigerators only works on and off.

closet door will not slide smoothly

Am I expecting to much or should these things be expected from a >30K TT.

[CaptnJohn]

Hit and miss today no matter Keystone, Air Stream, Forest River, or any other builder. Pushing units out too fast. No such thing as craftsmanship. No one cares about anything but the piecework number and payday. Most get a good unit, some find a few problems, and a few find a disaster.

[chuckster57]

Hit and miss today no matter Keystone, Air Stream, Forest River, or any other builder. Pushing units out too fast. No such thing as craftsmanship. No one cares about anything but the piecework number and payday. Most get a good unit, some find a few problems, and a few find a disaster.
Very true. I just did a PDI on a $25K trailer and found a few items. Working on a $315K Class A right now, and so far have 22 items. The trick is to get the dealer to address them all while in warranty.

[goducks]

Rv furniture is low quality. MFG;s figure that most owners only use them off and on during the summer. Not like at home where you sit on your sofa everynight. Most RV's are built just good enough to be towed to the selling dealer, then towed home buy the buyer. After that it's a crap shoot as to how it will hold up.
Like the saying goes. You need to be rich or handy to own an RV.
One guy stated on another forum that when he bought his trailer he bought a 'trailer kit' and when he got it home he would finish putting it together.

[CaptnJohn]

Very true. I just did a PDI on a $25K trailer and found a few items. Working on a $315K Class A right now, and so far have 22 items. The trick is to get the dealer to address them all while in warranty.

Two years ago I bought a Cougar 303rls. Only warranty item was replacing a fender skirt at the end of the warranty period. Two months ago I bought a new Montana HC 370br. Held off putting slide toppers on until after we were in it a week to see what else could be found. Thankfully, just a few items to adjust myself and 1 for warranty. I'm also happy that CW in Myrtle Beach has been great with everything. If only Keystone could ship parts much faster! I feel blessed after the nightmares other find.

[JRTJH]

Travel trailer furniture, unlike that we have in our homes, must be light enough not to restrict its use in the trailer. Much of the "quality furniture" is just too heavy for use in an "ultra-light" trailer. So, what gives? Typically it's the thickness of the foam, use of cardboard (yes, really) as a stiffener under the cushioning on the arms and sides, and thinner springs (or even no springs but strings) to support seating surfaces.

Flexsteel manufacturers a line of "lighter weight" RV furniture and it's found in many "high end RV's". Just as a good flexsteel recliner "for the house" can cost upwards of $1000 (when a catnapper that looks the same can be bought for $199.99), RV furniture comes in many "quality price ranges". Quality is more than "light weight", but when given the choice, many RV manufacturers tend to choose furniture that works for trailer loading (balance) weight reduction and looks. Comfort (probably what we all wish for) is further down on the list of "what works best" in the RV environment. I wouldn't expect to find Flexsteel in a Hideout or Summerland, and I suppose the Thomas Payne Collection by Lippert is an improvement over what was offered by Keystone in years past, still not up to "home standards" but better than the 3" foam slabs with cloth on one side and vinyl on the other that we had in the 70's and 80's.

When you think about the engineering that's involved in designing a travel trailer, the limitations of weight play heavily into the final product. As an example, one decision might be: Do we use a heavy sofa and remove the cabinets on the other side of the axle that is vital for good use of the kitchen or do we use a lighter sofa, remove the storage space (so trailer balance is maintained) at the expense of making the kitchen storage non-functional? Then you have to add the question, What does that extra 300 pounds do to the tongue weight on our "half ton towable" that makes it not compete with the competetion's ultra light trailer line?

There's a "balance" to designing trailers that goes far beyond what looks good and is comfortable to use. That's why you see a floorplan that becomes a "classic" and is used by all the manufacturers and a floorplan that's "a one year trial" and never produced again. If you add 300 pounds to the furniture on one end of that "classic" what does it do to the other end of the trailer? RV furniture is a part of that "model" that fits all the categories, comfort, eye appeal, weight, trailer balance, use restrictions, size, material finish, and the list goes on and on. In a "S&B" it's just a matter of what someone likes and whether it fits the space. Not so much the same in RV's.

[slow]

.................he bought a 'trailer kit' and when he got it home he would finish putting it together.

That is what the DW says to me, lol.