Be Sure to Check any Work Performed by Dealer

[sourdough]

I touched on this in another thread, but a little story about an ongoing experience.

When I returned from FL this past April I had to have the galley gray tank replaced. While doing that they ruined my new batteries by completely discharging (gave me new ones) and ruined the trailer umbilical by lowering the tongue jack onto it and squashing it (replaced with new umbilical). I had them buff/polish the exterior and when I went to get it it looked like a 10 year old had done it - which I told them directly, so they redid it and cut the price; then it looked like it should. All of that should have been a huge red flag.....but I got distracted doing other things this summer. Fast forward to this week....

I set aside this week to work on the trailer and get it ready to go; wheels/bearings, check all appliances, tires etc. etc. I was checking previous repairs on the underside to seals and from the last blowout. As I was looking saw scrim/flex mend tape just hanging down and the ends of the coroplast along the frame rails just drooping all over the place; disaster if I had went thru a rainstorm.

They had dropped part of the coroplast to put in the new tank and used the section with the tape as a pivot point apparently. It had pulled loose and was just flopping. As I was determining how I wanted to repair that I kept looking at the droopy edges of the coroplast and lo and behold they had left out all the screws that held it up except for a couple! It's a wonder it hadn't just flown off on the 55 mile drive home when I picked it up. I've been spraying foam, caulking and putting in screws for the last couple of days. I contacted the service manager, told him the situation and had them give me a little bucket of screws and washers. His take? Well, those screws fall out all the time; probably just fell out on your way home??? Really? (New service manager - haven't got him trained yet:facepalm:).

On top of that mind you, checking out the AC and furnace last evening found that my nearly new, Dometic "capacitive touch" thermostat has gone wacko (model 3316250.012). This is the 3rd in about a year. Looking into it seems these types of thermostats are VERY prone to problems so be aware. Had a spare in the RV which I will install today, ordered a new spare from Amazon last evening then called Dometic today - they are also sending me a new one. Told the lady that the way it was going I would need them all before we got back. As a note for anyone that has one, she (Shawn) advised that Dometic was aware of a "bad batch" or something and supposedly has the problem rectified; I hope so but doubt it. She sent me a new one for no charge and overnited so be aware if you are in the same boat.

Just a note to advise not to take any work done by others on your RV for granted. Check and double check. I know most do their own repairs as I used to. I still do much of it but not going to try to replace any of the tanks. Pride in one's work seems to have disappeared.

[flybouy]

Danny, so sorry to hear about your experience. Had one of "those days" a few years ago when our unit was broken into, and severely damaged during the heroine addicts search for cash and prizes.
When I dropped it off to the purchase dealer I told them to replace the front decal and agreed on the cost. Also told them to "take their time" as I was going in for another cervical spine fusion and knew it would be several weeks before we could use it.
So when then so proudly declared "ready for pick up" I got my BIL to drive my truck up with me.
Got out of the truck and there's a crowd gathered behind a very large, brand new fiver. Walked back and guess what? They were looking at how nicely my now bent like a pretzel tung jack punched thru the rear cap of the fiver that the forklift driver parked without using someone to spot him. After a few discussions over the next few weeks on how replacing my 4500 lb remote control jack with a piece of junk oem jack wasn't acceptable and where they could get one (yes, they do sell them in their parts dept.) they finally called with another "all ready".
Return to dealer and now I'm ready to inspect the previous work. Upon looking at the jack it's the correct one, just not mounted in the correct orientation. I looked up at the front decal and it looked like they removed the old one with a Jack hammer . I've never seen so many dents/gouges in fiberglass before. After a long discussion with the then new gm it was agreed that for my aggregation they would mount and balance (per my specs) the 4 new Carlisle tires that I had in the bed of my truck that I had ordered during this hiatus .
Many weeks later, well you guessed it. Another delivery gone bad. Front decal looks great, if only it was THE CORRECT ONE, look at the tires and yup, Rubber valve stems not metal bolt ins and no wheel weights. They told me "the guy we take our tires to said the stems were OK and they never balance trailer tires" Wrong answers .
Such a long and disappointing experience to just get to where they should have been months earlier.
So Danny I can honestly say "I feel your pain."

[German Shepherd Guy]

Was over on the east slope of the divide last week for shows. Went by three large, no huge, RV dealers going north on I15 out of Denver to Ft. Collins. All three had banners, easily seen from the interstate, saying "Now Hiring, RV Techs."


Yep, now is the time to be extra vigilant about inspecting any work done.

[flybouy]

Was over on the east slope of the divide last week for shows. Went by three large, no huge, RV dealers going north on I15 out of Denver to Ft. Collins. All three had banners, easily seen from the interstate, saying "Now Hiring, RV Techs."


Yep, now is the time to be extra vigilant about inspecting any work done.

That's an absolute red flag in my book. After extensive travel over the years, both business and pleasure the DW & I have a steadfast rule about restaurants and some other businesses. If there's a "help wanted" sign in the window we try to go elsewhere.

[Weekender 1]

That's an absolute red flag in my book. After extensive travel over the years, both business and pleasure the DW & I have a steadfast rule about restaurants and some other businesses. If there's a "help wanted" sign in the window we try to go elsewhere.


We wish it was that easy to spot, but the truth is its everywhere,sign or no sign.
No more shop classes.
There are some shop type classes left, but the kids use them to get higher credits easier than than sitting in a class room. All they have to do is show up everyday and they pass.
Technology and soft *** parents etc finished it off.
Cheap owners also played a part.
So now kids etc want high dollar jobs that have flexibility etc allow cell phones to be used all day etc.


I run a machine shop and have been doing it for over 40 years and the last 15 years or so, no one has respect for the job, the people around them and none for themselves!! I came here looking for a job and will leave again looking for a better job is what I hear. I know better, you came looking for a easy job and your leaving to find a easier one because you have no pride and haven't pushed yourself to be better, just lazier.

[sourdough]

As a follow up to my original post and the new "capacitive touch" thermostat I had on hand to install.....I did and it was bad too!! Seems the capacitive touch pads under the cover are defective and it just makes the thermostat do all sorts of things. Bought it at the same time and from the same dealer as the one that I just took out so guess it was part of the "defective batch"? I hope. I've got 2 new ones coming in Monday so we'll see how they go. If someone has one that is acting up the issue seems to be in the cover where the pads are at. I just took the cover off this one and use the tip of my finger on the metal contact points that the pads activate. The unit and cover both were bad on the one I pulled out.

[chuckster57]

As a follow up to my original post and the new "capacitive touch" thermostat I had on hand to install.....I did and it was bad too!! Seems the capacitive touch pads under the cover are defective and it just makes the thermostat do all sorts of things. Bought it at the same time and from the same dealer as the one that I just took out so guess it was part of the "defective batch"? I hope. I've got 2 new ones coming in Monday so we'll see how they go. If someone has one that is acting up the issue seems to be in the cover where the pads are at. I just took the cover off this one and use the tip of my finger on the metal contact points that the pads activate. The unit and cover both were bad on the one I pulled out.



I cringe every time I see that thermostat. They are possessed.

[sourdough]

I cringe every time I see that thermostat. They are possessed.


Possessed they are! Every time I would put the cover on something would start changing; turn it off/on, run the temp up/down up to 10 degrees, change fan speed, change to Celsius vs Fahrenheit etc. Extremely aggravating. Sadly, Dometic says there is no other option to change to...:banghead:

[chuckster57]

I thought they came out with an “improved” version. I haven’t had to deal with one for a while now.

[busterbrown]

On my third one too. Dealer gave me a spare that I always carry in the trailer. Our first exposure to these poorly designed thermostats had to be on a very warm night at Disneys Fort Wilderness in Florida in our first season with the coach. Phantom thermostat abruptly shut off at 2am. Took several hours to realize that it was the culprit. Had another fail the following season. I guess the older push button design was less faulty.

[German Shepherd Guy]

After Danny posted I thought I would get a leg up, even though, so far, my thermostat has been ok. Went online and saw that the Amazon price was $45. Ouch. The way I read Danny's post the factory is also sending him one so maybe the newer version will have the demons exorcised?

A note, when I bought my TT the salesman made a point of explaining how "sensitive" the thermostat control was and how I needed to just barely touch it.

[sourdough]

After Danny posted I thought I would get a leg up, even though, so far, my thermostat has been ok. Went online and saw that the Amazon price was $45. Ouch. The way I read Danny's post the factory is also sending him one so maybe the newer version will have the demons exorcised?

A note, when I bought my TT the salesman made a point of explaining how "sensitive" the thermostat control was and how I needed to just barely touch it.


Oak,

The 2 new thermostats should be here tomorrow. I will get one (both?) installed to see if one works...I hope.

I'm hoping Chuck is right and they corrected the issue. The lady at Dometic said they were aware of the problem and inferred that it was corrected - I hope so.

Something to think about; looks like you have a 2018 trailer. I bought the capacitive touch thermostats at one time FL in Nov. 2018 in Crystal River at the RV dealership across the road from the RV park so I'm sure they came from the same "batch" (I bought all they had). Don't know if it is the same batch yours came from. The first one lasted about 6 mos, the 2nd over the summer and the 3rd DOA. Thankfully, the original, push button (non capacitive touch) lasted about 5 years with no issues.

$45 from Amazon sounds about right. I saw some that were about 27-28 but with shipping came to about the same plus with Prime I get them in 2 days. I paid $43.65? plus tax at the RV place so came to about the same as well. I would highly suggest you have a spare on hand because they will fail at the most inopportune time (110 or 0 outside) and I'm afraid you will have a hard time trying to find one on short notice. I'll update when the issue is resolved - hopefully tomorrow.

[sourdough]

Update;

Got the new thermostats in yesterday and ran out to see if I could get it going. The problem IS the faceplate. Just took one off one of the new units and placed it on the module that I left on the wall and everything worked fine. Hopefully these 2 aren't part of that "defective batch".

[Frosty46]

I have had horrible service from most every RV repair shop I have used over the years. Dishonest is much too kind a word for these criminals! US business has always had low morals but today that has cloned into outright robbery from each and every customer. Camping World was the most dishonest experience followed closely by several local RV repair shops. Multible revisits to correct outright theft and or not doing one damn thing but charging hunderds for their faked work was the norm. I do all I can myself now even though I am old..........sad situtaion close to enough to make the entire camping thing one long BS trip! Wake up crooks or this industry will die as it shouild.

[Archergodwin]

Well, if we take a good look at how these rigs are built, that should tell you right there, that most people hired for the repair of them, are not going to be 'better than new'. Heck... even my sink fell out of my Corian countertop.. was a nice mess. I inspected it pretty well, and determined that the install was never prepped right (big surprise, right?) as in surface prep of the Corian, or the stainless sink. I prepped it right, reinstalled it and it's been fine since.

I had warranty work done on the diode power switcher under a recall... that's the only time anybody else was allowed to work on this rig. Too many horror stories.

I do all my own work, from lacing/truing my Harley's wheels, to installing new cams. Flooring, electrical, plumbing... the gifts God gave me. The one caveat is my truck, I don't have diesel tools, and it concerns me. I am lucky enough to have a pretty honest and reputable shop tho.

[chuckster57]

Speaking as a TECH:

These marvels of man come from the factory one of two ways- Nearly perfect or a total mess. How the dealership deals with these issues is key IMO to how the initial experience is for the customer. Then there is the issue of QUALIFIED techs. This industry is not one I would recommend to a youngster as a long term career path. Pay is low, conditions are often less than ideal and like at the factory its all about speed over quality. The dealership I just left yesterday after 5 1/2 yrs has been trying for over 2 years to find ANY tech let alone a decent one. If you can do anything yourself, I suggest you try and if you cant, come to the greatest resource on the WWW: this forum, we WILL talk you through it.

[travelin texans]

Speaking as a TECH:

These marvels of man come from the factory one of two ways- Nearly perfect or a total mess. How the dealership deals with these issues is key IMO to how the initial experience is for the customer. Then there is the issue of QUALIFIED techs. This industry is not one I would recommend to a youngster as a long term career path. Pay is low, conditions are often less than ideal and like at the factory its all about speed over quality. The dealership I just left yesterday after 5 1/2 yrs has been trying for over 2 years to find ANY tech let alone a decent one. If you can do anything yourself, I suggest you try and if you cant, come to the greatest resource on the WWW: this forum, we WILL talk you through it.

That's what I was taught & taught me son when working on anything, the folks putting it together likely weren't any smarter than us so we should able to take it apart & put back together as good or better than they did. This goes for just about everything on a RV. The difference between Chuckster & the rest of us is he's done it countless times so knows what to look for, but we can mostly likely do it just takes longer with more cussing & considerably more research/advice from guys like him. Thanks Chuckster!

[chuckster57]

The difference between Chuckster & the rest of us is he's done it countless times so knows what to look for, but we can mostly likely do it just takes longer with more cussing & considerably more research/advice from guys like him. Thanks Chuckster!

Your welcome, it has been my pleasure. For the record I am moving to a dealer that carries some of the Keystone products, and I hope to gain the knowledge of some of the KEYSTONE sustems ( KEYTV for one) so I can offer more informed advise. Been at this game for 8 years now and still learning :)

[jsb5717]

So, re: the Dometic thermostat. Is there a different thermostat that can replace it? Or is it limited by the heat pump setting?

[sourdough]

So, re: the Dometic thermostat. Is there a different thermostat that can replace it? Or is it limited by the heat pump setting?


I don't have a heat pump in my RV and don't believe the thermostat has any controls for one that I've seen. It is a single zone. Dometic said there is no substitute.

[chuckster57]

So, re: the Dometic thermostat. Is there a different thermostat that can replace it? Or is it limited by the heat pump setting?

Can you post a pic of your thermostat? If its a Dometic wall mount with the LCD display and the mode button on the bottom, I don't know of another thermostat made by Dometic to use that allows for heat pump.

Heat pump is simply the AC unit running in reverse So there needs to be some sort of signal to the control box telling it open the "reversing valve" and make warm not cool air. I haven't had a need to do any troubleshooting in that system so Im thinking you might be "stuck" with the stock thermostat.

Coleman Mach ( used in some Class A motorhomes) is a thermostat with slide switches on the bottom of the thermostat and it does allow electric heat. Is it compatible with Dometic? I don't know for sure.

[jsb5717]

It looks like this one and so far seems to work just fine. I was thinking in terms of buying a backup just in case. When I looked up the Model Number that Sourdough gave it looked like mine so thought I'd ask.

I do have a heat pump and there's a mode for that.

[chuckster57]

This one may work:
https://www.campingworld.com/dometic-single-zone-lcd-thermostat-with-control-kit-polar-white-109082.html?msclkid=6a6276d52cbf1101fd1f2b61b5b87f 46&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SHB%20%7C%20Outside%20Rv&utm_term=4581183923300079&utm_content=CW%20-%20outside%20rv%20%26%20air%20conditioners%20%26%2 0accessories

I know it comes in black and has heat pump option

[sourdough]

It looks like this one and so far seems to work just fine. I was thinking in terms of buying a backup just in case. When I looked up the Model Number that Sourdough gave it looked like mine so thought I'd ask.

I do have a heat pump and there's a mode for that.


Mine looks exactly like that but I'm not aware of an option to operate a heat pump. You might look at yours to determine the exact model number - maybe it's slightly different than mine. On 2nd thought, I'm sure that is a "capacitive touch" top on it and after all I've been thru I would be hesitant to pop that top off because it might get finicky. I would however strongly recommend getting a backup. I now have 4 sitting out at the RV; 1 good complete backup unit, 1 good base module, 2 bad units and 1 bad faceplate.:facepalm:

The model number I posted came off the box of the one I used to replace the bad one and all the rest are the same. I will double check to see if there is a heat pump option in a while when I go out to pick up the RV to get it ready to go.

Edit: If memory serves me the original thermostat in the trailer looked like the one in Chuck's link I'm pretty sure.

[jsb5717]

Thanks, guys. I feel bad when someone experiences these kinds of nagging problems but I appreciate being able to learn from the experience of others.

I'll have to double check model numbers but it's possible that the mode is only available in the TStat when the function is present in the AC Unit.

[sourdough]

Just got back from the barn (gotta go again) but checked the thermostat; it does not have a heat pump option in it that I can find. I do know that the tstat model number then has a 3 digit trailer (.xxx) that may define some sort of variation of that particular design???