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Old 03-18-2012, 08:43 PM   #1
cougar2011
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Rust Issues

Hi, we are new to the site. but have been searching to see if anyone else has had rust issues. Our story is long, but the result is the same. Keystone is refusing to fix our issue and our dealership will not either. Our one year warranty is almost over. Our trailer has been in and out of the shop for many issues this past year. The rust has been there since the get go. To make a very long story short we purchased our unit brand new from an RV Show, we were unable to buy the floor model, the unit we received was new to the lot, still wrapped up, we paid for it in full and then we picked up our unit. As soon as we saw the unit, we complained about the amount of rust underneath and we were told this would all be marked down and photographed and then looked after. We have since found out that Keystone will not cover rust as they consider it environmental. We purchased it this way, it has not been to our lack of maintenance and we are now looking at what our options are. We are located in British Columbia.
Any advice is appreciated!

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Old 03-18-2012, 09:18 PM   #2
Festus2
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When you talk about "rust issues", I assume that you mean that rust is present in certain locations underneath your RV. You didn't state where the build up of rust has taken place but I would imagine that you're referring to parts of the frame, suspension and axles. Some rust in these areas is common and; other than looking "crappy", it doesn't affect the integrity of them. The springs, for example, will probably have some rust on them but they will not deteriorate because of that.
As your RV travels over wet roads, the undercarriage cannot help but get sprayed with water and road grime and finds its way onto areas that have no protection against rust. As you are well aware, living on the west coast of BC is not the driest, sunniest place around. In winter, roads are salted which adds to the problem. The black coroplast underbelly will probably trap moisture inside that area adding to the problem.
Perhaps you might expand on the rust issue - how extensive it is and what areas are covered in rust - so that we can better understand the rust problems and concerns that you are having.
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Old 03-18-2012, 10:02 PM   #3
cougar2011
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Thank you for your reply, it is eerily similar to a response we received from Keystone.

We purchased our unit brand new. It was on the lot still wrapped up. When we were finally able to view it, it was already paid for in full. We did the walk thru and were shocked by the amount of rust. We were told that everything would be documented and the items marked would be fixed. The rust was included in this. We had no idea until recently that Keystone was not going to fix the rust. We have bolts, screws, pins, etc that are completely rusted. When we first approached the trailer, you could see the rust on the tongue rails. The frame rails have rust. There is corrosion on the propane line from the front tanks to the kitchen. All of the jacks are rusted which is a huge safety concern as are the steps.

What we don't understand is if this unit was brand new as we were lead to believe, how could the under-carriage have so much rust? Anyways, we were just wondering if this was common with Keystone trailers.
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Old 03-19-2012, 01:01 AM   #4
SteveC7010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cougar2011 View Post
What we don't understand is if this unit was brand new as we were lead to believe, how could the under-carriage have so much rust? Anyways, we were just wondering if this was common with Keystone trailers.
Cross out the word Keystone. This is common to all travel trailers.

They are are not assembled and treated like today's automobiles. When I bought my first new car in the 1970's, undercarriage surface rust on a brand new vehicle as normal. Unless you ran down to Zeibart and had it coated, the whole car would rust through in 3-4 years. Today's cars are much different with life expectancy of 10 to 15 years with little or no rust through. But the undercarriages still have some surface rust on them. It is normal.

Travel trailer frames are painted and not particularly well. The black iron pipe used for the main propane line is not painted at all. It develops a certain amount of surface rust which is normal. The hardware used is not plated or galvanized. Springs and axles are much the same.

Since most (if not all of us) don't normally travel with our trailers in the winter on a regular basis, they generally never see any road salt. Those of us who live in coastal areas have salt air to contend with year 'round.

Light surface rust starts on all RV frames they day they are assembled. If you look at the underside of a 10 to 15 year old travel trailer, there will be a little more overall, but not to the point of component failure.

What should not rust quickly is fasteners and other materials on the outside walls and roof of the trailer.

When you say "jacks", I presume you mean the stabilizers at the four corners. (They are not jacks and they are not built to lift the trailer.) If not lubricated, the hinges and such in them will start to rust before they are even fastened to the trailer. Metal on metal wears away paint immediately. Bare steel rusts. Lubricate them regularly and they won't rust.

On my last trailer, a Sunline, I scraped, sanded and repainted the rear bumper and A-frame every other year with Rustoleum. The rust on the undercarriage, including the propane line, was very even, but no real depth to it and nothing was going to rust through. We had the trailer for 11 years. When we traded it, the dealer rated it in excellent condition and gave us over a third of it's original price in trade-in value. Had there been any concern about the integrity of the frame, etc., we would not have seen that value.
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Old 03-19-2012, 02:05 AM   #5
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Can you post some pics?
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Old 03-19-2012, 05:32 AM   #6
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Even though the trailer was brand new to you, the frame and axles were delivered from Lippert to Keystone and stored outside. Then the trailer was towed from Keystone to your dealer and stored outside. I am sure there was some rust on the frame before it was even mounted to the trailer. The surface rust actually protects the steel (somewhat) from further rusting. Removing it just exposes new bare metal to the elements to rust deeper. Surface rust is normal on trailer frames but still should be inspected regularly. From your description I can't tell if what you are looking at is just normal surface rust or something to be concerned about. If you have a reputable dealer (granted, some are not) telling you it is normal surface rust, then I would say .... Relax and go camping and enjoy the shinny side of your trailer. JM2¢, Hank
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Old 03-19-2012, 08:10 AM   #7
cougar2011
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Smile

Thanks for the information and the detail Steve. I will be sure to have my hubby look at it. I am so happy to have stumbled onto this site as there is a lot of really good information from seasoned rv'ers. Thanks again!!!
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Old 03-19-2012, 09:42 AM   #8
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I know your pain. My current fiver was used as a show model during the winter months here in upstate New York and traveled on salt covered roads. It is possible that your rv traveled from factory during winter months. The paint on these frames isn't enough protection in my opinion.
I ended up washing my frame and spraying on a coat of flat black Rustoleum. All us good now. I figured there was no point complaining about it, afterall I bought it that way.
Steve
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Old 03-19-2012, 04:01 PM   #9
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I have a little on my new camper and inspected it and it's just surface rust, nothing to worry about. I am going to get a mechanics creeper and get under it, do a quick scrape with a wire brush and then slap a few brushs of rustolum flat black paint on it. I get the whole, it's new and I don't want rust showing on it thing but it is pretty typical of the trailer manufacturing process.
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