Disappointed!!

[Locowrench]

I have had to go behind the scenes of my Fuzion 301 to do some repairs and I'm appalled at the way this thing is put together. There is no evidence at all that the workers who build these things care one bit about the product they are sending out to the public. I really should have looked allot closer at the inner workings before I bought this trailer.

[hankpage]

Locowrench, I am pretty sure you would have had the same reaction regardless of what RV manufacturer you bought from. It seems to be industry wide. JM2¢, Hank

[GaryWT]

My guess is they are all the same. What are some of the things you have found? I think the enclosed underbellies was their way of covering up a mess...

[Jager]

I'm guessing they are the same to but I agree with Locowrench. A couple nights ago I had to get in under the coroplast and the complete MESS that I found under there was beyond belief. What an absolute mess. Saw dust from wood cutting, random pieces of garbage, tape backing, pieces of wire, etc . . . all that mixed in with what I "think" is Hydraulic fluid from when they charged my slide out system. If you touch the coroplast on the back side the black comes off and you get completely filthy from the whole thing.

The fit, finish and general quality of the work in this thing really stinks. I can't believe how many things I have had to fix already. Every time I turn around there is something else, right down to the garbage, under rated tires they put on this thing.

Next time I spend this kind of money on a camper I will want to go to the plant and watch it get built. Or better yet, build it myself. There is PLENTY of profit margin in these units to build it clean and in a respectful way. Spending the small amount of extra time to get it right wouldn't break the bank.

Very disappointed also.

[hankpage]

Just think about all the money saved in waste removal by leaving all the trash in the trailer. (sounds like a county song) If they leave the sawdust in the trailer there is less to sweep up at end of shift. I would not be surprised if this was intensional "Bean-counter" logic.
My trailer is 7 years old and I still get some sawdust in the lights after every trip.

[Adventurider]

They are all the same, just deal with it and move on. I've had a few RV units, no difference between them, some just cover it up better than others.

[KanTC]

It is indeed "disappointing" at times, and (sad to say) for the most-part it's not only a Keystone problem.
We've also owned other brands of RV's, and as Adventurider said, "some just cover it up better than others".

Read the following thread (especially post #4) --- JRTJH (John, one of our moderators) toured a Keystone plant not long ago, and gives a good description
of how the assembly lines work. Not surprising that we find "trash in the underbelly"... simply walking to a trash can takes time & *time is money*!
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17898

TGIF, have a good weekend everyone!
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[thewhitehat]

It is funny when you see the phases of RV ownership that many people go through. It's happened to me. There's the:

LOOKWHATIJUSTGOT phase, signifying proud and excited ownership of a new rig that just came home and is obviously the best rig out there because I own it! You're so excited you post pictures to every family member, friend, or acquaintance you've ever met - you even have a framed picture on your desk at work!

LOOKWHATIBOUGHTFORTHERIG phase, where you added just about every aftermarket doodad, making your already best rig even better.

THEDEALERNOLONGERKNOWSME phase, where upon your return visit, the folks at the dealership seem less inclined to help you with little nagging problems or questions now because they already got their money out of you (unless there's MORE money on the horizon for them). Heck, they can't even remember what your name is!

CRAPTHISTHINGISFALLINGAPARTFAST! phase where you've taken it out for enjoyment a few times and things have stopped working, or are falling off. Discussions with your dealer are less than satisfying and it looks as if you're going to have play hardball to get it fixed under warranty.

LASTPAYMENTBUTNOWITSAPILEOFSCRAP phase brings it home to you that RVs are expensive to maintain and even more expensive to replace.

[Sandi587]

Originally Posted by thewhitehat

It is funny when you see the phases of RV ownership that many people go through. It's happened to me. There's the:

LOOKWHATIJUSTGOT phase, signifying proud and excited ownership of a new rig that just came home and is obviously the best rig out there because I own it! You're so excited you post pictures to every family member, friend, or acquaintance you've ever met - you even have a framed picture on your desk at work!

LOOKWHATIBOUGHTFORTHERIG phase, where you added just about every aftermarket doodad, making your already best rig even better.

THEDEALERNOLONGERKNOWSME phase, where upon your return visit, the folks at the dealership seem less inclined to help you with little nagging problems or questions now because they already got their money out of you (unless there's MORE money on the horizon for them). Heck, they can't even remember what your name is!

CRAPTHISTHINGISFALLINGAPARTFAST! phase where you've taken it out for enjoyment a few times and things have stopped working, or are falling off. Discussions with your dealer are less than satisfying and it looks as if you're going to have play hardball to get it fixed under warranty.

LASTPAYMENTBUTNOWITSAPILEOFSCRAP phase brings it home to you that RVs are expensive to maintain and even more expensive to replace.

Don't forget the

OMGITRADEDITINFORABIGGERNEWERMODEL

[Woodsrider]

The above are all funny, and spot on.
My perspective on the "FOD" as it's called in the aviation industry, is that they don't care because it's all about the profits.
We could never get away with that in aviation.
Heck even the auto industry takes great care to insure what they put out there is safe and built to last. They want your return business.
When its rampant in the industry like it is the RV industry, you don't have a lot of recourse.
I haven't been above the coraplast on my unit yet, but the places I have been like under the tub, behind the power distribution panel, and the access to the water pump didn't shock me too bad. A bit of saw dust, and a view of some holes that looked like they were chewed, not sawn.

If there is that much assembly debris in there when I do access the underbelly, I'll do what Boeing's customers do; mail it back.

[fla-gypsy]

Typical RV construction

[Locowrench]

This last winter my water pump froze, my fault. When I went to replace it I unscrewed the thing from the floor it just about turned up side down. The line from the pump to the system is about 2 inches too long. Rather than putting the correct length hose on they just forced it in place, how long would that last? The passages under the counters and all the outlets are all cut out with a router and the wholes are about 3 times bigger than need be. The saw dust and chuncks of wood were left behind also. The 3 drawer support system in the kitchen was only supported on one inside corner with one screw per support. They fell apart while I was wrestling with the new water pump. The two sliding doors for the front bedroom were rubbing the wall because of the guides that were installed. They didn't have any spacers behind them to hold the door away from the wall. Now there is two ugly rub marks in the doors. That is just a few things that the dealer is going to hear about when I deliver it to have the rear ramp door replaced because it is creased down the middle from loading my motorcycle. It's shamefull that we pay what we do for these things.

[Bob Landry]

"Leaving a mess" is not limited to the RV industry. I see it all the time on boats all the way up to $750K. It's never an issue there because those owners never do their own work so they never see what's behind that panel.

[shmthaus]

Have you ever watched the construction of a house?? There is junk and trash left in the walls and attics..

[Adventurider]

Originally Posted by shmthaus

Have you ever watched the construction of a house?? There is junk and trash left in the walls and attics..

ha, my last house, I was going to add a light and switch to a closet, took me 5 times longer to pull all the scrap sheetrock and sh$t out of the wall so I could just put in box!

[86GT2r]

This is similar to the U.S. Auto makers before the imports caused the domestic auto makers to improve quality. It might be interesting if a quality competitor came to market.

[C130]

Originally Posted by shmthaus

Have you ever watched the construction of a house?? There is junk and trash left in the walls and attics..

I just built a house and moved in about 9 months ago, unbelievable is all I have to say. House is still missing items, trash underneath the carpet, and now a lawyer is involved because they wouldn't install items listed in the contract. The builders new tactic is they won't do any of the warranty work due to the fact I hired a lawyer because of a total other issue. I'm beginning to think my RV is better built than my home.

[SAABDOCTOR]

WAY BACK IN THE 50'S THE TEST PILOTS AT SAAB'S AVIATION PLANT FLEW THE PLANES WITH THE INSPECTION PANELS OFF THEN ROLLED IT SEVERAL TIMES SO ALL THE LOOSE JUNK WOULD FALL OUT! THAT JUST GIVES ME A WARM FUZZY I HAVE BEEN ABOVE THE COROPLAST SHOULD HAVE SENT THE JUNK BACK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA!

[MarkS]

Originally Posted by thewhitehat

It is funny when you see the phases of RV ownership that many people go through. It's happened to me. There's the:

LOOKWHATIJUSTGOT phase, ...

I hope the phases aren't true, but based upon the number of RVs that never leave our storage yard, it probably is.

I have always thought that to be a happy RVer, you need to enjoy and be good at DIY. Or, have deep pockets. DIY with deep pockets is even better.

I look at manufacturing defects as a challenge. I would rather fix it myself rather than let a dealer mess it up more.

JM2Cents

[jje1960]

Well, like many things in life.... Goes back to GodFather quote.... "This... is the business we've chosen". All RV's have their issues...