'21 Cougar 290RLS Roof

[icunjl]

Love this 5th wheel! Will be purchasing our new rv very soon, but the leaky roof stories have me concerned.. how is the roof structure built? Wood trusses? Aluminum?Hearing horror stories of leaks, non walkable etc. So give me the scoop.

[Northofu1]

Hello and to the forum.
The scoop is to read the brochure, search online, visit the keystone website and search inside that site. The roof is walkable if there's a ladder, the ladder may not be climbable, it depends on your weight and or fear of heights. Check your seams often, proper maintenance is essential. Everyone runs the risk of a deficiency from the factory. That's just a roll of the dice.
Can you trust or rely on the service department of the dealership you're buying it from?
Are you self reliant?
Are you handy enough to get up there and add sealant or replace it altogether?

The whole key to ownership is whether you freak out when something goes wrong, or you are able to accept there is something wrong and move to correct it either alone or through the dealership's service centre in a somewhat calm manner. If anything goes wrong and causes you too much stress it's not worth it.
The most common major problems here in this forum are flooring or roof damage due to water intrusion. These are definitely the hardest to repair/ replace. There are not a ton of posts on these problems but when there are it's mainly the first year of ownership deficiencies, or a lack of proper maintenance.
If you maintain the unit properly you limit your chances of catastrophe.

Again, welcome and good luck

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

The scoop is pretty much as stated above. Inspect the unit you intend to buy from top to bottom and front to back. ALL RV’s have the potential to be a disaster, but with proper care an treatment can offer years of fun.

The horror stories you read are the minority of users, most satisfied buyers don’t have anything to complain about so they simply don’t post. Find the one YOU want, let us know and we can try to offer insights to possible problems with that particular year/model.

[icunjl]

Sounds fair. Thank you!

[travelin texans]

If you're not mechanically inclined, have tools & know how to use them, have basic electrical/plumbing knowledge & physically able to go on the roof, crawl under the rv & do necessary maintenance & repairs you should be good to go. FYI, there WILL be repairs & maintenance, whether you buy new or used. If you can't, aren't able or just don't want to do this type of stuff you should probably pass on rv ownership or have lots of money & patience. Rv shops are expensive, typically backed up for months & some aren't able to change light bulbs successfully. Unlike automobiles you'll need to take your rv to the selling dealer for warranty work, other dealers are not obligated to perform warranty repairs on units they didn't sell.

[icunjl]

Good info. Thanks.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Rv shops are expensive, typically backed up for months & some aren't able to change light bulbs successfully.

Very true when your talking about dealerships. That’s but one reason I left the dealership scene and work at an independent shop. Rates are often times lower, and some can do warranty work. I do know that you have to be a keystone “seller” to get paid for warranty work from keystone.