Keystone Carbon 327

[bpyle311]

To begin to vent i would like to introduce myself first,My name is Brian. My wife and I purchased a brand new Keystone Carbon 327 Toy hauler and took delivery of the unit on July 1, 2014 for a planned three week vacation to Utah, Wyoming, Northern Sierra's and then home. Unfortunately, our trip was cut short by 9 days when we discovered a MAJOR Manufacturer Defect in the roof covering beginning at the attachment point where the front fiberglass cap meets the roof, underneath the rubber seal. The rubber seal itself was cracked, and the rubber roof began to peel back. It had rained the night before and it was evident that water had leaked through when it touched the exposed wood. In addition to the rubber seal at the front cap being cracked, it was also evident that the rubber sealant used at each of the front vents was compromised as they were beginning to peel back off of the roof, making it obvious to not just me, but to the dealership that I took it to later, that the rubber sealant used during the manufacturing process was defective. The rubber roof had also begun to separate from the wooden roof due to the exposed air pockets that had developed during transit. While on our retreat back home to address these problems, we were flagged by a very concerned truck driver who informed us that our roof was ripped and was flapping everywhere. Upon this notification, I immediately pulled over to discover that the front 1/3 of the roofing material had been ripped and air pockets had developed under the entire right side of the fifth wheel as well as some parts on the left.

My wife and I are reasonable people and understand that small problems do occur with these trailers. It's sad, but if you research the industry enough, you will read story after story of other peoples issues with their RV's and come to expect that it will happen to you too. With that being said, I believe that my particular case is very different; I believe that this is a major manufacturer defect and I am extremely concerned of the lasting damage that has inevitably happened due to its exposure to water (causing mold), heat through the desert, and wind during transit.

Furthermore, in addition to the roof, we found some additional, concerning issues with the coach itself which makes me question the craftsmanship of the manufacturer. Here is a list of the items we have comprised thus far:

1. While taking my very first shower in the trailer, I discovered measurable cracks in two places in the shower pan. It was not there when we had done the final walk through which means it happen during transit. -Keystone cannot replace just patch fiberglass.

2. The kitchen cabinet, to the right of the stove, had rattled open during transit and was lying on the ground when we arrived at our first destination. The screws had literally come unscrewed and stripped out of the wood causing damage to the cabinet face and the cabinet.

3. Upon pulling the large garage screen down, again, for the very first time being used, it was evident that the screen had come undone and was not seated properly within the guides.

4. While opening the rear garage door upon arriving at our first destination, the strut at the bottom of the door fell completely out of the door, allowing the door to swing freely into the side of the trailer.

5. While in transit, parts from the interior front piece of the awning bracket fell out.

6. The water pump runs continuously, does not stop once prime is obtained, concerning me that water is being pumped somewhere?

7. Silicone in the forward pass through compartment is broken loose and in need of repair.

I have written Keystone on 2 separate occasions, called 5 or 6 times only to be redirected to a voicemail to leave a message. I have attached photos that document these issues mentioned above. My fear is, based on the events of two weeks we had the trailer in our possession, that the 5th wheel we purchased will continue to have issues due to the poor manufacturing evidenced thus far.

In closing, I cannot express to you enough how deeply saddened and overwhelmed my wife and I are at these troubling findings. This has been a dream of ours to finally purchase a fifth wheel to share the experiences of the outdoors that we grew up enjoying as children with our own family. I have spent the last 2 years researching different companies, manufacturers and talked with several of your competitors only to come to KEYSTONE to make this large purchase. I had literally only owned the trailer for 2 weeks as of the day we dropped it off at the dealer for repairs and I am now faced with a huge dilemma...what to do now? So instead of me trying to figure out what I am to do, I am going to extend the opportunity for Keystone to make this right. Remember back to the day that you purchased your first Trailer or RV and put yourself in my shoes...Imagine this was your family having to go through this situation. To date, I have now had the trailer in the shop more than at home or on vacation. I am now making my first payment and I do not even have the ability to use the trailer nor do I have a definitive date on when I will have it back. I have considered many options which include hiring a lawyer, contacting the BBB and several other avenues, but before I do, I am going to allow you the opportunity to show TRUE Customer Service that will keep my family, friends and co-workers coming to Keystone for future business if resolved appropriately.

My expectations are grand but I believe warranted in this particular situation. This dream of ours has quickly grown to be a nightmare! We have now been out of our trailer since July 12, lost 9 days of a planned vacation and had to rent hotel rooms to accommodate us during these trips.

So please if your reading this be warned, thus far Keystone is not standing by there product which to me is a sad state of affairs. I reluctantly contacted a lawyer today so that we can begin the litigation process to resolve these issues. I have attached some photos to give you an idea of what we are dealing with on a 12 day old product. Feel free to contact me with any questions...

[bpyle311]

Here are some additional photos that identify some of the issues we are dealing with on our two week old trailer.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by bpyle311

To begin...but before I do, I am going to allow you the opportunity to show TRUE Customer Service that will keep my family, friends and co-workers coming to Keystone for future business if resolved appropriately.

Feel free to contact me with any questions...

Welcome to the forum and I'm sure all the membership regrets the problems you're facing. Nobody here is able to influence Keystone on your behalf. If you read through many of the posts in this category (Keystone RV Service and Warranty Issues) you'll see that a large portion of them reference the disclaimer (printed in red) at the bottom of every forum webpage. I urge you to take a look at the disclaimer and we don't want you to be disappointed that the solutions to your problems doesn't come from our forum.

We simply have no "inroads" at Keystone to help you with any of your problems. Members have shared issues and solutions to their problems with other members and quite often solutions that worked for one owner will and have worked for others.

One thing that we've come to realize is that once the warranty problems are turned over to the court system and litigation becomes the means to solution, Keystone, for the most part, turns the issues over to their legal staff for resolution and stops working on any solution pending the outcome of the court proceedings. Whether this will happen in your situation isn't clear, but don't expect your dealership to keep working on repairing your RV if he doesn't know if it will be authorized by the factory for repair or replacement.

Good luck with your problems. Most of us have has positive results when dealing with Keystone, here's hoping you do as well.

[Brantlaker]

If you did your research you brought your RV at a good dealer return it to them and let them handle it. If you financed it through the dealer then they may have some pull with the dealer. Does your State have Lemon Laws that cover RV's? In the end the selling dealer has to fight for you they have the most pull with Keystone. Sorry about your trip and bad experience with the new Carbon 327.

[SAABDOCTOR]

what has your dealer said to you? or did you by-pass them and go right to Keystone? i wish you all the best and can get back to enjoying the camper.

[bpyle311]

My dealer is located in Orange County, Ca. From a service perspective they are addressing the issues and have been good to deal with.But, because it's a defect they are passing the buck to Keystone. Unfortunately I just saw my repaired roof yesterday and it looks horrible. I will never be able to re-sell my fifth wheel and Keystone still hadn't contacted me yet after 8 phone calls, several emails and a letter. I finally got a hold of someone yesterday after I received an email response and let me tell you they are not willing to replace my fifth wheel stating they stand behind the warranty work. But what happens a year from now when the warranty is up? Or when I try to sell it? This is so obvious that this is a defective issue but no one at Keystone is just gonna give anything away...believe me when I say I am not into lawyers and sueing people but when you spend $60k on a trailer and use it for 2 weeks and are left with this major of a problem, I don't think I have a choice.

Anyhow, enough with that. I just wanted to get the word spread because I know I'm not the only one that's gonna be dealing with this issue as the rubber sealant they used was defective as evident in my pics and from what my dealership told me.

Thanks for listening...

[gtsum2]

I can only imagine your frustration and hopefully you get it resolved as quickly as possible

[Pentagon]

Originally Posted by bpyle311

My dealer is located in Orange County, Ca. From a service perspective they are addressing the issues and have been good to deal with.But, because it's a defect they are passing the buck to Keystone. Unfortunately I just saw my repaired roof yesterday and it looks horrible. I will never be able to re-sell my fifth wheel and Keystone still hadn't contacted me yet after 8 phone calls, several emails and a letter. I finally got a hold of someone yesterday after I received an email response and let me tell you they are not willing to replace my fifth wheel stating they stand behind the warranty work. But what happens a year from now when the warranty is up? Or when I try to sell it? This is so obvious that this is a defective issue but no one at Keystone is just gonna give anything away...believe me when I say I am not into lawyers and sueing people but when you spend $60k on a trailer and use it for 2 weeks and are left with this major of a problem, I don't think I have a choice.

Anyhow, enough with that. I just wanted to get the word spread because I know I'm not the only one that's gonna be dealing with this issue as the rubber sealant they used was defective as evident in my pics and from what my dealership told me.

Thanks for listening...

Sorry to hear about your predicament, It might be worth your while, to have a good Solicitor send Keystone a letter.

[bpyle311]

So I wanted to update interested parties with my experience thus far in my Carbon 327. After two weeks of being in the shop Keystone authorized the full replacement of my roof as well as the patching of the crack in my shower pan. As far as the roof itself I am definately displeased with the finished product just because it looks like a second rate job and you can tell that the EPDM has been replaced due to the glue ripping up the OSB plywood sheeting. Here nor there this is not Keystone's fault as they did not perform the repair but it still has me left with a coach that has been severely depreciated by the repairs required.

Aside from my problems thus far, I have also enjoyed the unit itself. It is well apointed for my family of five and if i hadnt had this problem i woould be extremely pleased with my purchase.

[Hoojs12840]

Sucks I know. I image a few years of exposure the roof will "blend" and not be noticeable. I would just go with. "Can't see it from my house approach"