outback problems

[outback quality]

i just sold my old great fuzion 395......and bought a brand new 2022 outback 328RL.......havnt slept a night in it yet
1-on the tow home after using a jack to get it on hitch as the power jack dosnt work,bad china relay in lippert auto level motherboard i since found as i deal with lippert for waranty.
2-the underbelly on hwy caught air and split open on first trip home-poor install job screws with washers torn through bulging underbelly looks to be cause allowing it to catch air.
3-got home -noticed the island kitchen 4 drawers rear section collapsed as staples pulled out of underside of island counter,the rear of all the drawers just hang from counter on a few staples,no support from floor to hold drawer hardware and tracks up.......and nothing was in the drawers yet .the drawer fronts angled out rubbing on fridge door as slides were in going down hwy.
4-one week after sitting in driveway .......the light stips on front cap started falling off.......and the wood grain wall paper type stuff around skylight above island kitchen is falling off.i would like to glue it back on but it kind of hardened with wrinkles where its fallen off.
5-started checking out other things.......4! of the lil round white lights with the push on and off center dont click to on .
6-the one fridge door rubs and binds and noticed the door pin bracket had one stripped bolt that never got replaced so the hinge wobbles and door binds.the fridge are two side by side installed so crooked to each other.
7- noticed the LED stick em on light strips for dinette underglow fell off and laying on floor.
8-noticed wind draft and checked further .....under kitchen island huge hole for sink drain to tank below floor not sealed and open to outside .Then noticed how crooked sink drain pipe glued together jammed in tank rubber grommet crooked -cant see how that will seal water.
9-white roof sealant globs all over outside of skylights.so i went on roof to look ,globs of goop everywhere on items attatched to roof besides sealing areas.......and worse yet...... big wrinkle in roof rubber about 5 feet long !.......the wrinkle will surely crack in time .
10-the side skirting has bent looks like scrap metal to brace skirting which is fine but several had stripped or fallen out screws,so side skirting flapping in wind.
11-noticed a lot of poor cut in cabinet parts and assembly nicks and deep marks,from poor care installing items.
12- has factory solar panels on roof with solar charge system ......but wires just hang in front compartment and not near batteries or possible to hookup without drilling through body and running wires to batteries,nice system but not ready or able to use.
13- two very thin strips of scrap looking metal with two screws each hold sofa bed down to floor and found one missing screw as sofa moved and rubbing on wall.
I am really scared to go camping with this unit as its falling apart on the first trip home and sitting in the driveway.
It looked so wonderful and nice when i bought it new ....but on closer inspection and dont have to look to close.....the quality care and materials make me think i made a huge mistake trusting what quality my 2012 Fuzion 395 toyhauler had and expected same or better.
ITS A JOKE the poor quality-i will post a few pics if ppl like of the worse than slapped together construction .

[bsmith0404]

Sounds like your dealer didn’t do a very good PDI. Some of the things you mention obviously happened after you took it, the others should never have left the lot without being fixed.

[outback quality]

the only thing maybe would be the tongue jack not working at pick up,was raining hard and battery low on charge ,so we didnt expect problem ,just used jack to get on truck ball and plug in to charge driving..........everything else is poor factory quality that should never have been allowed to go to the dealer

[bsmith0404]

4 and 7 are normal. Have seen that in many trailers not just keystone. Those little strips never hold. The dealership I worked at started putting a dab of silicone on each end to hold them. I installed an LED strip under my awning and did the same thing. 5, 9, 10, and 12 should have all been fixed at the dealership. Maybe even some of the others. I used to transport RVs, many different brands. If you saw some of the things I saw that the factory left for the dealer to fix, you’d be thinking your stuff is minor.

Not saying I don’t agree that it shouldn’t leave the factory like that, but it’s the way the industry works. Your Fuzion probably wasn’t much different.

[outback quality]

a dab at each end wont help ......its hanging off....but yes i can silicone it back.....but we shouldnt have to be doing that and up on ladder at my age ...also 4 includes wall paper falling off interior.....is that normal too ?

[bsmith0404]

Yep, seen it on many trailers, even high end units. I promise you it didn’t leave Indiana like that Do I think it’s acceptable? No, but that’s the “industry standard” material that’s being used. Have seen it happen in pretty much every brand and every model that uses that stuff. Have seen entire doors peel. It’s a shame, but it’s what we have these days. It’ll get replaced under warranty, hopefully the replacement won’t do the same.

[outback quality]

yes i know campers are not great quality......im not being mr picky first time buyer.....i have had lots of campers and fixed or altered things as needed.......but this unit is horrible .......i would like to hear how others feel......on new ones

[wevernon]

Wow. Sorry to hear about the problems with the 328RL. We purchased a new 2022 328RL, and saw a couple minor things on our walk through. The dealer fixed them without question. We have had it out several times this spring/summer and have had no issues at all. I would speak to the dealer about fixing the problems you have discovered. If they are no help, then I would contact Keystone directly. Good luck.

[outback quality]

i am in central canada hundreds of miles from a dealer,i think lippert will send a motherboard for jack to work......i will spend time fixing the junk items myself and the rest is just horrible i mean horrible poor quality and materials .....so i will sell it .i think around 2014 or maybe give or take a year or two ,the real wood and other better quality materials started to fade away in campers.in our family we still have a Boler 1971 excellent,a bigfoot truck camper 1983 excellent ,had a 1974 argosy 28 foot was excellent,had a 2010 open range toyhauler and the 2012 fuzion 395 and were both very good

[bsmith0404]

Not trying to slam on the outback line, they’re a decent trailer for the price point, but you’re comparing apples to oranges. Is that an excuse? Absolutely not!! I agree they should be better, but the outback is designed to be a light weight trailer. You’re not going to get real wood in any light weight trailer. Well, actually, the wood that is under the paper, is real, it’s just not a pretty wood, but it’s light. I’ll also say even your higher end units are going away from real wood in some areas. It’s lighter, still strong, but also cheaper. My 2013 Alpine had an MSRP over $90k. Up until about 2-3 years ago, the new Alpines still had an MSRP in the $90s. How did they keep the price almost the same over such a long period, cheaper materials. When I was selling them, I loved some of the new floor plans and considered trading, but couldn’t get past the differences between then and now. Unfortunately, in the past 2 years, prices have skyrocketed and your now paying premium prices for a mid grade product.

Hopefully Lippert will work with you on the circuit board

[outback quality]

i agree and dont agree....not wanting to argue......i looked at tons of new high end as well .new toyhaulers at $150k and up .....and shocked at the materials in some of them also,mostly everything is wrapped particle type product.some things are for sure better as well,time will tell on the units put out today,on this unit its a combination of cheap materials but *more horrible is the workmanship* and junkier lighter things as well as china items like the relay that failed the whole motherboard.there is also no fuses to save or prevent motherboard failure.
I actually just got invited to show it off and go through it all to go on tv about it.
which will please me better than getting waranty

[Jake's Keystone]

Wow... all I can say is wow. Our 2010 Outback 260FL had nothing to go back for like any of those. Seems quality has slipped to me.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Jake's Keystone

Wow... all I can say is wow. Our 2010 Outback 260FL had nothing to go back for like any of those. Seems quality has slipped to me.

Similar experience here with my Laredo. Few items during PDI that were fixed before we took delivery. First trip out the microwave failed. Called the dealer and they said to stop on our way home. They pulled one from an unsold unit and jumped on our unit when we pulled in. Less than 15 min and we were out of there. Never had a warranty issue after that. Maybe we're lucky but I know quality was better back then.

[sourdough]

From what I've seen quality took a hit prior to Covid but really took one after that chaos took hold. Our 2014 woodwork, "solid surface" countertops etc. were far above what was in anything we looked at when we bought the current trailer. From Grand Design Solitude, Jayco Pinnacle and Keystone products the "solid surface" material changed dramatically along with so much other stuff. Post Covid it looks like they're building RVs like vehicles; just throw "whatever" in them and get them off the line. If I were buying a 22 RV I would tell the dealership I would be spending no less than a couple of days going thru the potential trailer before I ever signed anything.

[JRTJH]

Try finding a new truck on a dealer's lot (take your pick of brands)... Try finding a good used truck on a dealer's lot (again, any brand)... Hell, Ford stopped taking orders for 2022 SuperDuty trucks in April and won't take another order until sometime in the fall. Part of that is labor issues, but most of it is simply not having the parts to put together and make a truck they can sell. It's the same with the RV manufacturers. They are building what they can with what they have using who they can get to work with the hope that those people will show up tomorrow, sober and with enough parts to make another trailer.

Right now, 5 year old HD trucks in this area with 100K+ miles on them are selling for more than the MSRP (sticker price) when they were new. All they need to qualify for those prices is a rust free body and an operable starter system....

Try finding parts for any make/model car. Try finding toilet paper on the shelves in most any store. Try finding paper plates, good beef, chicken or pork. Try finding someone to work the cash registers, clean the dining room at McD's, deliver pizza's for Domino's, drive a forklift at Lowe's or Home Depot.....

It's no surprise to most anyone that fewer people are using what's on the shelf to build trailers at all the manufacturer's factories with unskilled (new workers with no/little experience) and pushing them out the door as fast as they can possibly scrounge enough parts to put one together.

Is it any wonder that there's "quality problems" and that the trailers being sold today "just don't compare to those sold 8 or 10 years ago ?????

I'd suggest that anyone who walks onto an RV sales lot these days and doesn't protect their own behind, is going to get a "boot in the butt" when they realize what they took for granted....

Should it be that way? HELL NO... but neither should gas and diesel cost what they do.... Some things we can control, but IMO, gas prices and RV quality are "out of our wheelhouse".....

[flybouy]

We have been camping in PA all week. Today we found a beef farm/butcher shop about 7 miles from the cg. It was like heaven. Delmonico steaks from $12 /pound & T-bone $10 /pound. They had around 6 types of bacon, and 10 different sausage flavors. We tried several of the dried beef sticks and they are
awesome. We'll be filling up our coolers on our way home on Friday! Staff was super friendly and the prices are fantastic compared to what we are used to.

[sourdough]

^^^That's one of the things we do when we travel close enough. We like central TX for fresh bratwurst, german sausage, beef jerky and other items. Where we go is known for their peach orchards and wine (we don't do wine). We come back with a couple bushels of peaches and lots of fresh meats (completely full freezer and fridge). Used to bring back smoked brisket because they have some of the best in the country but now that it's got $25+++ lb. I pass. I have smokers of my own and can turn out comparable stuff...just doesn't have that "name/mystique". Now I'm hungry again...

[flybouy]

This shop had several different marinated steak and pork cuts as well. They also had several types of stuffed pork chops with instructions on cooking it in a crock pot. I think Friday going to cost some bucks but I think it's going to be well worth it.

[German Shepherd Guy]

Thanks a lot Marshall, now we are all hungry as Danny,

[dutchmensport]

When we purchased our current Montana High Country Fifth Wheel (2019 model), I had 88 different issues in the first year. Most I was able to fix myself. Some went back to the dealership for warranty .... 3 times .... for the same issue, until I finally decided to fix it myself. Some I could not fix as I did not have the equipment, time or space to do it (like when the trailer brakes simply fell apart inside the hub when a spring came loose. (oh now, that WAS fun!)

After the first year, between the dealership repairs and my own repairs, I now have one good camper! No issues in over 3 years now, except those things I screw up myself! (like forgetting to add water to the water heater and then flipping it on "electric" when un-winterizing! Oh DUH!)

Get the things fixed, do what you can on your own. It will be done right that way. Items that are too big, take it back for warranty. A year from you, you'll have a good camper.