SPRINTER 300KBS water leakage

SJC · 01-15-2013, 08:42 AM

Hi anyone has problem with new RV water leakage due to heavy rain? My RV is only three month old, and the roof and corner of cabinets are leaking bad. Also, my carpet is wet cos' the wall near to wardrobe has water coming in. It is soaking wet and I had to use clean dry towel to dry it out for two days. Then I found other side of the trailer wall also is wet. Do you think Keystone will give me a replacement of RV?

Terry W. · 01-15-2013, 03:49 PM

We had a 2008 300 KBS with a water leak in the bedroom which CW could not find after have my unit for 3 weeks and 2 GOOD rain storms. I found it. It was at the bottom of the bedroom slide. The metal trim on both side of the headboard slide and soaking the carpet then the night stands. I removed the trim strips let it all dry and reseled both under trim strips and outside

SJC · 01-16-2013, 07:42 PM

Well, mine seems to have major problems with everything. I am kind of disappointed and regretted buying this trailer. The heater duct from the bedroom started to blow in pungent smell when we switch on the heater. Both sides of the wardrobe also have leakage. Do you think Keystone will take responsibility?

Festus2 · 01-16-2013, 08:18 PM

SJC -
If you can show that you have carried out routine maintenance such as inspecting seams, seals, and other areas where it has been caulked and cleaning and re-applying proper caulking to any areas that looked suspect, then you may have a case with Keystone to fix your leaking problem.
The key is having taken "preventative measures" to prevent "forseeable secondary moisture or water damage to the unit from rain, etc...".

You didn't indicate when your first noticed the leaking. Was it immediately after you purchased it or 3 months later? Did you do anything in the way of prevention such as inspecting the roof and all the caulking? Did you carry out any caulking or any other repairs to stop the leaks? If you carried out any of the above, I would document it with dates and details.

I would also take photos of the areas that you mentioned and make notes about each picture.

I would start with your dealer first. If you are close enough to take the unit in for them to examine, make an appointment for an inspection. Make and keep notes about any conversations (telephone, emails, face-to-face) between you and dealer. Try to get your dealer to go to bat for you with Keystone. If the dealership agrees that you have a problem that is a defect, installation issue or one that originated at the factory at some point, then see how that plays out.

If you don't get anywhere with the dealer, then the next step is to work directly with Keystone. Although naturally disappointed and frustrated with RV's that leak, people usually won't get anywhere by ranting and raving. Keep cool, be professional and polite. Hopefully, Keystone will take a serious look at your problem and take steps to address it to your satisfaction.

Keep us posted on how you make out with the leaks, with the dealer and with Keystone.

SJC · 01-16-2013, 09:54 PM

Thanks Festus for your advice. This is a brand new trailer, there should not be a sealant issue isn't it? I thought the dealership has to do the inspection and make sure everything is alright before they hand it over to the buyer? Although I know that we still need to do our part but it's not even one year. How often do we do inspection?

We only had this trailer for three months, and it only started to rain heavy recently. So the leak just happened. I have taken a few pictures to show the leak, but some parts is around the corner and it's hard to take pictures. Water is also seeping through the wall. We have to wait for the ground to dry before we can haul the trailer to the dealership.

The trailer is our only accommodation and we don't know how long this repair will take us. Staying in motel is not cheap either.

Festus2 · 01-16-2013, 11:24 PM

One would expect that, after buying a new trailer, it shouldn't leak but unfortunately this isn't always the case. These units are mass produced and sometimes things- like caulking and seals around windows for example, are missed or not applied properly. I'm not making excuses but these things can and do happen.

The dealer should carry out a Pre-Delivery Inspection beforehand and the buyer should also do one as well before accepting it. I fully realize that leaks may not turn up during either of these two inspections and only appear afterwards when it has left the lot. If it wasn't raining at these times, it would be impossible to know there was a leak.

If it were me, I would have climbed up on the roof at the time of my walk-through and inspected the roof and the caulking. While it isn't always possible to pinpoint a place where it could leak, any obvious places might be found. But that is of no comfort to you at this point.

I am guessing but it seems that you haven't hauled your TT around the country so it may not have been subjected to much twisting travelling down the road. If this is the case, you should mention this to your dealer and to Keystone.

Inspecting the roof and caulking all around the unit should be carried out on a regular basis - before the camping season starts, a couple of times during, and once again before you put it to bed for the winter.

While you are waiting to take the unit to the dealer, if it is possible to put some kind of cover or tarp over the roof and a bit of overhang to prevent further water penetration, I would look into that. Is it possible to move it under cover?

To help reduce further damage to areas that are already damp or soaked, try to vacuum or soak up as much of the water and moisture that you can. Placing fans inside the unit will help dry it out faster. Make sure that you have lots of ventilation and air circulation inside the unit. I wouldn't seal it up tight or you may make the situation worse.

I hope you have contacted your dealership and informed them of your situation.

Perhaps some other members will jump in and offer you some additional advice on how to cope with your unfortunate situation and what other steps you might take in negotiating with your dealer and with Keystone.

Hang in there.

SJC · 01-17-2013, 05:06 PM

Yes, we have contacted the dealership about the problem. And my husband also has cover the trailer with a tarp, and I use a big dry towel to soak up the water for two days, and blow dry with a dryer. We are also discovering some sewage smells coming from the heater vent in the kitchen area and the bedroom. Wonder why that is so, any idea? Hope this is not going to turn out to be a nightmare.

Thanks for your input anyway.

LeeMedic · 01-18-2013, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJC

Hi anyone has problem with new RV water leakage due to heavy rain? My RV is only three month old, and the roof and corner of cabinets are leaking bad. Also, my carpet is wet cos' the wall near to wardrobe has water coming in. It is soaking wet and I had to use clean dry towel to dry it out for two days. Then I found other side of the trailer wall also is wet. Do you think Keystone will give me a replacement of RV?

We have a 2012 300 KBS and love the trailer. This is our 2nd 300 KBS. I have not had the leak problems you have identified.

Definitely get it back to your dealer so they can take pictures and let them contact Keystone.

SteveC7010 · 01-18-2013, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJC

This is a brand new trailer, there should not be a sealant issue isn't it? I thought the dealership has to do the inspection and make sure everything is alright before they hand it over to the buyer? Although I know that we still need to do our part but it's not even one year. How often do we do inspection?

If you have read any of the other threads here about trailer and dealer issues, it should be pretty apparent that blindly relying on a dealer to do things right is fraught with perils. And realistically, water leakage testing isn't a part of normal dealer prep.

Now that you know you have some leaks, what have you done to minimize the damage? If it was my trailer and I could determine the general area of penetration, you can be darned sure I'd be tarping some or all of the unit to prevent further damage. I'd also be running fans and a dehumidifier to aggressively pull excess moisture out of the walls and floors. Just mopping up with a towel won't get the structure dry enough to prevent rot from starting.

This thing needs to go back to the dealer pronto. Every day you delay will cause additional damage.

charltons · 01-28-2013, 10:46 AM

We had a minor leak in our 311BHS in the main slide. CW checked and found NO SEALANT along the top of the slide. CW repaired and Keystone covered with no problems and even replaced all the wood in the dinette that had ben damaged by the water.

SJC · 01-30-2013, 07:40 PM

Hello here is the update for my sprinter 300KBS 2013. When we try to haul our trailer to the dealership to fix the leakage areas, gallons and gallons of water gushed out from the underbelly, and the rear end piping. They had the trailer for a week, and claimed that they found a whole/gap at the rear end, and had sealed the whole roof and areas that has leakage. They agreed that it's manufacturer's defects. They also claimed that there's no damage to the woods, and areas where the water has seeped in, including the carpets and etc. But there's no way for us to really know if they actually inspected all the affected areas. We just hauled the trailer back on saturday, and before I could unpack all my stuff, it rained heavily on Tuesday, and we found the trailer is still leaking. What further action should we take besides just contacting the dealership and hauling it for repairs?

Festus2 · 01-30-2013, 07:51 PM

I would suggest that you document what initially took place between you and dealership and include any statements that were made by the dealer that indicated it was a manufacturer's defect. Keep a copy and forward this to both Keystone and the dealer. Further document details about the 2nd leaking and send this to Keystone and the dealership.

Contact the dealer, and make arrangements for the unit to be taken in for further repairs. Keep records of all conversations you have with both the dealer and Keystone. Take photographs of the area that is still leaking and if the pics clearly show signs of leaking after it was repaired , I would send them off to Keystone as well.

Keep us up-to-date how this plays out.

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