Quality???

[earlzach]

I really hate to be a complainer its just not me. But The people at the Plant that produces the Passports would not work for me!!!
Today was Day one of ownership, you know happy camper, time to personalize this rig to my liking? Whelp if it isn't bad enough its already going back to have a trim piece replaced because it was cut to short, I noticed the vent in the living area to have FRIGGIN GLUE all over the plastic vent and it looks the person must have had glue all over their hands when placing the rubber weather strip on. It looks like a 3 year old did it.
I like the trailer but I'm sure like most people you think Price and you don't want to see Carelessness!!!!
Still a great looking unit. I'm sure once the idio's are fixed Ill get over the idea that I traded a near perfect fully paid for trailer for problems and payments!!!!!

[madmaxmutt]

I understand the frustration. I have a few minor issues that need to be taken care of on my new trailer, as well. I don't think any manufacturer is immune to it. I get that it is a little house on wheels, but the lack of attention to detail, is an issue. In one case I feel like they actually tried to hide the flaw on purpose. If not, they didn't know much about carpentry. . .

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[mfifield01]

They are definitely cheaply built. I have been fixing (and strengthening) things on mine. It took about 1.5 years to work out most of the issues.

I came from a 21 year old boat that rarely had issues. My opinion is that trailer will last about half as long as a vehicle. I keep vehicles around 10 years and plan to keep the trailer for about 5.

[dcg9381]

If you've got cosmetic and trim issues, I'd count that as a win. It's also stuff you could detect prior to buying.

Line guys are paid to produce a certain number of units per day. If they get done with their unit production, they get to go home. Work 6 hours or 8 hours, paid the same. This is part of the problem.

To be fair, apparently Keystone does employ QA guys who can "shut down" the line....

[PARAPTOR]

Need to compare apples to apples, put a stick house in a constant tornado and earthquake and see how it holds up

[notanlines]

Earlzach, might we ask what kind of business you own? Paraptor and the others made pretty good points. Years ago we toured the Kenworth plant and things looked fairly professional. Then two years ago we toured the F-150 plant in Detroit and holy schmoly there was no comparison. I'm surprised that the KW's even stay on the road. Does that tell you how much I know about judging talent? I expect the Keystone guys and gals do as well as any of the other employees in producing a reasonable product for a reasonable price.

[earlzach]

Originally Posted by notanlines

Earlzach, might we ask what kind of business you own? Paraptor and the others made pretty good points. Years ago we toured the Kenworth plant and things looked fairly professional. Then two years ago we toured the F-150 plant in Detroit and holy schmoly there was no comparison. I'm surprised that the KW's even stay on the road. Does that tell you how much I know about judging talent? I expect the Keystone guys and gals do as well as any of the other employees in producing a reasonable product for a reasonable price.

Why do defensive? Would it have really been too much to ask the installer to clean the glue off of his hands before placing the rubber seal on and pinching it all the way around leaving yellow globs of glue in plain sight in what is supposed to be a sky view? Even the white plastic cover has yellow finger prints on it. They don't give these trailers away and I work hard for my money. Some people consider these a home away from home.
Funny you feel it is acceptable to produce something that now my dealer (without batting an eye) agreed it was a mess to say the very least.
Thanks for being to opinion patrol. I'll try to be more careful voicing my concerns on a " forum"! Here is a video if anyone cares to view it.
https://youtu.be/dXKIVpuNTis

[sourdough]

A couple of things;

That skylight IS a mess and they should be fixing that for you. I doubt you will have any trouble getting that done. Thankfully it is cosmetic and minor so don't let it ruin your day. If that is all that you find wrong count your blessings.

My other thought is why you didn't see it on the walk through? If you had seen it when checking the vent operation, before it came off the lot, you probably could have saved yourself some frustration.

In the end it sounds like it's going to get fixed so hopefully you will be good to go.

[earlzach]

The trailer was inside and I don't think the light was in our favor Monday evening. It was dark when we got home. Tuesday got the "good" inspection. I would not have rejected the sale over this and the dealer is ordering a new deal and cover just from seeing my video. I don't need to take it back unroll it comes in. I know everything is covered. But this is just someone's sloppy work. I thought I would share in regaurds to a careless and sloppy worker. I didn't think for a second this would be acceptable by anyone. But I think that was proven wrong a couple posts ago.

[sourdough]

Yes, some things you find in an RV are inexplicable. I've seen some issues on new ones sitting on the lot that you would swear the tech doing the job had to work harder to get it the wrong way than it would have been to do it the right way. It's just the nature of the beast and we have to keep that in mind and keep our eyes peeled for it then take them to task to correct it.

[chuckster57]

I think your dealer fell a little short as it should have been noted by the tech that did the PDI. When we see these kind of things, the customer is told at the start of the walk what we found and what we are doing to fix it.

I'm glad your happy with your purchase, and I'm sure any issues will be fixed. I can assure you that at every price range, there are units that will have issues. I DREAD factory orders, seems like they are rushed through and have the most issues.

[earlzach]

I hear ya. This wasn't an order. It was just brought over from a partnering dealers lot due to the one at my dealer was in bad shape from being left on the lot too close to the trailer next to its door. The slide out was scrtched from top to bottom and the window molding was ripped away from the glass. I made it clear when they bring in the next one it DOES NOT GO ON THEIR LOT! Lol they kept it in their shop for four days through the process.

[bsmith0404]

Maybe it was the guys first day and he's still learning his trade. You say the unit was inside and the light wasn't in your favor when you picked it up, just a thought, these are built inside not out in the sun. It would be nice if they all came perfect from the factory, but things get missed. Your dealer is taking care of you, don't let it ruin your day. Just relax and enjoy your new passport.

[jsmith948]

Another way to look at it...in about a year, the vent lid and the rubber gasket will be so yellow from the sun you will no longer see the glue. Just sayin'

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[Colorado]

Hate to say it, but we need some good manufactures (like the Toyota folks) to start building RV's, then we would have to improve to compete. It took us about 1 1/2 years to get everything on a new Alpine working correctly.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Colorado

Hate to say it, but we need some good manufactures (like the Toyota folks) to start building RV's, then we would have to improve to compete. It took us about 1 1/2 years to get everything on a new Alpine working correctly.

What we need are employers that don't pay based on quantity of units produced. Lots of problems found "on the line" are left to be dealt with at the dealership. It's cheaper to ship it than shut the line down to fix it. I've said it many times-spend a month next to me in the shop and you'll see some crazy stuff.

[JRTJH]

As chuckster said, it's about cost vs profit. I'd urge anyone so visits near Goshen to schedule a visit to the factory. You'll come away with a better understanding of how these "rolling houses" are built and a better appreciation for the engineering that goes into constructing a house that can sustain a 70 MPH wind while bouncing over roads that would equal an earthquake of major size. We tend to focus on the "small stuff" like fingerprints while losing appreciation for the real quality that keeps these things from falling apart at the first "bump in the road" ...

Sure, it would be great if they were delivered with no problems, but given a choice, I'll choose one with the structural integrity and a fingerprint over one that "looks pretty".... WMMV....

[Desert185]

Well, I'm with the OP. These trailers are generally cheaply made. Glueprints? Never should have left the factory like that. If I ever buy another one, I will do the PDI with a flashlight...like the first time.

I bought slightly used, saved a fortune and fixed the (luckily) few issues with the money saved. I'm old enough that this 326SRX will be my last one. Besides, I wouldn't want to go through the entire improvement, accessorizing process all over again.

[Gegrad]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

We tend to focus on the "small stuff" like fingerprints while losing appreciation for the real quality that keeps these things from falling apart at the first "bump in the road" ...

Sure, it would be great if they were delivered with no problems, but given a choice, I'll choose one with the structural integrity and a fingerprint over one that "looks pretty".... WMMV....

I would agree, especially when you think about how well and usually how long the slides continue to work well, given the constant shaking and jostling they take. You can tell there was serious design efforts spent making sure they would hold up so well under such harsh conditions. You can tell they also spend more money on getting that aspect of the trailer correct as well.

[chuckster57]

I often wonder who makes the decision on what type of slide mechanism to use.