Soft floors-2014 Keystone Bullet 308fls Ultralite

[DIno1993]

I am a newbie to owning a camper. I recently bought the above type of ultralite camper. It had some soft spots in the floor. Luckily when I pulled the laminate back the one issue was water from the city water inlet. The rest was just where the previous owner was a bigger man and had broken the flimsy board underneath the laminate. I tired taking some metal shims and running them from one rail to the next under all the sandwich floor. It is still too flimsy. Im not going to be towing this and dont mind about the added weight. I was thinking of pulling all laminate and the putting down full plywood board and then putting tile laminate back on it. My question to do it right, what size plywood should I use to firm the floor up on top of the sandwich floor? And also can I pull the carpet in front of the slide and put the plywood and new laminate over as well? Or is that too high for the slide in to get over? I would appreciate any help. I need to get this floor done because we are going to live here full time briefly because we sold our house and wanted to not rush our next move. I have until april 14 to move out of my house so i planned on starting this asap!
Again thanks in advance for info or any videos I should watch!

[wrvond]

The key is to be aware that the floor was installed before the walls, including the outside walls. When you start trying to pull the flooring up, you're going to run into problems at the outside walls and the interior walls and cabinets.
IMHO, your best bet is to purchase the thinnest plywood floor you can find, put it down using adhesive and then apply roll out linoleum over that.

The floor will still have some give, but you can be sure you're not going to fall through.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by wrvond

The key is to be aware that the floor was installed before the walls, including the outside walls. When you start trying to pull the flooring up, you're going to run into problems at the outside walls and the interior walls and cabinets.
IMHO, your best bet is to purchase the thinnest plywood floor you can find, put it down using adhesive and then apply roll out linoleum over that.

The floor will still have some give, but you can be sure you're not going to fall through.

Never saw this question when first posted. The OP hasn't been on this site for a couple weeks and his "got to have it fixed by April 14th has long passed. Another member posted a great thread about a full floor replacement in a similar trailer he got on the cheap.

[wrvond]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Never saw this question when first posted. The OP hasn't been on this site for a couple weeks and his "got to have it fixed by April 14th has long passed. Another member posted a great thread about a full floor replacement in a similar trailer he got on the cheap.

You're right. When it comes to remembering what day of the month it is, retirement can be tough. Heck, lots of times I'm not even sure of the year!

[Kbrownefleck]

Am trying to get warranty to come assess the squishy spot in our brand new (still under initial warranty) floor. It is, like some others, right between dinette and island. It wasn’t this way when we took deliver in October, so I am concerned that water is getting in somehow. We get a drip or two from the slideout as well in heavy rains. Since our unit is permanently placed, getting the local Keystone dealer to drive 50 miles is a task and costs a $159 service call. We will see what they say when they finally respond. I usually have to loop in the Keystone Warranty Rep at corporate.

[meaz93*]

I would suggest you keep on the service department!
On my 2018 Outback I noticed the floor coming up after less than a year ...after that period good luck trying to get it covered under wartanty.
The problem is that from the factory the flooring is pretty much glued around the perimeter only, thus a combination of hot & cold temps will have the floor looking like it's coming up in some areas.
My Dealership finally took care of it. They basically pulled the flooring up and reglued it properly.
But I do remember getting a little bit of the run around in the beginning.
Het it fixed now under warranty![emoji106]

[Kbrownefleck]

My Keystone rep hooked me up with RV Care Pros who will come out today and assess and make repairs and bill them for warranty! 1-833-782-2731. I have to pay the $279 call fee but the rest is warranty.

[bsmith0404]

I’m just going to guess here, but I suspect your soft floor is because of the laminated floor not from water intrusion. The laminated floors can feel squishy between joists, high traffic areas are worse. I’ve felt some pretty bad feeling floors in several brands of RVs. Keystone tends to be better than most because of the closer floor joist spacing, but still get spots that feel soft.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Kbrownefleck

My Keystone rep hooked me up with RV Care Pros who will come out today and assess and make repairs and bill them for warranty! 1-833-782-2731. I have to pay the $279 call fee but the rest is warranty.

Your Keystone rep ??? Who assigned a rep from the factory, or is this someone at the dealership?

The process that you describe is just the opposite of the "normal Keystone warranty process"... I've never heard of a "third party repair service" being given a "carte blanche approval" to assess a problem, make repairs and send the bill to Keystone... Even Keystone dealer service departments are REQUIRED to send a detailed damage report, WAIT for approval to repair the trailer and in most situations, Keystone will send instructions on "EXACTLY HOW TO REPAIR" the damaged/failed components. For a "third party repairman" (not associated with Keystone) to "decide what to repair, how to repair it and just send the bill to the factory" ?????

There has to be either some extinuating circumstances for Keystone to take this kind of repair process, or (hopefully not) you've been caught in the middle of a situation which may turn out to make you liable for payment for the repairs. Read your Keystone warranty (in the owner's manual)... Nowhere does it say that a "third party repair service" can repair your trailer and send the bill to Keystone.... That is/has never been the way Keystone's warranty repairs are done.....

If you can, please clarify how you came to get a "Keystone rep" .....

This is the statement in the Crossroads Owner's Manual regarding the two exclusions that Keystone will authorize: note the "OR" between them. The exclusions are:

1. Payment of service call travel fees for trailers with a detachable A frame are included in the warranty.
2. Repairs completed by Non-Authorized dealers are not warranted by
Keystone.

So, unless RV Care Pros is an authorized Keystone dealer/repair center, or unless the dealer has obtained specific approval from Keystone, I'd suspect you may be liable for the repair costs.

[Carrottop]

Originally Posted by Kbrownefleck

Am trying to get warranty to come assess the squishy spot in our brand new (still under initial warranty) floor. It is, like some others, right between dinette and island. It wasn’t this way when we took deliver in October, so I am concerned that water is getting in somehow. We get a drip or two from the slideout as well in heavy rains. Since our unit is permanently placed, getting the local Keystone dealer to drive 50 miles is a task and costs a $159 service call. We will see what they say when they finally respond. I usually have to loop in the Keystone Warranty Rep at corporate.

My residence that we purchased this year is also at a permanent site and the dealer had to do some warranty work on it. They told me they are covered for travel for destination trailers for the first year and we would not have to pay travel costs. They have been out 4 times so far this summer to fix things and I have not had to pay any of it. Maybe question the dealer on the travel charge.

[Kbrownefleck]

CAUSE
Water damaged

INSPECTION
Felt section of flooring customer pointed out. Flooring had a good 1/4"-3/8" of deflection. Removed floor vent and pulled up lino. Could see the section In front of slide room was dipped down and was black. Went outside and opened underbelly. Cut vapor barrier and pulled insulation out. Insulation was wet along chassis. Pushed on the floor and water was coming out. Slide room is not sealed somewhere allowing water to seep into floor. Inspected slide room and could not find an obvious issue.
SUB FLOOR WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. SLIDE ROOMS AND KITCHEN ISLAND WILL NEED TO COME OUT. ALSO COUNTERTOPS AND BATHROOM WALLS MAY NEED TO COME OUT DEPENDING ON WHERE SEAM OF FLOOR IS. WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM IN THE FIELD. 1.00

Originally Posted by Kbrownefleck

Am trying to get warranty to come assess the squishy spot in our brand new (still under initial warranty) floor. It is, like some others, right between dinette and island. It wasn’t this way when we took deliver in October, so I am concerned that water is getting in somehow. We get a drip or two from the slideout as well in heavy rains. Since our unit is permanently placed, getting the local Keystone dealer to drive 50 miles is a task and costs a $159 service call. We will see what they say when they finally respond. I usually have to loop in the Keystone Warranty Rep at corporate.

[Kbrownefleck]

Because I am relentless, I reached out to Keystone with the very first problem we had with our unit (an oven that wouldn’t stay lit). Since then, I have gone to her with every issue we have had and she has been very helpful. THAT is how I got a dedicated factory Customer Experience Agent. She has a lot of latitude in getting things done when dealerships drag their feet. The dealership that sold us our unit is a POS (RVSwapshop) and we had to deal Optimum RV as an alternate. They are 50 miles away, and refuse to do remote service. We have the unit permanently placed in a resort and we do not own a truck, plus it is our full time home, making in-shop repairs highly impractical.

From the warranty: WARRANTY SUMMARY

With innovations like Unified Wiring Standard, Tru-Fit Slides, Hyperdeck™, and Blade™, Keystone combines unparalleled product integrity with exhaustive testing and inspections to deliver the best products in the industry. In the unlikely event that your Keystone RV experiences a manufacturing defect, we have systems in place to keep you covered. An authorized Keystone RV dealer is your best resource to help you with troubleshooting and warranty service authorizations. If your dealer is unable to help, please contact Keystone Customer Service at (866)425-4369.

And from my ‘rep’:

Good Morning Karen,

Please contact RV Care Pros to set up an appt., they can file warranty through us. The only thing you will be responsible for is their service call fee and any other non -warranty work that would you have performed. The service call fee is a warranty exclusion. Their contact number is below.

RV Care Pros
833-782-2731

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Your Keystone rep ??? Who assigned a rep from the factory, or is this someone at the dealership?

The process that you describe is just the opposite of the "normal Keystone warranty process"... I've never heard of a "third party repair service" being given a "carte blanche approval" to assess a problem, make repairs and send the bill to Keystone... Even Keystone dealer service departments are REQUIRED to send a detailed damage report, WAIT for approval to repair the trailer and in most situations, Keystone will send instructions on "EXACTLY HOW TO REPAIR" the damaged/failed components. For a "third party repairman" (not associated with Keystone) to "decide what to repair, how to repair it and just send the bill to the factory" ?????

There has to be either some extinuating circumstances for Keystone to take this kind of repair process, or (hopefully not) you've been caught in the middle of a situation which may turn out to make you liable for payment for the repairs. Read your Keystone warranty (in the owner's manual)... Nowhere does it say that a "third party repair service" can repair your trailer and send the bill to Keystone.... That is/has never been the way Keystone's warranty repairs are done.....

If you can, please clarify how you came to get a "Keystone rep" .....

This is the statement in the Crossroads Owner's Manual regarding the two exclusions that Keystone will authorize: note the "OR" between them. The exclusions are:

1. Payment of service call travel fees for trailers with a detachable A frame are included in the warranty.
2. Repairs completed by Non-Authorized dealers are not warranted by
Keystone.

So, unless RV Care Pros is an authorized Keystone dealer/repair center, or unless the dealer has obtained specific approval from Keystone, I'd suspect you may be liable for the repair costs.

[wiredgeorge]

That is a lot of work to be undertaken especially if the unit is in a park and you live in it. How do you see this issue progressing? The repair place will want to haul the unit off and work to remove things in a controlled environment I think. When you have a plan, do follow up and glad Keystone is standing behind this issue.

[Kbrownefleck]

It WILL have to go to the shop for these extensive repairs. I am working two angles: a. We have loss of vacation coverage for lodging on our Nationwide RV insurance or b) we get Keystone to pick up a rental trailer cost for the duration of the repair since it’s a manufacturing defect. I may even push for a replacement of the unit since the repairs are so extensive. Worst case, we will go up north and mooch off the kids while we wait for repairs to be completed.. Depends on the cost of the repairs. We have a guy who will move the unit for $2 a mile if we have to pay, but I am also going after Keystone for that cost.

[bsmith0404]

Very interesting diagnosis. Unless I’m mistaken, your Bullet has a laminated floor, there isn’t a seam Even if it was a wood dynaspan floor, there isn’t a seam. That one statement from the technician makes me question his knowledge/expertise on repairing Keystone trailers. It sounds like there is some water damage, but unless you’ve had A LOT of rain, I find it hard to believe there is that much running into the underbelly/insulation from the slide. If it near the kitchen island, a water line/drain leak seems more likely to me.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Kbrownefleck

It WILL have to go to the shop for these extensive repairs. I am working two angles: a. We have loss of vacation coverage for lodging on our Nationwide RV insurance or b) we get Keystone to pick up a rental trailer cost for the duration of the repair since it’s a manufacturing defect. I may even push for a replacement of the unit since the repairs are so extensive. Worst case, we will go up north and mooch off the kids while we wait for repairs to be completed.. Depends on the cost of the repairs. We have a guy who will move the unit for $2 a mile if we have to pay, but I am also going after Keystone for that cost.

good luck with the repairs

[Kbrownefleck]

Warranty has approved repairs.Here is a pic of the damage. Notice the writing on the boards read THIS SIDE DOWN. Unbelievable.

[Kbrownefleck]

Yep, warranty has approved and repairs are in process!

[wiredgeorge]

OP doesn't seem to have returned since April so I hope he/she is on the way to resolving the issues. Karen, perhaps a signature would be helpful. Good luck.

[Kbrownefleck]

Well, after 7 weeks in the shop, it has finally been repaired under warranty costing Keystone $7800. CW carries a 1 yr warranty on their work, so we will keep a close eye one it. Service manager was great in providing pix of the damage. You can even read THIS SIDE DOWN on the boards, which means factory installed it wrong!