Red flags/Known issues 291UBH

WYrv · 07-24-2021, 06:51 AM

We are looking to finalize purchase on a Outback 291UBH. This will be our family camper for my wife and 2 kids. Used for ballgames, vacations and hunting mainly here in WY.

I have been searching and researching. But have not found a lot of info on the camper.

We are buying a 2020 that is used through a dealer. It looks and smells like new. Previous owner never used a few items as they are still factory wrapped etc.

What should we look for intern of issues? Is there a buyer check list for an RVthat we can use to inspect our RV?

Also any well known issues with the RVs?

Also should we get an extended warranty? Or just save the money and have a $5,000 emergency fund?

JDDilly · 07-24-2021, 07:01 AM

Good luck with you new camper. Here is a link to a some check lists that might be helpful.

https://rv-roadtrips.thefuntimesguid..._rv_checklist/

**chuckster57** · 07-24-2021, 07:03 AM

Here is the link to the PDI checklist that was compiled by a member:

https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...ead.php?t=5129

make the selling dealer SHOW YOU THAT EVERYTHING WORKS before signing any documents.

Ken / Claudia · 07-24-2021, 07:45 AM

The posts are right on, I only add this advice due to the many who buy an RV and later talk about stuff they do not like or is a bad design for them because they did not spend enough time in the unit. Many do not look beyond the colors of the finished unit.
A proper PDI will take you hours, maybe even 4. Plan on that if the dealer says no, I would move, it shows me they do not care about you being happy just getting your money, they could even be hiding a known problem.
Stand, sit at and on every place that you will use in the RV, lay on the bed, sit on the toilet, stand in the shower, stand at the sinks. Open all doors, drawers and cabinets.

WYrv · 07-24-2021, 08:07 AM

Awesome thanks a bunch guys. The list is a great list. I have already sat everywhere and laid everywhere. Mattress need help, but not a huge issue.

I am an apse certified mechanic, have a CDL, grew up building houses, etc. Mechanically very savvy, and I make cool modifications to about everything I own.

Thanks again for the help.

**sourdough** · 07-24-2021, 10:46 AM

It's a 2020 so probably not an issue but walk the floors and pay attention for any soft spots; look under the unit for anything that looks amiss, removed and replaced etc. Since you have experience doing those sorts of things that should come pretty easily. Look at the roof seals around the edges, make sure they are all solid with no gaps, cracks or voids. Check the tires; brand (probably TK) and the born on date on the side of the tire (XX/XX = week/year).

allanbradl · 07-25-2021, 06:03 PM

One of the things that I have noticed on our 2021 passport was poorly crimped main power distribution connectors . All , battery , frame mounted fuse , battery disconnect . I had to purchase a hydraulic crimper to recrimp all connections (lugs) . Noticed a lot of poorly lapped sealant on the roof . Redoing it myself . Shower fan /vent shroud seems to be unpainted , already rusting .

nitrohorse · 07-29-2021, 11:24 PM

Go into the purchase with the knowledge that you're buying a poorly constructed, mass produced house on wheels that will need constant attention until the day you sell it and you won't be shocked or surprised when issues pop up. This is not a slight to your particular model, or even Keystone, but instead, the entire RV industry. We, as consumers of RVs, have become accustom to buying inferior units. As consumers, we have allowed the industry to sell us a unit based on upholstery and wallpaper colors than quality craftsmanship, myself (and mostly my wife) included...
Ok, rant over...enjoy your new RV.

**JRTJH** · 07-30-2021, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrohorse

Go into the purchase with the knowledge that you're buying a poorly constructed, mass produced house on wheels that will need constant attention until the day you sell it and you won't be shocked or surprised when issues pop up. This is not a slight to your particular model, or even Keystone, but instead, the entire RV industry. We, as consumers of RVs, have become accustom to buying inferior units. As consumers, we have allowed the industry to sell us a unit based on upholstery and wallpaper colors than quality craftsmanship, myself (and mostly my wife) included...
Ok, rant over...enjoy your new RV.

^^^Seldom have I seen a more true assessment of RV ownership. They are slapped together by sometimes incompetent workers, problems ignored by QC in order to meet production schedules, towed to dealerships that are too busy to "repair or replace obvious problems" and sold to customers who are either "not aware of what they're buying" or are too "enamored by the space, conveniences and color palette and how "they" put a king bed in that little space in the front of the trailer.

So, we buy based on emotion, use based on dreams and realize after signing on the dotted line that all the problems become a uphill battle with a dealership that's too busy to look at the trailer until fall and by a customer service department at the manufacturer's plant in Indiana that doesn't know how to spell the name of the new model they introduced last year.

They (the dealership management and the corporate board in Indiana) understand that as long as people are buying, those that "have already bought" are not the people to satisfy. Rather it's those with "cash in hand" that make up our yearly profit goals.

More and more, the dealership service side won't talk to you but walk onto the sales floor and everyone there is all smiles, promises and more than ready to tell you, "Sure, your truck is a beast and will tow anything on the lot".

So, the factory keeps pushing them out the door as fast as those inept workers can build them and QC can ignore the problems, straight into the hands of ready transporters taking them to "profit oriented dealerships" where customers are lined up "three deep" with checkbooks, credit cards, cash and approved financing from their local credit union.....

All the while, the "home decor department" is coming up with a new and thrilling color palette to attract more "first time buyers with star-struck eyes.....

Sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot, sometimes so many other people have shot themselves in the foot that we have to "walk with a limp along with them if we expect to fit in with the crowd"... If we don't buy what's available for the masses, there's nothing else to buy..... So, the cycle continues, unabated,
Jump on the merry-go-round from any direction, you'll always wind up back where you started....

dutchmensport · 07-30-2021, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitrohorse

...we have allowed the industry to sell us a unit based on upholstery and wallpaper colors than quality craftsmanship....

If you have watched one of those television shows about buying and selling HOUSES, the buyer approaches the house with the same frame of mind. Forget the fact the foundation has serious cracks, the shingles on the roof are 45 years old and falling off, and there's a serious leak in the plumbing. As long as the color of the couch in the living room looks nice ... it's a AWESOME house!

Try to sell your house, and they'll never notice the crack in the foundation either, or the 200 year old wiring, or the out-of code plumbing, or anything else like that. BUT, if it has stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, the house is wonderful!

**JRTJH** · 07-30-2021, 08:15 AM

I remember a time when if your house didn't have "coppertone appliances and formica countertops" it wouldn't sell, then it was "avocado appliances with woodblock counters" then it was "black appliances with Corian countertops".

Now, it's "stainless appliances with quartz countertops"... Add $1000 if you have undercounter sinks and touchless faucets.....

FADS.... They catch the eye and sell stuff much faster than "quality construction, sound engineering and endurance".....

I remember a Harvest cab-over camper that we bought in 1972. DW fell in love with the avocado appliances and the orange countertops that "perfectly contrasted with the "dayglo orange and deep royal blue upholstery". And it was constructed with the same luan, staples and cheap 2x2 studs as today's trailers.. WHAT WERE WE THINKING BACK THEN ????? LOL

**flybouy** · 07-30-2021, 09:02 AM

Yup,. the more things change the more they stay the same. Same with cars, even more so with trucks, change a taillight, add a bump in the hood or a crease in the fender and look, a new model year!

Hgrillone · 08-05-2021, 05:53 PM

We purchased our Outback 291UBH last July, it was manufactured June 2020. A couple things that take a little more effort: 1) The pantry door is big and has a continuous (piano) hinge that mounts it to the wall. The camper must be perfectly level both side to side, front to back as well as the rear stabilizer perfectly adjusted to allow the pantry door to operate smoothly. If all of those are not followed the door does not operate without a bunch of effort. It does have a single roller that makes contact with the floor but check your camper to make sure all is level and near perfect.
2) The bathroom sliding barn door looks fantastic but does not have a latch to secure it from the inside when the bathroom is in use. If your camper is not perfectly level side to side, the door will slide open or closed. I purchased an aftermarket heavy duty hidden door magnet that I installed to allow the door stay closed when the bathroom is in use.
We love the floor plan and the way the interior and exterior looks. Have not had any real issues. The floor is the new laminated composite (no wood). We will see how it holds up over time !

Ken / Claudia · 08-05-2021, 06:10 PM

Buyers 3 deep, 2 buddies I have are brothers and their toy haulers are worn out. They seen a dealer last Saturday of a brand made in La Grande Oregon. Both wanted new toy haulers in the 30 ft range. Dealer said they would be in about March. They signed contracts and at a fixed price.

You may also like: