Not very Happy with Keystone

[mwohlford]

Hello, My name is Martin W. and my wife and I recently purchased a 2015 Keystone SG 303. the day we looked at it in the lot it seemed fine but now we are discovering numerous problems with this model and in my eyes it is a reflection of the overall quality of all of Keystones products for the 2015 model year. we have drawers that were not properly aligned to the catches. we have sections of wallpaper starting to peel off or bubble, the design will not allow for the use of all electric service while in a park because between the AC, water heater, refrigerator, second refrigerator that is all electric and came standard I am using all 30 Amps and tripping breakers on the RV Parks connector 2 to 3 times a day I have finally solved this problem by putting my water hearer into gas mode only. We were supposed to have received a 50 amp model and all of keystones paperwork indicated this was a 50 Amp model but the connection is 30 AMP and so is the breaker in the box this is going to be rectified through the dealership that we purchased the RV from however it will cost us time and money to fix. just to get to the dealership and return to our current place of residence is going to cost about $400. in gas and 9 hours of driving time. this does not include the time it will take to transfer our items from one trailer to the other. the pro side the trailer pulls fine with my 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 8.0 liter V10.
It is my recommendation to avoid the Keystone 2015 model year trailers until they fix the quality of what is coming out of there factories. Oh how I wish the Japanese made travel trailers for sale in the US Im certain they would be less expensive and better quality.

[GaryWT]

Wow, nice first post. Every now and again depending on the campground power we have to put the water heater on gas. Since it is one of ten I think it is the campground not the trailer. A few draws to be fixed and you are good to go. Hard to shut an entire year down for that.

[mwohlford]

It's not the campground it had happened at several campgrounds so I put my amp meter on it to check the amperage draw. it is the camper design. It also looks like I failed to mention the metal shavings in the carpet ouch they really hurt when embedded in your feet. or the fact that when the sun shines on the side with the doors and the side heats up. it is very difficult to get the doors open. I just hope there isn't a fire where I need to get the door open in an emergency.

[theasphaltrv'er]

Shame on Keystone for putting out crappy products. Your fault. All of that you should come across on your PDI. You shouldn't have taken it off the lot in that condition. We bought a 2014 in Feb and the only thing done to it is all the mods I made & the improvements to it. What a well made product we have. Made sure of that before we signed to the signature line and drove off in it.

[SAABDOCTOR]

FIRST OFF TO THE FORUM. Intersting that the post breaker is tripping not the one in the camper. Me thinks it is the camp grounds issue not keystone. I f you orderd a 50 amp you never should have signed the papers till you got what you paid for. the peeling wall paper and drawers are an issue and should be taken care of buy the dealer. How ever it is hard to think that you know all keystones are built poorly because you got one with issues. so i guess all fords chevys gmc and Dodges are junk because the have recalls and things that need to be fixed under warranty.It should be expected that we buy a product with out problems. but they are made by humans. and we all make mistakes. Most of us here look at the issues and decide is it worth the long haul back to the dealer or can we fix it and do a better job Again most of us fix it and post our results so others can benifit from it. As the staement on the bottom of the page says Keystone does not own or monitor this site. I hope you get your problems solved and can enjoy the camper. good luck.

[JRTJH]

to the forum and "potentially" to Keystone RVing. From the sound of your post, you may not be a Keystone owner for long. That's certainly your choice. Whatever you choose to do, I wish you luck with your RV experiences.

To address a couple of your issues, I checked every drawer in my new trailer before I accepted it. Did you?

I looked at all the utilities to make sure they were serviceable. Did you?

I connected the trailer to electrical power (actually the dealership did) and I turned on all the appliances one at a time to find out what I could expect to operate simultaneously. Did you?

I inspected all the cabinets, wall coverings, checked how all the curtains opened and closed BEFORE I accepted the trailer. Did you?

I climbed on the roof and under the RV "just to look and check things out". Did you?

In closing, I've built (had built) 7 houses for personal use. Not one of them has been "flawless" and they all had a "punch list" of at least 2 pages of things that needed to be repaired/replaced/exchanged/repainted/thrown away before closing. Why would I expect a "mobile home" to be any different than a "stick built home" ? Do you?

Not once have I been afforded the luxury of buying a home, an RV, a car, truck, boat or ATV without having to "personalize it" tighten a few screws, push something back into place or make adjustments so it worked like I expected. Have you?

Don't blame Keystone for all of those issues, your dealership should have repaired all of those issues before you even arrived for the PDI and you should have identified the ones you're complaining about before you signed the contract and towed it home.

From your comments about having to take everything out of your existing trailer and put it in your new one, it sounds like the dealership (or Keystone) is exchanging your RV for another one. If that's true, I'd urge you to accept the PERSONAL responsibility of downloading the PDI located on this forum and using it to identify issues before you drag it home, spend $400 in gas and 9 hours of your time, only to get upset because someone else didn't do your "work".

Good Luck,

[bsmith0404]

Well I guess the welcome to the sight is probably a useless point. Based on past experience of people with similar first posts, after they see the responses from our members they typically don't come back.

I'm not here to defend Keystone and I'm not a Keystone exclusive customer. In fact I have owned Forest River, Jayco, and Keystone products and members of my family have as well. I buy an RV by what I like best and what fits my needs the best. I can tell you I have had problems with every brand at one point or another and have walked into many units sitting on dealership lots that I can see issues with as soon as I walk through the door. As other's have already stated, a good PDI before signing, handing over money, and driving away is your best safe guard. Obviously it's too late for that. Now the best course of action, IMO, fix what you can without too much effort and make an appointment with the dealership for what can't be fixed. It's getting late in the year so you may find it easier to live with a few problems and take it to a local dealer for warranty issues once their summer rush dies down.

BTW, did the RV come with a 50 amp cord or not? That's a pretty obvious one since the cords are drastically different.

[kellydog98]

What a terrible feeling to drive off and later find so much wrong with your rig. As you can tell here, many of us have either had the same experience or have guarded against it before letting the money exchange. Personally, I have found that being patient and finding a rig that's just right for me and is about 2yrs old is often best. Most of the 'bugs' were worked out with the original owner. lkalinejf jkfieli ownfuvhs sodfnefiof. Opps, must be the computers fault. Good Luck.

[dfb]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

to the forum and "potentially" to Keystone RVing. From the sound of your post, you may not be a Keystone owner for long. That's certainly your choice. Whatever you choose to do, I wish you luck with your RV experiences.

To address a couple of your issues, I checked every drawer in my new trailer before I accepted it. Did you?

I looked at all the utilities to make sure they were serviceable. Did you?

I connected the trailer to electrical power (actually the dealership did) and I turned on all the appliances one at a time to find out what I could expect to operate simultaneously. Did you?

I inspected all the cabinets, wall coverings, checked how all the curtains opened and closed BEFORE I accepted the trailer. Did you?

I climbed on the roof and under the RV "just to look and check things out". Did you?

In closing, I've built (had built) 7 houses for personal use. Not one of them has been "flawless" and they all had a "punch list" of at least 2 pages of things that needed to be repaired/replaced/exchanged/repainted/thrown away before closing. Why would I expect a "mobile home" to be any different than a "stick built home" ? Do you?

Not once have I been afforded the luxury of buying a home, an RV, a car, truck, boat or ATV without having to "personalize it" tighten a few screws, push something back into place or make adjustments so it worked like I expected. Have you?

Don't blame Keystone for all of those issues, your dealership should have repaired all of those issues before you even arrived for the PDI and you should have identified the ones you're complaining about before you signed the contract and towed it home.

From your comments about having to take everything out of your existing trailer and put it in your new one, it sounds like the dealership (or Keystone) is exchanging your RV for another one. If that's true, I'd urge you to accept the PERSONAL responsibility of downloading the PDI located on this forum and using it to identify issues before you drag it home, spend $400 in gas and 9 hours of your time, only to get upset because someone else didn't do your "work".

Good Luck,

So you are blaming the buyer for not checking things? Where in the heck is keystone and the dealer on this. The buyer does not build these. I'm pretty disappointed in our Montana legacy! Lots of work , cheapest carpet in the world, and the rubber roof looks as if it won't hold up either!...

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by dfb

So you are blaming the buyer for not checking things? Where in the heck is keystone and the dealer on this. The buyer does not build these. I'm pretty disappointed in our Montana legacy! Lots of work , cheapest carpet in the world, and the rubber roof looks as if it won't hold up either!...

You choose a post from August 2014, almost two years ago to comment on and then take it 'out of context" My comment was directed at a situation identified by a member whose trailer was (at the time of the comment) 6 years old. He bought it in 2009 and was complaining about "warranty work" that was preventing him from using his trailer for "more than a year"...

But, to address your comment, I urge you to go to any supermarket and watch shoppers in the meat department. EVERY ONE of them will pick up packages of meat, look at them, turn them over (even prepackaged bacon) to check. Then they "choose the best looking one".... If they do that with a $2 pound purchase of bacon, wouldn't you expect "at least" the same scrutiny in a $40K purchase???

So, yes, I'm saying the buyer needs to look at their trailer, inspect it and be aware of what they are dragging off the lot.

Anyone who "believes" that a trailer manufacturer is going to "use the best and most expensive" components in a "bottom dollar" or "mid level" RV is in for a "rude awakening" after they get it home and then start comparing. By then, it's too late. The time to compare, is like the supermarket shopper, BEFORE you put it in your driveway.

Expectations differ among buyers, some are "realistic" in understanding that trailers come with cheap furniture, "FHA" vinyl and "cheap carpet". Other buyers, if they expect more than the manufacturer provides, will likely be disappointed.

Keystone, just like every other "production line RV manufacturer" uses essentially the same components to assemble their products. If you're not satisfied with the quality of the components, after the sale is a bad time to find that out.......

[Hoojs12840]

Welcome. Mwohlford and thanks for introducing yourself properly. Sucks you are having issues. I've had a few and the dealer has been responsive and concerned so I'm doing fine with my a keystone product.

Regarding your concerns:

1. I could run a microwave convection oven, toaster, water heater and a/c while watching TV on my last RV that was 30 amp without issue. I'm not an electrician put it would be Reasonable to expect the same from yours. Sounds like the dealer is going to remedy that. Given the situation probably the best you can do.

2. As for the other stuff, yeah it sucks. What is nuts is the small amount of time and money it would take to get it right before it's shipped/sold. I personally hold Keystone and the dealer responsible since both spend impressive amounts of money advertising their "quality and longevity". All brands seem to have their issues so I don't think keystone is the worst, probably average in the field.

3. Contrary to opinion I don't think it's unreasonable to expect things to be right or be made right when your paying for something. (I have accepted there are some things I will have to handle on my own, but it's not "ok" by any means.)

Odd how a lot of advice on here is "you get more fly's with honey" when dealing with the dealer/keystone, but not when it comes to new members that may not have thought they needed to do their own PDI or repairs to a brand new vehicle.

Hope it works out for you and your family.

Jason



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ken / Claudia]

Welcome, I promise I will not be buying a 2015 keystone. I am still happy with the 2013. But, I will promise I will spend as much time on the rv lot to make sure it's right before they get any of my money as in the past 3 of 9 rvs I have purchased. Whats not right gets written up on a work order. A full day at the dealer before the signing is alot better than what happens when you over looked or did not look at everything and test everything.

[Festus2]

Please note that this thread has been move out of the New Member Check In and into the Keystone Service/Warranty Issues section of the forum.

The intended purpose of the New Member Check In is for new members to introduce themselves and for existing members to welcome them.

The thread began with a list of concerns by the OP followed by members' comments about these problems. It really has had little to do with "introductions and welcomes" - consequently it has been moved to a more appropriate category.

[mmikemitchell]

Other posters are correct. You should not have taken a Keystone off the lot. I know I would never take another one off the lot. Quality is horrible.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by mmikemitchell

Other posters are correct. You should not have taken a Keystone off the lot. I know I would never take another one off the lot. Quality is horrible.

Having worked on a variety of different brands of RV's, And now owning a Keystone I for one am VERY happy with the overall quality of their products. ALL brands will have some issues, even the $450,000.00 motor homes I work on.

Without calling out brands, Keystone does a lot better job than most. When we bought ours we shopped for 3 years, and even before I was a tech, I pored over the units we were considering. I had the chance to buy a larger unit for $15,000 less (different brand) but after only 10 minutes inside on the lot I could see the difference. Would I buy a Keystone again?

Without any hesitation. I was loyal to Fleetwood from '89 til '97 when I bought a Jayco. I wanted a new Jayco but couldn't find the right size in a weight I wanted. So again after a 3 year search we settled on our current rig. I was in that unit for a long time, looking at walls,screws, nails etc. it was PDI'd before we picked it up and fully demonstrated to us. I dare say it's built as good as my Jayco.

[cookie1951]

We just purchased a Raptor toy hauler in MI. WE pick it up this Friday and I have a check list I plan to go over myself before pulling this RV out of the dealership. We traveled 650 miles to get the camper of our dream and I hope we are as pleased as others with the Keystone product. I'm sure it must take a couple hours to complete the task. I believe the dealership will have everything up and running so my husband can take it down with the help of an experienced person. This will be our third trip down and hopefully our last. We are first time RV owners.

[Festus2]

Some dealerships will have all the systems ready for you to see first hand and others will not. Will the dealership:
1) have water in the fresh water tank so you can check the operation of the pump and that system?
2) have water in the Hot Water heater?
3) have it hooked up to a city water supply?
4) have the unit plugged into shore power?
4) have the propane tanks filled; turn the stove/furnace/Fridge and HW tank on for you?
5) have the fridge working?

6) show you how to work all the remotes for the awning and other items operated by remote?
7) show you where the converter and water pump are?
8) show you where the manual override to the slides is located?

I would suggest that you have a look in the Keystone Questions section of the forum, read through and download the pre-delivery inspection checklist and take it with you when you do your walk through.

Don't assume anything. And make sure you don't drive off the lot with it until everything is in working order, any scratches or any other items that need repairing or replacing are going to be fixed or replaced and set a date for completion of those items.

Take your time, be thorough and don't sign anything until you are satisfied!

Good luck!!

[ozkamper]

Hi All,

Yes we bought our TT very quickly and yes we didn't look it over quite as well as we should of.

But most of the problems we found happened on our first and then nearly every outing since. And we can blame it on poor workmanship and totally lack of quality control at the Keystone factory where our 2014 Premier Bullet was made.

Our last outing, went to run up the antenna and it literally fell apart in my husband's hands. We had ran it up twice before with no problems. There was no set screw to hold it in place and it was crooked. My husband fixed it that day and fixed it properly.

I find it amazing that all the problems we have had with construction in our 2014 have been re-designed in the 2015. Perhaps Keystone had too many complaints with the trailer.

Not every problem is noticeable on pre-delivery inspections. I don't care how long you spend things happen.

What I do know is that we have had over a dozen RV's in the past 35 years and have NEVER had as much problem with a trailer as we have had with this Bullet. We have had trailers that never went back to the dealer for any problem. Most of our trailers have been brand new.

What I also know is this, we will never ever buy another Keystone product. We will make this trailer work, we will fix everything we possibly can by ourselves. A shelving unit should not collapse under the weight over 2 toilet rolls going down the road in Kentucky. The dinette drawer should not fall apart the fifth time you pull it out, etc. True we didn't notice the crack in the stainless steel sink. But like I said, you do miss things.

Ozkamper

[Dave in Va]

Originally Posted by ozkamper

Hi All,

Yes we bought our TT very quickly and yes we didn't look it over quite as well as we should of.

But most of the problems we found happened on our first and then nearly every outing since. And we can blame it on poor workmanship and totally lack of quality control at the Keystone factory where our 2014 Premier Bullet was made.

Our last outing, went to run up the antenna and it literally fell apart in my husband's hands. We had ran it up twice before with no problems. There was no set screw to hold it in place and it was crooked. My husband fixed it that day and fixed it properly.

I find it amazing that all the problems we have had with construction in our 2014 have been re-designed in the 2015. Perhaps Keystone had too many complaints with the trailer.

Not every problem is noticeable on pre-delivery inspections. I don't care how long you spend things happen.

What I do know is that we have had over a dozen RV's in the past 35 years and have NEVER had as much problem with a trailer as we have had with this Bullet. We have had trailers that never went back to the dealer for any problem. Most of our trailers have been brand new.

What I also know is this, we will never ever buy another Keystone product. We will make this trailer work, we will fix everything we possibly can by ourselves. A shelving unit should not collapse under the weight over 2 toilet rolls going down the road in Kentucky. The dinette drawer should not fall apart the fifth time you pull it out, etc. True we didn't notice the crack in the stainless steel sink. But like I said, you do miss things.

Ozkamper

Curious about what has been redesigned between the 2 years? What model Bullet do you have?

[mazboy123]

I would assume you purchased it at lakeshore rv... they will go over stuff but not really in depth. you need to know what to ask.

did you say you travel 3 times each time at 650 miles? boy, you must of gotten a heck of a deal.

I would hope you have a dealer near you who will correct the problems that you will find over the one year warranty period. and you will have issues that need to be corrected.