Our first trip.......from hell!

[titrtyca]

We've had our 5th wheel out for a couple of weekend trips, but this is our first trip of any length. We are so upset and discouraged! This is not our first 5th wheel, so we do know what we are doing.
Right off the bat, we noticed a leak in the shower. We now have a washrag shoved in the corner.
We had quite a bit of rain and noticed the carpet is wet near our reclining chairs causing the floor to warp. We have a towel soaking that up.
The cupboard next to our couch must have opened while we were traveling, so when we opened the slide out it caught the cabinet door and damn near ripped it off. Only a bent hinge, but we now have that tied shut.
The cabinet doors near the refrigerator are so damn close to the slide out that we have now removed the hardware so that we don't repeat the previous problem.
Our island cabinets will not stay latched when we travel, so they too, are tied shut.

Needless to say, our brand new, Reflection 293RES, now looks like trailer trash.
Looks like we might have to go back to work to start paying for repairs!

Thanks for listening.......Tim and Katrina

[Glazier]

Sounds to me like you need to contact your dealer. Keep us in the loop, it's important for other owners to know the dealer network is doing their job.

[WhittleBurner]

I can only imagine how you feel finding these things going wrong, for sure a call to your dealer is a must. please keep us informed on how things are going

[Mr Lucky]

That stinks! This is not good to hear. I just ordered a reflection 303. Where was it leaking in the shower?

[Boomer]

It's very unfortunate when Hesse things happen as it affects the whole brand. This appears to be the first post where there are multiple serious problems, IMO leaks are the worst, they area difficult to find and fix, and can cause the lots of damage. I will be watching to see how this is handled by the dealer as well as Grand Design. By the way how long have you owned the unit? I noticed that it is #192. We have a 303 that is #205.

[CentralMichBo]

FYI - I put child proof locks on the doors by the couch so when and if they do pop open, they will stay out of the way of the slides. We had one door pop open and didn't notice it - bent the hinge but it went right back on. New procedure is to now open the slides partially, check all doors for clearance before extending all the way.

[Renee]

Tim and Mr. Lucky...we too had an issue with the rear cabinets on our Solitude 305. I blame Louisiana roads...they're rough. A cabinet drawer had popped open, and I didn't know it. I put the slides out to unload the pantry and fridge. And to make a long story short...I tore up the cabinet (to the tune of 1300 dollars). Our auto insurance covered it. I think cabinets in the rear of campers are probably a flaw in all brands. I've had cabinets pop open in my previous camper, but fortunately they were not in the rear, so I should have expected this. Alas, I didn't. I now have child proof locks on my cabinet doors and that's working. And as CentralMichBo suggested, open partially, squeeze by the island, and check all doors for clearance.

As to shower, I also had a minor leak (this may not be what Tim is talking about) but the caulk between the shower door frame and shower itself wasn't sufficient. We purchased a tube of clear silicone sealer...put a bead along both sides of the shower frame, and now, no more leak.

With any purchase, there's going to be issues. That's reality. What makes the difference is how the company that you buy from stands behind the product they manufacture.

Our previous TT was a Keystone Passport....worse customer service EVER. The slide leaked from the first day we purchase until we traded it in, and we had it in the shop many times for the exact same issue. The first year of "fixes" were covered by warranty. After the warranty ran out...guess what, the leak that we had from the first day we bought the trailer was no longer covered, even though it was never fixed.

I learned then to NEVER buy an "UltraLite" RV. I wanted quality built RV and after many months of research and shopping, I believe I have found it with Grand Design. Have I have issues with the camper, yes. Has Grand Design and my Dealer stood behind the camper and fixed everything, yes. My Solitude is a solid well built RV...just what I was looking for when shopping.

[mtpocket]

In no way am I making excuses for cabinet doors opening during travel but it happened to me in my montana. Ripped the hinge off. Thats such an expensive sound! Ever since I purchased a large roll of velcro. All doors sise by side have velcro through the handles. We also open the slides just enough to visually inspect for debris in the slide path before opening all the way. Should we have to? No! But the alternative is expensive. Its a fixable problem in the industry they just dont want to spend the dollar or two per trailer to do it.

[TucsonJim]

Our last fifth wheel was a Keystone Cougar, the living room slide was within about 1/4 inch of the entertainment center. One time we went to move the slide out, and it had shifted slightly. it ripped the whole front of the entertainment center off. Even though it was only a month out of warranty, Keystone would not cover the damage.

[titrtyca]

It is leaking where the shower pan meets the wall near the toilet.