2015 Momentum 328 "Love/Hate" Relationship

[LeAnn&Randy]

Our 2015 Momentum 328 has been nothing short of a "Love/Hate" relationship.

1. Purchased Momentum 328 in March 2015 from Lazydays in Tampa, Florida. Sold our home in Houston in April and this fifth wheel is taking the place of that home when I'm in Houston working.

2. Had 5 electrical outlets installed (one on each shelf of the pantry) prior to taking delivery.

3. Had washer & dryer installed at Lazydays prior to taking delivery.

4. Had a wireless Voyager RV Cam installed at Lazydays prior to delivery.

5. Took the Momentum 328 directly from Lazydays to McGee tire and had five new Goodyear Marathon tires put on to replace the Westlake tires.

6. I installed four LED light bars across the bottom of the trailer between the existing lights so you can definitely see my brake, tail, and turn lights...

7. I installed a second wireless Voyager Cam, one points straight out so I can monitor traffic behind me at all times and the other cam points straight down for maneuvering.

8. Two cabinet doors not functioning properly (left door under sink, cabinet door over bed), screw holes were stripped on one hinge under the sink, second door over bed was worse. Lazydays eventually repaired both.

9. After 20 miles of travel: Sliding glass door hitting on screw head on bottom track, fixed at Lazydays

10. Screws in side ladder were sticking out 1/8" to 3/16" all the way up, Lazydays replaced several screws that were stripped and tightened remaining ones. **RV was at Lazydays for 6 weeks repairing sliding glass door and ladder screws.

11. The trim was sticking out on the front, top of the trailer where it wraps over the front cap and holds down the roof. After getting on a ladder for closer inspection the screws were loose so I went to tighten them and as soon as I touched one it snapped and the second one was already broken from apparent over tightening and the sealant simply could not keep the trim in place. Re-drilled holes at a different angle and installed new screws with sealant.

12. First trip made in August due to earlier unplanned hospital stay; while preparing fifth wheel found water in underbelly. Removed panel and water was coming from a fitting, nylon nut that was cross threaded at the factory that had been slowly leaking (for awhile) from the looks of the surrounding area and finally made its way into the visible part of the pass through. Teflon taped the threads and delicately worked the nylon nut on to where it was no longer cross threaded; problem solved. Took a rectangular long stem funnel that fit perfectly under the valve assembly and zip tied it in place, drilled a hole and routed the stem to discharge under the gray water valve handle so if it happens again it will drain out to the ground so I will know there's an issue. Placed fan in underbelly and completely dried entire area for days before closing it back up.

13. On our trip in August the **Happijac started catching on the plates that hold the tracks to the walls (Lazydays ordered new parts), **the middle A/C would freeze up while running on the generator (Lazydays replaced the A/C as it was bad), **the sliding glass door started catching on the track again not opening properly (adjusting screw issue). All this was fixed in October 2015 at Lazydays.

14. In November I noticed that some of my graphics on both sides of the trailer were bubbling & wrinkling. Took the Momentum to Lazydays and they did warranty pictures & paperwork so now I'm just waiting for the graphics to arrive and Lazydays will remove & replace graphics.

15. By December some of the screws in the ladder began to rust. Lazydays replaced all screws with stainless at no cost.

16. In December at Lazydays while standing in my RV with the service advisor the sliding glass door caught halfway open and would not move. The advisor marked the issue with tape and it was fixed for the third time!!!

17. I had Lazydays purchase a dinette table and two chairs from Grand Designs to match my Shark Interior. In December I had the two middle recliners removed, the front recliner shifted to alongside the rear one and had the dinette placed in the front corner of the slide with the chairs facing towards the tv/fireplace. I love it as it made the Momentum 328 much more versatile for my needs.

18. The lock button on the cup holder on the rear recliner has decided to not function properly so it has been ordered and will be replaced by Lazydays.

19. December 21st headed to Houston, I had a blowout on one of the drivers side Marathons. It tore up the underside of the wheel well so I will place a temporary patch on it and repair it properly at my Florida home next week. The tire had less than 5500 miles on it and I check my tire pressures & torque lug nuts before each trip. The Goodyear dealer submitted paperwork to reimburse me $110 dollars. As of late October the doctors released me to return to work in Houston. Since I travel Tampa to Houston every fourteen days I purchased six 17.5" aluminum rims and six Continental 235/75R17.5 HTL2 tires that will be waiting on me at my Florida home so I am hoping this new setup will greatly minimize my chances of having any tire issues in the future.

20. Also on this trip from Tampa to Houston I looked back in my mirror and saw a yellow clearance light dangling from the lower part of the trailer up forward and upon closer inspection the screws were in the lamp and the holes were stripped from the factory. I check a few others and found the same issue so I temporarily fixed it until I get back to Florida.

Lazydays knows me by face & name from returning so often for repairs, even they have begun to take note of my numerous issues. They did offer to buy back my Momentum 328 for $33K on trade-in for another Momentum or Work & Play...

I'm still finding screws inside & out that are not completely set in place and I don't understand it except for the individuals that originally installed them simply rushed the job and didn't focus on quality workmanship. Let's see how the graphics issue works out as it has me concerned... To be continued.

See it truly is a "love/hate" relationship with the Momentum 328... as I "LOVE" the trailer but "HATE" the issues I'm having with it.

[james quinn]

I had a blowout on one of the drivers side Marathons. It tore up the underside of the wheel well

Kind of ironic that you switched out the Westlake for Marathons and then had a blowout.

[Mikes145]

I think I would stop going to Lazydays. No reason to fix something three times. Have you personally called Grand Design and expressed your concerns?

[LeAnn&Randy]

That's what I thought when the Marathon blew, very ironic... The new Westlakes were placed on my fathers 36' Work & Play and one blew out just two weeks before it happened to me.

Regarding the sliding glass door issue, the 328 is still under warranty so Lazydays keeps fixing it.

[Dick 641]

Marathon tires are no better than the westlakes both made in China

[GaryBro]

LeAnn and Randy,
I feel your pain! We bought a new 380TH in June and my "fix" list is at 29 right now. The first two I fixed myself and then thought it should be up the the dealer to do everything. We've had very minor issues and some quite significant issues. Our dealer tried to fix one problem twice and each time said it was done. Finally had a local mobile repair guy fix that and the remaining things. Local guy is simply GREAT, dealer not quite as good! Grand Design has been unbelievable in their support. Many significant issues were simply that Grand Design people just did not do the correct job. I paid the dealer $996 for a PDI and most of the problems should have been caught in that. To me, I would have been better tossing the $996 in the toilet and then I would have been sure that nobody inspected the trailer. Right now, been over two weeks and nothing has broken - we are still 100% OK.

[LeAnn&Randy]

**UPDATE**

I repaired the undercarriage from the blown tire with new insulation and coroplast cut to fit with end tabs and sealed it with black silicon followed by two coats of black rubberized undercoating and it's holding up well after 1000 miles. The Marathons and original rims I replaced with new aluminum rims and Continental HTL2 235/75 R 17.5" tires and it made a significant difference as the trailer glides along very quietly at 70-75 mph plus the new tires have an extra inch of tread on the pavement.

Purchased new Reece 20K hitch (to replace the 24K slider I had from my other truck), installation was simple and it works flawlessly...

I replaced the cheap sheet metal screws that were holding on the side clearance lights with stainless machine screws and locknuts so I won't have to ever worry about looking back in my side mirrors and seeing one of my lights dangling by its wire again...

In a few days I will be returning to Tampa from Houston and Lazydays is going to remove & replace the graphics (under warranty) that are bubbling and wrinkling, let's see how that turns out... In addition they are going to replace the defective cup holder that the lock button is not working.

**New item #21 added to fix list: water leak behind toilet coming from plastic piping, Lazydays can fix that when they have the unit next week as the last one I found leaking in the underbelly was cross threaded from the factory!!!

I love the new dinette table as this is my second trip with it since being installed...

[2butler]

LeAnn and Randy,
I too hade the issue with the front trim piece coming loose and the water leaks. I had cross threaded plastic connectors and the Sharkbite clamps were leaking. I received a email giving me a lifetime warranty on my front cap for water damage and mold. Other than that we have had no other issues with ours and love it!

[RamGunner]

Our of curiosity, how much was the dinette and chairs (and did you get part numbers)? My wife and I are considering the same thing, but I don't know if it would be affordable or not.

[LeAnn&Randy]

RamGunner,

Dinette was purchased from Grand Designs via Lazydays in Tampa, Florida.

Tabla: Dinette Brazilian Walnut $858.21
Two Chairs: $159.63 each ($319.26)
Labor: $258.00 to remove the two middle recliners, relocate outer recliners together and install dinette table
Total: $1435.47