Our first trip.......from ****!

TI

titrtyca

Guest
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
It is leaking where the shower pan meets the wall near the toilet.
 
We have owed it 7 months. We have been at the dealer before for several minor issues. The dealer is 80 miles away on windy mountain roads.
 
My current trailer also leaked where the shower wall meets the end of the pan near the glass enclosure. I re-caulked my shower real good and the leak stopped.They need to make sure they caulk that area real good. These type of bath showers with the shower wall meeting at the top of the pan is a run off for water when taking a shower if not caulked correctly near the glass enclosure.. Check your latches on your cabinets to make sure they line up. That could be the reason they won't stay closed. I've seen that happen on a couple of my cabinet doors on previous trailers. If I personally had water coming in my camper I would be contacting the President of Grand Design to let him know my feelings. All I read on their website is their commitment on building a really great RV and the quality is second to none! That we can count on the highest quality in every Grand design trailer that they manufacture. I hope they live up to their commitment.
I'm hoping from many of the postings that I've read is that Grand Design 5th wheels will have fewer problems than many of the other brands. I hope I made the right decision on ordering a Reflection 303!
Keep us updated.
 
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On my current trailer I dealt directly with the company and had them sent me the parts I needed and I fixed everything that I could fix without having to go back to the dealer. I've learned a lot in a few short years about trailers. I also learned to check my drain connections under my sinks and shower and tighten them if need be. I have my supply of parts that may be needed while camping. I may never need them but I got them!
 
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Last week, while we were camping, we met a couple with a brand new Dynamax Trilogy 3850 5th wheel. They gave us a tour. Wow! A really beautiful rig. Then they showed us a few of the problems they were having with this $90,000 unit (trim falling off, exposed wiring, leaks) just to name a few. It can happen to anyone, no matter what rig they buy. It made me feel a little better about the few issues we've had with our Solitude and grateful for the superb support that Grand Design has provided.
 
I have contacted the Selling Dealers service department. I will need to set a time during the summer travel season for the dealer to keep the RV for approximately 1 month to locate the problems, receive factory authorization for any repairs, and then make the repaisr. When questioned on how they locate the water leaks they responed that they have to recreate the problem. In other words pour more water over the RV and trace the leaks. I am thinking won't this be great to add additional water to an already dammaged interior, which most likely has greatly devalued this RV. I am very disappointed. I was falsely under the impression that there are nondistructive leak test methods. I can't wait to see what the final repair will be.
 
If this was my GD 293 or any other model I would be talking with Grand Design first and lets see how good GD is. Yes everyone says GD takes care of their problems so put GD to the test on this problem. Not sure how near you are to the factory but that would be my first choice! Does this dealer really know what he is doing? Sure let's pour more water on it and let the unit get wet all over again. Good luck and keep us updated.
 
It's so nice to have a heads up on what to expect on our upcoming new Grand Design trailer. Thanks for all the info and remedies.

I'm just glad you're experienced in RV's. Think how bad the week would have been if you'd been a newbie expecting perfection.
 
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