Very Disappointed with New Keystone Alpine

justme wrote:
All mfg's have a percentage junk--- The RV industry needs a competitor like Japan that actually forced the American automobile industry build better products. Meanwhile a very detail oriented PDI is the only real defense one has to obtain an RV they will be happy with. NEVER finalize a sale until a very detail oriented PDI is completed and any problem found is corrected to expectation. Otherwise simply walk away and find another dealer. If you are unable to do a proper PDI higher some one who knows what to check for.

Nice words, and generally good advice, but it didn’t catch all the things wrong with the Alpine I just purchased. I did an extensive PDI and caught several things, one of which was major (read my original post and look for the part about the melted wire).

In my case, the debris under the roof was not visible until the sun came out 2 days after taking delivery. It was only then that the membrane relaxed enough that the staples, screws, and wood clips between the decking and membrane became apparent. I did an inspection of the roof and saw nothing out of the ordinary on the day of the PDI..

Also, the scuff on the vinyl floor did not occur until the slide went in and out a few times during my travels. It was then that I found the piece of light fixture hardware trapped under the slide that had rattled loose during transport from the factory to the dealer. More parts rattled loose on my travels. Everything on that light fixture needs to have thread locked applied at the factory. I saw at least two other Alpines on dealer lots when I was shopping around that had pieces missing from that light fixture. So, this is a recurring issue and should be caught by feedback from the dealers and customers. The notion of “continuous improvement” seems to be lost on Keystone.

Oh, and then there was the split hydraulic hose snd broken ceiling fan blade that occurred on the trip to/from the factory to show them the issues with the roof. I rate those failures as “infant mortality” as opposed to poor QA, but when combined with the other stuff, it makes my new-owner experience rather dismal.

Read the horror story in the Toy Hauler forum regarding the issues underneath the frame of a Keystone product that no PDI would ever catch.

So, while an extensive PDI is well advised, it is not going to catch serious problems with the structure and integrity of the unit. Only the factory can ensure that things beneath covered areas are well built. How many poor plumbing or electrical jobs can be found during a PDI? Bad welds on the frame or superstructure? What about the screws with their heads twisted off that get glued down with RTV just to look OK? I have found MANY of those in the five RVs that I have owned, including this new Alpine.

Just to be clear, my major gripe about this new Alpine is the debris under the roof membrane. I plan to install solar panels and a satellite antenna. Walking around on the roof during installation and every few months to clean the solar panels is going to do irreparable damage. I wanted Keystone to replace the roof. I towed the trailer to the factory to show them how bad it was. They said it was “acceptable quality” and even state in their owner’s manual that staples, screws, and wood chips under the membrane is a “normal part of the manufacturing process”. Sorry, but that is **** construction. Not cleaning off the roof before laying down the membrane is just so wrong I can’t imagine how anyone could allow it. I would be embarrassed to be a worker at Keystone and operate under those principles.