Keystone quality ?

[Hedgehog]

My friend has been camping in fifthwheel a for years. He usually trades every three or four years. He recently bought a brand new keystone Alphine and has had a ton of problems with it. Light fixtures falling off the wall, plumbing leaks where we find washers missing during assembly, crack in one piece fiberglass tub, doors falling off esc. These problems make me wonder as I just purchased a 2016 Montana 3160rl. I haven't had a chance to use it yet mainly because I am still waiting for a truck that I ordered 10 weeks ago. I bought the Montana because I had a 2004 Montana that was trouble free for the entire time I owned it. So, does keystone still build a quality unit or is the trouble free ownership like I had with my 2004 a thing of the past? Also, is the alpine and Montana built the same as far as quality ? Same assembly plant?

[tsetsaf]

We had a Challenger for 5 years and loved it. FIL owns a newer one and seems to forget all the hassles he had the first year... loves it now. Personally I would never buy new anyways.

[NWKomfort350]

I had my cougar for two years. It was great. It did have a couple of things under warranty.
A cable slide adjustment. No biggie.
A new door handle to bunkroom. No biggie.
Furnace repair. This was the most "major" issue.
It went in once for warranty work.
We put about 8,000-9,000 miles on the Cougar and about 120 nights.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Cougar.

[Leo_Smith]

We have a Keystone Cougar and have been pleased with the quality. After one year and over 5,000 miles, our only problem has been a cabinet handle coming off. Prior to purchasing, researched multiple brands. I came to the conclusion that a good dealer with a good service department is part of the equation. The next rig will be a Montana, Grand Design Reflection, or an Arctic Fox.

[DirtyOil]

aclay wrote:
We've had a Keystone Sprinter 311BHS for almost 3 years and I've had a lot of small problems with it, no major ones. I don't think I'd buy another Keystone product, but it's not awful. We had a Jayco previous and it was built a lot better.

My Keystone made 5'er has been great, mine didn't come with a television(s) as the dealer told me the TVs coming from the manufacturers are junk, they suggest that the customer go to the box stores to purchase their sets. the dealer I bought from, sell several different makes and none come with TVs at their request.

As a transporter, I can tell you hauling from several different manufacturers they all have issues of different degrees, some worse then others and it didn't matter who was the manufacturer.

[laknox]

MFL wrote:
I think some RV manufacturers, have a low end line, mid, and upper end. After owning several TTs, I bought my first FW in 1995. I was looking at a used upper end 92, and a new 95 low end model, made by the same company. They were about the same price. I bought the used 92, from someone I knew, as the quality difference was very visible.

The new one was needing repair, just to get the door open! The sales guy needed to pry on it, before we could look at it. Once inside, a cupboard door came off, when he showed us all the storage space. Then we noticed the cheap kitchen sink was cracked open, about an 1/8 inch. We walked/ran away from that low end trailer, and bought the used upper end one.

Used that one for many years, with only a few small issues.

It seems the Montana, has a pretty good overall rep.

Jerry

Makes you wonder why =any= dealer would even have that unit out for public inspection. :h We were at La Mesa here in Mesa 2-3 years ago to look at a FW. Opened the door and there was a 3" hole in the wall where the door that goes up to the bedroom had slammed open. That, and crooked cabinet doors, squeaks in the flooring, made me just run, both from (IIRC) Open Range and La Mesa. I literally turned to the salesman and just said "really?", then we got in the car and left.

Lyle

[mtofell1]

2 months in with my Keystone Hideout and I can honestly say I haven't had one problem. I know I'm just getting going but by this point with my last TT (Forest River) I had already had a bunch of stuff come up.

That being said I don't think Keystone is categorically better than FR. I more just feel lucky with my Keystone and maybe unlucky with the FR. All mainstream manufacturers turn out good and bad units. You're about 100X more likely to read of a bad experience online than a good one so keep that in mind.

If any of the manufacturers were consistently churning out horrible RVs they wouldn't keep selling them. I think it's a case of the vocal minority. Similar to a lot of the things in the world these days.

[cb1000rider]

2015 Carbon:
1) Roof came up and had to be replaced
2) Interior lighting (all LED lights) failed
3) Slide misalligned
4) Black/Gray water label guy strikes again

9 months so far.

[aclay]

We've had a Keystone Sprinter 311BHS for almost 3 years and I've had a lot of small problems with it, no major ones. I don't think I'd buy another Keystone product, but it's not awful. We had a Jayco previous and it was built a lot better.

[rehless]

I agree with laknox, a little quality control would go a long way. We bought a new Montana Mountaineer in 2012 and it was piss poor from the start. Since we are in our late seventies, this will be our last fifth wheel, but I would not buy another Keystone product.

[laknox]

goducks10 wrote:
You need to look at who is responsible for the issues. If it's a tv or dvd player that quits working then that's the tv/dvd players fault not Keystone. If the tank valves are wired up wrong, that's Keystone. Lots of times people blame the RV maker when in fact its the parts they put in them that fail. You have to be selective in deciphering RV issues.

Let's see, who made the decision to use a specific TV or stereo in a given unit? That would be the manufacturer; correct? Yes, it's absolutely on them, since they chose the, usually, junk electronics that get put in these things. If they demand, and use, better stuff, then they'd have fewer warranty claims and happier customers.

Lyle

[Arcamper]

We took delivery of our 2016 Montana 3100 RL in April. We almost ordered a 3160 but did not want to give up the big door side window and could not find one with the Legacy package. Anyway you have a really nice unit with the outside entertainment system and a awning on that slide. As for quality, fit and finish we have been very happy with ours. Only a few minor problems like a loose ceiling fan blade, loose rear ladder and toilet not holding water. All repaired by me so it has not been back to the dealer and we have spent about 25 nights in it so far. Our unit was ordered and built 4/14/2015. I think you made a good choice and hope you are as happy with yours as we are with ours.

On edit- One reason we went with another Keystone product was our 2007 Laredo bought new was flawless the entire 8 years we owned it with over 400 nights spent in it.

[jjj]

I have a 04 Keystone Challenger. It is a midline trailer and in 10 years I replaced a converter the 2nd year, had a small delam spot that got fix but now is visible where it was repaired. Some loose trim and a overhead cabinet that almost let loose that I caught and repaired, new leaf springs and shackles new landing gear leg. I am thankful most stuff was just wear and tear items over the years considering right after I bought my trailer I heard in the news that 1/3 of Keystone work force was fired for drugs or alcohol. I am glad it still rolls down the street. I would probably buy another. Just do a good walk through on the trailer before it leaves the lot.

[NJRVer]

Just read in the paper today that TT and 5er's are on track to break all sales records ever in the next year.

That means they will be cranking up the assembly line to keep up with demand.
Watch out.

[Winged_One]

The best thing you can do is not sit on any issues you find. Don't let anything slide. Get it in right away. Get things done before that warranty is gone forever. Better to spend the first year in the shop, then having to deal with problems yourself, down the road.

After saying all those cheerful things, here is hoping you don't have any problems. 🙂