Montana a Lemon?

[mmikemitchell]

I bought a new Montana Mountaineer this year and have already had more trouble than a person should. I know the Mountaineer is the lower line of the Montana, but I was assured by Mike Thompson RV that they were all built the same, just had less bells and whistles.

I gravitated to the Montana because a couple of people said they liked their model. Could it be Keystone isn't building quality anymore?

I haven't had enough experience with new 5th wheels to know if the poor workmanship is normal, or if I got a bad deal.

So far:
Black tank leaked because the gate was installed incorrectly.
Flush out valve was put in backwards and didn't work.
Spare tire almost fell off and was bouncing on the freeway.
Weight of the couch has broken the molding because the full wight of the couch rests on the molding.
Trim fell off the island.
Shower doors won't stay in the track (poor design)
Vanity door almost fell off because of loose screws.
Bedroom drawers didn't shut.
Bedroom door didn't latch.
Screen door plastic slider won't stay in track.
Toilet won't hold water.

At this point I'm wondering if it will stay together long enough to get rid of.

I expect a few things going wrong, but isn't this over the norm?

Keystone company has not been responsive to my complaints. Remains to be seen if they will pay for the repairs I have already made.

[bobx2]

8 of the 11 problems there is no way you would catch in a PDI. Most of them weren't a problem at that time. Let's not make this sound like it's the buyers fault. There is no excuse for poor quality workmanship, and the blame goes squarely on the shoulders of the manufacturer's.

[socoguy]

Quote: m really wondering why you drove it off the lot with all this wrong. Didn't you inspect the unit beforehand? Even if not, this list consists mostly of things that a dealer should have caught and fixed before letting anyone even walk through it. I'd be concerned about how well the dealer will fix anything.

X2 a good PDI would have caught the majority of the problems you have listed. And that happens before they have your money.

[waltbennett]

mmikemitchell wrote:
I bought a new Montana Mountaineer this year and have already had more trouble than a person should. I know the Mountaineer is the lower line of the Montana, but I was assured by Mike Thompson RV that they were all built the same, just had less bells and whistles.

I gravitated to the Montana because a couple of people said they liked their model. Could it be Keystone isn't building quality anymore?

I haven't had enough experience with new 5th wheels to know if the poor workmanship is normal, or if I got a bad deal.

So far:
Black tank leaked because the gate was installed incorrectly.
Flush out valve was put in backwards and didn't work.
Spare tire almost fell off and was bouncing on the freeway.
Weight of the couch has broken the molding because the full wight of the couch rests on the molding.
Trim fell off the island.
Shower doors won't stay in the track (poor design)
Vanity door almost fell off because of loose screws.
Bedroom drawers didn't shut.
Bedroom door didn't latch.
Screen door plastic slider won't stay in track.
Toilet won't hold water.

At this point I'm wondering if it will stay together long enough to get rid of.

I expect a few things going wrong, but isn't this over the norm?

Keystone company has not been responsive to my complaints. Remains to be seen if they will pay for the repairs I have already made.

I'm really wondering why you drove it off the lot with all this wrong. Didn't you inspect the unit beforehand? Even if not, this list consists mostly of things that a dealer should have caught and fixed before letting anyone even walk through it. I'd be concerned about how well the dealer will fix anything.

[sdetweil]

hmar1 wrote:
We have a 2014 Montana 3900 FB have not had any problems. I think maybe its the luck of the draw. Some people don't take pride in their work anymore. I believe its in all industries

sorry OP for the diversion.

I have the Alpine 3720FB similar layout, but they moved the washer/dryer space to a separate cabinet, and we only have one sink..
do you travel with the closet doors open or closed? closed and latched I can't get them to stay on the track. I'm thinking of adding a strap to hold them open while traveling.

[WeBeFulltimers]

We have not had one single issue after full timing for almost 3 years in our 2012 Montana.

[hmar1]

We have a 2014 Montana 3900 FB have not had any problems. I think maybe its the luck of the draw. Some people don't take pride in their work anymore. I believe its in all industries

[laknox]

cyntdon2010 wrote:
All issues are minor. while its under warranty use it to find all Problems.

your dealership will fix.

If you bought a new truck and had these kinds of issues, you'd be livid; I know I would. Why should any of us accept this kind of******on an RV? How damn hard is it to install a flush valve in the correct direction? I bet there's even an arrow molded into the valve body. Why should we have to correct stuff that should have been done CORRECTLY at the factory? IMO, it boils down to the fact that the workers are paid on a per piece basis, so the more they puke out, the more they make.

I went to Camping World in Mesa AZ today, to pick up a couple small things, and took a quick look around the lot. The absolute JUNK I saw sitting out there was just amazing. I saw a Cougar with sawdust on the bed that was falling out of the ceiling due to the fact that the ceiling was literally falling down. Saw a Salem that had the external siding on the driver's side living room slide that wasn't tucked under the window molding...by at least 1/4"! Stupid little piddly stuff that makes owners more crazy than something big going wrong. How can this stuff even leave the factory this way?! Oh, right, got to get busy building the next unit...the dealer or the new owner will fix it.

Lyle

[10Grands]

Same issues with new Heartland 5 er Big Horn...Dealer would not come to service it as we had it on permanent site (which they knew in advance)...extended warranty would not help because it was under factory warranty...we did everything. ..as far as contacting attorney general..we had case but it might have bben 5 or 6 years wait...we fixed on our own dime...traded it in and took the loss...we are not wealthy and it was a great hardship...General Rv in the Canton/ Akron, OH are great while taking your money but are not very nice in management, service, etc...sad to say...but they are a horrible dealer and Heartland Co was no help either. ..they kept saying we needed to talk to dealer :(..my heart feels sorry for you !!

[bpounds]

Looks like a fairly short list to me. Most of that stuff I would have just fixed myself, because not worth a trip to a dealer.

Curious though. Mike Thompson is a So Cal dealership, and your location is Washington. Did you buy it at MT? Is there an issue with logistics?

[robsouth]

I was looking at a Montana last summer. I commented to the salesman that one of the bedroom dresser drawers would not open. He said sometimes they just stick and you had to pull harder. He did. The whole front of the dresser came off. He looked really embarrassed and I looked really gone.

[cyntdon2010]

All issues are minor. while its under warranty use it to find all Problems.

your dealership will fix.

[dbbls]

All manufactures make some lemons. My Heartland Big Country is one. Your "defective" list looks short compared to mine. Mine has some MAJOR items on it such as a new roof at two years old due to poor Air Conditioner seals. The condensation ran under the rubber material.

[wrgrs50s]

I dont mean to minimize the issues your having, but most of them are common among any rv manufacturer out there, just not as many on the same rig as your experiencing. At least most of them can be easily repaired under your warranty if you are the original purchaser of a new unit.

I'm amazed at all of the rv manufacturers out there that are getting by with such terrible quality control during the build. I guess as long as sales are good they just continue pushing them out the door regardless of quality.

I had my share of problems with my Heartland 5r, believe me I had major issues that required a trip back to the factory for frame flex. I was terribly dissapointed as you are.

My advice is take a deep breath, contact your dealer for warranty repairs and when all is over you can take your rig out with a little more confidence and enjoy the fun of rving like you originally planned.

Although setbacks are a bummer, it sure makes us appreciate life when all is going good again.

Best of luck to you

[Willcamp4]

Wow. I was looking at a Mountaineer earlier this year. It was a 'pretty' trailer, but the workmanship didn't impress me at all, so we walked away. A friend had one for about three months and got rid of it because every trip required a trip to the shop to repair what failed on the outing. Too bad as it was a nice appearing unit.

My take...Montana has some really nice, appealing floor plans and designs, but the workmanship wasn't up to par. I would buy one if I thought it was better made, but what I saw wasn't.

The side issue that I noticed was that they seem to have the confused idea that all of us only go places that have hookups. I guess they don't understand that many of us boondock.

It's too bad you have been having that many issues. I haven't had anything like that many problems with my trailer since I bought it new 9 years ago.

[hammer21661]

If you have the shower doors that are hanging off the 4 little arms I can tell you how to fix them the right way. I did it in my 13 fuzion 322