We just purchased a 2018 Alpine 3400RS. We custom ordered it as we wanted full body paint, a generator, and dual-pane windows. I took delivery two weeks ago.
This is my fifth RV so I am no stranger to the issues one encounters with a new RV. Unfortunately this one has a remarkable number of problems and I am very disappointed with the quantity of them and the seriousness of a few:
1) The TPO roof membrane has numerous sharp objects under it that will eventually protrude through it (staples, screws, wood chips, etc.). It appears that the roof was not cleaned before the membrane was stretched over the decking material. I towed the trailer to the Keystone factor in Indiana (2000 miles) and showed the roof to the Customer Support Manager. I was told Keystone will do nothing about it. If it leaks within the warranty period, they will evaluate it then. Which means what -- patches where the objects poke through? - UGH! I wanted them to install a new roof at the factory. After being told by the Customer Support Manager that this was considered "acceptable build quality" I was furious. Had I known this was their position, I would not have taken delivery of the trailer.
I get up on my RV roof a least once a year to clean and put down UV inhibitor. I also plan to install solar panels and will need to clean them off periodically to maintain peak performance. It will be difficult if not impossible to walk on the roof without stepping on an area where one of those sharp objects is poking upwards. It will be no time before holes form. To be blunt, I'm pissed.
2) The power for the emergency breakaway circuit was wired without a fuse or circuit breaker and the hot wire of the breakaway switch was installed such that it chafed between the front cap and the pin box. It eventually shorted to the pin box which is chassis ground. That wire got extremely hot and melted all of the insulation on that wire, melted the split-loom tubing it was routed in, and melted against the other wires in the loom. It was a #16 wire, wired directly from the battery to the hot side of the breakaway switch. The brake wires on the switched side of the switch are #12 and there are two of them. The current draw on that circuit is over 15A. A #16 wire is too small for that current and that it was wired with no over-current protection is unbelievable. Why it did not burn up all the wires in that loom, or the entire trailer when it shorted to the chassis is a mystery. Built to RVIA standards? I think not.
3) A hydraulic line on the right-front jack split and is leaking fluid.
4) The light fixture over the kitchen island lost pieces of its hardware due to vibration and the pieces got under the driver-side slide during transit from the factory to the dealer. When the slide went out, the pieces trapped under the slide damaged the vinyl flooring. Not sure how that is going to get fixed as it is sheet material. A whole new floor? Again, the Customer Support Manager made it clear that it would not be done at the factory. How well is that going to turn out if done by a dealer?
5) The bathroom shower has a chip in the gel coat on the floor so that black color from the underlying fiberglass is showing. I don't know if a workman dropped a tool on it or if it is a manufacturing defect. Either way, I was allowed to leave the factory with the chip in it. QA? I am also unsure how that is going to get fixed.
6) One of the ceiling fan blades broke off on the trip home from the Keystone factory, apparently due to road shock. Is that going to be an on-going problem?
7) The rear screws of the drawer slides that support the kitchen drawers were only 3/8" long and screwed into soft pine. They pulled out of the pine and the drawers were dangling from just the front screws when I opened them.
๐ The audio cable that runs from the living room TV to the stereo head unit was wired such that audio out from the TV was plugged into the audio out of the head unit (should have gone to audio in). Granted, a minor issue, but it took me a long time to figure out what was wrong and required that I pull the head unit out of the cabinet to trace the wiring.
9) The passenger-side slide is leaving large patches, several feet long, of black marks on the vinyl floor that I scrub away only to have reappear the next time the trailer goes down the road. It seems there is black material on the underside of the slide's leading edge that is rubbing off on the floor due to vibration during travel.
In summary, this unit is NOT up to the quality I expected from Keystone. That they did such a poor job on the roof is infuriating. I purchased this Alpine due to the positive things I read about the Alpine brand and Keystone products.
To say that I am disappointed is an understatement.
The fact that Keystone considers the issues with the roof "acceptable build quality" should be a warning to potential buyers.
Mike Stanbro
Portland, OR
