Keystone Slidewall Structual damage issue

[jenjen77]

We bought a brand new 2016 Keystone Bullet 287 QBS, off of the manufacturer floor through a local dealer, in 2016. We loved the trailer and the trailer layout. We got it home and the electrical issues started. The battery hookups were on wrong, we weren't getting any power. Than about a year and a half later, our slide started acting up. We brought it back to the dealer for it be fixed and had to replace the entire slide motor. It wasn't even 2 years old. We have warranty forever and we bring it to our dealer once a year for maintenance, we had more electrical issues, but more slide issues as well. The slide stopped going in..it would go out but wouldn't go in. The dealer claimed they fixed it and they did , but a few months later it started acting up again. Which brings us to last weekend. We brought it for our annual inspection since we are getting ready to leave out of town for a month with our camper. The slide had been JUMPING everytime we put it in and out. So bad that I felt like it was just going to break. Anyways, the dealer called us back and said that the wall had a complete structural failure and was falling apart.

They tried to get a hold of keystone about it and they told us too bad, so sad, OF COURSE. I wasn't expecting them to care, but I thought maybe since we have had slide problems that is well documented by the dealer that they may think twice about at least taking a look. Well, the dealer said we had some tree marks on our roof and wanted us to claim our insurance on it, and with that they are going to replace our entire roof, along with adding wood supports on the roof. They also, want to add angles in the slidewall to "fix" the problem of the structural damage. I don't know if I feel safe or satisfied with that. Do you think that is appropriate to do in this instance?? We really are debating on trading it in for a Grand Design of some sort, we have had nothing but issues! Thanks, and so sorry for the long post.

I added pictures in the link below

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188285713@N06/19706g

[jenjen77]

deltabravo wrote:
Every one of those "forever warranties" I've encountered are a program sponsored through the dealer and some third party warranty company, not through the manufacturer, so I doesn't make much sense why the dealer would call Keystone about warranty repair on the wall when the unit is long out of the factory warranty.

this is the email that the warranty person wrote Keystone.

Good morning!



Mr. ***** purchased his Bullet April 16th 2016, and has brought his unit in to us that stating that his slide continuously jumps.



Our technician found the top of the wall has broken loose at the top due to internal structure failure of the wall.



We are requesting advice on any possible warranty coverage for the structure and advice on the possible recommended repairs.



We understand the unit is far out of its MFG warranty, but are requesting help on the customer’s behalf.



Please advise and thank you!



Kristalyn Delillo

Warranty Clerk

Dixie RV Service Dept.

[Lynnmor]

Those "forever warranties" are for the purpose of getting your RV back to the dealer every year so they can sell you stuff that ain't covered by the warranty. Just another dealer enrichment scam.

That bull about installing wedges is simply a bandaid on the real cancer. The wall is totally wasted and needs replaced, at a cost that makes the trailer worthless.

[deltabravo]

Every one of those "forever warranties" I've encountered are a program sponsored through the dealer and some third party warranty company, not through the manufacturer, so I doesn't make much sense why the dealer would call Keystone about warranty repair on the wall when the unit is long out of the factory warranty.

[jenjen77]

Camper8251 wrote:
Sorry but this whole thing sounds SHADY..........

I dont like to jump on the lawyer bandwagon EVER but seriously call the local walton county law office, better biz Bureau, . ...

At the very least this sounds like insurance fraud..... and you will go down with the ship....

thanks.. yes..it is all very shady in my opinion as well. My husband is a fireman, I'm going to talk to him about it tomorrow when he gets home and see what we can do to resolve the issue the right way, or just even try to make a deal with the dealership to trade it in. 😕 ugh Thank you for your response

[Camper8251]

Sorry but this whole thing sounds SHADY..........

I dont like to jump on the lawyer bandwagon EVER but seriously call the local walton county law office, better biz Bureau, . ...

At the very least this sounds like insurance fraud..... and you will go down with the ship....

[jenjen77]

Lynnmor wrote:
After seeing the photos, all I can say is send it down the road any way you can. If it is a legitimate insurance claim, I'll bet they total it.

I wish they would've. But here's the thing, the dealer didn't show the "wall damage" they only showed the 8nsurance company the roof damage (which I don't even have pics of). So insurance wants to pay them 7500 to put a new roof on and the dealer will fix the wall themselves..so they say.
(not really fix but put angle wedges in it)

[Lynnmor]

After seeing the photos, all I can say is send it down the road any way you can. If it is a legitimate insurance claim, I'll bet they total it.

[jenjen77]

CA Traveler wrote:
Sounds like a scam to get the insurance to pay.

Plus they DON'T KNOW the extent of they problem until it's open, so $7500 might be a down payment.

My 2 cents: If there is no roof damage there could be some when the adjustor arrives for the insurance inspection.

That's what I think too. I don't like it when people are "shady". It makes me think of they can be shady about that, what are they being shady to us about. We didn't think there was roof damage not have they showed us pictures. Our insurance didn't do a walk up inspection, just pictures (USAA)...but we have yet to see the roof damage pics. And you make an excellent point about once it gets opened the damage. I'll have to try to remind my hubby of that!

[CA_Traveler]

Sounds like a scam to get the insurance to pay.

Plus they DON'T KNOW the extent of they problem until it's open, so $7500 might be a down payment.

My 2 cents: If there is no roof damage there could be some when the adjustor arrives for the insurance inspection.

[Executive45]

Did you actually hit a tree or is the dealer 'suggesting' you did so you can turn this over to your insurance company? If it's the latter, I'd suggest not doing so as it will most likely come back and bite you in the butt. Best bet is to gather ALL your records, and I mean everything and contact Keystone. If it truly is structure failure which it appears it is, then I would think they would want to work with you in fixing/replacing it. Remember it is 4 years old now so be smart in your negotiations. Your trade in value will suffer with that kind of issue. Best of luck....I added a clicky below for your pix...Dennis

PICTURES

[carringb]

Even if you opt to have it fixed, you might be waiting weeks to months for replacement slide system parts, as the RV parts supply chain is currently disrupted, and it may be a while to catch back up. My trailer is currently parked waiting on some LCI parts for its slide-out, with no ETA.

[jenjen77]

CA Traveler wrote:
What exactyl does the warranty state is/is not covered? Who exactly is the warranty with?

I'll play the devils advocate and speculate there is no roof damage and your warranty is with the dealer with the purpose of salesman chatter.

There are VERY FEW dealers I would trust fixing the kind of damage your pictures show.

Warranty "forever" is you go to the dealer once a year for them to inspect your trailer and then they cover things like "brakes, appliances, seals" things like that. I mean honestly, I don't mind getting and paying for the trailer to be inspected once a year anyway, even if we didn't have warranty forever. Warranty forever does NOT cover the slide. We truly believe that the slide was fixed wrong the first time we brought it in and now they are trying to cover their tracks. They had us file insurance on it, so that they can fix the roof (i just got the estimate its 7500 dollars of repairs) and get into the wall, which they state they are covering for free..and they are going to pay our deductible, which honestly, I rather pay the deductible than file any type of insurance on it.

Our deal is Dixie RV, which there are a few of those dealers in this region and for the most part, they have good service. Here is a link to the warranty forever program.. http://rvwarrantyforever.com/ ..

I'm hoping I may be able to convince my husband to ditch this trailer, make them give us a deal to trade it in.. I want to upgrade to a 5th wheel and this is just going to be even worse on our insurance rates for when it comes time.. ugh. and we have YET to even see the "roof" scrapes he is having us claim the insurance on.

We are getting ready to leave for month to Yellowstone with this camper in June. I'm not feeling very confident about it in the least.. 😕

[jenjen77]

.

[carringb]

Ooof. That's pretty bad. I'd consider filing a claim as well, if you can also see indication of damage from a tree. They might just write off the trailer. Aside from that, trading it out is probably the best option.

[CA_Traveler]

What exactyl does the warranty state is/is not covered? Who exactly is the warranty with?

I'll play the devils advocate and speculate there is no roof damage and your warranty is with the dealer with the purpose of salesman chatter.

There are VERY FEW dealers I would trust fixing the kind of damage your pictures show.