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Post by johnr on Jun 8, 2017 13:15:05 GMT -5
So they'll get you in in August to determine what parts you need, and then they'll have to order them taking another 6 to 8 weeks?
You know, maybe the problem is us, the RV owners. Maybe we're too dang nice? If you bought anything else (car, refrigerator, propane grill, lawn mower, etc.) and it broke. What would you say if the place fixing it said it would take 2 months to even let you walk in the door? It would be completely outrageous and unacceptable. Why do we accept it in the RV world? I don't care if you sell 1 brand or 10, your service department should be able to keep up with customer demand. If it isn't, then you should probably expand. They obviously have enough sales people to handle the customers.
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Post by Chuck on Jun 8, 2017 15:39:42 GMT -5
LOL johnr If funny you should say that they have enough sales people to handle selling their trailers, the salesman that sold us our 5th wheel was a former Tech, there was another young salesman we met that was as well a former Tech. So I guess they must have not had enough sales people an to many RV techs. I have to tell you the RV Dealer has two very large lots packed full of 5th wheel, TT, DP's, they had just expanded across the freeway to a new building within the last year, guess they needed to build bigger  As I said, I will have a discussion with Kz customer service regarding such an I can understand them this time of year being booked up, but the Service writer also made a comment that all there emergency repair slots were book up and they needed 5 days to figure out what the problem may be at a minimum. Makes you wonder if my RV repair guys can figure out a problem in a few hours, get parts delivered either overnight or within a few days how come a dealer takes 5 days to figure something out and then 6 to 8 weeks to get such Ugh ... As you said we the customers our far to easy on dealers, I remember my statement when I was in the dealer service department, "I hope and pray you will get me service when needed" the service person stated "yes we will do our best to serve you" hummmmmm Safe Travels & Don't forget about the Kz Rally this Summer  Chuck |
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Post by jetzen on Jun 8, 2017 17:47:20 GMT -5
I check our steps yesterday, yep small amount of flex in the floor when the steps go up and down,
jetzen I'll bet your is doing the same thing, note added to my KZ question Factory list ...
Read more: kzfamilyforum.com/thread/1358/durango-gold-384rlt#ixzz4jSBMVm7i
So Chuck where exactly is the floor flexing?? maybe you could take a photo and post it as were to look.
Right now the furnace is working good, haven't removed basement panels to check duct work but air/heat flows through all furnace vents. we used the furnace a lot when we first picked it up coming from Florida.
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Post by Chuck on Jun 8, 2017 20:56:42 GMT -5
Ok jetzen Well problem being my cable for my camera MIA, and I do not have email on my laptop in the house, I'm also old school and only use my phone for text an phone calls Ugh ... I suppose I could take pictures with the wife's phone and have her send me the pictures, down load them to a zip strip and bring the in the house to the lap top Where I see if flexing is under where the steps screw to the floor, if you look while moving the steps back and fourth you can see the floor move. It dozen't move much but you can defiantly see if flex if you look close, I believe over time this may be a problem if like us rise and lower the steps a number of times a month from different camping trips. Just in this last month we have lowered and rised our steps at least 20 or more times, take camping going across the county add another possibly 20 more times or more. So we camp with our camping group at least once a month, add tractor shows times 3 at a minim you can see where this goes ...Ugh I am going to take the bulkhead off possibly tomorrow if it's not raining and see if there is any loose wires burnt wires, if I see any type of bonnet connections side them off and on to make sure they are making contact. At the same time, check out the ducting even thought I can feel great air movement when I put my hand over the heat vents by the center counter, bathroom and bedroom ... Chuck |
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koerb
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 11 
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Post by koerb on Jun 10, 2017 9:53:56 GMT -5
On my last RV, Montana 3400, we had and outside amber light which I could leave on throughout the evening hours to discourage uninvited guest. On our shakedown outing the only thing I came across was the flood light over the enter door and I didn't think the campers next to us would like to see that on all night. Am I missing something or is their not a outside light like this on the 384? If not was thinking of just replacing the flood light bulb with a lower power amber bulb. Suggestions?
John & Barbara Koerber
Graham WA
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Post by jetzen on Jun 10, 2017 10:46:03 GMT -5
Your awning light can be directed in any direction you wish from directly at your camper to directly at your neighbors camper to strait down. This is what most manufacturers are using for patio illumination.
It seems like those amber lights are no longer in vogue.
The light over the door is in place of the scare light on your Montana it's purpose is to be a flood light. |
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Post by Chuck on Jun 10, 2017 12:39:48 GMT -5
koerb, jetzen Is the light over the door that bright, I have not even checked it out, I have used the awning lights on my trip last week after dark almost pointed straight down thus not reflecting off the side of the trailer very much. BTW koerb I had a farm just over the Graham hill, still have some friends that have some farms over there... Safe Travels & Don't forget about the Kz Rally this Summer Chuck |
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Post by jetzen on Jun 10, 2017 14:30:59 GMT -5
Chuck,
It's pretty bright. IMHO overall it's brighter than the awning lights, but it could be just how the light is directed. |
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Itully
Newbie RV’er
Howdy from Central Texas
Posts: 27
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Post by Itully on Jun 19, 2017 12:05:41 GMT -5
Update, Ok got the RV back then went on a trip, all went well.
The stairs were replaced with a new redesigned version The lower legs that rest on the ground come from the bottom of the frame.. Extend further, but actually stick out less (reducing trip factor). Upper mount is beefier and it has a back plate. Looks like a sturdy replacement that will not have any problems. Tech told me that other RV's had these type steps but not on a slide out. Slide out is 1-2" taller and he believes that was the source for the flex. New steps are a bit longer. 
The bedroom slide out now works great. They installed 3 rollers under the frame. I got a pic, but its hard to see. They are around an inch in diameter, 3-4 inches long. They put them in place of nylon slides (there is still at least one more slide under there, hard to get under it to see) They had to make some modification as the height of the rollers is different. I was not there so didn't see what they did, but it took a few hours. Had to fully pull out the slide. It was making a groaning noise and it occasionally twisted a bit. Broke the frame the bed sits on. Now comes in and out properly with no unusual noise. 
The fridge door got a nylon washer on the bottom left and raised up the door a bit, eliminating the binding from the center flap. This was probably an oversight from the fridge maker. Works well now.
Shower door replaced. Tech told me he has done 6 this year on various RV's. Believes there is probably a small stress crack that then spreads. he thinks it starts at the small knob on the outside panel that the restraining hook loops over.
Pocket door on the bathroom hall way entrance has jumped off the tracks a few times. Tech pulled on the front panel remounted the door and then put the panel back with screws so it was accessible. I have rehung the door once, and have to do it again. If it keeps it up with have them look at it again.
All work cheerfully done on warranty. Delivery time on parts is at least 3 weeks (ain't Amazon). Most from LCI after consulting from the factory, stairs are MORyde (can see them on their website, www.morryde.com/products/194-the-stepabovetm?return=%2Fproduct-category%2F12-steps)
On our last trip it got pretty hot (upper 90's and humid) noticed the main A/C struggled a bit. We'll see when it gets really hot. Glad we have the 2 units. Was 100 a couple days ago. Big cold front today, only 92 today. 
We still love the RV and hope these are just growing pains. Tech told me KZ/LCI/MORyde were constantly id'ing and fixing problems. Guess they don't really do much life testing, so rely on customers to work out the bugs, but then are willing to address and fix. He said the factory was good to work with and more than willing to fix any problems, no push back at all. The 2 year warranty is a comfort as we work thru issues.
Heading to New Mexico in a few weeks, will be our longest trip, and we'll end up in the mountains with 70 degree highs. Interested to see how the RV/Truck handle the hills.
Best Regards Larkin
Dripping Springs Texas DG 384RLT 2106 F350 (diesel, LB, CC, 4x4)
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Itully
Newbie RV’er
Howdy from Central Texas
Posts: 27
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Post by Itully on Jun 19, 2017 12:18:44 GMT -5
RE: outside lights.
Yeah you can play with the retract extend on the awning(s) to position the LED lights. Still pretty bright.
The light over the door is also VERY bright (miracle of led's). Seems to bright the leave on, I worry it would bother the neighbors.
Light are nice, but I turn them all off when I come inside for the evening. I might get a set of Christmas lights to have some low level lighting on at night.
Sorry the pics above are a bit cockeyed, I was thrilled I even figured how to attach/insert them!
Regards,
Larkin
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Post by jetzen on Jun 19, 2017 13:50:37 GMT -5
Update, Ok got the RV back then went on a trip, all went well.
The stairs were replaced with a new redesigned version The lower legs that rest on the ground come from the bottom of the frame.. Extend further, but actually stick out less (reducing trip factor). Upper mount is beefier and it has a back plate. Looks like a sturdy replacement that will not have any problems. Tech told me that other RV's had these type steps but not on a slide out. Slide out is 1-2" taller and he believes that was the source for the flex. New steps are a bit longer.
The bedroom slide out now works great. They installed 3 rollers under the frame. I got a pic, but its hard to see. They are around an inch in diameter, 3-4 inches long. They put them in place of nylon slides (there is still at least one more slide under there, hard to get under it to see) They had to make some modification as the height of the rollers is different. I was not there so didn't see what they did, but it took a few hours. Had to fully pull out the slide. It was making a groaning noise and it occasionally twisted a bit. Broke the frame the bed sits on. Now comes in and out properly with no unusual noise.
The fridge door got a nylon washer on the bottom left and raised up the door a bit, eliminating the binding from the center flap. This was probably an oversight from the fridge maker. Works well now.
Shower door replaced. Tech told me he has done 6 this year on various RV's. Believes there is probably a small stress crack that then spreads. he thinks it starts at the small knob on the outside panel that the restraining hook loops over.
Pocket door on the bathroom hall way entrance has jumped off the tracks a few times. Tech pulled on the front panel remounted the door and then put the panel back with screws so it was accessible. I have rehung the door once, and have to do it again. If it keeps it up with have them look at it again.
All work cheerfully done on warranty. Delivery time on parts is at least 3 weeks (ain't Amazon). Most from LCI after consulting from the factory, stairs are MORyde (can see them on their website, www.morryde.com/products/194-the-stepabovetm?return=%2Fproduct-category%2F12-steps)
On our last trip it got pretty hot (upper 90's and humid) noticed the main A/C struggled a bit. We'll see when it gets really hot. Glad we have the 2 units. Was 100 a couple days ago. Big cold front today, only 92 today.
We still love the RV and hope these are just growing pains. Tech told me KZ/LCI/MORyde were constantly id'ing and fixing problems. Guess they don't really do much life testing, so rely on customers to work out the bugs, but then are willing to address and fix. He said the factory was good to work with and more than willing to fix any problems, no push back at all. The 2 year warranty is a comfort as we work thru issues.
Heading to New Mexico in a few weeks, will be our longest trip, and we'll end up in the mountains with 70 degree highs. Interested to see how the RV/Truck handle the hills.
Best Regards Larkin
Dripping Springs Texas DG 384RLT 2106 F350 (diesel, LB, CC, 4x4)
Not having any of those problems. My steps look exactly like your new steps so I guess I have the redesigns. My bedroom slide also seems to have the rollers instead of the blocks but to be honest my chubby body can't seem to be able to get me low enough on the floor to see them properly but they look like rollers. Maybe the difference between 2017 and 2018 models
I will check the shower door for stress cracks.
I have about 1500 miles on mine so far, everything seems to be handling the road miles well no problem with pocket doors either. Time will tell.
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Post by lynnmor on Jun 19, 2017 16:00:44 GMT -5
You should have a digital voltmeter and know what the voltage is and especially if the AC is struggling. A high end surge protector has the ability to shut the electricity off if voltage is too low, but there may be additional voltage loss within the RV. Whatever you do, don't operate an air conditioner below 104 volts. An autoformer will boost low voltage protecting the AC and will keep you running. Again, always know the voltage. I use an autoformer and have a digital voltmeter that stays plugged into an outlet that is in plain site.
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Itully
Newbie RV’er
Howdy from Central Texas
Posts: 27
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Post by Itully on Jun 19, 2017 22:36:46 GMT -5
lynmor Good tip on VOM, I have one (I am a retired Elec Engr)
I do have a device that manages surge and under voltage problems and will cut power if a problem is detected, I should also ck the voltage. jetzen I'm glad your rv has the changes. Jives with what the tech's told me about KZ responding to issues. I agree with trying to get low enough to check out the slides, my belly gets in the way!!
Like I said, still very happy with the RV. Spacious, comfortable, attractive and most of the stuff works just fine.
Reading some of the postings I guess I am lucky that my dealer is very responsive and takes care of everything without issue. They are around 60 miles away and a bit of a pain to drag it over there but they cheerfully take care of every issue. I reported my slide issue in April, and got it fixed in June.. long lead time for parts.. I was able to use it in-between visits. But parts delivery sucks!!
Happy Trails, Larkin
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Post by jetzen on Jun 20, 2017 7:38:55 GMT -5
Itully,
I missed the part about the A/C. JMHO if you were in a 90 degree high humidity situation and only using 1 A/C unit it would struggle to cool a 40' trailer. My last 5ver was 36' and only had 1, 15,000 btu unit. The DW and I winter in Florida and any day above 90 degrees the A/C would struggle to drop the inside temp 12-14 degrees. We would set the t-stat to 76 and would be lucky to achieve 78-79 degrees. The A/C unit would run continuously all through the daylight hours and finally catch up when the sun went down. You 5th wheel is not insulated like a stick built home or as well thought out as you my think.
So while lynnmor is correct about the voltage, you have to look at the immediate obvious. If you have an infared thermometer, on a above 90 degree day point it at the base of a inside window frame on the sunny side of the trailer or around the skylight in the bathroom, you will find that your trailer is nothing but a huge heat sink. Here is something else to consider, using the theory that hot air rises and cold air sinks and the properties of refrigeration is that heat transfers to something that is less hot, if your furnace registers and intake are not blocked all you are creating a thermal draft. All your nice cool air is being sucked out the registers to the exhaust port and the hot air is coming in the exhaust and out the furnace intake in the pantry. Close these off and you will increase your thermal efficiency. Vise-versa for the A/C. |
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Itully
Newbie RV’er
Howdy from Central Texas
Posts: 27
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Post by Itully on Jun 21, 2017 15:14:18 GMT -5
jetzen,
Thanks for the feedback on the a/c.
Next time I'll make sure both units are on. I may add a small fan to send air to the LR. The bedroom is small and reliably cools.
Super good advice on the heater vents. I'll figure out a way to block them off.
I do have a hand held thermo I used to check out attic vents in the house, will check out the RV.
Regards,
Larkin
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Post by jetzen on Jun 22, 2017 8:23:04 GMT -5
jetzen, Thanks for the feedback on the a/c. Next time I'll make sure both units are on. I may add a small fan to send air to the LR. The bedroom is small and reliably cools. Super good advice on the heater vents. I'll figure out a way to block them off. I do have a hand held thermo I used to check out attic vents in the house, will check out the RV. Regards, Larkin The DW and I have had a trailer or 5th wheel since 1984 and have camped at 100's of different campgrounds. While I have heard of voltage problems at the utility post at campgrounds, I have yet to encounter one and have been actually checking for about 25 years. I have however run into my share of no shade 95+ degree, 90%+ humidity days. |
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Post by lynnmor on Jun 22, 2017 9:13:43 GMT -5
When it was said that the AC struggled a bit, that could have meant several things. If it simply was insufficient cooling that is one thing. If he meant labored, hard starting or failed starting that is something else. Here in the east there are many old campgrounds that have never properly updated the wiring for the newer energy hog RV's. I have seen as low as 99 volts. Unless you have a display that can easily be seen, those voltage dips may never be noticed. Best time to check is on a Friday evening when the weekend crowd rolls in and fires up the air and water heaters.  |
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Itully
Newbie RV’er
Howdy from Central Texas
Posts: 27
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Post by Itully on Jun 22, 2017 18:17:30 GMT -5
lynnmor,
The A/C seemed to be ok, just wasn't cooling enough.
I do have an inline device that looks for low voltage and will shut it off it noticed.
I can easily check with a VOM. I do like the device you have, I built one with similar functionality (altho not as attractive) over 40 years ago when I was a tech in the Army.
I think it was just overwhelmed, running the 2nd unit would help.
Actually if I had to guess, I would have guessed low Freon.
I'll see what happens on our next couple trips.
BTW the last campground we were at the 2nd 120 leg did not show power and my device would not enable. Had pull the plug in and out a couple times. Looked like a squirrely connection; oxidation or the outlet was worn out.
Regards, Larkin
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Post by Chuck on Jun 22, 2017 19:43:07 GMT -5
I like the steps, looks like they put a peace of metal on the 1st step to protect the skit, we have put aluminum behind/between each step so our great dane would not put his leg between the steps an brake such ... So when we are back at the rally we will see what MorRyde has to say because as I told jetzen our floor flex's when stairs go up and down. On this past outing with our G384RLT I finally was able to test entry door outside light, but I could not find the switch that turned it on. The entry door light inside the trailer worked great, so I have to wonder if maybe my outside entry door light is either burned out or not wired to the switch which turns on the inside entry door light on. Awning lights work great, as I stated on another post they are bright but work well at night, as someone stated I turn such off when we go in for the night Have to take trailer in for them to check the furnace on the 27th, we will see how fast Suburban ships the parts needed for repair... I told them we were leaving on the 10 of July with or without the repair an would pick up the trailer on the afternoon of the 8th, if no parts then they can fix it after we come back ... Maybe would could twist Kz arm and have them put in a new one when we are back at the rally LOL Our AC works great, we had 85 degree weather last Monday, turned on the main living are AC and it cooled the trailer off pretty quickly Safe travels Chuck & Hildi |
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Post by jetzen on Jun 22, 2017 22:20:31 GMT -5
Chuck,
The out side light that is over the door is controlled by a switch which is located in the control panel by your pantry. The control panel that has the water heater switches and the tank monitor. The switch is marked DS Flood. |
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