|
|
Post by laknox on Aug 5, 2019 11:12:00 GMT -5
My wife's family, mostly, and some friends, do an annual boondocker every year. Been going to the same spot for nearly 30 years. A bit rough getting in, especially if it's been raining, but we all made it in. There are a few rocky areas that require creeping in and I just go into 4LO and idle in the 0.9 mile to our spot. Piece of cake. Several cars made it in as did a Cruise America MH. :-)
This year, I had a few issues that I'm hoping I can get fixed before my warranty expires in November.
1) The vent screen over the bed sun-rotted and all the little tabs that hold the screen on broke off.
2) This just happened. The lav faucet won't work. I can hear a bit of air come out and the pump will make a small noise for <1 second, but no water. Was working while at home and I was prepping.
3) While in storage the past few months, the toilet has leaked. Found calcium from dried water on the bathroom floor and it leaked again during the campout. Seems to be the inlet water.
4) Fresh water tank siphons out the overflow. I watched 2-3 gallons siphon out while backing into my spot, and it's not particularly unlevel. I did run out of water, again, but made arrangements to have extra in some "blue cubes", so was able to put some in the tank via the winterizing hose.
5) The top vent seals have shrunk, leaving one of the vents with about a 3" gap. The other 2 have about 1-2" gaps.
6) The kitchen slide need adjusting again as the base of it (it doesn't drop down level with the floor) hits the drawers on the island and has scarred the wood. Sad thing is, all they can do is move the bottom of the slide out a bit, which leaves the seal a bit exposed. Also, the slide isn't =straight= fore and aft, since it was adjusted only on the end that was hitting.
7) Newest issue, and the worst, is that the toilet pedal broke. Thankfully, it happened on the last morning, so wasn't a huge issue. DW is NOT happy about that, though. What happened is that I was flushing and my foot slipped off the flat, slick pedal and it snapped closed, which caused a plastic piece to break and wouldn't allow the ball to close, or open. THAT one really pisses me off, as the pedal should have some sort of texture on it to prevent this. I plan on getting some sort of non-skid tape to put on there so it doesn't happen again.
My other issue is that the dealer I purchased from is no longer a KZ dealer so, do I go back to them or do I go to another KZ dealer and have to deal with the "you didn't buy it here" BS? I've emailed KZ about this to get their take on it. I'll use a mobile service, if necessary, and KZ approves, but would prefer a KZ dealer. We'll see...
Lyle
|
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Aug 5, 2019 12:24:11 GMT -5
Well, talked to KZ this morning and confirmed that Frost RV in Tucson is no longer a KZ dealer. Not a bad thing as it's an 80 mile drive from my house to Frost, in Tucson. There's another dealer in Mesa, Always RV, that's only about 21 miles from my house. Talked to them this morning, and I'm planning on taking the rig in next Tuesday AM. Biggest issue is, just because they =have= it, will they work on it in a timely manner, since they're not the selling dealer. I may run over before then to introduce myself so I can, hopefully, start a good relationship with them. Keeping fingers crossed.
Lyle
|
|
|
|
Post by Edd505 on Aug 21, 2019 14:19:17 GMT -5
laknox let me know how this goes I get that way every year about January.
|
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Aug 21, 2019 21:21:21 GMT -5
laknox let me know how this goes I get that way every year about January. I plan on updating this thread afterwards. Drop me a PM when you're in town. Where do you usually stay? Lyle |
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Dec 3, 2019 16:00:36 GMT -5
Picking up rig later this week. Will update after I see the work.
Biggest concern was possible damage after I managed to drop the d@mn thing onto my truck. Looks like only surface damage and nothing internal.
Lyle
|
|
|
|
Post by Chuck on Dec 27, 2019 13:02:37 GMT -5
Picking up rig later this week. Will update after I see the work.'t want water all over the place Biggest concern was possible damage after I managed to drop the d@mn thing onto my truck. Looks like only surface damage and nothing internal. Lyle You know the old saying is "the hurry I go the behind-er I get" 
Lyle we all have either come close or have dropped our trailers one time or another, I was lucky that when I dropped ours it was just a few inches an not a few feet Ugh !!! But I have pulled away with the power cord still attached to the truck at least once, lucky it didn't hurt anything just my pride 
Hope they fixed everything, we upgraded to a newer toilet do to the fact that our peddle kept sticking an we
didn't wait a swimming pool inside the trailer ... We bought the same brand toilet as Edd505 an Ron this past summer 
Safe Travels
Chuck
|
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Jan 7, 2020 23:11:30 GMT -5
So, finally picked up my FW from the dealer doing some last warranty issues before it expired as well as a couple of paid fixes. Not 100% impressed with the service and will address my concerns with the top dog.
1. Paid fix - I broke off the front mushroom vent when I scraped a branch I thought I had cleared. They replaced the front vent cap, which wasn't broken but was creased. They did not get an OK from me before doing this.
2. Paid fix - They replaced the water heater anode. Again, did not get an OK from me. IMO, this was totally unnecessary as the WH's only been heated by electricity exactly one time. This irritates me the most.
3. Warranty - Both vent screen mounts were sun-rotted and the =very= small tabs that hold the screens in place were replaced. Down side is that the did minimal cleanup after and there is sawdust underneath and on the bed. They also replaced the vent seals which had badly shrunk, leaving about a 2" gap.
4. Warranty - I had concerns about water leaking/siphoning from the fresh water tank. I was also concerned about total capacity. Turns out that the tank vents (there are 2) come out of the =side= of the tank instead of the top. They re-routed the vents to a higher position, so I'm hoping that this will help with losses. Second issue is that KZ chose to use a very basic rectangular tank, so the pickup is also in the side of the tank instead of having a pickup sump. Means I can't use all the water in the tank.
5. Had them check for possible damage from the drop. Other than some scratches in the finish, there seems to be no damage...thank goodness.
6. Warranty - Lav sink is working. No solution given; I need to ask.
7. Warranty - Toilet leak. Need to check while under pressure for more than a few minutes. Also need to ask the service manager about this.
Other irritating thing, and a somewhat my fault, was that the batteries were flat. I was delayed in getting it picked up, but they =knew= I was coming in a 2-3 week window; how hard would it have been to plug it in on a 110v plug for 48 hours?
Lyle
|
|
|
|
Post by nvguy on Jan 8, 2020 1:58:03 GMT -5
1 & 2: Don't know how things are done in AZ, but where I worked (in CA), the service writer should have given you an estimated price and gotten your approval when he wrote you up. Vent covers are easy to estimate, so are anode replacements /inspections.
In regard to the anode, they should have given you the old one or told you it was fine..either way, that's just bad business to surprise customers.
3: Inexcusable to leave a mess. In most cases we returned a unit cleaner than when we got it. You would be surprised how filthy some units were.
4: This lousy design is throughout the RV industry. Jetzen has posted a plumbing mod that allows you to draw water from the bottom of the tank using the drain fitting.
5: Not to surprising, the truck usually gets the worst of it.
6: Probably a clogged screen.
7: Loose fitting is my guess...Or a valve that only leaks when operated. Mind you, not during operation, just after operation as it closes or something weird like that. Based on how sloppy these guys seem to be, I really don't think the tech spent any time checking this. So, keep an eye on it.
Only excuse I can offer for them is really weak, but here goes..Not knowing how the dealership is laid out, it could have been more than just tossing a cord out. Where I worked had about 4 acres. Units waiting for pick up were not on the side with power. Having 200' of cord stretched out over a 2-3 week window in a lot with forklifts and RVs running all over is not a good thing. And even if they had run a cord, I can guarantee you a salesperson would have taken the cord and plugged it into another unit.
With all that being said, given how they screwed up items 1,2,3 I too am not at all impressed by them.
|
|
|
|
Post by lynnmor on Jan 8, 2020 2:13:37 GMT -5
2. The rate at which the anode rod will be consumed will depend on water quality and not the method of heating.
4. It is beyond belief that KZ is still using this cheap and crude method of venting and connecting the fresh water tank. Your "fix" might slow the water loss but not prevent it. I fixed mine years ago and KZ was given all my information as well as photos, bottom line is cheap wins the day.
You need to do all repairs and upgrades yourself or at least direct every step done by others, forget dealers and so called "warranties".
|
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Jan 8, 2020 10:18:11 GMT -5
2. The rate at which the anode rod will be consumed will depend on water quality and not the method of heating. 4. It is beyond belief that KZ is still using this cheap and crude method of venting and connecting the fresh water tank. Your "fix" might slow the water loss but not prevent it. I fixed mine years ago and KZ was given all my information as well as photos, bottom line is cheap wins the day. You need to do all repairs and upgrades yourself or at least direct every step done by others, forget dealers and so called "warranties". Oh, one thing I left out was that they had to cut the coroplast (expected) to view the tank and plumbing. As well, it appears that they unscrewed it. After picking it up and looking to see what they'd done, I found that 4 screws that held the coroplast had not been replaced and the cut was not taped up. It's the little sh!t like this that's more infuriating than anything... Lyle |
|
|
|
Post by lynnmor on Jan 8, 2020 11:14:55 GMT -5
You should have seen the Coroplast on mine after my first education episode, there is no way it would have made it home and the problem was not fixed.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chuck on Jan 31, 2020 19:22:59 GMT -5
So Lyle
I'm with nvguy
1. They should have called you before replacing the front vent cap, water heater anode, I think's this was an extra quick
money grab 
2. As I stated once in a earlier post we replaced our toilet, it was pretty cheap for the top of the line replacement an we don't have to worry about floods in the bathroom any more ...
3. It's always good to check everything on your trailer before leaving the lot an checking off the list of fixes along with
overall condition of trailer ... I learn my lesson a few years back, I was use to our old RV dealer who fixed things right an cleaned up after themselves, new dealer said they checked everything, so I trusted them till I got home an found out they hadn't ... Called them back an said they had missed a couple of things I ask them to check an replace, they said bring it back an they would fix such ...
I told them if they paid my fuel an time to do such I would be more an happy to do such, you can guess what they said ...
So I fixed the problems myself which took me all of about an hour with one trip to the hardware store included ...
4. Fast forward to this year, took trailer in for warranty inspection, told them that rear seal was leaking on the back of main
slide, they said they checked it an no problem, I ask if they had ran water over such to make sure, dumb look on service
writer face told me they had not ...
I told them I wanted to see water run over the slide when it was open an to look inside when slide was closing, thus they did ...
The look on the service writer an RV Tech was something to behold, I wish I'd though to take a picture an posted it on the
from I now have a new rear slide seal
So now that I am out of warranty on the trailer an a year left on the MorRyde suspension I will as with the rest of the group
fix most everything unless it's large major problem of some sort ...
Safe Travels
Chuck
|
|
|
|
Post by juzplanekrazy on Mar 17, 2020 17:07:53 GMT -5
Laknox, was it "Specialty RV" in Meas AZ on Broadway ? I got mine from them. They were OK to deal with. By far were they great.
They dicked me around on some repairs I did myself they were to reimburse me for and never did. I bet they got paid by KZ. I took a ton of pictures, and they sent them to KZ.
Anywho, They had the last 371RTL that came off the line and only one even close to Ca., so I went for them to buy it from. I got a good buy on it but could see that warranty items would be fight after my first issues.
I talked to there Service Tech who was a few bricks short a full load. Iv'e ended up finding a good mobil guy here close by. If it's small stuff I just pay for it or fix it myself.
I got tell this November as well so I'll make my list of To Do's / To Fix before it runs out of warranty and deal with it then.
|
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Mar 18, 2020 10:58:39 GMT -5
Laknox, was it "Specialty RV" in Meas AZ on Broadway ? I got mine from them. They were OK to deal with. By far were they great. They dicked me around on some repairs I did myself they were to reimburse me for and never did. I bet they got paid by KZ. I took a ton of pictures, and they sent them to KZ. Anywho, They had the last 371RTL that came off the line and only one even close to Ca., so I went for them to buy it from. I got a good buy on it but could see that warranty items would be fight after my first issues. I talked to there Service Tech who was a few bricks short a full load. Iv'e ended up finding a good mobil guy here close by. If it's small stuff I just pay for it or fix it myself. I got tell this November as well so I'll make my list of To Do's / To Fix before it runs out of warranty and deal with it then. The only KZ dealer that KZ lists is Always RV, on Main St., about a block E of Ellsworth. Just checked, and Specialty does have KZs in stock, so I guess they must be a dealer. I know where they are, though. Only a few miles from my house. :-) Who's the mobile guy you use? Lyle |
|
|
|
Post by juzplanekrazy on Mar 19, 2020 13:05:40 GMT -5
Laknox, In AZ I use a guy name Eric, it's E's RV service. Great guy, does very good work. I highly recommend him.480-207-8999. You can find him on Yelp E's RV appliance service.
I'm in Riverside Ca, it's where I live, but do a lot of traveling to AZ. Chandlerish area. Familys there.
Specialty was OK when I got it. After a few months a few guys left I dealt with and new guys are not the same quality.
I didn't even see Always when I did a search in AZ area from KZ's web site. How are they?
Edit: I looked up Always RV, I see they were not listed to sell Durango Gold's, thats why they don't show in search ??. Web site shows they do. They are a certified KZ RV repair shop, which is good.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chuck on Mar 19, 2020 16:33:12 GMT -5
dealers come an go as we all know, like juzplanekrazy sometimes it's always good to look around at local dealers posted on different web pages to find out what they sell an sometimes service ... They local RV dealer I use to do stuff like our Kz, states they are well built but can't get them sell Kz products, told Kz corporate when back at the Rally last year they may be a good prospect but don't know if they were ever contacted by west coast kz rep ... We have three repair Shops an Two RV dealers in our area, as well two mobile repair guys, we have used two different repair shops an one dealer an all have been ok except one repair shop an one RV dealer which I recommend ...
Safe Travels Chuck |
|
|
|
Post by laknox on Mar 19, 2020 16:54:20 GMT -5
Laknox, In AZ I use a guy name Eric, it's E's RV service. Great guy, does very good work. I highly recommend him.480-207-8999. You can find him on Yelp E's RV appliance service. I'm in Riverside Ca, it's where I live, but do a lot of traveling to AZ. Chandlerish area. Familys there. Specialty was OK when I got it. After a few months a few guys left I dealt with and new guys are not the same quality. I didn't even see Always when I did a search in AZ area from KZ's web site. How are they? Edit: I looked up Always RV, I see they were not listed to sell Durango Gold's, thats why they don't show in search ??. Web site shows they do. They are a certified KZ RV repair shop, which is good. Cool! I live in Chandler, 1/2 mile from the ASU Research Park. 3rd generation native Chandlerite, too. :-) Thanks for the info; I'm making a note of it to put in my "RV file". From now on, if I do need major work, I'll go to a mobile tech, as I just don't trust any dealer service these days. Lyle |
|
