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Old 05-23-2015, 03:42 PM   #1
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2013 3905 any problems

I'm getting ready to purchase a 3905. Does any have any problems, or advise on what I should be looking out for when I pick it up
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Old 05-23-2015, 07:27 PM   #2
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Make sure the room slides work; work them several times. The Schwintek slide system is junk and has been replaced by a cable system on the 2015's.

Make sure there is proper air flow from the ducted A/C in the living room/kitchen area as the workers did a lousy job of taping the ducts on the roof. While you're there, check the ceiling lights for cold air coming out of them with the A/C on as the workers also did a lousy job of taping the ceiling air vents.

If it has Made In China tires get rid of them unless you like things that go boom, lol.

Those are the major points I could think of. There will be many others to deal with but they're minor.
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Old 05-23-2015, 08:23 PM   #3
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Make sure the room slides work; work them several times. The Schwintek slide system is junk and has been replaced by a cable system on the 2015's.

Make sure there is proper air flow from the ducted A/C in the living room/kitchen area as the workers did a lousy job of taping the ducts on the roof. While you're there, check the ceiling lights for cold air coming out of them with the A/C on as the workers also did a lousy job of taping the ceiling air vents.

If it has Made In China tires get rid of them unless you like things that go boom, lol.

Those are the major points I could think of. There will be many others to deal with but they're minor.
Thanks. Is there trouble with all schwintec slides or do some not give problems?
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:06 PM   #4
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The Schwintek slide system is junk
Not necessarily so. Make sure the gears are lubricated, always operate with shore power, generator of a good full charge on your batteries. And hold the operattation button down a few seconds after movement has stopped. Never stop and reverse the the slide when it is part way in or out.

Mine used to make a popping sound when I first got the trailer. I was running them in and out with the trailer not leveled and also stopping operation part way out. Since I have stated using them as mentioned above I have had no problems.

I see Schwintek slides on $400,000 Class A Motor Homes. Admiralty not the large motor home slide, but some of the smaller slides.
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Old 05-23-2015, 10:10 PM   #5
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Thanks. Is there trouble with all schwintec slides or do some not give problems?
Not all of them are a problem. After a fair bit of research I think there are three main issues, Dutchmen has a problem with building things to a reasonably close tolerance, they used the wrong sized mechanism for the slide and in some cases motors, and they failed to teach people how to use them properly. There are a lot of units out there with Schwintek slides that work just fine, I have seen them on pickup campers, small travel trailers and very large very expensive motor homes aka buses.

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Old 05-23-2015, 10:32 PM   #6
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I've been ready a lot of horror stories not just on Dutchmen but pretty all rv's. I hope I'm making the right choice choosing voltage. I see that most major problems come from the first couple years, is that correct? I can handle the minor problems and most majors
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Old 05-24-2015, 12:12 AM   #7
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Most of my problems showed up right away. Your post say it is a 2013 3905. Is it a used trailer. If so hopefully any problems have been worked out.
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Old 05-24-2015, 12:59 AM   #8
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I've been ready a lot of horror stories not just on Dutchmen but pretty all rv's. I hope I'm making the right choice choosing voltage. I see that most major problems come from the first couple years, is that correct? I can handle the minor problems and most majors
Get one of the comprehensive check lists and go over it with a fine tooth comb. Make sure EVERYTHING works, or negotiate the price way down. Don't be afraid to walk away. I have seen some absolute garbage out there where they had tried to cover up all sorts of faults, but there are plenty of good deals on gently used units where someone bought it then didn't use it as much as they planned or even not at all.

Given how much hell it is to get anything done under warranty much of the time, I don't know if buying used and expecting all the issues to have been fixed really works.

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Old 05-24-2015, 12:59 AM   #9
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Most of my problems showed up right away. Your post say it is a 2013 3905. Is it a used trailer. If so hopefully any problems have been worked out.
Totally agree. Some little stuff popped up on our '14, nothing major. Overall, we are pleased with the coach.
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Old 05-24-2015, 01:11 AM   #10
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It's good to hear from people who are happy with their unit, not just people looking to rant about problems
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Old 05-24-2015, 02:40 AM   #11
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It's good to hear from people who are happy with their unit, not just people looking to rant about problems
Some people on here have been screwed over by the factory and or the dealer because of issues with their unit. Knock on wood, we are happy Voltage owners
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Old 05-24-2015, 12:25 PM   #12
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It's good to hear from people who are happy with their unit, not just people looking to rant about problems
There are plenty of us that are happy with our units. Unfortunately when someone gets a really bad unit, the factory and dealer don't seem to want to stand behind them. I work in a customer driven business and I know if our company behaved the way that many dealers and RV manufacturers seem to we would have been out of business a long time ago. FWIW if we screw up and cause a problem for the customer it can run into the millions of dollars.

From what I have read and gather, there is no QC at the factory, they expect the dealer to take care of any issues created during manufacturing, on the dealers' end, they are not really compensated for fixing factory screw ups. Yes they can back charge the manufacturer but in most cases it is a losing proposition. Some dealers will go to bat for the customer, but in the long run the current system is a losing proposition for everybody but the manufacturer. Apparently Dutchmen got bad enough that Thor ditched the management team and put them under the Keystone umbrella. Now Dutchmen is just another name being made by Keystone.

As consumers our ONLY recourse is to do a very thorough PDI and due diligence; because most dealers aren't going to, and not be afraid to walk away from a poorly built unit. They are hoping to get your money and they really don't want to see you again. FWIW I have been messing about with RV's for over 35 years and I am always looking, poking and prodding just so see how things are put together and the quality of the build and materials. There are quite a few smaller manufacturers that are putting out decent quality units, however they aren't built to the price point that the general RV public is willing to pay. A good example is Lance, a 27' TT with them costs in the $35k-$40k range. A lot people look at that and then look at a $20k Durchemen and can't see any difference. Lance is a lower volume manufacturer and they use expensive materials. Do they have bad units? Absolutely, but for the most part they seem to stand behind their products. Lance is not the only one, there are plenty of others out there, you just have to search for them. I hate to see smaller companies get sucked up by the big boys because it usually means a degradation in quality, because the big companies are totally profit driven.

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Old 05-24-2015, 07:11 PM   #13
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I bought a used 2013 3905 as well and I've had no problems at all !!! Very happy with my buy!
But I can say that I spent hours reading a lot of forums on this great site and took a lot on notes !!! I had a very good list of things to check and all was good on my unit . Very happy and enjoy our rig!!
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Old 05-24-2015, 09:51 PM   #14
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Not necessarily so. Make sure the gears are lubricated, always operate with shore power, generator of a good full charge on your batteries. And hold the operattation button down a few seconds after movement has stopped. Never stop and reverse the the slide when it is part way in or out.

Mine used to make a popping sound when I first got the trailer. I was running them in and out with the trailer not leveled and also stopping operation part way out. Since I have stated using them as mentioned above I have had no problems.

I see Schwintek slides on $400,000 Class A Motor Homes. Admiralty not the large motor home slide, but some of the smaller slides.
Regardless, Voltage dumped Schwintek in favor of a cable system. My bedroom slide has been fine but the main slide was a problem from day one. Took a total rebuild to fix it. Reportedly, if the builder doesn't take their time to do a proper installation then there will be problems. And we all know how dedicated to quality these trailer builders are, lol. The Thor Palazzo Class A has Schwintek slides with loads of slide problems, also. I'll never have another RV with Schwintek slides.
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Old 05-25-2015, 03:39 AM   #15
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Thanks everyone for the input.
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Old 05-25-2015, 01:55 PM   #16
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We are also happy with ours! We have over 10K miles on ours, replaced the tires, 1 minor water leak, I retaped the ductwork, we have added some convenience items. We can seat 14 people for lunch on a rainy day, inside and Noone on the floor.
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