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Old 04-05-2016, 11:25 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Denviola View Post
Volsfan1nga - Actually taking it in tomorrow, 4/6 for the repair. Had gotten a quote for slide toppers to be installed, but I'm going to wait until I see how this repair goes. I'm honestly spooked by this repair, and I'm hoping my reluctance is not founded. Spent a long time looking at the ceiling and wondering how the dealer would get it back together without damage to panels, trim and ductwork.
Boostme - took about 9-10 days after the parts were ordered to get a call that parts were in and set a drop-off date.
Mine seems good as new now. It was such a relief to run the slides out for the first time and not hear the motors straining. Also see my new thread about the Schwintek slide control. When going in or out when the slide reaches max travel you MUST keep holding the button for at least 10 seconds to allow the system to reset.
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Old 04-05-2016, 11:48 PM   #22
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No more Schwintek, the 3970 slides are now cable operated.
I had the exact same water & swelling problem in my Elevation with Schwintek slides. Was repaired at the factory and happened again so it was traded.
Now, to get this roof issue in the rear view mirror. Going to travel a lot this year and the 3970 was to be our retirement home away from home in a year. We'll see.
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Old 04-06-2016, 11:45 AM   #23
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ok y'all ...i finally got a minute to sit and read this. i guess i found what i expected. I didnt know that they where bracing with metal. maybe i wasn't as freaked out, because the dealer was on top of this issue. got a call before it was even on the fourm, thats fast. lol. I have had a VERY nice experience with the dealer, AND ITS A CW ! ( Asheville NC.) also had great luck with the CW here in marion NC... I wasn't able to see any sagging before the recall was performed. VERY minimal issue at all ! all are fixed now ! the ONLY thing i had issue with was the fact that the 3970 is not able to take a vented dryer. ( already owned ) and stackable would not fit either. so I bought a ventless combo. not drying very good...

hey denny, I have a buddy looking to buy that same truck.
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how is the 4:10 working out ? the internal in the aisin are already lower arnt they ?
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Old 04-06-2016, 10:06 PM   #24
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Thanks for the info Tom. I'm curious how the inside looked after it was reassembled. The service mgr at the CW location we are at told me we may end up with a extra piece of trim.
I very much like my truck although this is my first experience with 4.10 gears - except for some hot rods. The Aisin is a six speed, with 5th and 6th as overdrives. I posted some info about my truck in this thread: http://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums...html#post38655.
I can accelerate uphill while towing, plenty of low end power and lots of creature comforts in the Laramie Longhorn package. Very stable and quiet while towing. The tow/haul mode and the engine brake combination makes braking a breeze. I think when the cruise control is on it shifts too much for my liking, so at times I travel without it, anticipate hills by speeding up and little downshifting occurs. If you need more info I'll PM my phone number.
Denny
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Old 04-07-2016, 11:49 AM   #25
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Thanks Denviola, I just got my call to schedule a drop off. Hopefully it is painless.
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Old 04-12-2016, 04:15 PM   #26
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Hope it is painless for you as well.
I just got a call from CW service that told me that the work is done (had a couple of punch list items too), except the parts for the roof campaign were incomplete and he had to order a ceiling panel and some washers that were shorted. The panel is scheduled to ship today and the washers are scheduled to ship next Monday. He wanted to know if the must have return date I set was able to be moved. I politely said it must be back - I have not yet de-winterized it and haven't tried the AC, etc. and that leaves only 2 days before I have to depart on the first trip. I asked if I could have it back to check the water systems, etc. He told me it is still disassembled inside and they really want to detail the interior when the work is complete, which tells me it is a mess.

Anyone that had this work done able to help understand why a new roof panel is required? Maybe I'll ask if they would de-winterize and check the water systems as a courtesy.
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Old 04-14-2016, 01:58 AM   #27
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Thanks for the info Tom. I'm curious how the inside looked after it was reassembled. The service mgr at the CW location we are at told me we may end up with a extra piece of trim.
I very much like my truck although this is my first experience with 4.10 gears - except for some hot rods. The Aisin is a six speed, with 5th and 6th as overdrives. I posted some info about my truck in this thread: http://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums...html#post38655.
I can accelerate uphill while towing, plenty of low end power and lots of creature comforts in the Laramie Longhorn package. Very stable and quiet while towing. The tow/haul mode and the engine brake combination makes braking a breeze. I think when the cruise control is on it shifts too much for my liking, so at times I travel without it, anticipate hills by speeding up and little downshifting occurs. If you need more info I'll PM my phone number.
Denny
Happy i read the feedback on the RAM. I traded-in my 2500 for the 3500 Longhorn dually with the aisin and 4.10 yesterday. Black pearl with tan/brown interior. On order and dealer said i should expect 11-13 weeks for the delivery. Now i feel like a kid that's about to get a new bicycle....
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Old 04-15-2016, 12:45 AM   #28
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So, left a message for the service manager today at CW, and he called me back and said ready to go, come pick it up. He borrowed the missing parts from another kit for an in-stock unit. Did a nice job. Wife and I looked it over, and the center of the ceiling has an extra trim piece but unless you didn't see the before pic you would not notice. I even took before pictures to compare. It appears to have a very slight almost not noticeable sag in the center but I would not have seen it otherwise. Will be reading from Pa to Missouri next week so it'll get a workout on the wonderful highways we finance. Had to make a panic stop on the highway on the way home, and the big unit stopped much better than I thought it would. Cross the panic stop off the to-do list.
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Old 04-15-2016, 01:14 AM   #29
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Had to make a panic stop on the highway on the way home, and the big unit stopped much better than I thought it would. Cross the panic stop off the to-do list.
Just remember the brake performance falls off fairley fast. You don't want to be doing too many panic stops when you get some miles on it. Electirc drum brakes are a PITA to keep adjusted when your travelling. We usually do 10-15,000 miles a year, so I was adjusting the 3-5 times while we are travelling.
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Old 04-15-2016, 01:13 PM   #30
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Brake adjustment was one of the first things I did when it came home from new. This 3970 is one large RV! Was happy to see it didn't need much. This is something I do on a regular basis. Next week it will be about 2000# heavier with the Spyder, food, clothing, etc.
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Old 05-03-2016, 02:16 PM   #31
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If you haven't bought it yet, you know what to look for and you also have the build date to go by.

Anything built after the recall should not have the rafter problem.
We decided to make the jump and purchase a very nice 2016 3970. I cannot locate any information regarding Vin numbers or manufacturing dates affected by the recall. I went to the web site that was hot linked in an earlier post, but nothing was found there either.
I asked my dealer if our unit was affected and they stated no, however, they seemed surprised as well as they had not heard about that issue.
Does anyone have a copy of the recall letter they could share?
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Old 05-03-2016, 04:41 PM   #32
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Hello Folks. After a call to Keystone/Dutchmen, my unit was identified as being affected by the recall others have been talking about here. Called dealer this morning and they are going to get this repaired before delivery. They are being very professional and so far, are treating us well.
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Old 05-03-2016, 05:21 PM   #33
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Hello Folks. After a call to Keystone/Dutchmen, my unit was identified as being affected by the recall others have been talking about here. Called dealer this morning and they are going to get this repaired before delivery. They are being very professional and so far, are treating us well.
There you go. I got fooled by the term "recall", which involves the NHTSA. It's actually a "Service Campaign", which is industry speak for we know we have a problem, but don't want to broadcast it widely.

I am a little suspicious of a dealer that says they don't know anything about the problem. These type of issues are sent to the dealers well before the owners are notified. The last thing a dealer wants to do is tie up their shop with warranty work at this time of year when the lucratic customer paid work is in abundance.

When you go to take delivery, make sure that you leave your emotions at home that day, make sure that everything is working correctly and to your satisfaction. Turn on everything that has an on/off switch and let it run while your checking out the other stuff.

Remember, once the dealer gets the unit off the lot, they are not going to be in any hurry to bring it back for warranty work. You'll get every stall in the book, starting with we are waiting on Dutchmen to approve the work, to we're waiting on parts, to the other jobs that are ahead of you.

If you do decide to take delivery when there are issues that need to be repaired make sure you get it in writing, with very clear timelines spelled out.
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Old 05-03-2016, 08:21 PM   #34
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After talking to one of the managers there, it was my sales person who did not know about the issue. I call it a lesson learned. None the less, the issue will be repaired prior to delivery and we should have a good start to our 5'r experience.
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Old 05-03-2016, 09:09 PM   #35
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After talking to one of the managers there, it was my sales person who did not know about the issue. I call it a lesson learned. None the less, the issue will be repaired prior to delivery and we should have a good start to our 5'r experience.
Well that's almost forgivable, but they have a communication problem between departments.

I would have had my backside handed to me on a platter if I had that kind of information and didn't share it throughout the company. Then right behind me would have been the salesperson that didn't inform the customer up front of the problem and how it would be remedied if they had the information.

I'm sure this has caused you plenty of anxiety just worrying if your new camper was affected. Hopefully this was just a minor bump in the road to your new camper.
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Old 05-03-2016, 09:23 PM   #36
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Thank you for your input Jim. I have been the skeptical one who has been digging thru any and all areas of the TH I can get into. I appreciate this forum over the last couple of years keeping me educated and informed.
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Old 05-03-2016, 09:47 PM   #37
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Or your salesman could be the kind of salesman who is slightly absent minded when it comes to quality or safety issues.... kind of like the sales man that swears you can pull a fifth wheel with a Volkswagon Rabbit if you have a class five hitch (doesn't a class five hitch mean you can pull fifth wheel?? )

Any way, Just like everyone else said, don't sign for it until you are happy! Glad they will fix it for you.
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Old 05-03-2016, 09:57 PM   #38
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Hello Thom. I am pretty savvy with RV's and such. I think my sales person was a bit green as he just came out of the army a year or so ago. He and I actually served in the same area of Iraq a few years ago but different units. I can honestly say I am having a good experience with the whole dealer staff, but time will tell as we get closer to delivery. I had a horrible experience with a dealer back in the mid-atlantic a couple of years ago and ended up canceling my order due to their shysterisms and 8 week delay on my ordered V3605. As a comparison to that dealer, this dealer is outstanding.
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Old 05-03-2016, 10:32 PM   #39
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Thank you for your input Jim. I have been the skeptical one who has been digging thru any and all areas of the TH I can get into. I appreciate this forum over the last couple of years keeping me educated and informed.
Your are welcome.

Sometimes I have stop and remember that there are still reputable businesses out there and not all of them pull the kind of "shysterisms" that have been pulled on my family and myself.

I grew up in an world where your word and your handshake was your bond. We bought our first house with a one dollar down payment and a handshake. I bought my first Harley with a 20 dollar bill stapled to the sales offer and a handshake. My next Harley it was just a handshake.

It took my awhile to realize that business practices had changed and taking someones word for on a deal meant that you had to have everything in writing. They might pull one over on my once, but it won't happen a second time.

Even though I am Canadian, thank you for your service. I have a great respect for all military men and women, regardless of country. I know I have a great debt that I can never fully repay, but I'll keep trying.
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Old 05-04-2016, 03:43 PM   #40
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No need to repay Jim. I appreciate your kind words. Hopefully my deal will close smoothly and we will have a good TH for our needs.
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