New Prime Time Crusader 325 res

dretired · 05-01-2013, 05:54 AM

Its in the driveway at home !! It was supposed to be 70 and sunny ..got to the delarship.. started to rain..went through pdi...it was pouring... a shiny truck and polished up new 5th wheel ..pulling it home ..60 miles of yuck !! so..they both got a bath after dinner..now for the re-packing..

TURBS · 05-01-2013, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

Its in the driveway at home !! It was supposed to be 70 and sunny ..got to the delarship.. started to rain..went through pdi...it was pouring... a shiny truck and polished up new 5th wheel ..pulling it home ..60 miles of yuck !! so..they both got a bath after dinner..now for the re-packing..

Awesome!
Congrats and have fun!

Turbs

jbenton757 · 06-04-2013, 05:15 PM

We picked up our Crusader 325 res the last weekend of April and took it out on its maiden voyage on Memorial Day weekend. The first issue we had as soon as we parked it to set up we noticed one of the tires was flat. We called roadside service and they came out and changed it with the spare. The next day we took it to Walmart and the screw that was in it that I thought was the culprit wasn't it was a 4" crosstip screwdriver!

The only issues with the RV that we found was the small bedroom curtain holder screws came out of the walls. I am going to purchase some small plastic screw anchors and see if that will keep them in there.

When we were packing up to come home I over tightened the tie down strap for one of the table chairs. The tie-down anchor came out of the floor. I haven't investigated it to determine how I am going to repair that yet.

The TV antenna crank handle came out of the ceiling along with the assembly. I figured that was gonna happen soon or later! It happened sooner. Anyway if anyone has any ideas to remedy this I would be greatful. I just know this is going to be a consistant problem everytime we deploy for a weekend.

Future lessons:
1. Pack an airpump and pressure guage
2. Keep a small but good set of tools for small fixit issues. (I did, could of had more)
3. Utility Knife on hand
4. Duct Tape (No I didn't need it, however a neighbor did)

We had a great time, we tried out everything!

Our next trip was for this weekend close to home, but a lot of the parks around OKC are closed due to flooding. But we have a reservation for the 4th of July weekend.

dretired · 06-04-2013, 05:48 PM

If you are not to far away from your dealer let them fix the things that you find..make a list... and have them correct it all...We had a issue our first time out with trying to put fresh water in the fill tube...went back to the dealer the next morning and had it taken care of ...my door lock plate on the inside ..of the door..has all loose screws ... it wobbles alot 9 different things wrong so far...and counting...they are slapping these things together

jbenton757 · 06-04-2013, 06:06 PM

That's good to know, however our dealer is about 4 hrs. From us

dretired · 06-05-2013, 04:03 AM

We..are about 25 miles away from the closest Prime time dealer...could i tighten 4 screws of the door lock plate on my own? Or repair a stripped screw hole on a floor vent cover ? Zip tie sticking out of freezer compartment 5" ? those are a few of the things i did ....But ...should we have to ???

jbenton757 · 06-05-2013, 05:45 PM

If I was only 25mi from my dealer I would absolutely take any and all issue to them. But because of my location it would cost me nearly $200 in gas and time off from work to take it back.

zs325RES · 06-05-2013, 07:02 PM

Gents - I too had some issues but took care of these myself.
One was loose interior trim which was not hard to believe. When we were touring the factory, I took time to watch the guy installing these pieces and was amazed (and frankly dismayed) to see how fast he was moving with a pneumatic brad nailer. No wonder he missed some of it. I fired up my own finish nailer and 'finished' the job myself.

All is good though, and I have a better appreciation and understanding of my new 325RES. I'm only about 10 miles from my dealer, but don't really trust them much, so I prefer to tackle issues myself if I can.

Enjoy your new 5ers!

Crusader · 06-05-2013, 07:20 PM

I also have had several problems over the 2.5 years I have had my unit. That is the number 0ne reason why I bought a 7 year extended warranty. Although, I must say this about Prime Time. They have bent over backwards to resolve my issues !!

Crusader · 06-05-2013, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

I also have had several problems over the 2.5 years I have had my unit. That is the number 0ne reason why I bought a 7 year extended warranty. Although, I must say this about Prime Time. They have bent over backwards to resolve my issues !!

I need to add this to the above statement. Prime time has taken care of my issues, not my dealer ( General Trailer ).

dretired · 06-06-2013, 05:04 AM

I guess i am just a dreamer hoping that when you spend $ 40,000 ..you shouldnt have to get out a tool box and start repairing items or hitching up and returning your unit to a dealer for repairs...this should NOT be happening..... period !!...and...these units should come with a minimum of a 3 year (bumper to bumper ) warranty from date of purchase..

dretired · 06-12-2013, 05:43 PM

after camping for 6 days last week.... It will be going back to the dealer again !!! When turn the antenna to lower it down... the crank ..the pointing disk and spring... all fell off ..amazing !!!

Tarpon chaser 2 · 06-15-2013, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

I need to add this to the above statement. Prime time has taken care of my issues, not my dealer ( General Trailer ).

I have a 2011 260rld. Dealers are there to sell not to deliver in prime condition. I have more problems from tires made in China to shower doors and wall surrounds that exploded. Small things such as describe by most, loose screws, poor fitting doors, heating duct work not connected, etc,

I usually call prime time and they send me replacement parts but are usually the same as the one that has failed.

I had to replace all the faucets in the galley, shower and lav sink at my cost.

The Crusader is not a quality product. The 3,000 pound Chinese axle system had to be upgraded with new springs and one wheel hub after 6,000 miles.

The unit is out of warranty but I did purchase the extended warranty. The cost of using the warranty because of the deductible in many cases is greater than just fixing it yourself.

I always carry a complete tool set as well as spare parts for the running gear.

I have reworked most of the critical parts on the unit by now at my cost generally.

My advice. Crusaders are nice looking units but the quality is sorely lacking. I would think very hard before buying another Crusader.

Ps.

Prime time said they would send me a complete set of electrical drawings 2 years ago. I am still waiting !

Tarpon chaser 2 · 06-15-2013, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

after camping for 6 days last week.... It will be going back to the dealer again !!! When turn the antenna to lower it down... the crank ..the pointing disk and spring... all fell off ..amazing !!!

We are planning a trip this year to Canada and New Hampshire from Florida about 6,000 plus miles. With the 260 and my ford 250 6.2 gas.

I will have on board spare wheel hubs a full set of new truck tires for the 5th wheel, 2 complete sets of wheel bearings and seals.

Hope you have better luck than I with your new Crusader.

jbenton757 · 07-14-2013, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbenton757

If I was only 25mi from my dealer I would absolutely take any and all issue to them. But because of my location it would cost me nearly $200 in gas and time off from work to take it back.

Well I did find a local RV dealer who is on the Route 66 RV network in OKC, and they are fixing all my issues for no charge because of warranty with the Crusader. The latest issue was from last week, the awning motor quit working. I ended up removing a couple of screws and manually pushed the awning to roll it up. I then climbed up top and zip tied each side so it wouldn't come down while on the road.

jbenton757 · 07-14-2013, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

after camping for 6 days last week.... It will be going back to the dealer again !!! When turn the antenna to lower it down... the crank ..the pointing disk and spring... all fell off ..amazing !!!

Mine fell off on our maiden voyage. You can take it back, but it was quite simple to put back on. I looked for a better crank, and all have this same one from what I could tell.

dretired · 07-14-2013, 06:00 PM

There were a couple of other issues ...that had to be taken care of anyway..so we returned it to the dealer again.....

jbenton757 · 07-14-2013, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretired

There were a couple of other issues ...that had to be taken care of anyway..so we returned it to the dealer again.....

Absolutely, I would as well. The dealer I took mine to, is checking over every inch because my 90 days are almost up. So far they have replaced a lot of loose screws and and other small items

pt1655 · 07-14-2013, 09:03 PM

I know how you all feel. Our dealer is 3 hours away so what few little things needed fixing or adjusting I have taken care of. Our surveryor sp220 is only 2 months old. Hope I don't have any major issues!

dretired · 07-15-2013, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarpon chaser 2

I have a 2011 260rld. Dealers are there to sell not to deliver in prime condition. I have more problems from tires made in China to shower doors and wall surrounds that exploded. Small things such as describe by most, loose screws, poor fitting doors, heating duct work not connected, etc,

I usually call prime time and they send me replacement parts but are usually the same as the one that has failed.

I had to replace all the faucets in the galley, shower and lav sink at my cost.

The Crusader is not a quality product. The 3,000 pound Chinese axle system had to be upgraded with new springs and one wheel hub after 6,000 miles.

The unit is out of warranty but I did purchase the extended warranty. The cost of using the warranty because of the deductible in many cases is greater than just fixing it yourself.

I always carry a complete tool set as well as spare parts for the running gear.

I have reworked most of the critical parts on the unit by now at my cost generally.

My advice. Crusaders are nice looking units but the quality is sorely lacking. I would think very hard before buying another Crusader.

Ps.

Prime time said they would send me a complete set of electrical drawings 2 years ago. I am still waiting !

I can agree the dealers are definetly about selling ..during my PDI.the service guy was more interested in trying to sell us "upgrades" which always seemed to include his labor..I still feel in this day and age ..When some one pays $40,000 for one of theses RVs..they should NOT have things fall apart right away..or...have to get a tool box out to do repairs...its sad..

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