2014 Sanibel

[SDurbak]

My husband & I came across a 2014 Sanibel 3501 last week for $35K. I absolutely fell in love with it, but we had never head of Prime Time before. The only other 5th wheel that I have seen that I liked as much was a new Redwood costing $150K. So my questions are - Is this something people who have owned a Sanibel would recommend? Is this a good price for a 2014 (it appears to be in great shape). In googling info about it, I've come across Sanibel 3500 and 3501 - what's the difference? They look the same. Thanks for any info/opinions.

[chris woznica]

My wife and I purchased our 3501 new in 2013. The difference between the 3500 and 3501 is that the 3500 has a fridge that runs on either electricity or propane. The 3501 has a residential fridge that runs on electricity only. We love our unit but had slot of warranty issues. It went back to the factory for a frame flex problem, replaced the fridge , bedroom A/C unit , duct work off the furnace name apart melting the drain pipe from the washing machine posing a very dangerous if not fatal issue. They also had to replace 1 axel due to being bent. We started to believe we bought a lemon. Last year was the first year we used it without any significant problems. But we still really like the unit. I do highly recommend an extended warranty. The folks at Prime Time were pretty good to wok with though. We normally will spend an average of 35 nights a year camping. Good luck and have fun with the new unit.

[Brand2328]

We have a 17 3601 Sanibel we love it

[dreamer5th]

We purchased a 2014 Sanibel 3501 new. Like many owners, we really like the floor plan and overall design and trim level (decor). However, during the first 1 1/2 yr. of ownership, we, too, were faced with a number of issues, in particular, the frame flex issue. By researching this forum and others you will get a clearer picture of what this is about. The good news is that there is a fix for this problem and after our unit was returned to a repair facility (Recreational Specialties) contracted by Prime Time in Elkhart, IN, we have enjoyed our Sanibel. The other issue I would watch for is a misalignment which could develop with the kitchen slide-out which is very heavy due to the weight of the residential fridge, stove, and microwave oven. This problem surfaced with our unit, damaging/tearing our kitchen flooring! A subsequent reinforcement of the gear boxes of that particular slide-out and re-alignment solved that problem. Once repairs were completed, we have been happy with our Sanibel!

[dapennington]

have you ever had problems with your furnace not coming on?

[dreamer5th]

To date, we have not experienced any issues with our furnace. During the first year of ownership, however, a problem appeared suddenly with our dual-zone thermostat which was displaying an error code and our air conditionning units did not function! After considerable troubleshooting at the dealership, the installation of a new thermostat and a new communications cable from the thermostat to the motherboard of the main (larger) A/C corrected that issue. Things have worked fine ever since!

[dapennington]

Originally Posted by dreamer5th

To date, we have not experienced any issues with our furnace. During the first year of ownership, however, a problem appeared suddenly with our dual-zone thermostat which was displaying an error code and our air conditionning units did not function! After considerable troubleshooting at the dealership, the installation of a new thermostat and a new communications cable from the thermostat to the motherboard of the main (larger) A/C corrected that issue. Things have worked fine ever since!

We had that problem last July after only owning the rig for 7 months and 2 camping trips. After a full day of messing with it, Father in law got the AC's to come on and they worked fine the rest of the time. Took it to the dealer when we got back home and they thought i was crazy. So after they finally agreed to troubleshoot found the comm. wire corroded and changed them out. The AC has been working fine since then. now if i only could get the furnace running right. Got a tip to look at the duct work to make sure that its not twisted needlessly and see if that fixes that.

[chris woznica]

We have a 2013 3501 Sanibel and after some plumbing problems , I removed the Panel that covers the furnace I found the flexible duct had ripped and the heat from the furnace melted the drain pipe from the washer. If I hadn’t found that melted pipe it could’ve caught fire. Prime time wanted nothing to do with it so I repaired it the right way.

[chris woznica]

Originally Posted by chris woznica

We have a 2013 3501 Sanibel and after some plumbing problems , I removed the Panel that covers the furnace I found the flexible duct had ripped and the heat from the furnace melted the drain pipe from the washer. If I hadn’t found that melted pipe it could’ve caught fire. Prime time wanted nothing to do with it so I repaired it the right way.

[dreamer5th]

Incredible!!!! Fortunately, you discovered the problem in time. I will definitely have a good look around in the basement of our unit to verify all of the plumbing, furnace ductwork, etc.