Nearing my 1 year mark Sanibel 3600

[jbrostek]

Last September I went to the Hershey show like we do every year, I had no intention of buying a new trailer. I was mostly content with my older 2001 diesel pusher, but considering 5th wheels since I had a very capable F350 diesel. The idea of lower cost tires to replace and one less engine to maintain (not to mention the 150 in filters and 8 gallons of motor oil ever year.)

I happen accross the Sanibel 3600, the floorplan screamed it was for me, the decore worked well too. After 3.5 hours of negotiation at the actual show (seriously pushed the dealer to price everything better, including their show price) and struck a deal.

October 2013 I went up to trade in the old and start with the new RV. Moving in went well as for my first overnight stay at the dealers lot. Only minor issues to address in the morning and the first tow to use it that very same weekend local to me! The weekend went well though found a few minor things I missed during PDI. No problem I started to keep a tally of items to address.

In January of 2014 I was heading south to FL for 2 weeks just as the bitter cold set in after new years. My truck decided it had not recieved enough attention lately and had issues (had just did oil change and full filter service for the trip too!) So I got to use the free CoachNet for a tow, first to the nearest campground and then the truck to the nearest Ford dealer. No charge to me at all!!! And they found me a tow truck within an hour of calling in when I was on I95S between Rocky Mount and Enfield, NC.

After a few days downtime the truck was repaired and finished the trip to FL. During that time I got to enjoy the bitter cold weather with the rest of NC including the 9F overnight and -5 windchill. I was happy to say that even with it being that cold, with the fireplace, a small ceramic heater in the bedroom and the furnace running 1-2 times and hour the RV stayed very comfortable compared to my old bus in the same conditions where all 3 heaters would be running non stop.

I had no issues with water freezing up, but I did have to fill my tank and conserve as the campground had to turn off the water to avoid issues as they where not prepared for that kind of weather.

When I had the truck back and preparing to leave for FL finally, I found my drain line had frozen up, aparently one of the gray valves was leaking and now I had some ice blocking it up. When I got to FL it had thawed and with a pull of the extra "last chance valve" I installed I think it was the gally tank. I put it on the list as it was not a show stopper.

The rest of the FL trip went well and the RV towed like a dream and had no other major issues. She sat winterized until the end of March at the start of my season and has seen nearly every other weekend of use since then. The weekend of this years RV show I took the trailer to the dealer with the list of items to address. Really nothing major with primetime, and my biggest issue was some weirdness with the dometic fridge. But I expect that to be properly addressed before I pick it up.

So I can say that after a LOT of use in the past year I have no regrets on my purchase and wanted to share my experience with everyone here.

[BBBlue]

I too am approaching my 1 year mark ownership of a 2013 Sanibel 3500, but did sustain some issues during that time. After approximately 6000 miles pulling and over 6 months camping from VA to Arizona via Florida and the rest of the I-10 states, we observed upper frame flex issue and developed a leak onto the unit at the rear corner living room. Prime Time has stepped up to the plate to fix all the issues. My unit is one week away from being picked up from the repair facility.
Other issues:
Kitchen slide missing wear strip and not adjusted correctly (teeter tottered when moved in or out).
When repair facility looked for the source of the leak, they pinpointed it to a defective pan seal at the rear A/C. In addition, the A/C ducted was disconnected where it was blowing air into the area above the ceiling. Much of the ducting was not sufficiently sealed, for the tape was applied over sawdust.
The fireplace was replaced due to improper operation.
Shower/bathroom sink greywater tank drain piping ran uphill at a section not allowing a good drain of that tank.
Entry door frame not square causing door to stick.

Even with these deficiencies, we still love our Sanibel. I feel confident that the unit will be better after al the repairs than when it came off the assembly line.

We are looking forward to next Monday when we will check out the repairs and bring it home. Starting to get cold here in Va....Wifey is hinting Florida. We will have to see.

[jbrostek]

I read about your frame flex and I have been keeping an eye on the front of my unit as well. Its an early 2014 model and I noticed some cauking in the area you mentioned pushed up a little, but we are talking about a 1" area. I would expect with frame flex to see that look a little more. I will have to bring it up with the dealer on that since most of my use has been at a seasonal site and not on the open road.

My biggest frustration this year was the fridge, it would work fine, but after letting me down twice I would not risk leaving food in it from one weekend to the next. I wish I had more time to travel and camp, but my commitments as a race official and my job have not left that much room. Even the way this season worked out I have only camped outside of the track 4 times. I do plan to improve on that next year.