Think Twice Before Buying Anything Prime Time! SOLVED BY PT

[WJC]

I had a similar problem with Roger I have a 2010 Tracer 3000 bhs that has delamination over the running light on the front! I noticed it shortly after the one year warranty was up, spoke with Roger who said it was out of his hands and primetime is not responsible for that! He told me to talk to my dealer about the problem [being sarcastic], did not even offer to help with the problem! Primetime is great while in warranty but after that your on your own! And any delamination with in the first couple years had to be due to the poor workmanship from the factory either way Primetime should have tried to help!

[padave65]

My recommendation for your consideration is:

1. Try to dry out the inside of the door panel....you do not want to seal in the moisture....take apart the slam latches on a warm dry day...preferrably a few days in a row...
2. Take silicon caulk and put a small bead around the frame and fiberglass exterior to keep moisture from entering
3. Remove screws and remove slam latches....take butyl tape around the edge of the openings for the slam latches
4. take a ladder and open the door, look for a joint/seem where the metal in the door frame meets seal with silicon

choice for the next step....
5a. actually remove the door and place butyl tape where the door connects to the hinge and reinstall...
5b caulk around the joint between the hinge and the door and every single screw.
6. put silicon caulk in each hole where the latches connect to the lower frame. enough to seal but not keep the door from latching.....

7. You may want to find an after market drip edge and install it above the outside kitchen door. They have them on the Outback 312bhs (same as 318). I recommended that PT consider doing the same last year. I cannot open my outside kitchen door in the rain without water entering and running into my bunkhouse...I usually keep my trailer slightly leaning to the slide side.

Good luck....I cannot comment on dealings with Roger but my dealings with Brandon (Roger's predocessor) were always excellent.
Good luck...I hope you find a fix

[rracer5]

We have been a PT owner since 09/10 and a member of this forum since 02/11. I have read all post re; Prime Time since (good and bad) and considering MY personal experiences with Jeff, Brandon and Roger on the phone, this forum and in person, my next purchase/upgrade WILL BE another Prime Time (Sanibel). We have all had our issues (myself included) whether minor or major, and for the most part (considering the number of units out there) most have been resolved. So, that being said, and having been to numerous RV shows and walked in and out of countless RV's, unless someone comes out with a better made unit in the same price range(s), I will consider no other.

[ky joe]

Roger told me yesterday that he would send me something from Lippert saying this is normal and that it wont hurt anything..... He also said I would have that via email yesterday.....Will im still waiting and im sure PT is done with this no replies to two emails sent to them poor poor customer service. It shows they just want the fast dollar and hell to the customer. I did talk to a attorney today at work about this and like many people have said write it all down and keep all emails and dates has this started before the warranty expired and if damage does occur then I have the case for the court system, I just have to wait for the rot to start.. And decide what the damages are worth to me.

[IllinoisCamper]

A lot of comments ,in general across the forum, tend To standup for the RV manufacturer. There seems to be a lot of "yes you have a problem, but it is easy for you to fix". We as a collective need to make sure they stand behind their product. Their product includes everything from the wheels to the nuts that hold the AC cover on. We do not pick manufacturer to by the components from that make up our trailers. If there is a problem with a component it should be FR that deals with the third party. Is JAL looking for the lithium battery manufacturer to come up with a fix to the 777 battery issue.? No, they expect Boeing to. Same as we should expect FR to come up with the fix.

Now I have to say I had a good experience with the Rockwood Roo 19 that we bought. We bought in Nov, when we opened up in spring both bunkends had leaked. Took pictures, sent them to dealer. Dealer asked for me to bring in. It was off to FR factory the same day. The replaced both ends. Hasn't leaked since.

[DDC]

I have a Surveyor 264 and the storage area doors are made of some kind of plastic core, there are holes in the top and bottom and when you open them they drip water that has not passed all the way through , I find this annoying but never considered it a huge problem as neither the core nor inner and outer skins can rot and there is never any water inside.

[BarryD0706]

Originally Posted by IllinoisCamper

...
If there is a problem with a component it should be FR that deals with the third party. Is JAL looking for the lithium battery manufacturer to come up with a fix to the 777 battery issue.? No, they expect Boeing to. Same as we should expect FR to come up with the fix.

I agree that, for the most part, that's how it should be. Consider the frame for instance. It's just wrong that we should have to deal with a frame maker when that's such an integral part of the RV. Another good example is the refer. If it's not cooling right, Dometic just points the finger at the RV manufacturer and says it wasn't installed properly. Why should the customer EVER need to be in the middle of that!

I'm not so sure that the RV maker need to be involved with television warranties however.

We're not there now (I'd say we sign a contract agreeing to that when we buy), so this topic is really not going to be relevant to the OP's issue.

[southernsky]

Waiting to see if RVGUY chimes in on this....I feel for you ky joe, had my bouts with PT and this bunch in the forum.

[dwaynerz]

i agree with illinois camper. the problem should be between manufacterer and supplier, not between consumer, supplier. my duramax (isuzu engine) was covered under gm warrenty for anything that i had/may have had troubles with. gm went to bat for me, not me trying to get something resolved thru a gm supplier.

some of these companies (not just rv's) are too happy to get the big check from you, but are disappear like a fart in the wind when you need anything resolved.

[bodzcampers]

I third the sentiments of Illinois camper. And I have to add:
Why is it no surprise the name Lippert came up again?
I was checking out this manufacturer who is small, build in a lot of quality, and a lot of upgrades seem standard. I wrote and told them I wouldn't be buying for a couple of years, but like to stay current on information. I asked if they would be so kind as to tell me who makes their frames. They said Lippert. I said: Let me know if that changes and I'll put you back on my potential list.

[BarryD0706]

Good luck finding an RV that doesn't use those frames.

[lbrjet]

Originally Posted by DDC

I have a Surveyor 264 and the storage area doors are made of some kind of plastic core, there are holes in the top and bottom and when you open them they drip water that has not passed all the way through , I find this annoying but never considered it a huge problem as neither the core nor inner and outer skins can rot and there is never any water inside.

My doors are like this too. I wipe the bottom with a paper towel and go about my business. The water is outside of your trailer according to you and is a non issue according to PT (I agree with them).

[BarryD0706]

Originally Posted by bodzcampers

... And I have to add:
Why is it no surprise the name Lippert came up again?

Ya know, the more I think about this the more I think it's very unfair.

The name comes up everywhere because they are one of a very few component makers, and they make most of what goes into most RVs.

It's very unusual to see someone post good things, like "My RV frame did a wonderful job today", or "How great that my RV door stayed closed and kept us warm and dry today".

The result: You probably have a very incorrect view of what is probably a good company. They didn't get to be in everyone's RV by being the worst at what they do. I imagine there were a lot of other competitors who made lower-quality stuff and have gone out of business.

[ky joe]

I do not have anything up my sleeve, I just want to make sure that my camper will last as long as I have to pay for it, I hope I have no problems with this camper at all!. But please dont tell me that a leaking door is normal. I do take pride in everything I own and work very hard for the money I make (FireFighter FullTime/Deputy Sheriff Part-Time) over 80 hours per week.. I do also keep my equipment up and check weekly for any leaks ect.. Thats all I have to say about Prime Time.

On the other hand my dealer has bent over backwards to make this right from day, but has to take direction from PT due to warranty issues..

[bakken]

Originally Posted by BarryD0706

Ya know, the more I think about this the more I think it's very unfair.

The name comes up everywhere because they are one of a very few component makers, and they make most of what goes into most RVs.

It's very unusual to see someone post good things, like "My RV frame did a wonderful job today", or "How great that my RV door stayed closed and kept us warm and dry today".

The result: You probably have a very incorrect view of what is probably a good company. They didn't get to be in everyone's RV by being the worst at what they do. I imagine there were a lot of other competitors who made lower-quality stuff and have gone out of business.

They got the job most likely because they were the low bidder.
You cannot tell me that a main frame made up of three pieces of tin welded together is as good as a hot-rolled I-beam. But it is obviously a lot cheaper to make.
I suppose it is adequate, but from the stories of frames cracking and pin boxes collapsing, the frames are obviously barely adequate.
My old fifth wheel was built like a tank, and I would gladly pay for that quality if it was available.

[RV Guy]

Here's our position:

We have specificed that our Outside Kitchen Doors be built with fiberglass, aluminum, and closed cell foam ONLY. And that's how this door in question is made. We KNOW some water will invariably get inside the door frame over time thru both the handle and flange. Wish it wasn't the case, but that will eventually happen. So when it does, we want it to drain out thru the frame.

It wouldn't surprise me if most door manufacturers would say that their doors are sealed sufficiently around the flange so water will not get inside the frame. That's their intent I'm sure. However, it doesn't always work that way in real life so they make provisions like weep holes. In our case, we make additional provisions by not including wood in the core.

In this case, it's our understanding (and confirmed by the dealer) that the water is draining out thru the holes in the door frame where the striker is located as intended. We are being told that there is no water going INTO the unit, it only leaks out from the frame when opened. This process is similar to what you have on a window or entrance door as they both have "weep holes" to allow for intrusive water to be drained back outside your unit.

We recognize that sometimes baggage doors "leak" for other reasons - defect from the supplier or bad installation by us. However, we can't confirm this is the case here. To be honest, we did a poor job of asking questions when the original claim came in or we might not have replaced a door that may have been performing normally.

If this explanation of performance is not satisfactory, our options are to try to apply additional "seal" around the flange of the door where it meets the fiberglass "face" of the door and around the handle of the door. This might stop water intrusion 100% but only temporarily. I would expect that over time the silicone would detereriorate and we are back to square one. Plus, it would look bad and be a dirt magnet.

It's our opinion that we should supply a door that is capable of accepting small amounts of water without deterioration of the door and a door which provides for an escape of the water when it happens. We think that's the case here.

Attached is a cross section of the door.

Hope this helps.

PTM

[lbrjet]

You have one very minor issue and your title is:

Think Twice Before Buying Anything Prime Time!

This is why I think you have an alternate motive here.
You also posted the same titled thread over at RVNET.
This just seems a bit extreme to me over a minor issue.

[BarryD0706]

Some people are determined not to be happy.

[ky joe]

RV GUY thanks for the post above your wording makes more logic then what Roger had told me over the phone and thank you for the pictures of the cut away door that makes mind rest. I worry alot over little things and when I was told by Roger that this was it I felt I was up a Creek by myself with no help to a MAJOR problem to me..

Thanks Again for your post.

Joe Greenwell

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by ky joe

RV GUY thanks for the post above your wording makes more logic then what Roger had told me over the phone and thank you for the pictures of the cut away door that makes mind rest. I worry alot over little things and when I was told by Roger that this was it I felt I was up a Creek by myself with no help to a MAJOR problem to me..

Thanks Again for your post.

Joe Greenwell

Well not to start trouble, then as you stated put in writing to ease your mind. Why wouldn't they do that? I understand what they have told you but then put it in writing for you.......