2014 Trilogy - 3850RL - Factory Warranty Experience

John Hagen · 09-02-2014, 12:09 AM

Greetings,

We spent three weeks in Elkhart, four days which were in the motel while the camper was being serviced under warranty. My personal opinion of the experience at the factory was not one that I care to repeat. It will be our last trip there...

The general theme of getting things fixed was...

1) It's too late - That was the response I got when I asked why the entry door did not conform to the radius wall. If you look at the door, viewing it from the side where the handle is (with door closed), our door bulges out and does not conform to the sidewall radius. Won't do anything to attempt a repair. That's just the way they fit...

2) You just have to work around it and do this and that - That was the response I got when I tried to have the windows adjusted so when you open them (ones with the spring levers). The springs don't push the locks out so when you open the windows they don't stay in place. They just fall down. Easier to tell me to just make sure I manually force the latches into place to lock the windows open instead of fixing it.

3) What do you expect with 2" side walls and insulation - That's the answer I got when I asked why my air conditioning can only achieve about a 10 degree differential from the outside. I have a document sent to me by Mr. Babcock that shows the 2013 Trilogy was tested at 100 degrees and was able to drive the temperature down lower than 70 degrees while still 100 on the outside. The air conditioners were checked and deemed operating within spec. After much discussion and $750 I had a third air conditioner installed. Chaps my hide..

4) It's screwed into luan - That's what the technician told me when I asked why I have troubles with my clothes rod in the closet. My clothes rod in the closet keeps falling when we travel. I asked for something to be done. I guess expecting the clothes rod to stay in place was asking too much.

5) That's the way they all are - That is what I was told when I asked why the door handle on the drying is on the far side of the machine. My wife has to move clothes in the closet so she can get into the closet to fight with the door to open it (no leverage). After stating that Dynamax should buy the dryer back since it doesn't work for us in that configuration, they decided to turn the dryer door upside down and put the hinge on the other side. Now the dryer is easy to open!

I had a list of about 30+ items, some of them very small and kind of nitpicky. Most of which I could live with. I feel I am a reasonable guy and expect a reasonable service offered for a new unit. They did fix some items without issue and I'm glad. By the time we left I felt we were a thorn in their side and were happy to be rid of us.

Our previous camper was a 2008 Cedar Creek. They factory was outstanding in every way. They even provided NO COST repairs outside of warranty. I don't ever expect that to come from Dynamax based on my experience. Sad...

Sadly, I am personally responsible for three 2014 Trilogy purchases, one for myself and two for my dealer who had never heard of them. Had I of had this experience before my dealer ordered two, I would of told him not to order them.

Matt has changed positions and now Mark is the Service Manager.

One good thing that came out of all of this is we now have "storm door inserts" in our screen door. They are tinted lexan panels made by the OEM of the door. Cost me $120 for top & bottom. Not a perfect fit but is nice to be able to have main door open regardless of weather outside. Well worth the money. If you want some for yours, just email Mark and ask him.

John

dblr · 09-02-2014, 06:10 AM

WOW!!!!! Trilogy was on our short list to upgrade from our Cedar Creek but after reading your issues we might have to rethink our decision. I have been reading all other Trilogy problems so yours is not the only one but I really thought support from the factory would be better.

John Hagen · 09-02-2014, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dblr

WOW!!!!! Trilogy was on our short list to upgrade from our Cedar Creek but after reading your issues we might have to rethink our decision. I have been reading all other Trilogy problems so yours is not the only one but I really thought support from the factory would be better.

Keep in mind that not everyone has the same experience. The unit itself is well built and well appointed. We love it more than our Cedar Creek. But, when we left the factory we were kind of wishing we'd of stuck with the Cedar Creek line only because of our warranty experience.

The 2015 Trilogy's have gone back to the boxed walls and not the radius ones. That eliminates issues with the doors. They also changed window types so that eliminates the issues we have with the windows. However, they also eliminated many of the extras as "stock" and now you pay extra to have them added. I don't know what the actual pricing is on the units. They also offer a option for a third air conditioner as well. Hmm...

It is still, in my opinion, one of the better built units on the market. Would I buy one again? Probably. Would I take it back to the factory for issues? Not unless it was something I couldn't fix or a dealer refused to fix.

John

lgray · 09-02-2014, 12:08 PM

[QUOTE=John Hagen

3) What do you expect with 2" side walls and insulation - That's the answer I got when I asked why my air conditioning can only achieve about a 10 degree differential from the outside. I have a document sent to me by Mr. Babcock that shows the 2013 Trilogy was tested at 100 degrees and was able to drive the temperature down lower than 70 degrees while still 100 on the outside. The air conditioners were checked and deemed operating within spec. After much discussion and $750 I had a third air conditioner installed. Chaps my hide..

John,
What can you share with us on just how did they go about installing the third AC? The idea of anyone cutting a large hole in the roof and ceiling, makes me a little nervous.

Witch Doctor · 09-02-2014, 12:27 PM

[QUOTE=lgray;692860][QUOTE=John Hagen

3) What do you expect with 2" side walls and insulation - That's the answer I got when I asked why my air conditioning can only achieve about a 10 degree differential from the outside. I have a document sent to me by Mr. Babcock that shows the 2013 Trilogy was tested at 100 degrees and was able to drive the temperature down lower than 70 degrees while still 100 on the outside. The air conditioners were checked and deemed operating within spec. After much discussion and $750 I had a third air conditioner installed. Chaps my hide..

John,
What can you share with us on just how did they go about installing the third AC? The idea of anyone cutting a large hole in the roof and ceiling, makes me a little nervous.[/QUOTE] You should expect only a 15 degree drop in the inside temp. so lets say you turn it on at 85 degrees inside the best temp will be 70 coming out of the registers until the unit starts to cool. At 85 inside and 100 outside it would take many hours to catch up. Your still picking up outside heat due to the insulation. So in reality you wouldn't start getting cool air until the sun go's down. Can the unit hold 70 degrees on a 100 degree day maybe close if you started it at 6:00AM and never opened a door. With a 3rd A/C you will have about 2and1/2 tons. That should really help you. 300 sq ft. per ton is normal for a house, so cut that in half for an RV insulation 2". But still IMO you have to be like living in a cave to get down to 70 and hold it all day. I still think that the Cardinal and Ceder creeks are the top line for FR. The Trilogy was a nice unit until FR took the line, it was equal to the Redwood line.

Weezer · 09-02-2014, 12:36 PM

5) That's the way they all are - That is what I was told when I asked why the door handle on the drying is on the far side of the machine. My wife has to move clothes in the closet so she can get into the closet to fight with the door to open it (no leverage). After stating that Dynamax should buy the dryer back since it doesn't work for us in that configuration, they decided to turn the dryer door upside down and put the hinge on the other side. Now the dryer is easy to open!

WHAT???

It is now UPSIDE DOWN? Yeah, I can just see me turning my home clothes dryer upside down, if I preferred the door opening the other way.

Is this even safe to do? Will the dyer even function properly like this? I'd have *insisted* on something in writing regarding warranty and safe operation from the genius who made this decision.

Granted, we've never owned an RV with one of these type washer dryers, but this just leaves me gobsmacked.

Weezer · 09-02-2014, 12:40 PM

Having owned/operated an A/C dealership for 20 years (Carrier dealership) we advised our customers that A/Cs were designed to only maintain a 20* difference between outside and inside temperatures.

100* outside? don't expect your A/C to do better than 80* inside

That came straight from Carrier, and was regarding a S&B home, with much better insulation, of course, than an RV.

Can an A/C maintain better than a 20* differential? Sure, but not guaranteed.

John Hagen · 09-02-2014, 07:15 PM

Regarding the air conditioner... The guys at the factory did the work. You would think that if anyone would do a great job cutting the hole and installing the air conditioner it would be the factory. They did do a great job. Have had a few rain storms in the last week and all is well.

I did have to insist they install a thermostat for the A/C. Initially they told me I would have to get a stool or something to turn the unit on/off and adjust the thermostat. No way was that acceptable. They did install the thermostat on the wall right as you go up the stairs. Looks like it was there from day 1.

Attached is a PDF file that I received from Dynamax 4 months before delivery of my unit. Al of you A/C gurus out there, tell me if I am reading it wrong.

Regarding the dryer... Yes, the door is now upside down but you really don't know it. The door still has the safety feature so when you open it the dryer stops. They did fill in the holes from where the original hinges were installed. This was a compromise on my part. Like I said I try to be reasonable. The solution was one that I was ready to implement myself had the factory totally refused to do something. I was already worn down by their insistence that nothing was wrong. I even made one of the crew go into the closet and open the dryer door before it was switched. He could readily see the difficulty. I really don't think the designers ever use the products they spec out or build. If they did, some of these things would never be seen by customers as they would already be fixed

The three A/Cs keep the place cool so far. I only run two at a time due to the AMPs. I could run all three if needed; just need to shut down or not use other power hungry items at the same time.

Weezer - Is there a small house A/C unit that could be installed in a 5th wheel? I remember hearing something about Class A campers having that capability.

John

BigJohnD · 09-02-2014, 07:27 PM

Winnebago used to have a basement mounted central unit on some of their Class A units. For some reason, they got away from that, but I don't remember why. In our research in building our own camper, that was on the questionable list. Being the thin AC duct is so close to the roof top, you do get some heat transfer, or some loss of efficiency. If it were all floor ducted (even though a lot hate floor ducts), you wouldn't have the heat loss due to 100 plus degrees on the roof. I'm talking basement units here, as in the trailer we designed has a full length heated basement (like a motorhome) to house the tanks and other items.

John Hagen · 09-02-2014, 07:33 PM

Yes, a basement unit would work. I figure it would tie into the floor ducts. The only issue I see is getting it to tie in somewhere. No problem with room in the basement. If I had to, I would throw more stuff out!

I hate being hot...

John

Phil57 · 09-02-2014, 08:23 PM

We were parked next to a 2,000,000 Prevost that had basement A/C. The owner said it worked very well. It had a door size vent on the drivers side. Nice unit if you have the cash. Me I'm stuck with the roof units.

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**Terier** · 09-02-2014, 08:40 PM

John,
Thanks for your honest but helpful feedback.

Weezer,
From what I understand only the door on the dryer was flipped, not the unit itself.

VinceU · 09-02-2014, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Hagen

Regarding the air conditioner... The guys at the factory did the work. You would think that if anyone would do a great job cutting the hole and installing the air conditioner it would be the factory. They did do a great job. Have had a few rain storms in the last week and all is well.

I did have to insist they install a thermostat for the A/C. Initially they told me I would have to get a stool or something to turn the unit on/off and adjust the thermostat. No way was that acceptable. They did install the thermostat on the wall right as you go up the stairs. Looks like it was there from day 1.

Attached is a PDF file that I received from Dynamax 4 months before delivery of my unit. Al of you A/C gurus out there, tell me if I am reading it wrong.

Regarding the dryer... Yes, the door is now upside down but you really don't know it. The door still has the safety feature so when you open it the dryer stops. They did fill in the holes from where the original hinges were installed. This was a compromise on my part. Like I said I try to be reasonable. The solution was one that I was ready to implement myself had the factory totally refused to do something. I was already worn down by their insistence that nothing was wrong. I even made one of the crew go into the closet and open the dryer door before it was switched. He could readily see the difficulty. I really don't think the designers ever use the products they spec out or build. If they did, some of these things would never be seen by customers as they would already be fixed

The three A/Cs keep the place cool so far. I only run two at a time due to the AMPs. I could run all three if needed; just need to shut down or not use other power hungry items at the same time.

Weezer - Is there a small house A/C unit that could be installed in a 5th wheel? I remember hearing something about Class A campers having that capability.

John

Only problem with Dometic test: there's no allowance for summer solar energy, a major heat source.

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BigJohnD · 09-02-2014, 10:30 PM

I think we've all "tested" these AC systems, and if you have any Rv of any size, you know for a fact they barely, if at all keep up. Real world testing is never like what Dometic or any other AC manf says. I won't own one without 2 AC's minimum now. There is a reason you see 3 AC's showing up on some of the newer models, and 4 AC's on some of the busses. I want the next best thing to a freezer. The SOB trailer we're looking to purchase after our fifth wheel sells, is only 27 feet, and it will have 2 AC's.

harderd · 09-03-2014, 06:11 AM

I agree, if you are over 24 feet a second AC is needed.

nosaint3 · 09-03-2014, 02:00 PM

And to think that I was disappointed that I couldn't get into the factory for repairs. I know the dealer is a loser but the factory alternative, Charger enterprises, did good by me. I'm still sorry I have to go to the dealer again for final repairs. They may end up sending me back to Elkhart again.

mcnabbwr · 09-03-2014, 02:59 PM

I have not had the opportunity to go to the factory however I believe the Trilogy line is so new with units being so few and far between that the dealers aren't up to speed yet. I had an issue with the toilet not flushing and when I spoke to the dealers service department they advised me that they had never worked on our type. Instead of hauling it I elected to repair it myself, really not a big job.

Freebirds · 09-06-2014, 04:32 PM

3. What the difference is I do not know but our 2013 3850RL has stayed super cold all summer. Visitors say it feels like a meat locker in here. We camped in the South all summer and our Trilogy never was hot.

4. Our fantastic dealer installed our washer/dryer and installed the shorter curtain rod. I believe I could do chin ups on it. They found the round spots to put it up strong.

5. The washer and dryer were moved from our Cedarcreek. Fortunately, the doors were on the correct side. I had never thought about what a horrible hassle it would be on the wrong side.

So far, Forest River has been great to us. Some of the problems we had were with the suppliers and we can't hold it against FR. Our convection microwave did not work correctly and they replaced it with a much better Whirlpool. Our Carefree awnings have covers which allowed pine needles, etc to accumulate and broke the awning rods. Those are on order to replace.

We still love our Trilogy. What a difference it would be to have the water pump in a better location - that is our biggest complaint.

I am starting a new thread about the storm inserts.

JD

SilverbackMel · 12-16-2014, 07:58 PM

We have found FR to be GREAT! Cold water, coffee and COOKIES at factory tour. Who cares about all that construction crap! Ohhh, and a free coffee mug! Oooo yeahhhh !! GREAT!

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asquared · 12-16-2014, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harderd

I agree, if you are over 24 feet a second AC is needed.

Actually, I had a real gem with my last tt. It was 30' long and only had a single 13k btu AC unit. We could freeze ourselves out in that tt, even in August at fort wilderness!! Now my 40 ft fiver has 2 ACs and I have trouble keeping the living area cool. The bedroom can freeze out but the AC is extremely noisy in there. I am beginning to have the opinion based on limited experience that the 13k btu AC units work better than the 15k btu AC units.

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