Silverback woes

[jjcook]

2017 29RE silverback 22 months old list of problems 1st Left rear slide does not come in on first try all the time Lippert and Cedar Creek do not have a clue other than it is heavy . 2nd Black tank valve stuck open (yuck what a mess it was) crooked seal I fixed that, had to remove it clean it and lube it. 3rd Roof leak trying to find it now believe it is from under the rear a/c unit. 4th Hanging light over the table broke causing the globe to drop onto the table putting dents in it. 5th Front a/c unit quit working haven't had time to get it looked at yet. 6th least of the problems had to replace a hydraulic line. 7th board above the fireplace is cracking length wise. So much for Cedar Creek quality. We had a 2003 Cardinal 29WBLE for 13 years had only 2 problems with it after all those years. Sorry I had to vent

[ManlyMan]

Sorry to hear about all your issues. I'd be venting too. Hope it all works out in the end.

[Chief T]

That is absolutely unfortunate. Sorry you have to go through all this headache.

[BandJCarm]

Sorry about all that. Hope you are making CC aware, in a nice way.

Not to make light in any way, because I've "been there, done that". But I had worse problems for 17 months, and I got them all fixed eventually. Now I have a trailer way nicer than anything I ever hoped for.

None of my slides would come in. When they did, they wouldn't stay in. Fell out driving down the road. Lippert tech tried to fix it and screwed up a bunch of stuff, and never did fix. It was fixed later, but Lippert's fix had to be undone first.

The black tank literally fell out. Entire A/C unit replaced, roof replaced, water heater replaced. That's not even half the list. But it turned out each one of those was actually not as serious as they sound.........except the slides. It took replacement of 5 components to fully repair them. Yet, not another CC I am aware of had my issues, and I know a bunch.

If you want it fixed, take it to Amish Family RV Services in Topeka, IN. Yes, that's a lot of trouble. But after, you'll be happy.

The lights falling out.......that is common. I think they've changed the design. Mine haven't fallen yet. Not sure about board above fireplace.

Hang in there. It is frustrating, I know that for sure.

[mecd]

No fun with those type of problems. Had many issues with my 2015 Cedar Creek and went to see Amish Family RV last September relative to fading front and rear caps. Brought to his attention other issues that a local dealer tried to correct. After I was done telling him of these woes he did an inspection of the unit and came up with numerous other issues that I was fortunate CC covered all of them. CC consider Orvan Fry the best of the best and based on my experience across the continent no arguments from me. He is thorough and has exceptional customer service in an otherwise very slack industry. They are not around the corner for most of us, but I do not regret the cost of our trip from Atlantic Canada to Indiana and back.

In case you are interested in going that route, Amish Family may be contacted at 260-593-0951 Ext #1. Normally you need to leave a message and then they will get back to you within 24-hours. It is a busy shop so call early.

Good luck and safe travels.

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by mecd

No fun with those type of problems. Had many issues with my 2015 Cedar Creek and went to see Amish Family RV last September relative to fading front and rear caps. Brought to his attention other issues that a local dealer tried to correct. After I was done telling him of these woes he did an inspection of the unit and came up with numerous other issues that I was fortunate CC covered all of them. CC consider Orvan Fry the best of the best and based on my experience across the continent no arguments from me. He is thorough and has exceptional customer service in an otherwise very slack industry. They are not around the corner for most of us, but I do not regret the cost of our trip from Atlantic Canada to Indiana and back.

In case you are interested in going that route, Amish Family may be contacted at 260-593-0951 Ext #1. Normally you need to leave a message and then they will get back to you within 24-hours. It is a busy shop so call early.

Good luck and safe travels.

By the way, just for FYI, but Orvan only works on Cedar Creeks (at this time).

He is magic. I am convinced of that. What he did for us cannot be adequately explained or overstated. My one day appointment turned into 6 full days. But he figured it ALL out.

I have an annual appointment. I don't care if he's on Mars. I'll go to where he is.

[donniedu]

None of those issues seem to be FR issues per se. They are almost all associated with parts supplied by others. Yea a couple of them could be blamed on FR, but really? 22 months old at this point means it is now 10 months out of warrenty. Guess its time you get your hands dirty and start fixing things. RVs and not a build and forget product. They need constant attention to keep them in good condition.

[mecd]

Isn't Silverback by Cedar Creek? When we were there in September I saw that he had a Silverback in one of the bays and one of his guys was working on it. Seems to me there was also one in the yard waiting for something. Should be worth a call to find out one way or the other.

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by mecd

Isn't Silverback by Cedar Creek? When we were there in September I saw that he had a Silverback in one of the bays and one of his guys was working on it. Seems to me there was also one in the yard waiting for something. Should be worth a call to find out one way or the other.

He works on Cedar Creeks........all..........Silverbacks, Hathaways, Champagnes, Cottages......

[D. J. Schuler]

We had a couple of RVs like yours. We got rid of them and tried some recommendations, big mistake. If somebody considers slide malfunction, light falling down, hydraulic line failure, valve problems and cracked wood typical after 22 months must love to tinker. I don't expect my RV to fall apart unless I create the situation. You should have got another Cardinal.

[Splashes3]

We have a 2009 Silverback....it had a design flaw with the structure common to the wide body models.....Denise Davis and the repair team folks at CC were FANTASTIC. They came and picked up our trailer (MD), and fixed everything at NO cost...and they replaced all my slide seals, gave us a new Tailair king pin, gave us new stairs, replaced and repaired our bedroom closet, replaced our BR slide floor....all at no cost....we opted to drive to the plant to meet Denise and see the factory.....This happened in 2016.

We are members of the CC RV Owners Club which really helps....as is BandJCarm....We are looking to order a new CC very soon!!

Mike

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by jjcook

2017 29RE silverback 22 months old list of problems 1st Left rear slide does not come in on first try all the time Lippert and Cedar Creek do not have a clue other than it is heavy . 2nd Black tank valve stuck open (yuck what a mess it was) crooked seal I fixed that, had to remove it clean it and lube it. 3rd Roof leak trying to find it now believe it is from under the rear a/c unit. 4th Hanging light over the table broke causing the globe to drop onto the table putting dents in it. 5th Front a/c unit quit working haven't had time to get it looked at yet. 6th least of the problems had to replace a hydraulic line. 7th board above the fireplace is cracking length wise. So much for Cedar Creek quality. We had a 2003 Cardinal 29WBLE for 13 years had only 2 problems with it after all those years. Sorry I had to vent

We make a good "Sounding Board" Vent away!

It sounds to me as if you have VERY good reason to vent as well!

[ManlyMan]

Originally Posted by donniedu

None of those issues seem to be FR issues per se. They are almost all associated with parts supplied by others. Yea a couple of them could be blamed on FR, but really? 22 months old at this point means it is now 10 months out of warrenty. Guess its time you get your hands dirty and start fixing things. RVs and not a build and forget product. They need constant attention to keep them in good condition.

With the exception of the A/C quitting, all the issues he experienced are related to build quality in my opinion. It also sounds like he's already gotten his hands dirty fixing things. I"d be fed up with a trailer having the issues he's he is experiencing.

[jjcook]

I agree with you D.J. SCHULER @ 22 months should not have all these problems lights breaking off , split wood, slide not working, roof leak etc. As far as getting hands dirty i.e. blackwater tank valve (yuck) changing hydraulic line, testing all three slide cylinders. Have done to much work on a 22 month old unit . On the bright side Kelly Ware at FR is having new lights sent to me as a good faith effort which is appreciated.

[keith52]

Originally Posted by jjcook

I agree with you D.J. SCHULER @ 22 months should not have all these problems lights breaking off , split wood, slide not working, roof leak etc. As far as getting hands dirty i.e. blackwater tank valve (yuck) changing hydraulic line, testing all three slide cylinders. Have done to much work on a 22 month old unit . On the bright side Kelly Ware at FR is having new lights sent to me as a good faith effort which is appreciated.

I haven't read any mention of taking your Silverback to your dealer for any repairs covered under warranty. Did you take it in for any repairs?

[jjcook]

Keith 52 Yes FR took care of the slideout the 1st time it would not come in they had a mobile tech. check it out, naturally it worked fine for him then it worked until out of warranty. They also sent me the replacement hydraulic line so I installed it. Everything else has happened after the warranty was up. Yesterday FR said that they will send me replacement lights for over the table.

[steelpony5555]

If no one can fix the slide get it to Amish RV....they will fix it....

[BigRockr]

When looking for our latest 5th wheel I figured I would go Cedar Creek but in a Silverback (slightly lower end of their product line). I figured there would be a greater attention to detail, as I had seen in the RV show models. Well that was proved wrong. On the other hand, it has the layout we wanted and I remembered something I learned here. "NEVER buy an RV unless you are handy or have a lot of money or both". The entire industry could use some pride in themselves. Two years in and ours is pretty much up to what I would have expected from the factory plus some upgrades. And I like it. I think that happens when you put so much work into something...it becomes yours. Good Luck and have no expectations of a high quality build. Learn stuff here and DIG in!

[prairiecamper]

We have a 2013 29 RE and like it a lot! We had 1 major problem with ours, it was the drivers side slide rear window, upper inboard corner, the window cutout was larger than the window seal and every time it rained the floor below became soaked. A tall ladder and some caulk fixed the issue. With a little quality assurance at the factory this would not have been an issue!

On another note anyone know why the drivers side slide changed to a flat top, ours has the cathedral roof?

[dieselguy]

On Silverbacks aside from the bedroom slide, all of the main drivers side slides have been flat topped . There's not enough room for the cathedral ceiling back there. Plus the microwave and pantry (if equipped) would look odd.