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Old 12-07-2017, 01:40 PM   #1
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Angry Warning to all owners of Lippert Frames on 5th wheel

If you buy a Cedar Creek fifth wheel you better hope it doesn’t have a Lippert Frame because we have a Lippert frame and the front nose cap over king pin is ripping apart and Lippert says that is with in “normal frame flex perimeters”.
You can literally watch the kingpin pop up and down inside the nose cone of the trailer when towing down the road and that is considered acceptable. The trailer is no longer a sealed unit so water can get in and its not fixable because of the flex but that is considered OK. Cedar Creek at this point seems to be siding with Lippert on this so we appear to be screwed at this point. No one likes to answer phone at Cedar Creek and it appears stand behind their product. Can’t trade it in as dealer would like this addressed first but how can we address it when according to Lippert that its perfectly acceptable. It’s not like we can hide it it’s blatantly obvious to anyone who looks at trailer that something is wrong with it. We have been told by a reputable RV repair place that this trailer has a catastrophic failure somewhere in the frame where the lower and upper fifth wheel come together but not sure where exactly without tearing trailer apart. They said and I quote “your trailer can literally ripe apart at any time it could be today or next year but it will rip apart”. But according to Lippert that’s OK, but guess what they won’t put it in writing and the dealer has to check and see if what little they got out of Cedar Creek they can forward to us because “they work for Cedar Creek”. So we still owe 8 more years on a trailer we bought new and can’t really use due to the fact we can’t trust it to not break apart on us. So much for Cedar Creek and Lippert being good companies. Buyer beware all these companies want is your money and they don’t care about your product at all after it leaves their building.
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Old 12-07-2017, 01:58 PM   #2
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WOW... first post. I will still say welcome!
It was hard to read your complaint without paragraphs and punctuation.

It seems you are speculating about why the body flexes over the pin box because I didn't read where anyone actually removed any body components and verified the frame is "ripping apart."

I can assure you, of the eight 5th wheels we've owned previously, along with our current Flagstaff, I could look out the back window and see the body flexing around the king pin box area. None had catastrophic frame failure.

You didn't mention anything about the year of your unit or mileage but if you have something else going on that (your words)... "it’s blatantly obvious to anyone who looks at trailer that something is wrong with it"... then you need to document these obvious issues and begin discussion with your selling dealer and go up the ladder from there.
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:16 PM   #3
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If they (or anyone) won't document something you need documentation for, you can. Detail EVERY interaction - type (verbal, e-mail, letter, phone call, fax, ...), date and time, name and position, etc. Detail communication - attach a copy if available. Do so as exactly as you can. Maintain extemporaneous written notes of all future communications (recreate from memory past communications - state so in the record). Send registered mail, return receipt. Document each following communication and send as follow up update the same way - registered, return receipt.
I've had good luck getting responses with this method. Recipient may want to get his/her perspective of the communication "on the record".
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:32 PM   #4
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Sorry to hear about your issues........

How old is your trailer, what year?????? Lippert Frames are very common in the RV world.
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Old 12-07-2017, 03:02 PM   #5
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Boy between your selling Dealer,the reputable RV repair place,Lippert,CC Division of F/R,and a Dealer who will not take it in on Trade,this whole thing "Don't Pass the Smell Test"! Was it ever Wrecked? Youroo!! PS I think this might be a "Drive Buy"!
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Old 12-07-2017, 03:33 PM   #6
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With whom have you spoken at Cedar Creek?
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Old 12-07-2017, 03:44 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F.R.O.G. View Post
With whom have you spoken at Cedar Creek?
Thank you FROG Bob for stepping in.

To the OP... here is your opportunity to have someone listen to/help you.
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Old 12-07-2017, 04:15 PM   #8
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Old 12-07-2017, 04:36 PM   #9
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It looks like you got some offers for help, do you have any pics or concrete evidence? Or is it just speculation at this point with flex? I see my KP flexing as I drive down the road, as much as what seems like inches but all is well...
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Old 12-07-2017, 04:39 PM   #10
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I hope you're within 2 years from the build date. As a Wildcat/Lippert frame owner I dealt with the repair of broken crossmembers around the pinbox on my own time and dime. They said out of warranty.
Some flex is acceptable but mine was so bad it moved ALOT just lowering it on the hitch. The only way to fully inspect it is to take down the under sheathing around the pinbox.
Best of luck.
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Old 12-07-2017, 05:01 PM   #11
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Looks like one post and done. Hope the OP gets it resolved.
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Old 12-07-2017, 05:55 PM   #12
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Hey, with Frog Bob's guidance, this will be redirected for correction consideration. This "appears" to be a situation calling for more inspection and expertise than any of us normal issue posters could possibly recommend a fix.
GO FROG BOB!! [emoji106]
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Old 12-07-2017, 09:25 PM   #13
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Unfortunately our trailer is a 2013, we are the original owners. They did pull the sheeting around kingpin box and that was all solid no issues there. They believe the problem is where the two sections upper and lower decks come together. The whole trailer in the front would have to be removed to get to it and the cost to do that would be astronomical plus finding someone to do it. The dealer doesn’t even know of anyone who can do that beside the manufacturer.
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Old 12-07-2017, 09:39 PM   #14
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So I am confused why you would have to tear out a lot of construction most of this can be checked within the front storage compartment and side doors. Look at this picture. This shows how the pieces come together.
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Old 12-07-2017, 09:42 PM   #15
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In response to this not passing the smell test. You are wrong, Trailer was never wrecked.

Done most of our camping within 200 miles of home, with the exception of one trip to Indianapolis India in the first year of ownership to give it a shake down before warranty ran out. The only other time out of state was spring this year. Trailer probably has maybe 4000 Miles on it.

My husband is a semi driver and never towed trailer over 65 miles per hour and follows the rules of the road to the letter and he was very careful with this trailer. We wanted to keep this trailer indefinitely. Pay it off, keep it for family camping and buy a couples only trailer for when it was just us.

When the dealer repair person told me the final answer from Lippert, I asked again about trading it in as they say it is fine and his response was that they would like this problem addressed first before they would do that, but he would pass our info onto sales. Guess what, No Call!

I wish to heck this trailer was in an accident then we could claim it on the insurance, but manufacturer defects are not covered.
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Old 12-07-2017, 09:52 PM   #16
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Trailer is completely emptied and neither place could find where the problem is. Not an RV repair place that fixes damaged trailers and not my Dealer. It’s somewhere inside the construction of trailer. Nothing shows in the storage area or in side doors. Believe me I wish we could find out where it is so we can get it fixed.
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Old 12-07-2017, 09:54 PM   #17
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I would get in there and figure it out if it were mine. Like tetanus said you should be able to get to the failure if there is one. After you find it fixing it should be easy.
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Old 12-07-2017, 09:55 PM   #18
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Photos of the problem would be nice as I am very curious about what may be going on.
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Old 12-07-2017, 10:17 PM   #19
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Don’t take this wrong, I wasn’t expecting people reading this thread to be able to help.

Its between us and manufacturer, there is no quick fix to this issue.

I was just warning people that this can and does happen and to not expect the manufacturer to care cause they don’t. I waited to write anything about this because I was hoping Lippert and Cedar Creek would do what was right and did not say anything until we got the final answer from them.

When you buy something and spend the kind of money you do, you buy these with the expectation you will get a quality product for your money. This trailer was a large expense for us and still is and to be told hey guess what your trailer may be defective but that’s your problem not ours is very upsetting. When we can afford another trailer, we will always wonder will this happen again and that makes us definitely reconsider purchasing another one. We wanted to retire and go full time and now I dont know. We love camping and this is so heartbreaking.

Luckily we are members of a campground so we are just going to have to limp it there and leave it. We always kept it at home when not is use and now that’s not an option, we get to pay for storage now on top of everything else.
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Old 12-07-2017, 10:18 PM   #20
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I tried to post a picture but it didn’t work. I dont know how to do it I guess.
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