Weather radio and slide out leaks

jakampin · 07-16-2011, 12:37 PM

We just bought a brand new 2011 Grey Wolf 26RL travel trailer and having huge issues with the weather radio going off all of the time and then it stays on and drains the battery. Yes, we could put a disconnect on the battery for power but if we're out camping somewhere and gone all day we'll come back to a drained battery. The dealer has provided us directions from the manufact. to program it, but nothing works. We've been fighting with this for 2 months now.

Then the slide out keeps leaking. We called the dealer asking for a full refund and she was shocked. She is going to have the service center contact call us on Monday. We even purchased a 2 year warranty. Water is getting behind the seal on the slide out and running in towards the camper living quarters and then all over the floor. The carpeted trim going around the furniture is also soaked. There is currently water pooling on top of the slide out.

Any suggestions on who to contact to get someone to listen to us for a full refund or replacement. Or recommendations on how to resolve this issue??
We haven't even taken it camping yet.

grhodes50 · 07-16-2011, 03:11 PM

First of all....

to the forum!

Believe it or not, but the problems you mentioned are not uncommon with a new trailer. You are probably going to run into a few more. After the "new trailer bugs" are worked out you'll probably end up with a very good trailer.

Give your dealer and FR a chance to fix things. FR is pretty good at taking care of warranty items. Dealers, well that can be a different story. Hopefully you have one that will take good care of you.

Good luck and happy camping!

ken0042 · 07-16-2011, 05:52 PM

What is the make and model of the radio? There may be people here who don't have the same model of trailer; but have the same radio.

jakampin · 07-16-2011, 06:39 PM

Touch Audio
VD-400i

crocus · 07-16-2011, 07:19 PM

I take it that you have the camper set up at home, with the slide extended?
Is the camper level?
Is the flap part of the seal folded out properly?

Or is the slide in, and still leaking?
If so, is the gap all around the slide even? If the gap is uneven, then the seal might not be compressed enough in one place, and that would allow water to get in.

I know how you feel, after spending a ton of money on a brand new product, one would not expect such glaring problems.

firedaniel · 07-16-2011, 07:20 PM

Check every plumbing fitting on the trailer! I had 6 joints leaking on mine.

Good luck

Daniel

jakampin · 07-16-2011, 08:26 PM

The slide out was in and for the most part level. I have not checked the seal i just assumed it was sealsed properly.

crocus · 07-16-2011, 09:28 PM

We cannot assume anything with these new campers.
Quality is definitely NOT job 1.

It is possible that the slide was simply not retracted all the way. It has to compress that seal quite a bit to be watertight.

boubou · 09-06-2011, 10:22 PM

Did you figure out what happened to your radio?
mine just came on it's own today, alerting the neighborhood of a (non) weather alert :/
running off the battery only.

ken0042 · 09-06-2011, 11:19 PM

The one thing that has worked for me with the radio is to tune to a station you don't get on the weather band. Then go back to FM, and shut the radio off.

You mention a non-weather alert. Last time I had mine tuned it came on for a storm warning 150 km away.

youroo · 09-07-2011, 06:30 AM

If the W/R was working properly wouldnt you want it to come on and alert you of bad weather? Even if you were asleep! Youroo!!

ken0042 · 09-07-2011, 07:07 AM

Yes, if it turns on to give you a weather warning in your area- that might be a good thing.

The problem as I said earlier- it will come on to tell you of warnings hundreds of kilomtres away. So how many false alarms does it take before you start to ignore them? Odds are somewhere in my province there will be some weather warning on any given day. This time of year- does it matter to me that there is a frost warning 300 km away?

Ovair · 09-07-2011, 07:13 AM

I have a weather radio at home that has nothing to do with my camping life.
It came on all the time for stuff that didn't matter (flash flooding in another state?). Pain the the....
I unplugged it and took the batteries out of it.
After weeks of being fed up with it, I reprogrammed it. It now only comes on when the weather warning/watch actually pertains to where I am located.
Now it is useful and I leave it on.
The programming can be tricky.

Big Dawg · 09-07-2011, 03:51 PM

We have a 2011 Cherokee 28bh, we had a leak in our slide out at the sun roof. The dealer took great care of us, and we have been happy with our purchase. Give them a chance to make things right. I agree with previous post, you have to work through the bugs to make sure you have a great camper.

mg0427 · 09-07-2011, 04:12 PM

If weather radio doesn't use S.A.M.E. codes for the countys you are in you will get any weather alert thats tranmitted on the channel your radio is on even for other states, If it's a problem call the manufactor or read the manual on how to turn it off. Or if it will take S.A.M.E. codes go to NOAA and get them.
I will not be with a programable weather radio in the camper.

Michael

bodzcampers · 09-28-2011, 11:05 AM

I would surely be upset with that water. Water is a nightmare and so damaging. I support your decision to get a refund or replacement. How do you know what isn't already rotting from all that water. And, will your carpeting that is soaked ever look new again? Will the padding be damaged permanently? Most importantly, will the carpeting or anything hold the water long enough to start the rot process?

bodzcampers · 09-28-2011, 11:09 AM

Also, document, document, document....if you have persistent problems, they will have to refund you via the lemon law. See law. It's very clear.

essness · 09-28-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

The one thing that has worked for me with the radio is to tune to a station you don't get on the weather band. Then go back to FM, and shut the radio off.

You mention a non-weather alert. Last time I had mine tuned it came on for a storm warning 150 km away.

This is the instruction in the relatively useless manual for the Touch Audio unit.
Basically, tune to a W.B. station that is not local to where you are, and you will not get alerts. You have to do this everytime you move the RV.

My wife and I left for a week (with out the RV) and did not tune it off the local station after bringing it home from the last trip. When we came home, it was on and may have been all week! There needs to be a more "user friendly" method of turning alerts on and off.
We will completely replace this unit next year, as we find it overall clumbsy, cheap, and all around difficult to use.

ken0042 · 09-28-2011, 12:09 PM

Agreed Scot- I wish there was a better way. Last week I had removed the power from my trailer to do something, and the radio reset. I came in later that evening to find the radio on; which seemed odd because this time of year the weather is quite stable around here.

I went to Environment Canada's website and found the reason; there was a frost warning 100 km away; in the mountains.

KENRO · 09-28-2011, 06:15 PM

I have the 400i. It came on often and LOUD. Had calls from people blocks away. Had to drive 100 miles one way once to shut it off. I appears certain frequency signals turn it on and up. FIXED THAT! It has a quick disconnect in the back that I unplug when not in use. But, I leave the access panel off anyway, so it's not a problem for me.

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