2004 Grand Surveyor GS290 travel trailer

[Dryflie]

I'm considering the purchase of this 2004 Surveyor and wonder if any of you have opinions or advice on this year and model. I've read about the Dometic recall and also some read a bit on a Clearance Problem some people claim this model has. Any other issues I need to be concerned about?

Thanks
Al

[bobandpatsyrvers]

Well pull up a chair. I have a 2005 GS290. I've had problems with the AC not blowing cold air. Got it fixed several times. And then there was the leak in the front pass through. Fixed it. Oh yeah there was the three blow-outs. Got D rated tires and aligned the axles. Rain leaks from the slide out. The slide out not moving in or out evenly. Got it fixed. Now the slide is starting to rub against the frame and is wearing the plywood flooring thinner. Will get that fixed. The lights flickering. Fixed it. Plumbing problem. Had to fix it while on the road. The clearance problem. Got it fixed by flipping the axles. Various leaks from the ceiling. Still working on it. Shower leaking. Fixed it. The plastic cabinet hinges keep braking. Bought extras to fix them while we are on the road. Various trim on the inside separating. Constantly fixing it on the road. Very poorly insulated so we had to buy electric heaters for the winter travels or else fill up propane tanks every three days. The dining table is very unstable because the screws were short and the plywood flooring very thin. Working to fix it. Circuit breakers not labeled. Trying to resolve that to resolve some circuit breakers tripping. No thermostat control for the refrigerator. Had to experiment to find the right spot for the sensor. Uneven climate control. Had to experiment with closing off various vents to redistribute the air flow. The floor vents were coming loose. Got that fixed. The couch slopes. Still experimenting to fix that. The back slide windows stuck. Got that fixed. Had trouble with the sewer hook-up to empty the tanks. Had the hook-ups remodeled to fix it. Leaks from the sky lights. Fixed it.
Other than that we love the floor plan. LOL
And we still love RVing around the states.

[RASwift]

I too have had my share of problems with a 2005 Grand Surveyor 290. When we saw the floor plan we thought it would be great for our needs. We had roof leaks....fixed them. We had plumbing leaks....fixed them. I had to reinforce the floor under the shower. The worst problem we are facing is the extremely poor design of the slide out on this trailer. I would sure like to know if bobandpatseyrvers have gotten that problem fixed because it seems like you are having the same problem we are having with the front slide wheels chewing into the bottom of the slide. I really COULD NOT reccomend these trailers to anyone. Maybe "light weight" isn't always best when it comes to travel trailers. Love to hear from you bobandpatseyrvers.

[bobandpatsyrvers]

I had my slide-out "fixed" by a RV repairman. He said the same thing you did. The problem is poor design. The frame as designed is aluminum and because of the weight of the slide-out the aluminum frame broke, he replaced it with a wood frame. The frame now moves in and out without a problem but it seems to be sagging a bit up front. I'll be taking it in soon to have an adjustment made to raise the front bottom outside end of the slide-out. When it is pulled in or sent out it seems to be rubbing against part of the track that the rollers follow. This is causing the plywood flooring to strip away. I have notice at one of the forum sites that there is a way to make that adjustment. Hopefully my repair man will make this repair for me without a charge since they worked on this slide-out originally.
I agree with you the quality control at FR is very poor. If you read throughout the FR forum you'll see complaints about the quality of the products that are put out by FR. Most people just accept it as part of owning a RV and take pride in the fact that they were able to solve their latest problem. I do wish FR would do better on these travel trailers that aren't cheap for the most of us. We shouldn't have to repair shoddy quality work while we are on the road or have to take it to a shop and pay high prices to fix what should not have been a problem in the first place.
I like you feel I'd warn friends against buying a FR product or at least have them go into it with their eyes wide open.
I must add that when I did call FR they were often helpful in aiding me solving a problem that I asked about.

[RASwift]

Just out of curiosity how much did it cost to fix the slideout?

[bobandpatsyrvers]

Well I took my GS in today for the adjustment on the slide-out tracking and some other potential electrical and AC problems. I've had the AC worked on several times through out the years here at home (San Antonio, TX) and on the road. I've asked the repairman to check the amp draw on the AC and to put the AC on a separate, stand alone, breaker to keep other appliances from causing the duplex circuit breaker from tripping. These are things that that I feel that needs to be done by a professional. I don't want to come back to my tt and find three sick or dead dogs because the circuit breaker tripped while the wife and I were out enjoying ourselves doing the tourist bit.
The repair on the slide-out originally cost about $1,900 so you can see it was no cheap fix. Just taking it to the shop starts off around $100.00 an hour for the labor by itself.