Columbus Problems - Page 3

1jeb289 · 08-21-2012, 07:17 PM

The basement radio antenna on my unit is fastened to the top of the basement ceiling at the basement door.

eisbell · 08-21-2012, 07:45 PM

Ours is one of the first 2012. Our table did come loose first time out but they fixed it. Kept telling us there was a leak in black tank so they replaced it. The spongey floor was fixed on the table side. Bryan at FR told our dealer how to fix it and it seems good now. Bedroom ac was very loud with vibration so they added grommets which helped but after we cut out openings for air to move to all the ac vents we notice bedroom ac is loud so we will talk to dealer about this. The only problem we have now is the trim came loose on slide by door and need to have a new ski added there, then we noticed a bubble in flooring but we will forget about it. So far it does not bother us and you only notice It when the light hits I just right. Don't want them to redo floor because they wont be able to run it under cabinets so.... And one more thing looks like kitchen sink has a few rust spots. So hope you have a good dealer not like ours. Slow as molasses because we really love it. Our dealer was so slow Bryan told them to put it back together so we could take it out so we took two more trips. Now when truck gets out of the shop we will take it back for the last few things. Good luck and happy camping

Earth Station · 08-21-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eisbell

Ours is one of the first 2012. Our table did come loose first time out but they fixed it. Kept telling us there was a leak in black tank so they replaced it. The spongey floor was fixed on the table side. Bryan at FR told our dealer how to fix it and it seems good now. Bedroom ac was very loud with vibration so they added grommets which helped but after we cut out openings for air to move to all the ac vents we notice bedroom ac is loud so we will talk to dealer about this. The only problem we have now is the trim came loose on slide by door and need to have a new ski added there, then we noticed a bubble in flooring but we will forget about it. So far it does not bother us and you only notice It when the light hits I just right. Don't want them to redo floor because they wont be able to run it under cabinets so.... And one more thing looks like kitchen sink has a few rust spots. So hope you have a good dealer not like ours. Slow as molasses because we really love it. Our dealer was so slow Bryan told them to put it back together so we could take it out so we took two more trips. Now when truck gets out of the shop we will take it back for the last few things. Good luck and happy camping

The bubble I thought I had in the floor ........... well kind of disappeared

. For the rust spots in your sink... I laid a cheap cast iron frying pan in it overnight and had a HUGE ring. I took baking soda and made a paste..... applied it and left it for awhile and then just scrubbed it right out!!! We love our Columbus!!!

joelek · 08-21-2012, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1jeb289

The basement radio antenna on my unit is fastened to the top of the basement ceiling at the basement door.

I'm 6'-3" so no wonder I didn't see it. Time to get on knees and look up with a flashlight.

Regarding rust, hardwater stains, etc. in sstl kitchen sink, try bar keepers friend with a no scratch 3m sponge. Again, use the no scratch version of sponge.
BKF video
Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser - YouTube

eisbell · 08-22-2012, 09:44 AM

I use bar keepers at home on my glass stove, etc and tried it. The little dots of "rust" was noticed after ours had been at the dealer for three weeks and when I first noticed it it looked like something had been dripped in the sink or like a bug had walked through something and when I cleaned it it left these dots like rust. I will try to put bar keepers on as a paste and let it sit for awhile and see if that works. The bubble in our floor showed up after the dealer fixed our spongey floor like something had been moved against it and it caused a bump like when you move the island. We love our Columbus too, just hope retirement comes fast, May 2013 so we can use it a lot more.

cdrdevine · 09-23-2012, 09:09 AM

First 5th wheel. Was looking for something less expensive but fell in love with the Columbus (320) as soon as we saw it. Took possession in March 2012. Now the problems:
1. Spider cracks on the front cap; going to be repainted under warranty
2. Strap for island broke in transit, luckily nothing was damaged; have replaced the $2 factory strap with an heavier tie down
3. Plastic strips across ceiling bowed (X3)
4. My wife thinks the floor is kind of thin; I hadn't noticed
5. Awning motor burned out
6. Shower door came loose in transit; again, no damage
Looking to work out the bugs and get RVing. Glad I bought an extended warranty. Cheers!

crasher · 09-23-2012, 09:32 AM

Sounds pretty minor except for the cracks. Make sure it is not structural and just paint before you accept that repair.

redfinaddict · 09-23-2012, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdrdevine

First 5th wheel. Was looking for something less expensive but fell in love with the Columbus (320) as soon as we saw it. Took possession in March 2012. Now the problems:
1. Spider cracks on the front cap; going to be repainted under warranty
2. Strap for island broke in transit, luckily nothing was damaged; have replaced the $2 factory strap with an heavier tie down
3. Plastic strips across ceiling bowed (X3)
4. My wife thinks the floor is kind of thin; I hadn't noticed
5. Awning motor burned out
6. Shower door came loose in transit; again, no damage
Looking to work out the bugs and get RVing. Glad I bought an extended warranty. Cheers!

Welcome to the Forum fellow Columbus owner! Don't wait so long to post next time.
2. Strap for island broke in transit, luckily nothing was damaged; have replaced the $2 factory strap with an heavier tie down
I have allways been concerned about the light straps on the island. Was it the strap or a plastic clip that broke? Was there heavy braking when this occured? I guess I need to replace the light straps before I find out for my self. We make sure to lock all four wheels too.
6. Shower door came loose in transit; again, no damage
Another of my concerns, we have a really plush, cushy floor/bath mat between the basin and toilet that I pick up and lay across the shower bottom rail when we are in transit. I figure if the latch were to bounce up the mat would keep it from sliding hard forward.

It is getting perfect weather here for camping and we plan to take advantage. We have had our share of bugs to work out, but it seems to be the same with all manufacturers so we deal with the problems and then get back to enjoying our Columbus.

and

cdrdevine · 09-24-2012, 06:07 PM

Yup, it was the plastic clip that broke and I think we avoided disaster because we always lock all four wheels as well. Like your solution to the shower door and will do something similar. Thanks. Lived in Corpus for two years and San Antone for five and loved it. Friendly people, good food (even Bill Miller's and Taco Cabana), and great golf. Here in St. Louis because of our 4 y/o grandson but brother's in Houston so we get back there once in awhile.

johnemt · 10-28-2012, 09:42 PM

Wow!!!!! what a flurry of negativity, Well let me say this we purchased the Columbus 365RL this year after looking at many 5th wheels and actualy owend a couger 5er, and 5 tow behined from verious manufactuer and they all had some problems Oh Mr Montana, we checked out your camper line and ran from it because i would never pay 90,000 or more for a camper that is made out of the same material as our 50,000 couger both a keystone product. What i mean is that you think you purchased a high end camper but it is built the same way as our cheaper couger with the same products,and i am sure you have your owns set or problems. So do not throw stones at things you know nothing about. As i said earlyer i have been pulling campers for 20 years. so i do know what i am talking about when it comes to a well made camper. and there is no such thing as a perfic made camper.
After running from the montana and looking at other high end camper, we walked in to the columbus it was love at frist sight with the layout and dacore, I did look deeper and saw Lippit components,Dometic,Suburban,LED lighting,tank heaters,GE,Toshiba,gell coat,1000 watt surround sound, a Roof that a 250lb guy can walk on with out sagging,my floor does not sag when i walk on it,injected foam insulation that will not sag over time, christ i can go on but got to get up early. WE have done 9 trips this year,1,150 miles and 42 days living in our columbus and my only problem is my black tank water valve leaks. Now i am not saying i will not have other problems down the road and you will too, but i am pretty impressed with columbus so far.

ritzyteach · 10-28-2012, 10:50 PM

Johnemt, thanks for the good comments. You and Earth Station are bright spots in the negativity...which leads me to believe most happy owners are too busy camping to take the time to let us know. I really appreciate that you both have taken the time, despite your happy use of the rig. So looking forward to picking ours up...

redfinaddict · 10-29-2012, 07:04 AM

"Flurry of negativity" It seems to me to be mostly an exchange between ''happy" owners of the Columbus line about solutions to minor problems, that all manufacturers have. I see more positive than negative in finding solutions for owners and letting manufacturers know about problems that may need to be addressed for future owners.

Learning about the issues others have had may help new owners to find something that needs to be addressed by their dealer during the delivery inspection or may help them to avoid a problem with everyday use. I was one of the early buyers but I had enough information from the few others that bought before me to have a very short list issues to look for when I took delivery. I certainly thought of it as a positive.

Maybe there isn't enough praise for what is right about the Columbus line. Maybe someone should start a new thread for those posts.

rjshiflet · 10-29-2012, 09:06 AM

Count me among the MORE THAN PLEASED owners of a Columbus. We've had ours 7 months...a couple of minor adjustments plus an AC replacement for noise (not a Columbus problem but a Dometic issue) - and we certainly are happy, loving our Columbus.

crasher · 10-29-2012, 09:16 AM

I've got a week to go before mine is built, so I'm on pins and needles. Hopefully I get the benefit what has been learned from the early models.

Frankly though, from what I've read, very few folks have issues with the manufacturer - it's almost always the dealer who is the weak link in the process. Choosing a good dealer is as important as what brand you select.

Patrickdana · 10-29-2012, 04:45 PM

My columbus black tank also leaked. I found that it can be adjusted at the t handle. Mine no longer leaks.

joelek · 10-29-2012, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrickdana

My columbus black tank also leaked. I found that it can be adjusted at the t handle. Mine no longer leaks.

It simply was not shutting off all the way? Sounds like an adjustment issue if so. T handle bottoms out in water panel too early. One of mine is leaking also. Thanks for info.

Happy with my 320RS till end of season set in.
Gonna be a long winter.

lgray · 10-29-2012, 08:25 PM

My experience closely mirror’s Redfinadict’s. Our model is early production 2013. Even then the factory was monitoring issues and making changes. My biggest problems have been with my dealer and then the default factory authorized dealer. Neither of which were capable of completing the rather extensive repairs, that are no longer issues for others as they have now been corrected on the production line. Saturday I took my 320 RS to a repair shop outside of the dealer network, capable of completing the repairs. All indications are that the warranty work will be authorized and repairs made accordingly. I will let you know.

Patrickdana · 10-29-2012, 08:38 PM

Correct, it was not completely closed when the t handle bottomed out. After much looking I accidentally discovered the large nut at the base of the t handle would adjust the bottom out point. As I turned the nut the handle came out some when I pushed the handle back in the leak stopped. That was several dumps ago and it still does not leak. We are full time since August this year. Prior to that. We were 5-6 months camping each year. We really like our Columbus 325rl.

joelek · 10-29-2012, 08:50 PM

That's what this forum is all about. Thanks Patrickdana.

Earth Station · 10-29-2012, 08:56 PM

I haven't told you all just how much I love my Columbus lately!!! We have one more trip before the dreaded pink juice!!! Then the countdown to spring begins...... along with all the planning! Hoping to get to the rally next year and seeing some of the other Columbus owners!!! Already -- excited for next year!

You may also like: