Problems With 2014 317 BHSK

[Ed and Janet]

Hi everyone, we are new to this forum and we just joined to see if anyone else is having problems with the 317 BHSK similar to what we are experiencing. A little background - we purchased our 2014 317 BHSK in August 2013 and have been enjoying it for almost a full year now. We don't tow our trailer, it remains on a site at a trailer park.

The first night we had our trailer we experienced a leak from the front outdoor storage compartment which resulted in a puddle on the floor beside the bed. The dealership quickly responded and replaced the seal and we have had no problems with that since.

This season however, we have had numerous problems with the trailer.
1. The water heater was not functioning properly (this has been fixed under warranty)
2. One of the speakers over the sofa was not working (has been fixed under warranty after waiting for a new speaker to be sent by the manufacturer)
3. Some of the windows were not fully sealed on the outside (has been fixed under warranty)
4. The black mesh covering the underside of the front slide out was falling off (has been fixed under warranty)
5. Trim was falling off in the back bedroom and the dinette / living room area (has been fixed under warranty)
6. The closet/pantry door is warped (bowed) - this has been inspected and documented by the dealer and we are currently waiting for a new door to be sent by the manufacturer and installed by the dealer under warranty
7. Numerous cupboard doors have defective clasps - the dealer has inspected these and we are waiting for these to be replaced (dishes actually fell out of the cupboard over the sink and smashed - the trailer has not been moved since it was set up by the dealer on our site last year and the vibration from the air conditioner was the only thing causing any movement in the trailer at the time it happended as we were outside sitting on our deck)

The problems noted above were relatively minor flaws, but this weekend we noticed some major problems. We arrived at the trailer on Friday night following yet another rain storm and noticed that both of our slide outs have water damage at the bottom on the right side (the side that faces the front of the trailer) but the left sides are fine on both slide outs (we have pictures and will try to post them tonight). The bottom of the trim is wrecked and has expanded and pulled away. The carpet was wet in those areas but a thorough inspection did not find any other wet spots on the walls, trim, or carpets. We have also noticed a mold/mildew smell in the cupboard under the kitchen sink - we first noticed the smell a few weeks ago and have been cheking for leaks but have not been able to find any. We put a damp tramp under the sink last weekend when we closed up and there was water in it when we returned this weekend.

We will be contacting the dealer in the morning (unfortunately they have been closed for the long weekend and cannot be reached until tomorrow) as our manufacturer warranty expires in a week. We just wanted to know if others are having the same problems that we are experiencing (especially in regards to the leaks) as the dealer we purchased from has not been the best to deal with this year and we have really had to push to get them to come out and do the work. We are just really concerned with potential water damage in the walls that we can't see and want to make sure it is repaired correctly. If anyone has had this problem with leaks, did FR take the trailer back and make the repairs at the factory? We're just not sure how that works especially since we are in Canada and FR is in the US.

[Ed and Janet]

The first 2 pics are the trim in the back bedroom, and the next 2 pics are the trim in the living room slideout.

[Glendale 290]

We had the same problem this year with our 2013 269 BHDSK. If you have Schwintek Slides, water can run in along the slide rail and ruin the trim because it is MDF particle board. We cut ours out on the bottom and replaced with real wood 3.5 inch square door trim corner trim and painted flat black to match the corner trim at the top of your slide. If the real wood gets wet again it won't get ruined.

Really all manufacturers have to re think where they use MDF and the probability that water may come into contact. The seals around the slide rails may need to be checked for proper fit too.

Good Luck.

Lou

[billt01]

We have had pretty good luck with our 2013 317 BHSK...The dinette wall that separates the couch from the dinette separated from the bench seating...looks like the put about 4 staples to attach the bench seat to the wall...I used 4 inch and a half sheet rock screws and separation no more....had an issue where the vinyl wall in the shower was not too secure to the wall...kinda wavy...This would allow water to get behind the wall...that was fixed by the dealer under warranty..lost an awning arm first trip out...the carefree water auto-dump feature....yeah no so much..had a screw that was poking out below the dinette..when the slide came in, it scratched the vinyl.

If you don't have them...get some slide toppers...we have had "sideways" rain at the lake this summer and not a drop inside.

This is a travel trailer though..the parts that are used are used to keep the trailers light..therefore you sacrifice "sturdiness".

These issues have not affected the fun we have had at the lake this summer. I do understand you want to get what you paid for though

If you want to read about some of the things I have encountered, you can search my posts...