SolAire 317 BHSK

SPPD · 02-24-2013, 07:56 PM

Hi all,
A new Solaire 317 BHSK owner here. My wife and I had a 95 Jayco Eagle 304 BH for the last 9 years. We kept it in showroom condition. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it and I am certain we could have gotten another 9 years out of her. When we bought our Jayco we only had 1 child so it was plenty of TT for us. We now have 4 children and my m-I-l camps with us just about every trip so we have run out of room.
We have been considering purchasing a new TT for the last 3 years, and have settled on a unit and changed our minds every year at our local RV show. This year was no different and we chose to buy a Sport Trek by KZ. 2 days after the show we went to a dealership just to be certain that we were getting everything we wanted. We looked at 3 TTs at the dealer including a Prowler, V Cross, and the Solaire. We fell in love with the SolAire the minute we saw it. It had everything on our need list and our want list, plus a few extras. We got a great deal and will be taking delivery on March 2nd. We are going to store the unit until mid April and will camp for the first time of the season shortly after.
Any one here rolling a SolAire that has any advice for things to look for in this line such as known problems, or things to check before taking delivery other than the obvious ones?

Thanks,

SPPD

SPPD · 02-26-2013, 08:44 PM

Btt!

howellma · 02-26-2013, 09:16 PM

Hi SPPD,
We bought a 2013 Solaire 267BHSK Dec 8th and have made two trips in it already. i have noticed only two things so far, 1st we LOVE ours!! we upgraded from a HTT and we love the trimmed down set up time.... the 1st issue we had was that the awning strip LED lights had some non functioning sections, 4-5, some would blink in and out. Dealer sent me a new strip and i replaced in about 15 minutes. the 2nd thing was the grease fittings in the axles. I like to check the grease before each trip and usually carry a grease gun with me, so the right side of the trailer would not take grease from the gun, would squirt out at the gun connection. after a little trial and error i just replaced the little fittings and presto they take grease and i could see grease coming thru the hub. We are still decorating, ducks all in the bathroom for our grandson so we are still learning the tricks of the trailer. We really love the color scheme, hope it will keep it looking cleaner! we generally camp about once a month somewhere so we will be giving it a work out.

Mike

SPPD · 02-26-2013, 09:29 PM

Thanks Mike,

We have about 9 years camping and the last 4 have been static (parked) on some wooded land we own. We are itching to get back on the road and are looking for a new TV since we sold our Tahoe. Probably going to go with an F 150 EcoBoost or 5.0. We will definitely check the axles at our PDI this saturday. I agree we love the color scheme. Going from a bright white with no gutter extentions (always dirty looking) this unit will definitely stay cleaner looking.

Have a great season,

Ken

SPPD · 03-02-2013, 06:02 PM

Took delivery today! Even more excited for Mid-April which will start the season for us. We only discovered a few minor issues during our inspection but they are taking care of them.

Here are a few pics we snapped today during the walk through.

campingguy · 10-12-2013, 06:09 PM

Very nice unit. We are taking delivery of a 307QBDSK next week. Also towing with an F150.

Curious- how does she tow, particularly as such a long trailer attached to a 1/2 ton?

Any other issues / things you've learned about the camper?

Thanks!

SPPD · 10-12-2013, 07:43 PM

It tows very well! That's about all that's been good with the unit this year. We lost 9 weeks of the season in down time (repairs). This is completely unacceptable for a new unit. We have reassurance from our dealer and palomino that it will be made right over the off season. We shall see! We really love the way this trailer looks and tows, and it has a great floor plan that works well for us. Make sure you buy the 1 year extension of the factory warranty. It is really cheap, and may just save you a bundle if your unit has any issues like ours has.

Welcome to the forum!

SPPD

campingguy · 10-15-2013, 02:22 PM

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope we have better luck.

I have been reading your trip reports...Has the "wavy" appearance of the front exterior worsened?

I agree that 9 weeks lost is completely unacceptable, but I'm glad to see that you have a good dealership to work with.

How do you purchase the second year warranty? At the dealership, or does Forest River send you a mailer?

SPPD · 10-15-2013, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by campingguy

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope we have better luck.

I have been reading your trip reports...Has the "wavy" appearance of the front exterior worsened?

I agree that 9 weeks lost is completely unacceptable, but I'm glad to see that you have a good dealership to work with.

How do you purchase the second year warranty? At the dealership, or does Forest River send you a mailer?

For the second year warranty you ask the selling dealer for the form. I have heard that some dealers will play dumb to try to get you to buy their own warranty. Insist that they give you the form. Fill out the form and send it in to Palomino with your check for $150 within 10 days of buying. Within a week or two you will recieve the processed form back confirming your second year of coverage.

Our issues were primarily water leaks on the roof and windows. Which caused damage to our unit inside the walls. The wavy front cap has gotten worse, but seems to have finally stopped spreading for now. We are on our 3rd set of interior doors for various reasons. The outside kitchen door was leaking really bad and had to be replaced because it warped and would not close correctly. We have had a perpetual battery charging issue. Our bunk room slide became out of allignment and ripped up the flooring when retracting. We had a water line leaking in the outside kitchen. And almost every piece of interior trim has fallen off and had to be reattached at least once. Our dinette booth became detached making it unusable for several trips until it could be repaired. But other than that we have been really happy with the unit lol.

I too hope you have a better experience and for the most part others I have met with the same unit have had a much better experience. Palomino and my dealer have pledged to make it right over the off season so I will hopefully be a much happier camper next year.

Regards,

SPPD

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