What to look for

[itsjustus]

Good Morning All

were almost the proud new owners of a 2023 Riverstone Legacy 42FSKG its on its way from the factory to our dealership. we had a generator installed and two additional solar panels. so, I want to ask the community, what items they have found wrong with their unit, we are going to stay at the dealership for a few days to check out all the systems, they have a nice park with a pond! my plan is to do a couple of trial runs setting up and breaking down and a few short drives to get comfortable with how it pulls. just a little longer than the 28-foot work trailer I have been pulling for years. any input on things I should look for while I'm still at the dealership would be greatly appreciated. i will keep everyone posted on how it goes. Thanks.

[5picker]

Welcome to the forum, I see it is your 1st post!

Your plan of staying over and checking things out is a good one.
As to what one might find... could be anything.

If you spend any time on R/V forums you'll find that anything and everything has been mentioned as having issues. Some may pertain to you and many will not. My point, asking what could be an issue will get you many mentions that might not even be an issue for you.

Go over YOUR unit during the PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection/Customer Orientation) and note anything YOU feel is an issue. Go over every system and appliance. Do the same in the days of staying at the dealership. If you are not comfortable knowing what to look for, there are independent inspectors that could help you out.

Word of caution... DO NOT sign the final papers until you've done a PDI and noted any items that need repaired/replaced. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of buying but many dealers (not all) are only after your money and could care less afterwards.

We know nothing about YOUR dealer so this is only a suggestion.

[itsjustus]

5picker. thanks for the info. been looking over this forum, so much information out there. spent the last 35 years driving all over for work. never really stopping to see anything. now semi-retired. time to enjoy things. we have been overwhelmed with the amount of kindness and information we have been given by full time Rv'ers. I will keep posting my experiences as it might help others.

[KennyGolub]

Our issues:

Grey water tank sensor never worked since day one.

Shower seat plastic caps were broken, preventing them from staying against the wall

We had three flat spots on one tire. Was probably caused by a locking disc brake when being delivered.

Entrance door never worked right. Had to slam it, so we ended up holding the latch open whenever we close it and releasing once the door was pulled in.

One leaky window that would sweat inside.

Others have reported the connections for the clothes washer were loose, causing water spillage.

That's all I can think of right now. If you do have issues, try and get them resolved through your dealer. Austin VanBuren at FR is pretty useless. Some folks say he did all right by them, but if you look hard, most report they had to find someone else at FR to take care of any issues.

Good Luck !!

.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Word of caution... DO NOT sign the final papers until you've done a PDI and noted any items that need repaired/replaced. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of buying but many dealers (not all) are only after your money and could care less afterwards.
.

Do NOT sign the final papers until all repairs have been completed. Once you sign the final papers, you're at the mercy of the warranty/service department. You might have to come back when the repairs have been completed, but it's worth it. Then when you camp in their rv lot, you'll hopefully only find small items that are easily fixed.

Congratulations on your upcoming purchase and welcome to the forum.

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin. There is a PDI checklist under the Library tab above. Scroll down to 'most popular files' and print one off to take with you. Disregard the parts that don't pertain to your camper. Tell your dealer ahead of time that you expect your unit to be hooked to water and electricity so you can check out all systems. Most dealers provide full LP tanks so check anything that uses LP. Word of caution, make sure your water heater is full of water before checking to see if it operates on electricity. Bring along a night light to check every outlet. A way to check USB plugs too. A flashlight is a must to check under cabinets and under shower for any leaks, etc. Don't let them rush you through the PDI. Anything you don't understand have them repeat it. Maybe record the winterizing process on your phone. It also helps if you can bring along someone who has and is familiar with RVs. NO camper is built perfect, be prepared for that. There will be things that need attention before you sign the final papers and drive it off their lot. Depending on weather in Texas after the PDI have them rewinterize you rv.

Hope all goes well during the PDI and enjoy your 2023 Riverstone Legacy 42FSKG.




2023 Riverstone Legacy 42FSKG

[Albertaslim]

Check the dates on your propane tanks and tires.

My 2017 RiverStone came with January 2013 dated propane tanks and March 2016 G114 tires.

[itsjustus]

one more question? Checklist anyone have a good go to place to get these?? looked in the library here most of the stuff is a few years old. with all the new stuff coming out inthe industry looking for something a little more current. Thanks

[TennTom]

Never used a checklist, but that's not to say I shouldn't have. Good idea but I have been around a bit. Did my own walk through.

The hoses used for the washer are a bit longer than need be and have a tendency to kink with pushing it into it's location. The cold water line on mine was kinked and I had dealer replace it. They were going to reposition it but I told them no. Once kinked it's weak. While they replaced the line I did the last few check like all AC working and then the heat pumps. Cranked up the furnace and then connect water after the line was replace and checked out the on demand water heater. Other than the water line issue, I only had to air up all the tires.
One thing I dismissed at first was no hood over the stove. Thought that since they changed the ceiling it was omitted. After bringing it home I found that it was still supposed to be installed and had the dealer ship me one. Key to installing it, another person or some 2x4's to hold it up.
Take your time, make sure it's right. You will enjoy it.
One other thing, if you have a bike get The Biker Bar! No more straps. The only reason it took me an hour to install was I took measurements multiple times just to ensure I got it in the right spot.

[cincia]

I second what others have said about don't sign the final papers until after you've done a PDI check and had them fix things. And don't let them rush you - take your time. When we did our PDI we had a notebook and post it notes that we wrote things down in (some people use a video camera to record the PDI). After the salesman showed us the tt we asked for some time alone in the tt to look around without any pressure. Any place that we found something needing fixed we marked it with a bright post it note (writing on the post it note what we felt needed repaired). For the outside stuff we wrote it down in a notebook and made a copy to give to the salesman. we also wrote down all the repairs needed in our notebook so we could check them later when we came back to pick up the repaired tt. It took them a couple of days to make all the repairs (not that many but we weren't in any hurry to get the tt). Once we went back in we checked all the repairs in our notebook to make sure they were all addressed. Worked well for us. good luck

[RamManMN]

Only thing I can add that hasn't already been mentioned is to hope for a rainy day when doing your trial period. Our dealer didn't have a place to park like yours so we used a county park a few miles away. The second night there was a thunderstorm and we discovered the roof leaked around both A/C unit. Luckily we found this out up front. Our dealer has a great service department and fixed it right away so we were ready for our first trip.

Another item is to check your truck and trailer weights when fully loaded as you would for a trip. I didn't see you mention what your tow vehical is but it's amazing how fast you can get over weight.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by cincia

I second what others have said about don't sign the final papers until after you've done a PDI check and had them fix things. And don't let them rush you - take your time. When we did our PDI we had a notebook and post it notes that we wrote things down in (some people use a video camera to record the PDI). After the salesman showed us the tt we asked for some time alone in the tt to look around without any pressure. Any place that we found something needing fixed we marked it with a bright post it note (writing on the post it note what we felt needed repaired). For the outside stuff we wrote it down in a notebook and made a copy to give to the salesman. we also wrote down all the repairs needed in our notebook so we could check them later when we came back to pick up the repaired tt. It took them a couple of days to make all the repairs (not that many but we weren't in any hurry to get the tt). Once we went back in we checked all the repairs in our notebook to make sure they were all addressed. Worked well for us. good luck

I doubt if the dealer will let them use the trailer before signing the papers.

Even if everything on the PDI passes, there will be things that are overlooked. Make sure the dealer will fix anything ( in writing) you find in a timely manner. Too many horror stories of brand new units taking months to get repaired.


When we bought our 22RR, we found cabinet handles coming loose and the shower door sweep ripping. The door was out of line and not noticeable till the rubber sweep ripped. They had the trailer for three weeks before they even looked at it.

[Bamamax]

As already mentioned you have not listed the dealer.
1) before you do the PDI and sign the papers tell them
You need some alone time (without salesman).
Look at everything and anything. Open all drawers, cabinets, hatches and doors.
2) check all outlets and even the thermostat are installed correctly.
DO NOT let them tell you “ oh that’s an easy fix”
3) if the dealer is camping world then double check all of the above. CW charges a Fee for to fix anything wrong that should have been fixed before it ever left the factory.
4) do not be embarrassed to ask any question.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by Bamamax

As already mentioned you have not listed the dealer.
1) before you do the PDI and sign the papers tell them
You need some alone time (without salesman).
Look at everything and anything. Open all drawers, cabinets, hatches and doors.
2) check all outlets and even the thermostat are installed correctly.
DO NOT let them tell you “ oh that’s an easy fix”
3) if the dealer is camping world then double check all of the above. CW charges a Fee for to fix anything wrong that should have been fixed before it ever left the factory.
4) do not be embarrassed to ask any question.

Didn't know CW charged the customer, but it wouldn't surprise me. They even charge for things they don't fix.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Bamamax

As already mentioned you have not listed the dealer.

1) before you do the PDI and sign the papers tell them

You need some alone time (without salesman).

Look at everything and anything. Open all drawers, cabinets, hatches and doors.

2) check all outlets and even the thermostat are installed correctly.

DO NOT let them tell you “ oh that’s an easy fix”

3) if the dealer is camping world then double check all of the above. CW charges a Fee for to fix anything wrong that should have been fixed before it ever left the factory.

4) do not be embarrassed to ask any question.

Are you saying CW is charging customers for warranty work?

[Bamamax]

Originally Posted by gw1800

Didn't know CW charged the customer, but it wouldn't surprise me. They even charge for things they don't fix.

The units will be missing different things on the lot. Saw some missing thermostats , trim , latches on the outside storage compartment.
When you mention to the
Salesman that these are missing they will say “ that’s what the PDI is for”. Then when you question the $1500 “dealer prep” charge they will
Say that “it covers the repairs that have to be made” and when you say “ well I’m not paying to fix something that should have never left the factory” the response is well then you have to fix them yourself. WALK AWAY !
CW will also try and charge for a battery ( which if you look at both the brochure and the sheet from the factory that list includes items ) you will see that Battery is an included item. Also they will charge you about $100 to fill the propane tanks ( which once again are listed as included).
Also when negotiating the price of you are having to buy a hitch that the setup is included AND if you already have a hitch that they will set it up to to the proper level as included in the deal. (Or they will charge you extra to
Setup the hitch they just sold you.
Last note on CW about 3 years ago we were looking at a unit and while the sale
Price RV Show special was $3k less than the independent dealer 3 miles away by the time they presented us with the paperwork their unit was $3500
Over the other because of all their fees and add one.
We walked away. Ok so RANT over

[gw1800]

When I bought my TT from an independent dealer, the battery was already installed, the propane tanks were both full. Went over the PDI and everything was filled out. I double checked the list and everything on it was in place and correct. They had power and water hooked up showed us everything worked. They then put the hose and power cord in the storage bay, along side the starter kit.

No extra charges for the battery or propane or dealer prep. These may have been included in the price, but no surprises when we picked it up. The original contract also showed the tax and registration fees.

One of the few times we were at CW, the salesman was walking around the store with a new buyer buyer pointing out things they needed to add to the sale.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Hmmm ? been 12 days now for the OP. Wonder how it all turned out ?

[itsjustus]

Thanks everyone for all the info. for starters we didn't buy from CW. i did go to a few of them and just didn't like the vibe at CW. the one thing i have learned is that buying a RV is a lot like a combination of a car dealer and buying a house.. for the past few months my work had me driving all over the place so as i was passing thru a town i would stop at an RV dealership I knew what I was looking for and the price I was going to pay. i have been doing this since i was 18 buying a car i would walk into a dealership, tell them what I wanted and how much i was going to pay. put that info on a business card and tell them to call me when they wanted to make a sale. I usually takes.
me a few months but I get what I want at my price. I started looking back in October 2022 and finally found a dealer willing to work with me. once my deal is done i will post my final experience with picking the unit up. only bad thing so far is just lack of communication. a simple phone call or text daily would that be too much to ask. good news or bad, that's fine just keep me in the loop as to what's going on. i took a little longer than what i was first told because i had some things added at the factory, two additional solar panels, 5500w generator. and a few other small things that Riverstone said they could do for us. we have our PDI scheduled for Tuesday now 4-4 was a mix-up on transporting it down here too Texas. first driver brought the wrong unit.

our first trip is already planed going to reno to get my stuff out of my apartment there
then take 2 weeks in AZ first. see how everything works. i will keep everyone posted and pictures.

[itsjustus]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

Hmmm ? been 12 days now for the OP. Wonder how it all turned out ?

well, the wrong unit was delivered. and with the storms in Indiana they needed a few extra days to add the additional items I wanted added. our PDI is scheduled for Tuesday 4-4 now I will keep everyone posted on how it goes and pictures of all the things I find wrong. I'm a contractor built a few homes in my day and remodeled. to many to count. also, Automotive Tech there not going to like me LOL.