Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-16-2015, 03:01 PM   #1
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Any Surveyor 240RBS owners out there?

I'm hoping to find a few fellow 240RBS owners to share experiences, ideas, and solutions with. I poked around the forums but didn't find anything specifically for 240 owners so I thought I would take some initiative and dive in.

We just bought our 2016 a couple of weeks ago and have really enjoyed it. The walk around bed, large bathroom, outside kitchen, and warm open dining area were just what we were looking for.

We've had a few small issues but love the layout. We are recent empty-nesters and this model seemed a little more targeted towards couples who might have an occasional guest or two.

Anyway, I look forward to finding fellow Surveyor 240RBS owners.

Happy trails!
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2015, 12:38 PM   #2
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
OK, So it looks like I might be the only one. I figure I might as well share my experiences, just in case someone might stumble onto this thread.

We've had our trailer for 3 weeks and after our first 2 outings we found a few things that warranted taking it into the shop. Nothing major (we hope), just a few things that need to be addressed. They are:

#1 - One of the cushions in the dinette was 2 inches too short. Not sure how it happened but not having enough cushion to cover the wood base is not only an aesthetic issue but also a potential pain in the ....well, you know.

#2 - This is probably the most worrisome issue. There is a slight floor 'pop' when you step to the right of the door in the interior. When you get down on ground level you can feel a slight 'lifting' just underneath the linoleum. It's a relatively small area but I'm a little fearful of some delamination of the subfloor material. Not really sure what the cause is but if it requires rolling back the linoleum and gluing things back down, it could be in the shop awhile.

#3 - The outside kitchen LED light is wired to the bathroom light switch. So, in order to use the exterior kitchen light, you have to go in and turn on the bathroom light. Obviously a mistake :-) This was a pain because we were always running into the trailer and turning the light back on to use the outside kitchen in the evening.

#4 - A few drawers were missing their latching hardware. This was odd because some had the male component but were missing the receiver.

#5 - The dinette table is 1.5" inches too short to use as a fold-down bed. Not quite sure how they will remedy this. I'm hoping they just installed the wrong table.

#6 - Really minor thing. The labels in the bathroom fan hang down so that when you turn on the fan it sounds like a hive of bees. I could have taken care of this but since it was going in the shop anyway I figured I'd let them deal with it. My neck gets sore when I look up too long.

#7 - The Jensen TV had some dead pixels in the display. Not really a trailer issue but they said they would take care of it.

#8 - The sink plug/screens were MIA. Nowhere to be found. Made washing the dishes a little difficult.


There were also a couple of little issues that I took care of just because I could and really didn't want to wait until it went to the shop. They include:

#1 - The bathroom door handle was installed backwards...so, I could lock my wife in the bathroom but she couldn't lock me out.

#2 - The weight on the pull out sprayer under the kitchen sink was installed on the wrong side of the handle. So, the faucet head wouldn't pull back up into the faucet housing.

So, there you have it. Our first round of issues for our NEW trailer. Nothing too horrible and we really do like the way this trailer pulls and WE LOVE the layout. It fits us very well and we knew from the inception that we would have a list of fixes as we went along.
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2015, 07:44 PM   #3
DnJ
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 21
Well, you certainly did buy a bunch of problems. We have a 2011 SP240, the earlier model of yours, and our problems were minor compared to what you have experienced. Nearly all of the appliances and accessories were installed properly and functioned properly. This is the tenth RV we have owned since 1968, and the quality control on this one is superior to all of them with the exception of an Aljo we owned in the late 1990s. Our trailer was built at the Oregon plant, and I've been told that the quality control there is much better than the Indiana plant.

Anyway, we did have a few problems and modifications. The microwave door would steam up just warming up a cup of coffee. The dealer replaced the oven with a much better unit. The ball bearings that the slide out rides on disintegrated in the first few weeks we had the trailer, and those were replaced by the dealer. We now carry an extra set with us, but the new one are U.S. products and have not failed. As an aside, we have always carried an extra set of wheel bearings and seals for the trailers we have owned. The only other problem was the Concertone CD and DVD went belly up a month after the warranty expired. I replaced it with a Jensen.

We made two modifications. The doors on the cupboard over the dinette opened the wrong way, right in your face. They were rotated 180 degrees. The wood panel in the center of the cupboard was removed and replaced with a piece of plexiglass so you could see what is in there. The collapsible structure the dinette table is on was constantly jabbing our legs, so it was replaced with two standard table stands.

Hope you can resolve your problems and enjoy your trailer as much as we have enjoyed ours.
DnJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2015, 09:24 PM   #4
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 38
We have a 2015 240RBS that we bought last summer. The only issue so far has been that the sink sprayer cracked on the first trip. The dealer was not helpful, but a e-mail to Forest River got it replaced. We like the layout, bath, and outside kitchen as well. I added slides to the upper cabinets and one in the pantry to help with storage.

I do think something is plumbed incorrectly underneath, as our black tank fills up much faster than it should. Not a problem as we usually use hookups so I can empty it as needed but could be an issue if we ever dry camp with it. I suspect the shower is draining into the black tank instead of the gray tank.

One thing we do wish is that were lighter inside. With the tinted windows and not that many windows, its always darkish inside. A skylight would be a nice addition.

Oh and I agree the dinette is a knee banger! They could have done better on that.
Mad Dog 7.62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2015, 11:31 AM   #5
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Thanks for the replies Mad Dog and DnJ! It's good to hear from satisfied 240RBS owners.

I hope I didn't sound too critical. I really do like our TT and the issues have been relatively minor. The only real concern I have is with the floor. If it is a sub-floor lamination issue, a lot of work will be necessary to get down to the problem and repair it properly. So far, service from both the dealer and Forest River have been excellent.

Regarding the 'too small' dinette table, the dealer (Camping World Meridian, ID) has sent the correct dimensions to Forest River for the manufacture of a custom sized functioning table that can be used as a bed. As in most construction, there are minor variances of dimension and our dinette cabinets went about an inch wider than needed. The result was a table that couldn't span the gap and rest on the supports to be used as a bed. So, the options were to move the cabinets or just up-size the table.

It appears that the cushion issue was actually an attempt by our salesman to replace the original cushion (that had a small water spot) with an unblemished cushion from another model of Surveyor. So, while the attempt was valiant and in consideration of our purchase, the end result ended up messing up both coaches. But, they are making it right.

Anyhoo, things are getting fine tuned and Camping World has worked with us to keep the TT available for use while waiting for approvals and new replacement TV's and such. Our other small issues were repaired immediately. We're definitely liking our choice of TT!!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20150927_102054_resized.jpg
Views:	278
Size:	422.4 KB
ID:	90200  
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2015, 12:05 PM   #6
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 38
Hey, I am in Meridian too! We bought ours from Camping World as well but our experience with them was not good at all. I posted a review in the dealer section last year. We only have a few trips to McCall on ours so far but we will be taking it to the Oregon coast next summer!
Mad Dog 7.62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2015, 04:11 PM   #7
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Dog 7.62 View Post
Hey, I am in Meridian too! We bought ours from Camping World as well but our experience with them was not good at all. I posted a review in the dealer section last year. We only have a few trips to McCall on ours so far but we will be taking it to the Oregon coast next summer!
Wow, small world! I've heard a few horror stories regarding service issues at Camping World. I know that they recently restructured their service department. Maybe due to customer complaints?

So far the service has been pretty good. We are currently waiting to get approval from Forest River on the floor issue. Hopefully Camping World will keep things moving. If not I might join the complaint threads. :-)
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2015, 08:05 AM   #8
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 69
We have a new 240 RBS also, I have had a couple more issues than you though. Our first outing resulting in the slide out not working. Had to spend the whole weekend with the slide out in. Our second problem was no pressure in the sink handle, and then a lot of miner issues. We have the some issue with our dinette. Forest River is suppose to be making a new table, its been 2 months, Once the warranty goes out we are going to have a talk with the camping center as too why we have a camper that sleeps 4 but will only sleep 2. Last week we had a bad rifer. IT would not come on with gas or electric. It was repaired and all is good. We have a cushion that has a hard spot where is looks like someone laid something on it and it would not come clean. We are still waiting on the cushion. They are stating that they have to get a whole new set to replace the one. But all in all I love the lay out and have had a blast taking out. Also I cut a piece of plywood and made a table big enough to use as a bed.
philscobra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2015, 08:07 AM   #9
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 69
Also we only have about 3 min worth of hot water for the shower. I don't know if this is normal or not. But will be getting this taken care of shortly
philscobra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2015, 04:13 PM   #10
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Quote:
Originally Posted by philscobra View Post
Also we only have about 3 min worth of hot water for the shower. I don't know if this is normal or not. But will be getting this taken care of shortly
Man! You've had a hard go of it philscobra! I'm sorry for your troubles. Hopefully you can get everything ironed out soon.

We are still waiting for our dealer to get approval back from Forest River to dig into our floor issue. I was told it usually takes 4 to 6 weeks.

The correct dimensions for a newly built dinette table were also sent to Forest River so that they could build us a new one that fits. No clue how long it will take. Supposedly the cushion and TV are in process as well. It's been a little over 3 weeks so far. Hopefully the replacement parts will show up while the floor is getting fixed. At least we can use it while we wait.

Your struggle with the slide on your maiden voyage sounds like a nightmare. Keep us posted as things progress. I'll do the same.
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-07-2015, 12:56 PM   #11
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 69
Will do.


Thanks
philscobra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2015, 02:48 PM   #12
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 69
Well, i found out that our water heater has both electric and gas heating element. Since I was only getting 3 min hot water showers, the next trip out I will try electric heater along with the gas.
philscobra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2015, 12:52 AM   #13
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Ya, when we took our trailer out on its maiden voyage I didn't realize that the water heater had a switch on the tank for electric mode. We were dry camping and when I hooked up the generator to charge the batteries it rev'd up like crazy. Took me a couple days to discover what was drawing so much current when I ran the generator. LOL. The little switch on the tank is easy to miss.

Another thing to check for not enough hot water is the outside shower. I read in another forum about a guy who didn't notice that the hot water for the outside shower was left on because his wife had turned it off with the lever on the shower head instead of at the fixture. It took a few trips with hot water in short supply before he discovered some dripping. Once he shut it off at the knobs, his hot water problems went away. Might be worth a check.
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2015, 02:29 PM   #14
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 38
That little switch on the outside water heater is a bugger to find! I just turn mine off and on at the breaker panel.
Mad Dog 7.62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2015, 03:59 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Cmmjmoore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 176
We have a 240SP and have not had any significant problems other than minor screws not being tight. We were fortunate that the dealer went over every part of the unit to make sure everything worked and couple of minor problems were fixed before we picked it up. Although this is our 6 th year and 2nd RV we still fell like we are new to the experience. From reading other post it seems like along about 2012 the manufacturer made some major quality control changes that improved quality, although you will always have issues because of the human condition. Good luck with your unit and happy camping.



Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums
__________________
2013 SP 240 Anniversary
Tundra CrewMax 5.7L in Pyrite Mica
Clark, Mary Jane & Max our German Short-haired Pointer
(2011-42)
Cmmjmoore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2015, 01:08 PM   #16
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cmmjmoore View Post
We have a 240SP and have not had any significant problems other than minor screws not being tight. We were fortunate that the dealer went over every part of the unit to make sure everything worked and couple of minor problems were fixed before we picked it up...



Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums
It's good to hear some success stories. :-) To be honest, I was expecting a few little tweaks here and there with a brand new trailer so I'm not too frustrated...yet. Most of the issues have been minor. Some problems I just fixed myself. I must admit that the issues that are out of my control are a little frustrating because getting things done (through the dealer) feels like it takes FOREVER.

It has been 5 weeks now waiting for a replacement TV, a replacement cushion, a replacement dinette table, and some sink strainers. We are able to use the trailer just fine but it seems like the channel through the dealer to the manufacturer is crazy slow.

It will be interesting to see how long it actually takes to get the items swapped out. I'm documenting everything and plan to share my experiences (both good and bad) with the dealer and Forest River. The motivation is to help build better communication and service channels, not to simply vent.
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 07:38 AM   #17
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 69
I have been waiting on a cushion now for 7 months, The table has been since July, I am willing to bet I will have to result to having a lawyer get in contact with some one to get the table correct or the cushion. On that note, does any know if Forrest River has an associate that gets on the boards we can talk to?
philscobra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-27-2015, 11:44 AM   #18
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Quote:
Originally Posted by philscobra View Post
I have been waiting on a cushion now for 7 months, The table has been since July, I am willing to bet I will have to result to having a lawyer get in contact with some one to get the table correct or the cushion. On that note, does any know if Forrest River has an associate that gets on the boards we can talk to?
OUCH!! Man, that is REALLY bad. 7 months! I've got giant pit in my stomach right now!

You might already have these but below is a link to the FR plant in Oregon where they manufacturer Surveyors here in the west. I had a question about our table and sent my response via their online form, they responded within a day. Maybe they can help you find some resolutions. There are also some names and actual phone numbers too:

Forest River RV Contact Us - Forest River, Inc.

Good luck.
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-02-2015, 12:51 PM   #19
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 69
Well, We went to the beach for Halloween, Found out the day before we were to leave that the Fridge was not working again!!! This time it would come on, but not cool down. Then all of a sudden it started to work. The would not work anymore. We tried it for two nights, one night on gas only, did not work, the second on electric, still would not come on. I am so tired of having something not work on every trip! This is getting old.
philscobra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2015, 03:26 PM   #20
Member
 
Renderspud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Meridian, Idaho
Posts: 88
Quote:
Originally Posted by philscobra View Post
...I am so tired of having something not work on every trip! This is getting old.
I definitely feel ya philscobra! I'm starting to lose some of my earlier optimism regarding Camping World Meridian. My experience for the last 3 weeks has been straining our relationship

Current update:

Forest River has approved and is replacing the TV, dinette table, dinette cushion, and sink strainers. These were the original issues we discovered and reported mid-September after our maiden voyage. I found out after calling Forest River (about our POPPING floor issue) that these items were submitted mid-October by Camping World and then approved by Forest River 1 week later. We are supposed have these items resolved by the end of November. We'll see.

Meantime, I called and chatted with Jessica in the Warranty department at the Forest River Surveyor plant regarding our ongoing floor fix dilemma.

I was impressed that Forest River called me almost immediately after leaving a message and that they took some initiative in trying to contact the service department at Camping World. However, after 2 weeks, Camping World and Forest River are still playing phone tag. This is just ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!

I must have CONTACT KARMA because I have managed to contact and speak to both parties multiple times, BUT they can't seem to make contact with each other even once.

I've resorted to the 'squeaky wheel' strategy, constantly peppering them with calls and messages while trying to remain polite, optimistic, and appreciative. I'll let you know how well it turns out.
Renderspud is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
surveyor

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:57 AM.