Just bought Columbus 320 RS

[dbuster]

Love the look of the trailer. Love the décor. Love how it's equipped.

I'm a bit worried, now, about the build quality, though.

Went to pick up the trailer and, during the walk-through, the guy at the dealer found several problems, including a malfunctioning 6-point leveling system and a seal on one of the slide-outs that was about 2 inches short of running the full length of the slide-out. That was among several other, much smaller concerns.

I'm glad the dealer's guys are conscientious, and I have great faith in their ability to fix the problems, but I'm left just a little nervous about having traded my pretty-close-to-trouble-free 2011 Crossroads Cruiser 325CK for a Forest River product that I couldn't even tow off the lot when I went to get it.

I wonder what that says about the quality control on these products. I mean, how does the guy installing the seals at the factory NOT realize that the seal has come up 2 inches short? And, if he realized it, how does he NOT make sure it gets fixed? And how does the guy at the end of the line who inspects these units not notice that the levelers don't work properly or that the seal on the slider is too short?

Must be a non-union shop.

[Glennb]

We are picking up our new 320RS on Monday. We are also trading a almost trouble free 2011 Crossroads Cruiser. Hope we will be bringing it home after the PDI. Its scary after reading all the things that go wrong right out of the factory. But it is nice and everyone seems to love them even with the problems. Good luck to you and us with our new 320s Glennb

[jackdi]

We full time in our 320rs Columbus thinking about trading for a Columbus 365 as that is what wife likes. We will never own any thing other than a Columbus it has been awesome. It is a 2014 had 2 problems they were small taken care of ASP. We bought ours from Cheyenne RV in Iowa will uy there again they have been great. Any questions let us know

Jack Dianne
Go Hawkeyes.

[SammySabre]

I had a great buying experience and warranty proceeds refunded via Cheyenne also. They consistently gets good reviews. Do they still give out a rose and a bottle of bubbly?

[jackdi]

They did us. We worked with John he was awesome no pressure sales. First time we went there John came out asked if we wanted him to show us around or if we wanted to look our self loved him not pressuring us.


Jack and Dianne
Go Hawkeyes

[Tigerbug]

We picked ours up in March (new) and have used it for 7 trips so far I think a total of 25 days.

My thoughts:
The trailer design and layout works great for us. We travel with two Australian Shepherds and being able to move the island around really helps. Pulls like a dream and gets compliments every time we use it.

The issues:
Some minor and others will be a significant repair. I should also say that our dealer has been pretty lousy with service and that is a whole other story.

Since we picked it up the trailer has been back to the dealer I think a total of 6 times. We store outside and the trailer has been in the dealer lot almost as much or more than at storage which we continue to pay the monthly fee.

Issues:
-Bubbles in the decals that just won't go away
-Radio in the storage bay would turn on, work for 5 minutes, then shut off. Dealer finally replaced after 6 week time to get the replacement in. To replace took 15 minutes
-Loose drain spouts at top of the trailer
-Drawers that continually slide out during travel. Have been adjusted many times and still move.
-The drawer under the stove broke, the glides broke the wood where they were screwed in and simply dropped to the floor. We had only stored minimal items in there so weight should not have been a problem.
-The shower handles came off during a hot weekend of camping. How they attach seems less than quality. I think it is basically a double stick type of foam tape. When it gets hot they soften and the handles fell to the floor. So far we have not reattached. Shower works without them.
-Our shower has hairline cracks in the walls. We missed on walk through as they are hard to see but they are there, but the first time we used it both my wife and I noticed. To fix we either remove the entire shower which will require the kitchen wall to also be removed or we have them do repairs at each hairline crack which I think there are at least 4 of them. It is usable but over time with travel they will most likely grow in size the same way a crack in a windshield grows over time. We will opt for the fiberglass repair rather than replace and hope they can match it color wise so they are not visable but blend in. We will leave the trailer with the dealer at the end of the season for this repair.
-Headboard had a cut mark and will be replaced this week as the trailer is back in the shop.
-Tail lights more problems than I can share. I have a brand new 2014 F350 and this trailer was brand new as well. About a month ago when we went to leave the campground we checked the lights and we had no brake lights on one side, no turn signals at all, no hazard. All that we had was the solid red running lights. I checked and a fuse was blown on the truck which I replaced and the lights then worked so we could get home. Since then we continue to have the same issue each time we check the lights before travel. My Ford dealer tested the truck ( I have the trailer package) and said the plug receptacle was working fine after multiple tests. When I pressed he went ahead and replaced it as a favor. Still had issues when connected to the trailer. The trailer is in the shop now to fix this but I don't have high hopes. They had it before and said all worked fine after they tested which is why I pressed the Ford dealer to replace the connector in the truck. I should find out today what the Columbus dealer has to say as they have had the trailer since last week. Unfortunately lights are not simply cosmetic and I cannot use the trailer if they are not working. We hope to use again this weekend but at this point its 50/50 if we can.

The list is a bit longer but I am typing at work so that's all I have time for now. We love this trailer and simply want to get all the issues taken care of so we can camp and forget about it.

There are some positives of course:
-Storage is great, we travel lighter than most and still have not used many of the cabinets.
-Central vac makes it so easy to clean after use, especially with two dogs.
-6 pt level system is really nice. I liked the hydraulic system on the Cedar Creek we looked at better (faster, stronger) but having any type of level system makes dropping the unit so much easier.
-Bed sleeps nice, we did put a foam pad on top which helps and I have serious back issues so when I say a mattress sleeps good it is saying something. (We did not upgrade the mattress when ordering)
-Large shower is really nice, comfortable
-There are others but not enough time to list.

Would I buy again yes and every trailer has issues. Part of our problem is the dealer. If they were on their game I think most items on our list could have been handled the first time we dropped it off. The shower is the biggest headache and had we caught it on the walk through we would have had them build us another trailer.

All for now, I will check back in tonight to see if anyone has any questions I can answer.

Tigerbug

[jackdi]

Sorry for your problems but the dealer could be you problem.
Our radio did the same thing our dealer overnighted a new radio
radio and told me where to go get it put in but I did it myself.
We bought ours from Cheyenne RV in Iowa they are awesome any problems we have had which were minimal have been taken care of ASAP. We fulltime so they have hooked us up with a shop wherever we have been. I will never buy from anyone else that is for sure.


Jack and Dianne
320rs Columbus
3500 Dodge
Living our Dream

[Goukcats]

If your dealer had done the prep they are paid to do, they would have identified those items prior to the delivery date & had them repaired prior to delivery. We ordered a 320 on Feb 5 of this year. It is a 2015 & we picked it up on 5/03. The dealer found a few small items that they fixed. We did a trial 3 day trip & then went on a 2 month trip out west. The ceiling fan died & the fenders cracked because of excess vibration. These items have been ordered. Everything else works great & we are at Cave Run Lake, in KY, at this time. We have spent 11.5 weeks in ours since 5/03 & love it. QC could definitely use some improvement but they seem to be average or better than industry standards.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by sammysabre

i had a great buying experience and warranty proceeds refunded via cheyenne also. They consistently gets good reviews. Do they still give out a rose and a bottle of bubbly?

yes !

Turbs

"sabre owners united"

[dbuster]

Well, we picked up the trailer from the dealer after they replaced the too-short seal above the kitchen slideout and took the rig on its shakedown cruise for three nights.

We experienced one night of heavy rain and the slideout didn't leak a drop, so it looks like the dealer did a good job, as I figured they would.

Everything in the trailer worked fine, except for one tiny problem that took about five minutes to fix. The fittings at the ends of the hot water and cold water low-point drains leaked a little after connecting to the campground's water system. Took off the fittings, applied a little plumber's Teflon tape and carefully tightened and that took care of the problem. I don't think they had been tightened sufficiently at the factory.

We tested pretty much every system except the furnace and the water heater in gas mode. They all worked great.

We have one design quibble, though. The bike rack on the back of the 320RS has an eye bolt that rubs against the rear of the coach when the bike rack is folded up. It rubbed a tiny bit of the white paint off the rear. Again, it's a simple fix if you have one of these racks on your trailer. We cut a piece of swimming noodle just a little longer than the bolt (maybe 3 inches) and jammed the hole in the piece of noodle over the bolt. Perfect! Swimming noodles are like duct tape -- no end to the uses.

The unit towed beautifully. It actually seems to tow more easily than the 2011 Crossroads Cruiser 325CK we traded in, even though the Columbus is 2 or 3 feet longer, several inches higher, 4 inches wider and almost 1,000 pounds heavier. And we thought the Cruiser towed pretty well!

Happy camping to you all!

[SYE]

Originally Posted by dbuster

Well, we picked up the trailer from the dealer after they replaced the too-short seal above the kitchen slideout and took the rig on its shakedown cruise for three nights.

We experienced one night of heavy rain and the slideout didn't leak a drop, so it looks like the dealer did a good job, as I figured they would.

Everything in the trailer worked fine, except for one tiny problem that took about five minutes to fix. The fittings at the ends of the hot water and cold water low-point drains leaked a little after connecting to the campground's water system. Took off the fittings, applied a little plumber's Teflon tape and carefully tightened and that took care of the problem. I don't think they had been tightened sufficiently at the factory.

We tested pretty much every system except the furnace and the water heater in gas mode. They all worked great.

We have one design quibble, though. The bike rack on the back of the 320RS has an eye bolt that rubs against the rear of the coach when the bike rack is folded up. It rubbed a tiny bit of the white paint off the rear. Again, it's a simple fix if you have one of these racks on your trailer. We cut a piece of swimming noodle just a little longer than the bolt (maybe 3 inches) and jammed the hole in the piece of noodle over the bolt. Perfect! Swimming noodles are like duct tape -- no end to the uses.

The unit towed beautifully. It actually seems to tow more easily than the 2011 Crossroads Cruiser 325CK we traded in, even though the Columbus is 2 or 3 feet longer, several inches higher, 4 inches wider and almost 1,000 pounds heavier. And we thought the Cruiser towed pretty well!

Happy camping to you all!

Have you got pictures of this bolt, I do not have one on mine???

[Tigerbug]

Finally got through to the dealer in the afternoon. They replaced the headboard which was the good news.
Regarding the tail lights, they tested and now agree it is a problem with the trailer. They replaced the plug and that was not the issue.
They now think there is a pinched wire somewhere between the pin box where is goes into the trailer under the bedroom and possible down through the front under storage area.
To fix they will remove the front fiberglass area under the bedroom so they can get at the wire.
Problem is we are scheduled to use this Thursday and they are not sure if they can fix in time. Most likely will have to cancel the trip which our daughter and her family were going to join us before she heads back to Pharmacy school. It was her only weekend so that will be a loss if we do have to cancel.
Does anyone know the name of a factory rep I can talk to to discuss the multitude of issues we are having? Do they have a specific name, nnumber, email address. Our dealer has turned out to be rather worthless and I'd like to discuss beyond them.
We have our big trip planned for the first week in September in the mountains near Asheville. All trips prior were to get used to the trailer, test all functioning parts, before we headed such a distance to Asheville.
Frustrated you bet, but we will get through this like anything else in life. At least until this lighting problem kicked in and remained a problem, we have been able to use the trailer.
Tigerbug

[Tigerbug]

To Goukcats:
We are in the Cincinnati area and always looking for places to go in Ohio and the connecting states. I saw you mention Cave Run Lake, may I ask where you camp when you are there? Can you provide any details as to what is good/bad about the site/area?
Also have you been to Carter Cave Kentucky?
We have reservations in late Sept. at the state campground. Happy to take offline if you prefer so as not to derail this thread completely.
Tigerbug

[dbuster]

Originally Posted by SYE

Have you got pictures of this bolt, I do not have one on mine???

Would love to post pic, but software isn't user-friendly enough to make that an easy thing to do.

Here's a description in words, though, in case that helps.

The eye bolt is about one-third of the way in from the right edge of the bike rack as it sits folded against the back of the trailer. When the rack is deployed, the eye bolt sits in a square support post that is designed to be locked into place in an upright position. It provides support at the very rear of the bike rack for bikes or whatever cargo you are carrying.

[ky joe]

Tigerbug.... You will love carter caves very nice park with lots of things to do its our most favorite campground the sites along the putt putt by the main road are the best

[SYE]

Originally Posted by dbuster

Would love to post pic, but software isn't user-friendly enough to make that an easy thing to do.

Here's a description in words, though, in case that helps.

The eye bolt is about one-third of the way in from the right edge of the bike rack as it sits folded against the back of the trailer. When the rack is deployed, the eye bolt sits in a square support post that is designed to be locked into place in an upright position. It provides support at the very rear of the bike rack for bikes or whatever cargo you are carrying.

I know what bolt that you are talking about, mine has about 8 inches of clearance when in the stored position.

[Tigerbug]

Ky Joe:
Thanks for the confirmation of Ky Caves. It gets plenty of positive feedback when doing a search. We are really looking forward to going there. We just did Hocking Hills (4th time) and always love going there. I am thinking Carter Caves may be similar possibly even cooler.
Picked up the trailer from the dealer last night (our repair history is now three full pages long). Lights are functioning again. The wires were run from the front down the left hand side back to the tail lights. One wire was getting pinched by the kitchen slider and finally failed. Still have to go back as they have to order a replacement for the left tail light as not all bulbs are lighting properly (LED's).
Guess it makes sense that I have to go back AGAIN as our dealer just cannot get it right.
Lastly they promised they would get it washed for me as part of the service. NOPE still has the bugs and dirt from the last trip!! Customer service just doesn't exist with this dealer.
Tigerbug

[ks1151]

We have a new 320 as well, having ordered it Feb 26, but it didn't get to Las Vegas Camping World dealer until June 28th. We were scheduled to leave on 3 month summer trip July 1st and had to go w/o a thorough test cruise. Did go for one night to local park where we found a/c's and 4-dr stainless refer could not keep up with the heat. 106F that day and refer cooled only to 59F and both ac's only to 88. Both ok overnight after sun went down. Next day at our house running our 15K a/c w/ Honda generators, living area actually increased temp from 94 to 98F as day progressed. I did find a lot of foam chunks in each of the vent ducts blocking air flow. Took it to CW in N. Cailf where they sat on it for 9 days after scheduled appointment and didn't even look at it. After reading them the riot act, they finally checked it out only to tell me everything checked out fine. Well, if outside temp is less than 100F and both a/c's are allowed to run all day, they keep up. Since we leave Vegas in the summer for cooler weather, so far a/c's ok and refer now works fine, cooling from 34--40F.
Other issues this trip are with windows. Both double hung ones in living area have a sprung latch allowing only one side to catch the retaining hole. Since manufactured placed a screw thru the lower retaining hole on each window, have to fully open windows to catch one slide and retain window in open position. Two windows with the metal slides have sprung to point they bend when trying to close (really flimsy construction) so takes two people to close--one outside to support metal and other inside to close window. BR escape window plastic retaining latch snapped first time trying to close. CW said minimum 3-4 weeks to fix. Bought the part on E-Bay and fixed it myself.
Bedroom door mirror bottom frame support fell off while traveling and mirror slipped down and is now wedged cock-eyed in frame. Can't reset it w/o taking frame all apart, but doesn't move anymore either.
Lino floor covering does not lie flat--has visible ripples. I know it's suppose to flex but visually is not very appealing.
Most surprising problem was kitchen sink backing up after a month on the road. CW PDI folks did not tell us we had a second gray tank and should have had a 2nd drain pull valve. We thought we were draining grey from pull in the control compartment. Folks on this forum told me what to look for. Discovered underbelly pull handle next to drain line had fallen out, probably during transport from manufacturer to dealer and dealer didn't catch it. Bought the part, pulled back the underbelly membrane and installed it myself. Holding in place so far during transit and can now drain kitchen tank.
Minor problems, but aggravated with dealer for sloppy PDI process and lack of service acumen. Cannot and will not recommend anyone buy from Camping World. I've dealt with three stores with this coach and all have been equally bad. They push during sales process to become part of the "Camping World Family". It's not worth it.
We winter store unit in the Bay Area of N Calif. If anyone has a good service facility in that area, please share.
Still love the design, floor plan, features and pull of our 320. One design issue I would suggest to manufacture is to put in a two-way lite switch at the bottom and top of stairs to BR for ceiling light above the stairs. Hiding it with the multitude of switches in the control panel is not only inconvenient but dangerous. Coming down the stairs at night in pitch dark is a slip and fall accident waiting to happen. I've come close to falling several times.
KS1151

[kssportsman]

I bought one yesterday and will pick it up Friday. Loved the features. My wife is short and loves the lower microwave and the 4 step entry. The residential refrigerator sold us.

[jackdi]

We sure were lucky had a few minor problems called my dealer
Cheyenne RV in Iowa they told me where to take it, as were in AZ
and they fixed it in one day. As I have stated before Cheyenne RV has been awesome we just had the plastic casing on our water filter bust they overnighted one at no cost, and we have owned it for 1 1/2 years so warranty was no good. We fulltime in ours travel with 2 horses and love it. Hope you get it fixed and enjoy it as much as we have.

Jack and Dianne
320RS Columbus
3500 Dode Ram Diesel
Fuulltimers
Living our dream