Soft Spot in 2014 Columbus Palomino

[gregdane]

I purchased my Columbus used. The selling dealing acknowledged that there were some internal struggles at Palomino that affected the quality control in the manufacturing process which left certain models with too few cross member supports causing the soft spot issue. They tried to remedy the issue by welding a piece of angle iron underneath but this did not resolve the issue. Question? Is this something that Forest River has acknowledged in some capacity, therefore establishing a recall to fix correctly?

[SYE]

Many in our Columbus RV group have had the same issue. The dealers and factory support team have been handling these on an individual basis.

[gregdane]

Thank you Scott!

So is the factory fixing the issue on a case by case basis? It would help to know since most warranty departments are trained to deny, deny, at first.

[SYE]

The factory has been real supportive to our Columbus Owners group. W have over 1600 members and they monitor our group for problems.

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by gregdane

So is the factory fixing the issue on a case by case basis? It would help to know since most warranty departments are trained to deny, deny, at first.

Probably depends on which way the wind is blowing, who answers the phone, or what the balance sheets are looking like at the present time or if Jupiter is aligned with Mars and the Sun. Its an expensive repair if done correctly, and needs to be done at the factory.

Just a guess and personal opinion, but since its a 2014 and your the second owner, I would say you're S.O.L. getting FR to step up. They may be persuaded into doing it at a reduced cost or a discount or something, but I would not get my hopes up.

[SYE]

You never know until you try .....Good afternoon Columbus Family,
If you are in need of contacting us at the factory please use our contact information below.
Email is best, however if it is an emergency please call.

Anyone who is waiting for me or another Columbus rep to respond to you, please send an email with your name, contact info, and brief description of concern. We will be in touch.
This will make it easier to contact us. One email address on phone #

Columbusservice@forestriverinc.com
Main Line 574-821-1487

Thank you all for your continued support to our small, but mighty team!

Cherie Schmucker
Columbus Customer Service Manager

[connellmj]

Hello

I bought a Palimino in February 2017 and it has soft spots in the floor. It is on a pitch in Spain so returning to the factory is not an option. It would also not be cost effective. For a dealer to repair would be very expensive even if they had the experience. To try and repair from underneath is going into the unknown. I think the only way is to repair / strengthen from the top. I mean cover the area with either a thick ply or some other board. The side lifts a minimum of of 1" (25.4mm) when closing so a 3/4" strong ply is an option. For added strength it would be glued to the ply floor. The makeup of the floor appears to be 2 sheets of 1/4" ply with fill a 38mm foam. There would of course be a lot of added weight.

On an 8 year older van this an option, for a 2 year old van probably not.

We love our van a lot and have no intention of selling. We paid $25,000.00 for the van and the only potential problem is the floor. Everything else works fine. My wifes view is when we disappear through the floor we will sort it out. Very sensible I think.

When we have finished with it in Spain we will sell it for what we can get.

We live in it 6 months of the year.

I would like to hear from anyone with the same experience.

Michael & Pat