Just bought a new cougar 281bhs 2.5 months ago. right off the bat the shower leaks through the sidewall and almost floods the bedroom, the shower door leaks because they didn't seal it all of the way, the water lines leaked in the main forward storage compartment because they were barely hand tight, there is a piece of stripping coming off the wall by the main door, and the latest and greates: We just had about 2 inches of rain and I noticed the carpet at in the slideout was damp. Then found water in the pantry. Lower bunk was wet and there was a lot of water in the storage compartment under the lower bunk. Found that the lower bunk window is missing about 5-6" of sealant around it. What should I do. The nearest keystone dealer is 200 miles away. Can't believe a brand new trailer would have this many problems. Is there a Lemon Law for RVs? How far should I complain and What results should I See from my complaiints? Has anyone else had problems Like these. Any Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Problems with brand new cougar
- Thread starter cougar281
- Start date
Re: Problems with brand new cougar
Welcome to the forum. Have you made a punch list and gone back to the dealer to have the things taken care of. Water problems seem bad when it happens but are normally easy fix's. For lemon laws you must be without the RV for a whole bunch of time, sounds like you need to get the unit back to the dealer for the fix. I've seen far worse problems with a new 45' DP that is supposed to be top of the line and 100's of thousands more $$$$$. Give the dealer a chance you have a good brand.
LEN
Welcome to the forum. Have you made a punch list and gone back to the dealer to have the things taken care of. Water problems seem bad when it happens but are normally easy fix's. For lemon laws you must be without the RV for a whole bunch of time, sounds like you need to get the unit back to the dealer for the fix. I've seen far worse problems with a new 45' DP that is supposed to be top of the line and 100's of thousands more $$$$$. Give the dealer a chance you have a good brand.
LEN
Kirk
Senior Member
Re: Problems with brand new cougar
I would agree that the best thing to do is to return it to the selling dealer. And don't wait too long as leaks can destroy the integrity of the RV. As to the lemon laws, that depends upon what state you are in. You can learn about your state's laws by visiting the following link:
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/rvll-site/
I would agree that the best thing to do is to return it to the selling dealer. And don't wait too long as leaks can destroy the integrity of the RV. As to the lemon laws, that depends upon what state you are in. You can learn about your state's laws by visiting the following link:
http://www.ohiolemonlaw.com/rvll-site/
try2findus
Senior Member
Re: Problems with brand new cougar
Cougar281, we all feel your pain. We bought our new unit in New Mexico this year while on vacation. Our new Jayco Grey Hawk had several things wrong. The generator was sending fumes in to the coach which set off our alarm; the kitchen faucets wouldn't turn on; the bathroom door is warped and won't close properly; the screen door rubbed terribly on the bottom of the exit door; there was a leak underneath which they determined was the grey water leaking out; nails poking through; TV cabinet kept flying open while driving; refrigerator door trim was hanging off and several other punch list items.
The only Jayco dealer was in LA was Stevens RV, in Lafayette, LA over an hour away. They kept it 3 weeks when they called saying it was ready. After driving to go get it, we find that they actually only repaired the leak coming from the generator, the strip on the fridge, said the other parts were on order and they were awaiting approval from Jayco to repair the grey water leak and the warped door.
We refused to go back to that dealership and got Jayco to authorize us to bring it to Dixie RV in Hammond, LA. They do not currently sell our model, their mechanics at Dixie RV DID manage to repair everything but the warped door. (Jayco shipped the wrong one.) They did a much better job than the Jayco dealership.
Call your manufacturer and tell them you will not drive 200 miles to have warranty work done. Tell them you will find a reputable dealer in your area and insist on having the warranty work done there. Give them a chance to work out the problems but no doubt you certainly have the right to be concerned about water damage. That is one thing that would scare me to death. The proverbial leaking slide is why we opted to go slide less.
Good Luck!
Cougar281, we all feel your pain. We bought our new unit in New Mexico this year while on vacation. Our new Jayco Grey Hawk had several things wrong. The generator was sending fumes in to the coach which set off our alarm; the kitchen faucets wouldn't turn on; the bathroom door is warped and won't close properly; the screen door rubbed terribly on the bottom of the exit door; there was a leak underneath which they determined was the grey water leaking out; nails poking through; TV cabinet kept flying open while driving; refrigerator door trim was hanging off and several other punch list items.
The only Jayco dealer was in LA was Stevens RV, in Lafayette, LA over an hour away. They kept it 3 weeks when they called saying it was ready. After driving to go get it, we find that they actually only repaired the leak coming from the generator, the strip on the fridge, said the other parts were on order and they were awaiting approval from Jayco to repair the grey water leak and the warped door.
We refused to go back to that dealership and got Jayco to authorize us to bring it to Dixie RV in Hammond, LA. They do not currently sell our model, their mechanics at Dixie RV DID manage to repair everything but the warped door. (Jayco shipped the wrong one.) They did a much better job than the Jayco dealership.
Call your manufacturer and tell them you will not drive 200 miles to have warranty work done. Tell them you will find a reputable dealer in your area and insist on having the warranty work done there. Give them a chance to work out the problems but no doubt you certainly have the right to be concerned about water damage. That is one thing that would scare me to death. The proverbial leaking slide is why we opted to go slide less.
Good Luck!
DL Rupper
Senior Member
Re: Problems with brand new cougar
Sorry to here about your problems. Keystone has been a fairly reliable manufacturer. I agree, take it to the dealer. If you pursue any state lemon laws you will have to document how many problems and how many times you took it to the dealer and how many attempts the dealer made to fix it.
Sorry to here about your problems. Keystone has been a fairly reliable manufacturer. I agree, take it to the dealer. If you pursue any state lemon laws you will have to document how many problems and how many times you took it to the dealer and how many attempts the dealer made to fix it.
SnowbirdInFlight
Senior Member
Re: Problems with brand new cougar
I really don't think it's any ONE manufacturer that makes shoddy RV's. I think it is ALL of them. Pride in workmanship has gone down the tubes over the years. Plus now that RVing has gained so much popularity the factories are cranking them out. They just don't care about the product they crank out any more. Sad.
I really don't think it's any ONE manufacturer that makes shoddy RV's. I think it is ALL of them. Pride in workmanship has gone down the tubes over the years. Plus now that RVing has gained so much popularity the factories are cranking them out. They just don't care about the product they crank out any more. Sad.
Grandview Trailer Sa
Senior Member
Re: Problems with brand new cougar
Actually there are several manufactures that are not doing as good as they used to. I have been told that Keystone is one of them. With the rising cost of ALL materials they use, they are doing everything possible to keep the end cost down, and that sometimes leads to shortcuts.
Not ALL manufactures are doing this, some are raising prices and we will see what that does to them in the long run.
Actually there are several manufactures that are not doing as good as they used to. I have been told that Keystone is one of them. With the rising cost of ALL materials they use, they are doing everything possible to keep the end cost down, and that sometimes leads to shortcuts.
Not ALL manufactures are doing this, some are raising prices and we will see what that does to them in the long run.