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Old 09-16-2005, 11:41 AM   #1
rene
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Default My Gulf Breeze 23TRS problems....

I originally posted this at rv.net so the following is a copy and paste of that post.

Any comments you wish to make would be greatly appreciated.
-------------------------

We made the jump up from our Viking 1906 pop-up camper earlier this year to a travel trailer that matched what I wanted size wise and what she wanted feature wise. We were so excited to pick up the beast and bring it home. The first night we camped out in the backyard, just to test her out. All seemed great! The next day my mother came by to see what we had just purchased.

I started by giving her the tour. She loved the trailer. But wondered if the rear bed was comfortable. I lifted up the edge of the mattress to show her the thickness of the foam and she noticed something weird. I lifted it again and found a chip bag. No biggie, so I hauled it out and tossed it in the garbage. PDI leftovers I figure... but then I noticed something else under the mattress... water. I checked out the mattress, soaked! I then went on a crusade to see what else I could find. Unfortunately I was able to find a whole lot more then I wanted to. There was water in the channel along the rear of the camper where the plumbing and wiring travels from one side of the camper to the other, the water pump wasn't mounted to anything, water damage on both ends of the dinette seats, etc, etc.

The camper we picked was a Gulf Stream Gulf Breeze 23TRS, So far the dealer has been good and says they will fix everything. Some repairs have been made. The leak is fixed (poor caulking job from the factory around the side slide window). Even our first camping trip had to be cancelled due to the front jack breaking as I was trying to lower the camper onto the ball of the truck on a Sunday. Monday they showed up and replaced the jack (the camper was parked at my brother's house in the same town as the dealer is located).

There's lots of flaws with this camper and I can't recommend this machine to anyone unless they live close to the dealer (I live about 2.5 hours away (and about $100 in gas to drop her off and then another $100 to pick her up) with the camper in tow, 2 hours without the camper, on a good day).

Some other flaws include not being able to secure the door open with the awning open due to the awning support being next to the door and the BBQ that is included has no where to mount on the camper and can't reach under the awning as the hook up is located at the front corner of the camper. The fit and finish in much of the camper leaves something to be desired. Unfortunately when we were buying this machine our eyes didn't seem to pick up on the little things.

I have pictures and captions on my website at http://rene.conneriver.com/gallery/gulfbreeze23trs.

I'd love to hear from other Gulf Stream owners to see if my experiences are unique. I was told by the dealer that the Gulf Breeze lineup was designed and made in a totally new facility. It could be that they are experiencing growning pains and I might just be an unlucky first model year buyer.

The good news is that we did enjoy camping in the camper this past summer. The fridge chills the beer nicely and our dog sleeps like a baby in our bed! Hopefully next year our newborn (crosses fingers) will enjoy camping as much as we do.

Rene and Siobhan (and Max)
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2000 GMC Sierra SLT 5.3l traded for a
2006 Dodge Ram Sport 5.7l Hemi
2006 Gulf Breeze 23TRS swapped for a
2007 Conquest 275FBS and sold.
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Old 09-30-2005, 06:49 PM   #2
rene
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Default Things are looking up...

It looks like almost everything is taken care of with our camper now. I was talking to the service department the other day and they were waiting on one thing, a new tub surround. I can't wait to get the camper and see it for myself. It seems the dealer is standing behind the product 100%. I hope for a perfect summer camping next!

Hey Gulf Stream, if you are reading this... get your inspection team up to snuff a little. There's no need to have someone spend this kind of money only to find these stupid little things wrong with it. On the other hand, if you want to offer me a good paying job I am sure I can be a good inspector/tester for your products!

Rene

P.S. We really did love this camper this past summer, it was quiet, solid and comfortable. It towed nicely and stayed straight behind us at all times. I can't wait to see the 2007's and see if any of my suggestions actually made it to the final product.

P.P.S. I'm going to post this in the wall of fame section as soon as I get the trailer back with all fixed. The dealer service guys (Adventure Sales and Service) will hopefully deserve all the praise I can give them.
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2000 GMC Sierra SLT 5.3l traded for a
2006 Dodge Ram Sport 5.7l Hemi
2006 Gulf Breeze 23TRS swapped for a
2007 Conquest 275FBS and sold.
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Old 10-11-2005, 11:10 AM   #3
CampWinican
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So, how does it look?
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Chevy Express 2500, 5.7L, 3.73
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Old 12-15-2005, 10:14 AM   #4
tonigil
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Default GS problem

Thank God you have a good dealer. Most of our rv friends have not been that lucky. I must say one thing however...,..Did you learn a lesson? Just a suggestion......Next time take a PDI list with you and take your time going through it. A few hours or even sleep in it overnight in the parking lot. Make sure you not only check the things you found wrong with yours but print a list for yourself from the interenet. There are many of them floating around. Add this to your check list for you next purchase, Check the underbelly for rust. Extremely important.
And, stick with your dealer. These kind of dealers are hard to come by.
Lots of luck to you next summer. Happy Trails.
Toni
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Old 05-21-2006, 02:49 PM   #5
rene
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Default Looks like I'm still having some major problems...

I took the unit out of storage a month or so ago, the rear slide won't go all the way out without someone crawling under the dinette seat (which is under the slide!!!) and spearating the cables as they pass over one another.

Should be an easy enough adjustment, but why does it need to be adjusted when the trailer was parked in one spot all winter??

On top of that, the area beneath the rear slide where all the cables and chains for the rear slide are located is soaked with water.

We had some rain over the past day, but nothing to call a considerable amount.

I'm starting to get pissed big time right now, looks like I will be having a heart to heart with the dealer on Tuesday.



Rene
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2000 GMC Sierra SLT 5.3l traded for a
2006 Dodge Ram Sport 5.7l Hemi
2006 Gulf Breeze 23TRS swapped for a
2007 Conquest 275FBS and sold.
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Old 07-05-2006, 08:17 PM   #6
hretherig
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Default Gulfbreeze 23trs

Hello,

I too bought a Gulfbreeze 23trs about a month ago. My trailer is also a 2006. I was wondering how much help Gulfstream has been in your situation. I am in the same situation as you with service. I purchased the trailer from a dealer about 3.5 hours away and do not want to go there for warranty work. I just took my first trip and upon closing my slide heard a lot of water. I did not think much of it at the time because it had rained during the week. I figures it was the water falling on the outside of the trailer. When returned and reopened my slide i noticed that my sofa was completely soaked as was my left front corner of the slide. I would love to know if your 2nd water problem is the same as mine. Well thank you for reading my problems. I hope your trailer woes are taken care of now.

P.S. I wonder is a slide out awning would fix this problem.
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Old 08-09-2006, 01:50 PM   #7
kgbeaner
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Default 23 TRS problems

I can't believe we just found this forum. My husband and I bought a 23 TRS in December 2005 (a 2006 model) and had so many problems on delivery that we didn't actually take delivery until the end of February 2006. The dealer/gulf stream paid for one month of the loan. We used it 3 times this spring and experienced a catastrophic failure of the rear slide when we were 500 miles away from home. We had to cut our trip short and bring the unit to the dealer. The dealer discovered a nightmare of water damage, mold, a slide motor totally dislodged and tangled. Now my husband is not a bozo and he went over the unit head to toe. He discovered that our water pump was never mounted also, and a whole list of other things that he fixed after we took deliver. Then at the dealers we also discovered mold and leaks and problems in the front end. So after one month of negotiations in prime camping season, we are now getting a replacement (and slight upgrade) to a model without a rear queen slide. Gulf Stream was reasonable about examining the unit and working things out with us. We are now awaiting our unit. The fellow who examined our unit was the plant manager of the gulf breeze model, and he readily admitted to serious growing pains in getting the new assembly line in shape. There are also some design changes made in the slide motor for the queen rear slide. Anyway, I seriously recommend taking your issues right to gulf stream and having your dealer back you up. There is only so much you can do. If your unit was manufactured in the "early days," they should be able to work something out with you. Keep us posted.
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Old 08-09-2006, 03:10 PM   #8
GStream40
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Rene,
How about an update to your repairs?

Ron
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Old 08-09-2006, 03:15 PM   #9
GStream40
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kgbeaner,

Welcome to Gulf Stream Owners RV Forum.

Sorry to hear about your problems, but glad that Gulf Stream has stepped up to the plate to make it right with you.

I too have found that in the last four years and two different coaches, that Gulf Stream has been very fair and taken care of any problem that has came up, even when our coach was out of warranty because they believed it was their mistake with our windshield.

Hope you have your new replacement unit soon.

Ron
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Old 08-09-2006, 04:56 PM   #10
kgbeaner
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Default 23TRS replacement

Thanks Ron for the welcome! So far Gulf Stream has been fair with us. I only say "so far," because right now we are waiting on the "swap guy" to find an appropriate replacement unit (based on our verbal agreement confirmed with a follow up in writing) and give us a status report. It's been about one week, but in all fairness, he's been out of the office for most of this week. We just really can't wait to get the new unit and pick up whatever camping plans we are able to salvage for the rest of the season. But after our experience, we are being cautiously optimistic that Gulf Stream will continue to treat us right with the new unit and keep their promises. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and we don't have the pudding, yet. KG
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Old 08-10-2006, 12:52 AM   #11
kgbeaner
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Default Re: 23 TRS problems

[quote="kgbeaner"]The dealer discovered a nightmare of water damage, mold, a slide motor totally dislodged and tangled. Now my husband is not a bozo and he went over the unit head to toe. He discovered ... [quote]

I just reread this portion of my post, and the meaning is confusing. I meant to say that ... "Now, [as in a pause and to emphasize that] my husband is NOT a bozo..." Before we did anything with the unit and went on our first trip, he de-winterized it and also went over it head to toe and found the unmounted water pump... etc." My husband was meticulous, and he's an experienced machinest/welder with good mechanical aptitude. He fixed these things and although he was "not pleased," he found no visible water damage anywhere or any other signs of danger. IT was a hidden problem that was developing in the queen slide box and back wall of the camper. There was no visible access to the slide mechanism in ours (early 2006 models) and when it refused to budge electrically or physically on the third trip (after testing it prior to leaving and working fine), he removed the couch and crawled into the back wall space where the motor was supposed to be and there he made the discovery of the total mess. FOllow up at the dealership to collect our personal items and then 3 days later with the GS former plant manager, revealed worsening water damage and mold that had suddenly become apparent all over. The trim and cupboards (made of that composite material with white laminate strength type paint) and dinette materials was soaking up water through the floor ALL THROUGH OUT THE CAMPER. The interior of the camper was swelling from the floor up and bursting through the white paint stuff. There was mold in the front end at the back of the wardrobe and we didn't even search for the mold in the slide mechanism. (I was getting sick from the mold-allergic asthma). THe hidden back wall, supports and structure was all warbled and swollen from water. The slide was hanging downward without any support. The slide railing which it should travel along was pulling out from the dinette wall (discovered during inspection by the former plant manager). There were now water stains evidence on the roof of the slide box that we questioned seeing for the first time on our ruined trip...but weren't sure. And the list was growing. This was very stressful for us.

However, I have to emphasize that so far we have had good dealings with Gulfstream and they are working with us in a fair and timely manner. They seem determined to provide us with a good unit, and gave us an explanation for what happened and explained how they have since corrected the problems that resulted in our particular unit. It helped that our dealer's service manager backed us up very diplomatically but with solid documentation and has a good relationship with the manufacturer. We really look forward to getting in some camping, once we get our replacement travel trailer.

KG
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Old 08-11-2006, 01:55 PM   #12
kgbeaner
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Update: Gulf Stream contacted (by email) and said they have located two possible trailers that meet our requirements. They don't plan on taking one off the line for us, but will be "recalling" one and going over it at the factory for us. So far, so good. Can't wait to get back to our plans!
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Old 03-12-2007, 11:43 AM   #13
rene
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Default Somewhat late update!

Long story made short:

Brought unit back, offered a replacement. Dealer inspected replacement with a fine toothed comb and fixed all issues it found. I went to pick up new unit (Each time I go to the dealer I spend about $100 in gas), lift up rear mattress and find water. Refuse new unit, manager is pissed at the whole Gulf Breeze situation and we pick out a Conquest 275FBS. It arrives a week later and we make another round trip to pick it up.

So far no major issues with the Conquest other then it's size (I like pop-ups!) We have had a few minor fit and finish issues, but nothing serious.

We are looking at moving to a hybrid now. I hate towing this house. When I brought it home I was alone... if my (then) 3 month old son and fiancee were with me I would have unhooked and left the conquest sitting by the road due to the way the wind was tossing me around.

I have also heard that the manager of the plant that made the Gulf Breeze units has been fired. Maybe this will help improve the quality on these models. I'll never have one again, unless it was given to me.

Rene
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2000 GMC Sierra SLT 5.3l traded for a
2006 Dodge Ram Sport 5.7l Hemi
2006 Gulf Breeze 23TRS swapped for a
2007 Conquest 275FBS and sold.
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