2007 Kingsport
01-16-2007, 09:44 AM
Let's see. A few of the problems that I have found on my 2007, Kingsport:
1) Got the trailer home and started to stow my gear. Lifted up the front bed to access the storage area under it and the gas shocks that hold it up broke off. Well, the shocks themselves didn't break, but the mounting blocks that they were attached to broke off from the OSB lid. Fixed it with some wood glue (no glue used at factory for some reason) and longer wood screws (the factory screws went up from the bottom through the mounting blocks and into the OSB lid, but were only able to penetrate about 1/8" because they were too short) to secure the blocks to the lid properly. BTW - I screwed the mounting blocks down from the top of the lid so that the screws got a good 3/4" bite into the mounting blocks. The screws are hidden from view by the bed's mattress.
2) Went camping the first time and the cable TV wouldn't work. When I was using the antenna, got some very snowy reception, but that was to be expected at the campground. But, when I connected to the campground's cable, there was nothing on the TV. Took the TV outside and connected it directly to the campground's cable and everything worked fine. Took me a while to locate the problem, the factory never connected the cable (for cable TV) to the splitter located in the wall behind the TV shelf. Found the cable buried in the wall, put an F-Type connector on it and hooked it up, works great now.
3) For some reason the shower curtain liner was at least 12" too long for the shower. The excess liner would just bunch up in the bottom of the shower and trap water. Took it out, trimmed it down and reinstalled.
4) The window blinds in both the dinette and the upper rear bunk get "squished" by the mattress / seat cushions. I am going to remove the lower mounting points and move them above the mattress / seat cushion to solve this problem.
5) The owners manual for the trailer is useless. Doesn't tell you exactly where the various systems are located, or how to operate them. Yes, the dealer went over everything with me, and I took copious notes, but still had to figure out a couple of things myself that should have been in the owner's manual (ie the exact location of the FW tank drain valve, which had its drain hose kinked when in the open position - rerouted the drain hose to solve the problem).
While, the above are pretty minor gripes, and easily remedied, I believe that they all should have been found during a factory QA inspection. But, for whatever reason, they were not found until I got the unit home.
The owner's manuals are the most troubling aspects of using my trailer. Since I am relatively new to trailer camping (I have spent years tent camping), not having well documented manuals for all of the trailer systems causes me to rely very heavily on other campers who may or may not have the right answer. Calls to the dealership have been answered quickly and correctly, but I don't see why I should have to keep calling the dealer for things that should be in the owner's manual.
1) Got the trailer home and started to stow my gear. Lifted up the front bed to access the storage area under it and the gas shocks that hold it up broke off. Well, the shocks themselves didn't break, but the mounting blocks that they were attached to broke off from the OSB lid. Fixed it with some wood glue (no glue used at factory for some reason) and longer wood screws (the factory screws went up from the bottom through the mounting blocks and into the OSB lid, but were only able to penetrate about 1/8" because they were too short) to secure the blocks to the lid properly. BTW - I screwed the mounting blocks down from the top of the lid so that the screws got a good 3/4" bite into the mounting blocks. The screws are hidden from view by the bed's mattress.
2) Went camping the first time and the cable TV wouldn't work. When I was using the antenna, got some very snowy reception, but that was to be expected at the campground. But, when I connected to the campground's cable, there was nothing on the TV. Took the TV outside and connected it directly to the campground's cable and everything worked fine. Took me a while to locate the problem, the factory never connected the cable (for cable TV) to the splitter located in the wall behind the TV shelf. Found the cable buried in the wall, put an F-Type connector on it and hooked it up, works great now.
3) For some reason the shower curtain liner was at least 12" too long for the shower. The excess liner would just bunch up in the bottom of the shower and trap water. Took it out, trimmed it down and reinstalled.
4) The window blinds in both the dinette and the upper rear bunk get "squished" by the mattress / seat cushions. I am going to remove the lower mounting points and move them above the mattress / seat cushion to solve this problem.
5) The owners manual for the trailer is useless. Doesn't tell you exactly where the various systems are located, or how to operate them. Yes, the dealer went over everything with me, and I took copious notes, but still had to figure out a couple of things myself that should have been in the owner's manual (ie the exact location of the FW tank drain valve, which had its drain hose kinked when in the open position - rerouted the drain hose to solve the problem).
While, the above are pretty minor gripes, and easily remedied, I believe that they all should have been found during a factory QA inspection. But, for whatever reason, they were not found until I got the unit home.
The owner's manuals are the most troubling aspects of using my trailer. Since I am relatively new to trailer camping (I have spent years tent camping), not having well documented manuals for all of the trailer systems causes me to rely very heavily on other campers who may or may not have the right answer. Calls to the dealership have been answered quickly and correctly, but I don't see why I should have to keep calling the dealer for things that should be in the owner's manual.