Exterior Door Latch

[BR549]

The door to our 2022 280RS has been a problem since Day 1.
Our first time out, we found that the door took a lot of muscle to close and the deadbolt would not work.

My first thought was that it’s in warranty so I don’t have to fix it. That may have been too naive.

When we got to the dealership to pick it up after the warranty repair, I found that the door was open and could not be forced to close. The tech argued that he fixed it and it had worked when the trailer was level.

it’s now supposed to be fixed again, but I’m thinking that I should simply replace the latch assembly and locks with something a little more substantial and something that’s keyed differently from every other GDRV.

Does anyone have recommendations for replacing the door latch assembly?

[WondersAwait]

RV doors are notorious for needing some force to close properly. You can adjust the striker plate which might help a little, but you only have a small amount of room for adjustment.

The RV Lock brand keyless entry mechanism is pretty well regarded. We put one on our rig right away and love using a keypad instead of keys (still has keys as a backup). We actually had a malfunction of it a couple weeks ago and I called them and they sent me a replacement after a 10 minute phone call. A+ service and highly recommend them as a company for standing by their product.

[trkester]

The door to our 2022 280RS has been a problem since Day 1.
Our first time out, we found that the door took a lot of muscle to close and the deadbolt would not work.

My first thought was that it’s in warranty so I don’t have to fix it. That may have been too naive.

When we got to the dealership to pick it up after the warranty repair, I found that the door was open and could not be forced to close. The tech argued that he fixed it and it had worked when the trailer was level.

it’s now supposed to be fixed again, but I’m thinking that I should simply replace the latch assembly and locks with something a little more substantial and something that’s keyed differently from every other GDRV.

Does anyone have recommendations for replacing the door latch assembly?

And once you replace your lock, I can recommend what I do to make it easier to latch. Rub some regular old bar handsoap on the strike plate and on the latch. I do it every so often and things work much better. No need for the infamous "trailer door slam". Just a gentle push on the outside near the latch assembly and it latches nicely.

Terry

[Rgg123]

The soap will help - good tip! I have learned to pull on the latch as I close the door with my other hand - a slight nudge on the door (if outside closing the door), or a slight pull of the inside handle (if inside closing the door) will work as well with no slamming required.

[Country Campers]

The "friction" hinge also makes this a little more difficult. Ours has gotten better over the years. Also check the hinge screws, door and jam side, to make sure none are protruding too much.

Brian

[BR549]

The dealership’s second attempt involved changing the strike plate from a flat piece to a raised profile. After 10 days at the dealership, it works as it should.

[jahowe]

Our 2022 Transcend Xplor 247BH has similar door issues. The factory lock has been replaced with a RV Lock Keyless system which helped the issue. I still to slightly pull on the door handle while shutting the door to get it to latch shut. I tried the soap suggestion above and I can now simply push the door shut! The door works as expected now. I applied soap to the strike plate on the door jamb and on the door lock. I never would have thought of trying something that simple -- thanks for the suggestion!