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Three Months as a Grand Design Owner

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  • Three Months as a Grand Design Owner

    Long Post Warning...

    I retired the first of October last year. Wife and I looked at every camper we had access to, looking for a Full-Timers camper and finally settled on Grand Design (a first for us). The floor plan we liked the best was the 382WB-R.

    We ordered our Solitude last year and waited 12+ weeks to get it. We did a PDI and gave them a list and left it with the dealer to go all thru the list and the camper. I give them a 'C' grade as they did not fix some of the things on the list I gave them and missed some obvious things that they should have caught.

    We have had our Solitude about 3 months, now.

    This is our 7th RV (2nd Fifth Wheel), so I planned on spending about 2 months going thru everything. It's winter and we have the time... I parked the Solitude in our driveway, where it has remained for the 3 months. I opened every area (except the belly) and compartment and examined everything within. This way if anything goes bad, I will know where things are.

    And... It was good I did this, as the list of the things I found is significant. This camper, by far, had more issues than any previous camper. I will also say that this is the most complex camper of the 7, though the Cardinal was really nice and had literally no issues.

    I know that the RV industry is like many other businesses in the pandemic; they lost key people early on and had to hire what they could get when they needed them back. They should have doubled up on the quality folks to watch all these newbies, but obviously not. But, what do I know... GD shipped a bunch of issues in a VERY expensive HIGH END fifth wheel... to the customer... me... and didn't think twice about it.

    My dealer is swamped with spring RV stuff. No chance of getting this to them and getting it back in a timely manner. I will note that I FIXED everything on this list except for the rubber hose/plastic fittings. The rubber hose/plastic fittings issue irritates me. It wouldn't be so bad had they used brass fittings.

    I am a DIY everything kind of guy. I have built a couple homes myself. I know wood working and build cabinets, I weld (aluminum and steel). I worked as an electrician for 5 years. I owned an Air Conditioning service company in the 80's for almost 10 years. And... I have been OCD about things being right for a long time. I expected issues, but I got more than I expected.

    So, here is my list, in the order I encountered them...

    1 - Side Compartment Door does not latch/lock, there was a 1/4-inch gap between the striker plate and the latch. They sucked the frame down with a screw. This one was on the original PDI list and they did not address it. I decided to fix it myself.

    2 - Barn door bottom guides were apart and loose on the floor. We put real rollers and added other fixes we read here.

    3 - Sewer hose storage pipe was hard to use, as it was behind the lower cowling. I lowered that end about 3-inch.

    4 - 12 volt rope light soldering issues on 3 lights that did not work or flickered while on.

    5 - Lights over the dining table and the kitchen bar are useless. Went to 10 watt led's with a matching base.

    6 - No way to turn off the wine refrigerator except to unbolt it and slide it out to unplug it or to turn off the GFI circuit, which has several things on it. I added a 20 amp light switch above it, easily accessible from the sink tray drawer front.

    7 - Vacuum under bed, was a lot of sawdust. I figure it was left by the guys that built the bed. More on this later. See more below.

    8 - Multiple cabinet doors not even close to lined up, will not stay latched.

    9 - Perfect place above the TV, for a sound bar... has no way to run wires up there or even into the cabinets left/right of the TV.

    10 - Two drawers by TV were loose in the frame. Rear supports for drawer guide not screwed in place.

    11 - Washer/Dryer receptacles sloppy loose in wall spacer mount.

    12 - Auto-Level is tilted to the passenger side slightly and the nose is about 11-inch high. Reset Auto-Level.

    13 - TV Loose in Televator. Screws not fully secured. TV tilted when raised.

    14 - Two 120v Breakers not marked correctly.

    15 - Pantry shelves smaller than the area. If the shelf is slid to the side, the other side will fall thru. Made new shelves (at about half the weight) to fit the space. One Pantry shelf wall track not at the same height as the other 3 (off by 1/4-inch). Allowed shelves to rock.

    16 - Island sink plumbing routed poorly, such that they had to mount the moveable wall forward. Trash can no longer fits.

    17 - Many plumbing drain fitting nuts very loose.

    18 - Small wiring for rear view camera burnt/melted in wall behind camera mount. Sharp aluminum where they drilled into wall and left it like that.

    19 - TV/Antenna/Satellite not documented. Traced out all wires and marked them.

    20 - All Grease fittings were loose (not screwed in all the way) where suspension springs are attached to frame. Others, as part of the suspension, were tight.

    21 - GD or Dealer (looks like dealer, but GD did not say) cut 2 holes in the under-belly. Tape fell off. All insulation (in that 4' section) was wet.

    22 - Black vinyl sticker to right of door on bottom section, looks like a 4 year old did it... full of bubbles.

    23 - No external propane quick connect, like on virtually all other GD offerings.

    24 - All but one of the screws in bottom track of shower were not caulked or the caulk applied poorly.

    25 - Screws in bottom of headboard weren't screwed into a stud and were pulled out of wall.

    26 - Chest at end of the bed can't go out/in without jamming. Ball bearings on floor from drawer guides (not designed to handle weight). See more below.

    27 - One of the 5 12V auto-reset breakers (front compartment, under a small black plastic cover) had no nut on the bolt to hook it to the 12V bus. Other 4 were correct.

    28 - They used cheap/thin rubber hoses for pressurized water. In some cases, no reason for it, except to make it easy for installers.

    29 - They used plastic fittings on the PEX water lines. This sucks. No easy way to replace the fittings without replacing the PEX pipe as well. How much did they save (probably $100). Consensus from the community is these hose connections WILL leak and there is a bunch of them. And, I know GD is aware of the issue, as it has been in the forums for a good while.

    30 - Almost all of the compartment locks were loose. It looks like the dealer loosed some of them up to make them catch the striker plates when the door is closed. I tightened up all of them and fixed the latching issue correctly.

    31 - Kitchen Island collapsing issue posted by several other members. See more below


    Continuing in the next 2 posts...
    Last edited by paul_maia; 04-27-2021, 05:09 PM.
    Paul & Julie Maia
    2021 GD Solitude 382WBR (Off the line 18 Jan 2021)
    Reese Goose Box
    2020 F350 Dually Diesel.
    Southwest Louisiana

  • #2
    More Info - Bed frame fell apart the fifth time we bring the slide in.

    Once, when we put the slide out, I noticed that the right side of the bed would stick at first and then go out. I am thinking "Oh Crap, Schwintek Slide issue". Fortunately, it wasn't. I then noticed that when the slide was out, the bottom of the bed frame was NOT aligned to the lines on the floor. I removed the mattress and then the plywood.

    What I see is the 3/4-inch square board is attached to the slide floor (poorly), but not to the bed frame. The whole right side of the bed was no longer attached to the slide floor. They attached that 3/4-inch board to the heavy bed frame with 1-inch nails. I could see all of them sticking out of the 3/4 x 3/4 board about 1/4-inch. There is no way that was going to last. This should have had screws in it from the beginning.

    I reattached the 3/4-inch board to the bed rail with screws. Although the left side bed rail was still attached, I made the same changes to it. I put the plywood back on and decided to test it before hauling that memory foam mattress back.

    I bring the slide in and I hear crunching and the right side bed rail side drops about 1/2-inch. I stop the slide and get to the floor to see what happened. Remember that saw dust on the bedroom floor (#7), under the bed? I now see pile of larger wood chunks under the bed (where the sawdust was previously). I remove the plywood again. I carefully marked the location of the bed frame to the wall, floor and slide deck, including blue tape on the floor for the bed perimeter. Then I detached the bed frame from the slide and raised it in place about a foot on blocks.


    What I found is the right side floor roller was installed almost 4-inch to the left of where it should have been. Only the head of the bolt was providing the rollers function for the right side of the bed. The bolt head had chewed about 1/4-inch of the side of the 2x4 and about 1/2-inch deep. NONE of the roller was under the 2x4. On the left side only half the roller was under the 2x4.


    And, the right roller alignment was way off... the right side of the roller was about 1/4-inch closer to the slide than the left side. The roller was only about 2-inch from a straight line on the floor. Looking down at it, it was obvious (to anyone that looked) that it was VERY crooked.


    What a mess. Replacing the 2x4 was not an option. I got some real good 2x2 harder wood and bolted it to the side of the 2x4 and to the ends of the frame, to extend the track width. These boards should have been 2x6's to begin with, not 2x4's. I then aligned both rollers correctly.

    Also, one of the 2x4's had a twist near the end of the bed. One would think a perfectly flat board would be required for this track board. When the slide was out, only about 1/4-inch of the roller was in contact with the 2x4. The additional 2x2 bolted to the side (and level with the bed frame bottom) spreads the weight so much better.

    I have tested it several times and it works very well, now.





    Attached Files
    Last edited by paul_maia; 04-27-2021, 04:46 PM.
    Paul & Julie Maia
    2021 GD Solitude 382WBR (Off the line 18 Jan 2021)
    Reese Goose Box
    2020 F350 Dually Diesel.
    Southwest Louisiana

    Comment


    • #3
      More Info - Bed Chest in end of master bed frame.

      It is a heavy chest, padded on top, implying that you would sit on it. The installer installed the drawer glides on the near 30# box where the left side almost on the floor and the right side was almost 1 inch in the air. The box was jammed in there (probably the dealer) and would not come out without significant effort. I noticed this on the PDI, but was afraid of what they might do to it. I also found a couple of the ball bearings on the MBR floor from the drawer guide falling apart.

      Even if the glides were aligned correctly, there was another problem. When the bedroom slide is in, the end of the bed is raised about 1-inch higher than when extended (this is by design). At the same time, the box would be riding about 1 inch in the air when traveling, with the box weight and its contents bouncing up and down on those cheap drawer glides.

      What I did was to remove the drawer glides completely and with a lot of other parts, the box now rides on the floor in that cavity, whether the slide is in or out. Barrel bolts, rubber bushings and felt padding, keep it in place when the slide is moving.
      Attached Files
      Paul & Julie Maia
      2021 GD Solitude 382WBR (Off the line 18 Jan 2021)
      Reese Goose Box
      2020 F350 Dually Diesel.
      Southwest Louisiana

      Comment


      • #4
        One last issue to talk about...

        As other have reported, there is an emerging issue where the Solitude kitchen Island can collapse/fall apart.
        Following these threads, I decided to be proactive and add some support to the island.
        I pulled the end panels. These came off surprisingly easy. I added 2 more screws t the bottom of the underneath panel.

        Note - You will need a brad nailer to reattach these end panels, as the wood is VERY hard.
        I had issues with a battery powered Ryobi brad nailer, with any nail above 1". An air powered nailer would probably work much better.
        You could also pre-drill for some very small finishing nails and countersinking them, with color match putty.


        I then added 2 supports on each side to extend support for that panel, to the floor.




        Attached Files
        Paul & Julie Maia
        2021 GD Solitude 382WBR (Off the line 18 Jan 2021)
        Reese Goose Box
        2020 F350 Dually Diesel.
        Southwest Louisiana

        Comment


        • #5
          paul_maia

          That is quite a few posts and I am sorry to hear of all of these issues. I have passed this info on to GD , they always like to hear the good and bad.

          Brian
          Brian & Michelle
          2018 Reflection 29RS
          2022 Chevy 3500HD

          Comment


          • #6
            wow thats crazy I had 2 small issues and stuff I just improved on. Sorry to here
            2021 Reflection 303RLS
            2019 Ram 2500 short box 6.4 Hemi
            Anderson ultimate hitch

            Comment


            • #7
              paul_maia I know this can be frustrating from past experience with other manufactures. If you have not done it yet call GD customer service and start a case with them. Being nice goes a long way with co-operation in my experience with GD. They were very helpful when contacted.

              Dave
              flyfshrockies, 2021 imagine 2600RB, Ford F-150, XLT supper crew 3.5 eco boost with max tow. Dave and Toni (and the awesome Aussie Bayley, he's the social one)

              Comment


              • #8
                Paul and Julie. It's feedback like this that will hopefully change these types of deficiencies for future owners. Great write up.

                Jim
                Jim and Ginnie
                2024 Solitude 310GK
                GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
                GDRV Rally Support Coordinator

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by paul_maia View Post

                  1 - Side Compartment Door does not latch/lock, there was a 1/4-inch gap between the striker plate and the latch. They sucked the frame down with a screw. This one was on the original PDI list and they did not address it. I decided to fix it myself.

                  ...
                  Hello paul_maia


                  I am interested in how you fixed item 1 - side compartment not latching. I have this same problem on one of my slam latches. With the latch locked I can pull on the handle and it opens. I was going to fabricate a piece of aluminum to mount on top of the striker plate.

                  Please let me know how you resolved yours.
                  Mike & Lisa
                  Central Florida
                  2021 Imagine 2970RL
                  1996 Chevy K3500 Crew SRW 7.4L Gas

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by OurNewEra View Post

                    Hello paul_maia


                    I am interested in how you fixed item 1 - side compartment not latching. I have this same problem on one of my slam latches. With the latch locked I can pull on the handle and it opens. I was going to fabricate a piece of aluminum to mount on top of the striker plate.

                    Please let me know how you resolved yours.

                    What I did... was to remove the screws that they used to cinch it way down.
                    Then i used a piece of thin aluminum and a screwdriver (as a pry/cantilever) to reshape the bottom door frame.
                    You can see where I had to remove some of the wood panel with a razor blade knife to expose the opening.
                    I made some shims out of thin aluminum and a grinder, to put in between the door frame and the trailer frame, to get it to the correct height.
                    I used Aluminum for the shims, as it would not give over time and I had a bit of it to choose from in my scrap pile. Picture attached.



                    I did not want to deform the outer part of the door frame, so the part of the shim the goes in first was ground down thinner than the part that is visible.
                    I took my time and got them to fit snugly, without deforming the frame. Once I got them right, I put a little E6000 in the opening and in between the parts and pushed them in.
                    I get E6000 @ Walmart for about $3 or $4. Any good pooky/silicone/adhesive should work, but e6000 works well.
                    Then I snugged the original screw and added a new screw (the screw to the right), to hold it in place.
                    It is hard to see the screws in the picture, but there is a shiny spot to the left of the left shim and to the right of the right shim... back in the darkness, about 3/8" away from the shim.
                    The aluminum frame material is very thin. I drilled a small hole (about 2-3 sizes smaller than the new screw) in the door frame and into the trailer frame.
                    Then I drilled the hole in the door frame (the upper hole) so that the screw would fit easily. Leave the hole in the frame small.
                    I took my time with an impact screwdriver to make good threads in the frame, going in and out with the screw until the treads were made.
                    Then I loosened the screw, put some silicone around the screw at the hole and snugged it down. Then I added silicone to cover the screw and seal it in well.
                    Do not over-tighten as it will pull the screw out of the frame.

                    While I was going through this effort, I noticed that they did a poor job of sealing the screws to be water tight.
                    On these suspects, I used a small screwdriver and a pointed pick/awl to get ALL of the old silicone off and resealed the screw.
                    About half of the screws were poorly sealed, on every door. I checked/fixed all of the door frame screws this way on all doors.

                    Good Luck.
                    Paul & Julie Maia
                    2021 GD Solitude 382WBR (Off the line 18 Jan 2021)
                    Reese Goose Box
                    2020 F350 Dually Diesel.
                    Southwest Louisiana

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thank you for posting your resolution. This is a dragon I gotta poke and see if it wakes up. On our ride home from the last weekend out I found the large pass thru door open and I know I let it slam and then pushed it. I'm glad I have room to actually get inside and see what is or isn't happening.
                      Jerry and Kelly Powell, with Halo, Nash, Reid, Cleo, Rosie, and the two newest additions Shaggy and Bella..
                      Nash County, NC
                      2020 Solitude 390RK-R​

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I'm recently involved in moving and working to find a nice storage location where I might be able to work on my Imagine (which we love). I explained to the storage owner that I need a place to work on the rig since I have done so since the day I bought it. Suddenly I heard his wife roaring in laughter in the background. He said, " we own an RV as well" and chuckled. Its seems this is the life of an RV owner.

                        Best of luck getting your issues worked out. All and all, GDRV has done a good job to keep us satisfied where I still believe their support is better than most if not all manufacturers.

                        Jim

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Yep. I'm with you on that. I feel for the folks that own an RV and are not DIY-type folks.

                          And, Yes, we love our Solitude. There are only a few concerns left... then we are on the road.
                          Our Solitude maiden is coming up in a couple of weeks, if GD can get me the parts they said they were sending.
                          Earlier in the week, I sent an email to a GD employee that has been helping me with an open issue and no response.
                          That part sucks... About half of my emails with GD go unanswered.
                          Paul & Julie Maia
                          2021 GD Solitude 382WBR (Off the line 18 Jan 2021)
                          Reese Goose Box
                          2020 F350 Dually Diesel.
                          Southwest Louisiana

                          Comment

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