Falling Island Syndrome

[malco1]

Well it happened to me, I checked into a campground on the way home from NY. When I opened the door, I found a short piece of molding on the floor. Wen I looked up I saw that the island had fallen down on the right side looking in. I thought this was an old problem and was supposed to have been taken care of. I still can't find the spot where the molding came from.
I called Grand Design on Thursday and I have not heard back.
The rig is a 2021 Solitude 310GK-R

[TucsonJim]

Mal,

Please let us know how this plays out.

Thanks,

Jim

[howson]

Second Chance (Rob) -- FYI the OP attempted to tag you in your thread ( https://gdrvowners.com/forum/interio...solitude-310gk ) with a duplication of what is written in post 1 of this thread.

Any advice other than what's in the other thread you can give to the OP?

Howard

[Second Chance]

Second Chance (Rob) -- FYI the OP attempted to tag you in your thread ( https://gdrvowners.com/forum/interio...solitude-310gk ) with a duplication of what is written in post 1 of this thread.

Any advice other than what's in the other thread you can give to the OP?

Howard

Thanks for the heads-up, Howard. I replied to post in the other thread. We haven't had any issues with our island at this point, so I don't have any further advice there. I did give some advice on changing the tire pressures.

Rob

[Crespro]

Hi Mal,

Sorry about the failure. In the thread Howard references, there was discussion about the risk the weight of the drawers placed upon the right section of the 310 GK island and the construction of that end. Did that actually fail?

Best,

Charles

[malco1]

Hi Mal,

Sorry about the failure. In the thread Howard references, there was discussion about the risk the weight of the drawers placed upon the right section of the 310 GK island and the construction of that end. Did that actually fail?

Best,

Charles

The island fell down on the side away from the drawers.
I called GD again yesterday, left a message and still no call back. I also called Campers Inn where I bought the unit 10 months ago and no callback from them either.

[malco1]

Mal,

Please let us know how this plays out.

Thanks,

Jim

So far nothing I called GD this past Thursday and again yesterday. I also called Campers Inn where I bought the unit yesterday morning and haven't heard back them either.
I get the feeling that they are trying to let the warranty run out, which has 2 months to go.
I m starting to get a little angry. A Solitude 310GK-R is not a cheap unit, and I expect some better service!

[Jlawles2]

howson Cate&Rob malco1 Mal, on the home screen of the forum right side there is the customer service number for GD. At the bottom of the card is also an email address. Document your calls with an email to set the timeline should they try to let the warranty run out (I do not suspect GD would do this with the amount of good will parts sending they do).

One of the moderators may be able to TAG a GD rep to assist in getting assistance. Be persistent and keep calling. Leave messages, ask for managers at the dealer.

To schedule the recall on our Reflection, I thought I was going to have to call the owner to get a response. Finally the writer got to me on the list of call backs to schedule. RV dealer repair is nothing like auto repair. I think the dealers are overwhelmed with service, and cannot justify expanding their repair areas as the repairs are somewhat seasonal. This is prime time for repairs as units are coming out of storage and starting to get used.

[Crespro]

So far nothing I called GD this past Thursday and again yesterday. I also called Campers Inn where I bought the unit yesterday morning and haven't heard back them either.
I get the feeling that they are trying to let the warranty run out, which has 2 months to go.
I m starting to get a little angry. A Solitude 310GK-R is not a cheap unit, and I expect some better service!

I think there may be a problem with the design on the 310GK island. In 2018 Grand Design offered a cabinet option for a Furrion DW with the door on the end. I called in early 2020 and was told that was no longer a cabinet option, so I ended up with a complete rebuild of that end of the island to install a DW. The design engineer problem is that the cabinet needed to be long enough to handle the 18" DW with full height and depth. My DW rear top is less than 1" from the sink. With the larger cabinet, it is tempting to fill it -- none of us have empty kitchen cabinets. When you drive over 1,000 or so bridges with a bump each time, you may have a weight and lever arm problem that could in a few cases lead to failure. Grand Design added an angle iron to my June 2020 build as a fix for the problem, but that may not have been enough.

I would not permit a dealer to fix the problem unless I knew the tech was a good woodworker and had an opportunity to inspect the work. If I had not rebuilt the island for my DW and had a 310GK, I would remove the floor of that compartment (four screws) and reinforce the end board with an angle iron similar to the one I installed under my drawer end of the island.

I do want to say that I still think Grand Design is a very good company -- not perfect, but they produce a good product.

[Jlawles2]

There are several ways to fix the issue. Angle iron works, but a simple 3/4" x 3/4" block glued to the floor and the cabinet leg (end panel) then brad nailed and screwed in place will do. Angle is probably overkill as the horizontal screws are what is holding everything up. Even a couple of 1X boards from the bottom shelf to the counter top will help eliminate the issue and removes the reliance on screws, nails, or chemical fasteners to hold up the counter.

I did a write up with sketch in one of the other island post explaining what I think is happening and the flow of loads.

Post 8 in the thread: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/interio...solitude-310gk