Sunline Quality?

hobbes2 · 08-29-2007, 07:47 PM

Hi all , We have been sunline slide room owners for about 1 year now. We sold our outback 29 foot 5th wheel for a smaller trailer to fit into our campgrounds of choice. We went with a sunline because of there reputation for quality well built trailers. We were also very impressed with the fit and finish of the sunline. We are not as pleased so far with the trailer as we had hoped. First trip we had a broom slide under the slide room during travel ( never had a slide that tiped off the floor when closed) , needless to say when we opened the slide the broom creased the floor a bit before we backed it off. When i fitted our levelers on the trailer we used a level on the interior floor and could not get an accurate reading. The front of the trailer would read down in the front the back of the trailer would read down in the back , Seems like the trailer bowed over the axels. As we progressed into the year our kitchen cabinet under the sink began to creak , dealer said they fixed it ,,,not. In closer inspection and watching kids and wife move about we noticed the floor flex downward atleast a quarter to half inch between floor joist ( the heaviest one of us is 200 pounds). Our outback trailer floor was rock solid. Then there is our leaking shower that the dealer still needs to fix. Our jake brake water pump that i fixed with flex pipe and a mouse pad . And the roof that we cant walk on. Whats the deal . Are these issues normal and if so are there any fixes for them. We really like the trailer but i have a sinking feeling about some of these issues.

**Sunline Fan** · 08-29-2007, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobbes2

Hi all , We have been sunline slide room owners for about 1 year now. We sold our outback 29 foot 5th wheel for a smaller trailer to fit into our campgrounds of choice. We went with a sunline because of there reputation for quality well built trailers. We were also very impressed with the fit and finish of the sunline. We are not as pleased so far with the trailer as we had hoped. First trip we had a broom slide under the slide room during travel ( never had a slide that tiped off the floor when closed) , needless to say when we opened the slide the broom creased the floor a bit before we backed it off. When i fitted our levelers on the trailer we used a level on the interior floor and could not get an accurate reading. The front of the trailer would read down in the front the back of the trailer would read down in the back , Seems like the trailer bowed over the axels. As we progressed into the year our kitchen cabinet under the sink began to creak , dealer said they fixed it ,,,not. In closer inspection and watching kids and wife move about we noticed the floor flex downward atleast a quarter to half inch between floor joist ( the heaviest one of us is 200 pounds). Our outback trailer floor was rock solid. Then there is our leaking shower that the dealer still needs to fix. Our jake brake water pump that i fixed with flex pipe and a mouse pad . And the roof that we cant walk on. Whats the deal . Are these issues normal and if so are there any fixes for them. We really like the trailer but i have a sinking feeling about some of these issues.

First of all, I have to say this is the first "bad" experience I've heard of in a long time. They are very few and far between. Some of the issues you described do sound abnormal, but some do not.

First issue: Slide Room. I'm quite new to the SR world in Sunline's and don't know as much as others might, but mine has a slide out "jack" that installs on the top of the slide for travel. It's a relatively simple installation before going on the road, and I know the slide isn't going anywhere. I guess I'm not surprised that the broom got stuck under there. But, just make sure you have EVERYTHING secured for travel prior to going on the road. My parents have a MH of a different brand and we've never had anything get caught under the slide, but it will roll over rugs when coming in. If we don't move the rugs out of the way, I'm sure it could catch on something underneath and cause problems. I'm curious though, what year/model do you have? Since you said you have kids, I'm guessing you have a 267SR/276SR.

Secondly: Leveling. I too have problems with this until I install levels on the outside. I've found the bigger the level, the more accurate you are. Little pen levels just don't cut it on the floor. The frames do flex a little on purpose to help with cushioning the coach, which doesn't help when trying to stabilize and level. You'll see others having an issue similar to this with installing jacks near the axles.

Thirdly: Sink Cabinet. Does the floor have all that play near that cabinet? Either way, do a test. Get under the cabinet and have someone walk on the floor near there to make it creak. See if you can isolate where the sound is coming from, and if it is from where the sink is mounted, try to put some sort of foam, cardboard, or something between the touching pieces. Also, tighten every screw you see. It's possible some have wiggled loose over time and the wood parts are creaking.

4: Floor. This is not normal. There should be a little play in the floor, but not enough to notice. Since you said you've had a leak, this may have been caused by the water. Another thing, it would be a good idea to crawl under the trailer near that soft spot to check things. If the underside wrapping is torn or missing, this will allow water from the roadway to come in direct contact with the wood floor, allowing it to rot a lot quicker.

5: Shower. You said you've had a bad experience with the dealer before with the kitchen cabinet. If your coach isn't under warranty anymore, I'd suggest taking it to a different dealer. Water is any RV's worst enemy.

6: Water Pump. I've not heard of a "jake brake" water pump, but if so, it is probably like every other water pump noise wise. You don't describe what the problem was with it, but if it was just noise, that is perfectly normal. There are a couple solutions to the noise, including lengthening the incoming and outgoing lines. I would also like to hear what year your coach is due to the fact I can't find any info on "jake brake" water pumps. Last I knew, a Jake Brake is an engine/exhaust brake built by Jacobs, hence the name "jake brake"

7: Roof. I don't know what all you had on your Outback, but most RV's, and probably 95% of all TT's, (and at least 50% of FW's) do not have walk on roofs. You may walk on it, but only once you've put boards over top of the roof trusses. The walk-on roof was a factory option, but few actually did get it. This option also included a rear roof rack and rear mounted ladder. I just found on the Keystone website the brochure for the '07 Outback Sidney Edition FW and it explains the roof is made of 9 mil. luan board with a one piece EPDM rubber roof. This is probably the same type of roof on your Sunline; both of which you may not walk on directly without putting something down first.

I'm sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience, but a good dealer with a reputable service center should be able to resolve these issues. It's very possible you have a lemon, but Sunline is no longer in business to help you. They would have probably bought it back and offered you a new one. Lemons were VERY uncommon with Sunline.

Jon

MACK C-85 · 08-30-2007, 08:34 AM

Some of these issues sound familiar!!!

We also have issues with levels. We get different readings on the level depending on where it is placed on the floor of the coach and we're using a 3' level. According to the level on the floor things were level when I installed the outside levels, but they are pretty much useless!

We also have the flexing in the floor, I really believe the quality of the materials and quality control went down at the end. (Our trailer was delivered Oct 31, 2006) We had a PDI issue with a screw that had been left on the floor (along with other debris) before the vinyl was installed that cut through the vinyl. The flexing has been there since new and has been checked for damage, so I think the quality suffered a little.

Jon, I think he was referring to the "Jake Brake" water pump to describe the sound it made, not the model.

All in all, we still love our coach, even with the quirks!!

hobbes2 · 08-30-2007, 09:32 AM

The issue that seems the most disturbing to us is the floor that moves enough that you can see it bow under you and cabinets make noise when you move around. This is aproblem that really cannot be fixed. To my knowlege we have really never had a leak anywhere else than the shower. The floor flex is mostly in front of the fridge and table . the bathroom and front bedroom dont flex at all. To my knowledge there would not be a way to reinforce the floor at this point. Seems as though the steel beams under the floor are to far apart. The other few problems that we have had are expected with any new trailer and can be fixed. The model is a 276sr and it was built 8/2006. Any advice on these issues would be great. Thanks.

Sun-n-Fun · 08-30-2007, 10:43 AM

I'm presently doing a floor repair on a 1986 T2261 I just bought, under the bed in the rear where the water heater had leaked for a long time, And i find it strange that your floors are weak to the point of 200# or less is showing weakness, When i removed the floor on my T2261 i was surprised to see the many supports under it, between the steel supports they put wood supports spaced about 10" apart atop the frame cross supports, I agree with you that the company must have cut corners to increase production, It's a shame they locked doors!!! as this would have been a good case for a lemon law, Your thoughts now should be whats going to happen to your coach in a few years from now, with the weakness in the frame and floor can only cause more problems such as cabinet's and other things becoming loose by the stress being put on them. Below is the supports on 1986 T2261. That I'm replacing because of rot!!!!. by a leaking water heater....

MACK C-85 · 08-30-2007, 10:46 AM

Yep, that's where ours flexes too. Our dealer looked at it and didn't see any damage, I think maybe cheaper materials or piecing things together to get the last units out might be an issue (ie thinner sub-flooring or not using full pieces?).

FYI, we just started having an issue with the shower leaking from around the shower door, It looks like the sealant between the rollup box and the shower itself may not be sufficient, will be looking at this weekend.

**PTHutch** · 08-30-2007, 12:36 PM

Wrt mounting bubble levels on the outside of your trailer, it’s recommended that before you mount the levels, you level the trailer by checking for level within the freezer, by using a small level on the freezer compartment’s floor (or shelf).

tinybluetj · 08-30-2007, 01:32 PM

We have the 'different levels' in our little Que, also! It was VERY frusturating until I figured it out!

We level the floor by the fridge, since that (and the A/C, but that is roof mounted, it doesn't matter!) is the only appliance that NEEDS to be level!