Community Forums

KenInCA · 11-08-2013, 08:54 AM

Very good post Andrew and excellent picture.

My 2013 Bay Hill 320RS definitely had water coming into the washer lines, but I'm not so sure about the drain line. The water lines certainly need to be purged of air to get the Tankless Water Heater to work properly.

It seems the plumbing, in general, needed to be thought out more efficiently at the factory. The outside drain labeling was practically non-existent. I had to call an RV plumber in Tempe, Arizona because water was backing up in the sinks and shower stall. The grey water drain lever was not labeled underneath the coach near the sewer outlet and was not pointed out in our shoddy walk-through where we bought the trailer in Turlock, California.

Ken

AndrewRehder · 11-08-2013, 12:00 PM

The manufacturer told us that's how some of their models are sent to the dealer. We told the dealer. I feel BOTH are guilty of false advertising, because "washer/dryer ready" it ain't!!

bonabob · 11-08-2013, 11:15 PM

[QUOTE=RichnAna;1798309]I agree Bonabob I check with manufacturer first the dealers take no responsibility for anything and point the blame at everyone else.
I have been learning everything about whatever coach I have so I can do my own diagnosis and repairs when possible.
Being full time we can't afford to have our home in the repair shop while they try to guess what's wrong and in most cases it is something I can and have found and repaired myself.
I can also assist others in the campground if possible.

You are so correct. I sometimes think that those who work in the RV industry throw common sense out the window and look for excuses when good diagnosing is required. The best way to fix something is fix it yourself and if you can't, make sure that you are watching the guy who says he is going to do it.

Bob

tm08 · 11-24-2013, 03:18 PM

I am really interested in the 320RS and have a few questions that I hope one or more of you can answer.

1. What is the size of the I-beam chassis, 8", 10", 12"?
2. Does the fresh water tank have a metal strap underneath it to prevent it from falling out?
3. Is satellite pre-wiring done up to the roof to add a satellite dish?
4. Does the standard rear sofa open up to a sleeper? Foam mattress or air bed?
5. Who is the manufacturer of the livingroom furniture?
6. What is the MSRP (sticker price)?
7. What could I reasonably expect to pay assuming no upgrades?
8. Did anyone order the generator prep? Did you also get the generator?

That's enough for now I guess even though I have many, many more questions. I can't find a dealer close to my home to look at one so I need to shop vicariously through each of you owners and I graciously thank you for your input.

Bruce

bonabob · 11-25-2013, 05:47 AM

Can only answer to the satellite wiring. No, it is not prewired to the roof. At the utility panel on the side front where the cable hook up and water hookups are there is a cable connector for the satellite. It is not even marked. When I purchased I had the mechanic do a continuity test to identify which was which. I never used it because I ran two cables from my back roof directly to my directv dvr, down the ladder and under the trailer. The underbelly is completely enclosed with corregated plastic. Most of your answers are covered up unless someone had a reason to remove the plastic underneath. Evergreen is very happy to go out of their way to get you the necessary answers to any questions. Give them a call and I'm sure they will quickly get the answers to you.

KenInCA · 11-25-2013, 07:55 AM

Hello Bruce...

My wife and I bought the Bay Hill 320RS in January 2013 and have had nothing but issues because of poor workmanship and quality control at the factory. I can answer a few questions from your list:
#2. Apparently no metal strap existed on my 320RS. The angle-iron frame gave way with the tank about 1/5 full and tank was dragged for about 400 yards before I could pull over. Eventually Coach Net responded and removed the water tank. The technician was amazed that such a thin support frame was used.
#3. My coach was totally miswired for cable TV so I rather doubt any correct wiring exists for satellite service.
#4. We requested a sleeper sofa. The original sofa was a standard model. The dealership said it would order a sleeper and continuously lied about the shipping and subsequent arrival date of the sleeper unit. Actually, the dealership in Turlock, CA was waiting for another Bay Hill to arrive so a sofa swap could be accomplished. The sleeper sofa: MAJOR UNCOMFORTABLE!
#6 & 7. As I recall, the original sticker price was about $70,000 and I ended up paying about $51,000 with taxes and title.

My trailer has now been out of service going on four months because of slide-out issues. The original dealer refused to honor the EverGreen warranty. Another dealership was located but Lippert and/or EverGreen has severely dragged their collective feet in providing the support to get the Bay Hill back into service.

I think if I were looking for a comparable trailer, I might investigate one of the Columbus models.

Ken

tm08 · 11-26-2013, 02:02 PM

Thank you both for the replies....the water tank is a big issue. Keystone seemed to have had that problem around 2006 or so. I have no idea what they did, if anything, to modify the water tank security. It seems like such a simple design fix, put a steel support under the middle of the water tank and it won't fall out.

So, I'm at strike one with Bay Hill. Mostly it's just lack of information on their web site, and now lack of dealer and builder support.

That's a BIG stirke one.

KenInCA · 11-26-2013, 06:44 PM

Please let us know, Bruce, what you finally decide to do in terms of getting a 5th wheel. Your experience only adds to our knowledge of the Bay Hill and/or another trailer brand.

tm08 · 11-29-2013, 10:39 AM

Ken,
I may have missed it, but how did you fix the water tank issue? Also, I see that you are in CA. I live in Sacramento and your dealer may be the only place close to me for walk thru's....

KenInCA · 11-30-2013, 08:24 AM

Bruce...

After the water tank was removed by a CoachNet technician on Highway 85 near San Jose, I returned my trailer the next day to the dealership, Best RV in Turlock. Bells and whistles should have been going off in my brain at that time since Best RV seemed reluctant to want to deal with the water tank issue. I insisted on bringing it up without a prior appointment. A new tank was ordered and a rebuild of the tank frame with heavier gauge angle iron was accomplished. After a couple of weeks in repair, I picked up my trailer and have had no more water tank problems. But that's not really the story's end...

I mentioned "bells and whistles." Since you live in Sacramento and may still be considering a trailer purchase, STAY ABSOLUTELY CLEAR OF BEST RV! Their reputation for providing service after the purchase is dismal to say the least (Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Yahoo, Kudu, etc.). However, here's the backstory: when I initially took my trailer in for bedroom slide repair and was denied warranty service even though the trailer was only six months old, the Best RV service manager / co-owner crowed belligerently that he absorbed the cost of the water tank and framing because EverGreen had not reimbursed him for the tank and labor to complete the repair on my 5th wheel as well as apparent warranty issues with other Bay Hill owners. In retrospect, he may have had valid reason to be hostile toward EverGreen. I say this because my Bay Hill's issues with two slide-outs and a cracked fender skirt still have not been resolved by EverGreen since a new warranty service provider accepted the trailer on August 27. Today is November 30. Several phone conversations with three EverGreen company officials have provided very little tangible results.

As for my walk-thru, the water tank area was completely sealed off my a rubberized undercoating.

tm08 · 12-03-2013, 09:30 AM

Ken,
Well, it may be time for me to move on to another brand. I really like the Heartland Big Country 3251TS which is remarkably similar to the Bay Hill 320 floor plan. Heartland has a terrific forum where most all of the good and bad get discussed. And, most participants rave about customer service, maybe not all of the dealers, but definitely Heartland itself.

Thanks for your input....I'm assuming that you would not choose Bay Hill if you could do it all over again.
Bruce

KenInCA · 12-03-2013, 05:14 PM

Hmmm...that's really a tough question, Bruce. My wife and I definitely like the livability of our trailer. Other than the slide out problems and initial issue with the auto leveling system, our experience has been fairly positive with the Bay Hill 320RS.

Our significant caveat is with the Evergreen Company itself. Two separate RV dealerships have said that they have NOT been reimbursed for warranty work by Evergreen. Phone calls to the Warranty Service official and Parts Official at EverGreen have gone unanswered and not responded to after having left voice mails as well as faxes sent, either to the RV dealership that currently is working on my Bay Hill and to me. A simple part like a fender skirt that cracked on my Bay Hill and needed replacement has not been addressed by EverGreen for almost four months.

I recently took a look at the Heartland Big Country and thought it looked very similar to the Bay Hill and Columbus on the interior. Very nice!

Today (Dec. 3) I was assured that my Bay Hill would be ready for me to pick up by tomorrow. I did a walk-thru and saw the repairs that were made. To quote the service tech, the slide-out motors were totally rusted as well as the vertical rods the motors were attached to. He said they had a similar issue in another Bay Hill the RV dealership serviced recently ("What a gawd-awful mess to retool the slide-out system," he stated).

Short answer: I would not consider another EverGreen/Lifestyle model unless I could find verifiable proof that other buyers have had positive experiences with EverGreen. I see that EverGreen/Lifestyle has resurrected the Alfa Gold trailer line, and they do look beautiful. My neighbor had an older Alfa Gold and absolutely loved the unit. He pulled it with a GMC 350 diesel.

tm08 · 12-04-2013, 05:32 PM

Hope you picked up the RV in great condition today. I'm going to have to do the same as you, pay attention to the feedback from all Bay Hill owners and see how they're fairing. Hopefully more people will post with their feedback, both positive and negative.

mustanggt123 · 12-05-2013, 01:35 AM

We have a 2014 365RL... right now it's at the dealership with initial repairs. We didn't find anything to extremely major I don't think. We took our trailer out 4 times and added to the list,, 1)we had a hydraulic leak down the inside of the wall under the fluid tank in the front outside compartment. This didn't seem to affect the leveling system as it was only down an inch or so. 2) there was a small leak of clear water coming from the base of the toilet 3) we had a couple of drawers that lost the magnetic self closing ability, a couple of outside lights that stopped working and really that was about it. We are learning how to adjust the instant hot water... and pretty much have it down now where we don't need to adjust the main control over the sink anymore! YAY!

Over all we are really happy with "Big Bertha"! We call her that because she is just about 40ft long. I find the trailer to be very comfortable and livable... the insulation seems to be good to as the furnace and fire place heat well and the A/C does a great job keeping it cool. If it were just my husband and I, we could easily live in our trailer for long periods if need be. If I had to do it over again, although the Bay Hill is fairly new to Evergreen and I believe they may still be ironing out some quirks, I think we would buy the same model again.

Also, for those of you that are having trouble getting response from Evergreen I see that people that post on their Facebook page seem to get very rapid response to questions and concerns. Good luck all and I will continue to post the pros and cons that we find in the journey with our Bay Hill.