Who has an Evergreen Element trailer

[schrederman]

The metal panels along the bottom edge were screwed on with small screws every so often, and on the one I looked at this was very uneven, and had areas with wide gaps full of caulk. One of those panels had a slight crease in it where it had been bumped. I saw no damage from the bump, only the crease. I touched it and it moved... meaning it wasn't anchored to anything.

I am very happy for those of you that are enjoying these trailers... and mean no disrespect. I'm just reporting what I saw in my quest for my LAST TT... I don't want to do this again. It's too time consuming.

[KenInCA]

Bob...

I believe the Element owner referred to his travel trailer as a 2012 model. My 2013 Evergreen 5th wheel made the dating fairly easy to remember. The almost futuristic look to the trailer was indeed eye-catching and contrasted favorably to the the shape of my two previous travel trailers, a Komfort and an Aljo.

Visualize a sheet of paper that has been folded and/or crinkled. From the forward portion of the wheel-well moving toward the tongue, creases in the metal paneling were clearly evident. The owner reported he could see his siding "flexing" in his rearview mirrors. While the panels had not separated from the coach, wind buffeting most likely had apparently caused the panels to become stressed. While he was not outwardly bitter, he did indicate he was going to make a trailer change when he returned to Texas...Lubbock I believe he said. Perhaps other issues influenced his thinking; he did not elaborate.

On my Bay Hill fifth wheel I have seen a similar effect. My kingpin is covered by a somewhat decorative plastic shroud. Buffeting air moving underneath the shroud while driving causes the plastic sides to flex in and out. One side of the shroud has a significant crack that I've temporarily repaired with RV Goop and black electrical tape.

As I alluded to in my earlier post, the lower panels on my Bay Hill were not stabilized as well as on my previous 5th wheel. If you were to read through the postings on the Evergreen Bay Hill forums, you might deduce a lack of quality control at the manufacturing level has plagued Evergreen RVs. Whether this carries over to the Element line, only those owners would know with any certainty.

Ken

[thetravelkids]

Jack & Ken,
Thanks for your posts. I appreciate your description(s) and explanation(s).
And Jack, no offense or disrespect taken.
My 2012 Element has no metal forward of the wheel well nor does it have any screws except for underneath where the bottom fiberglass trim piece is attached. It almost sounds like the Element you saw had been in some type of accident and was put back together, either by a previous owner or the present owner. This is purely speculation on my part and in no way should it be considered anything else. I have not experienced any issues with my siding flexing in the 42,000 of our Elements life.
Ken, sorry to read about the problems you are experiencing with your Bay Hill. When my wife and I toured the Evergreen factory in 2011, the Elements had their own production line. I don't know if the two models shared any of the workers.
Regardless, I appreciate both Jack's and Ken's comments and observations.
While we have had some issues, Evergreen has bent over backwards to insure we are Happy Campers, and we are.
I would love to hear the problems or issues other Element owners are experiencing. Just please! Make sure you indicate what generation (year) of Element you're referring to.
Thanks again guys. Maybe you'll see us this summer along the eastern seaboard.
Bob

[Rhbeeman]

I would NEVER consider buying an Element again. I bought this unit in April 2013 and after returning from trips of 1 or 2 weeks duration I find screws on the floor and can't find where they come from. On my most recent trip, at a rest stop in NM, when I entered the trailer, I found where all the screws came from. The panel where the radio, DVD is located, under the TV, had completely became disasemled laying on the floor to include the narrow granite counter top just below the TV. The way it was assembled one could never determine where the screws came from until the panel became completely disasemled and falling apart. Then you could see from the inside what the screws were holding together. I had to duct tape the panel to get back home. To make matters worse none of the repairs are covered by warranty. I know now how it feels to be FLEECED! Buyer beware.

[sprayman]

i looked at one this past winter, first the bathroom door frame was racked

and the door would not close. the entire unit looked cheaply made.

we just walked away.

Jim

[Cumminsfan]

Look how many problems Bay Hill owners are having. Evergreen lacks QC in a major way.

[Rhbeeman]

Good call Jim. You saved yourself a lot of headaches! I could elaborate more about more issues but won't. I will try and put this trailer back together. Rhbeeman

[michaelrider]

My wife and I own a '13 26SRK that we bought used a year ago (Aug '14). It was a total impulse purchase. The dealer had several new Elements on the showroom floor selling for $45-55K, and had this one on the lot for $26K. We were like "Wow, it's so sleek and the interior is the perfect size for us!" so without any research what-so-ever, we traded in our Skyline Nomad and drove off with our new trailer. Here's what we found:the Euro Style hinges throughout will not stay tight - all the cabinet doors sag and even fall off eventually; the vent for the fresh water tank is in the SIDE of the tank - although it's stated capacity is 25 gal, if we put more than 18-20 in it the water runs out onto the ground, AND because it has an Anderson 4 way valve on the fill side, you can't just fill a bucket and pour more water in- you need pressure; The light switches were placed by a four year old playing with a flash light - One for the dinette is behind the entertainment unit- my wife cannot reach it, the switch opposite is on the bottom of the upper cabinets, the 1st switch you reach for next to the door is just below the awning controls- you are more likely to extend the awning than turn on the lights; The refrigerator would not work on propane until we had our local rv shop fabricate ducting to direct the heat exchanger's air to the outside.AND you cannot open the refrigerator unless the slideout is extended. If Chevy built a car like this they'd be bankrupt in a month! (Oh, uhh)
I mean really, do they not take these units camping before they put them on the showroom floor?? Do their designers not walk out onto the assembly area and LOOK at what the designed???
So on the flip side, however, the day we brought it home we were approached by no less than 3 people asking us about it. We are resolving the issues one by one, mostly by imagination and money! I bought a 12V transfer pump and 5 gal water can - we refill our water tank from the back of our tow vehicle - not ideal but it works. I keep a screw driver in the silverware drawer and go around tightening up hinges when I am looking for something to do in the campgrounds. The improved aerodynamics allows us to get the same fuel economy towing a longer, heavier trailer (10 mpg, 5.7L Toyota Tundra), but I have to say, if I were given a choice, I would not buy this trailer again. I am encouraged by our fellow Element owner that now has 40,000 plus miles on theirs- We are heading out to Canada next month and will give it a serious workout.

[thetravelkids]

Just back from a five week trip. We added 3,194 miles to our 2012 Element. We're right at 45,000 miles on her now. Camped in 11 states, and drove through 4 more.
I wish I could report we were trouble free this trip, but we suffered a bearing failure just south of Washington, DC on I-95. My wife and I did our annual bearing maintenance before we left home in south Mississippi. I figure we put on about 2,000 miles before the bearing went out. We were able to find a great repair shop and only lost about a half day of our vacation.
To michaelrider: The doors are problematic. What we did to fix the continual loosening of the screws was to remove a screw, coat a toothpick or two with wood glue, stuck them into the hole, break off the excess toothpick and screw the screw back in. This has helped us tremendously.
Concerning the fresh water tank, I agree. Not the best design. Same with the placement of light switches. We do not have the power awning, so we don't ever get that confused with another switch.
The refrigerator is an ongoing issue. Another forum I belong to (non-Evergreen) has over 110 posts from members trying to make the fridge preform better. We've installed a 12-volt fan with a thermostat to blow air over the coils and out the top vent. Seems to help quite a bit.

[thetravelkids]

Cleaning out some files and came across some Second Generation Element sales brochures.
Two floor plans shown, the ET26RBSS and the ET28RLSS.
1 free to each 2nd Gen Element owner, while supplies last!
Bob

[barrydt102]

Well, we know NOTHING about RVs, and we were in the market for our first travel trailer. We came very close to pulling the trigger on a brand-new Keystone Outback, but there is a small RV dealer about thirty-minutes from home and he had this "super cool looking" RV sitting out front with a huge sale price on it.

It caught my attention right away. It was very different from the other units we had looked at, but I enjoyed having something that looked so unique, and the dealer seemed to make me a great deal as he was preparing to take it to auction.

We didn't sign the paperwork yet, I did a walk-thru and noted some minor repairs that need to be made. Any suggestions on things to look for before the we the final walk-thru prior to signing paperwork?

[MisterT]

now that's a sweet lookin' RV!!!

[barrydt102]

Let me know what to look for during our final walk-thru before we sign the papers. This is our first ever RV so we are without much knowledge regarding the things to look for.

[barrydt102]

A few more of our (new to us) Element...