# Outback 28RS-S



## Alves66 (Feb 3, 2004)

Hi!... just attended the RV show and pretty much decided on buying a new 2004 Outback 28RS-S. We have settled on price but they are still waiting for my signature on the dotted line to close the deal. Until 2 days ago, I had not really heard much about the Outback product line, so I am a little anxious in committing. I have gone through most of the discussions on this website & am a little concerned about the quality issues that have come up. I have a young family and have limited time/income so I don't want to purchase something that is going to cost me $ down the road and cause me more time & frustration. Am I worrying too much here, or has Keystone settled all the quality issues I have been hearing about? Is it comparable to other products in the marketplace or is it superior/inferior. Previous to the Outback, I was prepared to purchase either a Jayco Jayflight, Fleetwood Mallard, or the R-Vision Trail-lite/cruiser.

Any comments, information or advice would be helpful...


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## vern38 (Aug 18, 2003)

Alves66, Welcome to the Forum. You will always find good and bad RV's from all manufactures. I have a friend that bought a 50,000.00 Rig and he is really having a bad day every day with his new unit. I might add it is a Hitch Hiker II Discovery. All manufactures have some sort of quality issues. I have herd good and bad about Outbacks. For the most part after the small things are fixed if you DO YOUR MAINTENANCE on the unit, things will be all right. Every time some little thing goes wrong on ours I fix it ASAP, drives my wife crazy







but it's always in good shape and ready to go. It's just like any thing else you do there will be some cost involved but it's up to you to do as much as the maintenance as you can. Good luck on your purchase, I really think things will be all right.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I'll second what vern has said, you can get a bad unit from any manufacturer. Getting an rv is almost like buying another house. It has basically the same systems and requires some maintenance to keep it in good shape. Like vern said if you can do a lot of it yourself and stay on top of it, it will be more fun than a burden. My wife has given up asking me what I am up to







I really enjoy tinkering out in the trailer.

I am reading fewer initial complaints about the outbacks,Keystone seems to have gotten a handle on quality control. If your dealer is a good one that will stand behind their product, you should be in good shape.

Good luck and let us know how you make out,

Mike


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

My wife and me looked at trailers for almost a year before we bought our outback. It is also a 2004 model and we have been very pleased with the unit. As in any new unit or home you will find problems, for the most part from what I have read most were minor and repaired under warrenty. It is very important that you have a good dealer to do the repiars on any unit, this will make all the difference in the world, you can buy a 200,000.00 dollar unit but if you take it in for repairs and nothing gets done to your satifaction then the unit becomes trash in you eyes, price doesn't matter service does. I think and hope the other poeple will agree that the outback is a solid quality built unit and out of all the units we looked at this unit had all the features we wanted, No regrets.


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## ctsoderq (Dec 14, 2003)

I would consider us one of the people who are having more than their share of issues with our 25RS-S, you've probably seen my whining in other posts (the trailer's back at the dealer for warranty issues, as I write this). Even with all the issues, I don't regret the purchase, we've really enjoyed it.

One bit of advice...use it as much as you can in the first year so you can find all the things that are wrong, and break the things that are about to go wrong, so that it can ba taken care of under warranty. I've heard many people with all brands of trailers that only used them once or twice the first year and then were stuck with problems that showed up later.









One other item, you mentioned limited time/income. We're probably all there, but as the other posts indicated, maintaining the trailer does take time, but it sure is nice to be able to camp where you want with such nice amenities.

I hope you make the right decision for you, and don't regret it. It sounds like you're being patient and really thinking it through.

Good luck sunny


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

Hi Alves66,

I can add a few comments, especially since it sounds like we are pretty similiar (young family, first trailer, limited time, etc...). Actually, you didn't mention if it was your first trailer or not, but I assume so.

We picked up our 2004 Outback 28RSS a week ago. We had it on order for a couple of months, and it finally came into our dealership in Portland Oregon. I was very pleased with the fit and finish of the unit as it arrived. In fact, I managed to intercept the trailer immediately after delivery to the lot and before the inspection and "fix up" by the dealer. I'm a relatively particular guy, and I really could find very little wrong with the unit. I went through all the interior and exterior, looking for little things like molding not right, loose things, seals not right, leakage (it was raining, this is Oregon), everything was great. Then, upon inspection after the dealer had done his full delivery work, all appliances worked fine. The only problems in the whole process ended up being:

1) The mattresses on the bottom bunks were the same size as the top bunks, resulting in ~6-8 inches of gap (since the bottom bunk is longer). The dealer is following up with Keystone, but the manufacturer is telling them this is normal.
2) The hot water heater didn't work on 110V (fixed by dealer before delivery, was just a loose connection).
3) There was no oven (dealer will install one free of charge when they get one in, I guess there is a nationwide shortage on ovens which I had already heard about).
4) The drain pipe dripped a bit the first time we used the kitchen sink (one hand turn on the pipe fixed that)

So, considering all the trailers we had seen (we have been shopping for ~10 months), I thought this was excellent quality on delivery. As for how things hold up over time, I'll let you know in 6 months.









As an FYI, a few things have changed on our 2004 model as compared to previous Outbacks I've seen, including:

1) All appliances are now black, with a stainless stove cooktop. I thought this was a nice change from the white applainces, so I didn't mind.
2) The flooring has been changed to a darker "cherry finish" type.
3) The trim around the slideouts, counters, bunks, etc has also been changed to a darker finish. Again, I thought it looked fine, and contrasted nicely with the still bright-white cabinets.

Anyway, thought you might like to know our experience, given that it's highly recent.

Chet.


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

We also looked a long time before deciding on the Outback. First class appliances, Carrier A/C do make a difference. Living in the south the A/C is really important, also to keep the security system (two Dobermans) cool!
The answer as others have said, is the dealer service. They represent the factory and will be the difference.

Dave Davis


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

A great big*DITTO* on what the others have said.

Well said, fellow OUTBACKERS! Great advice!


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## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

Hello Alves66,
I think the reason why some folks have problems with their RVs( whatever brand ) is that it depends on what day of the week it was mfg'd. If it was the last work day before a holiday weekend, then you'll probably have problems with that RV. Or there migh have been a trainee working on it. Maybe even a disgruntled employee. Who knows. Just joking.







(sort of).







You also must take into account the fact that the RV's plumbing, water, elec. and slide systems etc., are really put under a fair anount of stress. Tempreture and humidity extremes. Rough roads. Uneven surfaces stressing the suspension components and frame. Like everyone has said, stay on top of the maintenance. But most importantly, ENJOY THAT NEW RV.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

As of today we're owners of an Outback 28RS-S too. After all the reading on them I was a bit nervous. But there were no Frontiers locally or even in the State, and I was able to buy from a local dealer with a good service department.

Before agreeing to buy the camper I spent about 1/2 hour with the service manager today going over the camper on a basic level. Talked about some of the QC issues of the earlier units. He noted this was was made in October of 2003, where the others they had on the lot were from May. I'd noticed the front of the camper said by Keystone and the others said by Lite-Way.

After the time with him and understanding his level of knowledge of the Outback I felt very good about buying it, and felt if we needed service he would take care of things.

As its been said its not just the camper you are buying but the service. Meeting the service manager to me is important once I decide what I'm buying. If he's to busy when I'm buying he surely won't show any more service once I need help.

Two final things pulled me to the Outback over the similar Frontier. Yes I did like the rear bed design of the Frontier better. But it had no counter space unless you used the stove cover or sink covers, my wife made that choice very simple. Second was where the batteries are stored in the 2809, they would be hard to get at for charging. I liked the design of the Outbacks much better, and that way while charging no gases are inside any part of the camper.


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## CamperDC (Oct 30, 2003)

Congrats on your new TT.









I remember when we made our decesion to buy. It was an exciting time moving up from a pop-up to the 28rss. I could hardly sleep the night before I went to pick it up.


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## haocamper (Feb 6, 2004)

We had been looking since September and our first choice was a Jayco, but it was too heavy. I was very impressed with the Outback and I felt like I had seen many different models. Our 28RS-S is on order as well and due to be in at the end of Feb. I'm buying from a large dealership with 3 different locations, and a large service department, so I think problems will be handled in a timely manner. I did talk with my salesman about the issues I'd seen on the different forums. They agreed that alot of the issues should have been caught by the dealer before the trailer went out the door.

This is our firs trailer and these forums have helped me tremendously. It is alot to absorb all at once. I guess it is a learn as you go type thing. One thing I would recommend is that you download the owners manual from Keystone's website. Since I'm a newbie, it helped to read this before hand and that way we will be familiar with the terminology when we pick up the 28RS-S and they show us how to use everything. It helped me create a list of questions to ask the dealer. I'm also going to take a camcorder when we pick the unit up just in case I forget how to do something.


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## Alves66 (Feb 3, 2004)

Thanks everyone for all the advice. It is very much appreciated. Just the fact that someone had the foresight to start a forum such as this (on this product) gives me a lot of comfort. I will take your comments to heart when making our final decision - which is iminent!

THANK YOU!


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