# Taking Delivery of new 29FBH-S 5th Wheel



## dtbraun (Oct 6, 2004)

Hello Everyone,

I would like help from as many Outback owners as possible so I can create a checklist (laundry list) when I go to dealer and take delivery of my new rig on October 30th. At purchase time I went through and did a surface check of everything. The short list I created for them to work on now till Oct 30th was:

1) lower bunk bed support on half wall was pulled from wall and loose. I instructed I wanted it screwed into studs (if there are any) otherwise use rail as a vertical support screwed to corner of wall by door (which will be at center of bunk). The end by closet has vertical support so I don't see why this won't work.

2) rear door fit has slight gap from paneling (about 1/8 ") and caulking is sloppy. Want it cleaned up and re-caulked. Also want to make sure overall fit is not comprised.

3) cabinet door under sink is slightly warped.

4) read on forum that people compained that bedroom heat vent was not putting out good airflow. Want it to have proper airflow in relation to other vents.

If anyone can think of anything that I should be looking at when I'm doing my delivery walkthru, I would appreciate it. If I find something, I want to tell them I want it right before I take it. To create a sense of urgency, I will be telling them I have my first trip planned Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanking Everyone in Advance.


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Sounds to me like you have looked at just about everything. Open each drawer and door to make sure the hinges are screwed on tightly. Check the sponge drawer to see if closes fully and flush. Turn on all the lights to see if they work as expected. Of course, run all the appliances. Don't forget the outside stove and shower. Look underneath to see if any tape is coming off on the underbody cover. Look at the screws on the outside molding to see if any are missing heads (sometimes they twist them off). Make sure that when they hook it up to your rig that the 5 is running level and that you have sufficient clearance between the bottom of the 5 and your pickup bed rails.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Fans blow in the right direction and without rubbing.

I'm assuming you have looked at the PDI for Outbacks too.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Open and close ALL the windows! When we bought our 26RS last summer, it was so friggin hot during the walk-through that we missed checking them out. Besides, it's a window! It should open and close! When we finally did get around to trying to open them, 5, count em' 5 would not open! Sheesh!







Our unit also came with an eye-watering smell, I suppose that was a "feature"







. I guess from the various manufacturing processes, glue, fiberglass, plastic etc. Plus being over 100 degrees it was rather fragrant inside. We still get some of the eye-watering effects when the trailer has been closed up for awhile during a hot spell.

Did I say to check the windows?

Enjoy your new Outback!


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

Check this list out Pdi Check List

Jim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Outbackers Inspection Checklist


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Herbicidal said:


> Open and close ALL the windows! When we bought our 26RS last summer, it was so friggin hot during the walk-through that we missed checking them out. Besides, it's a window! It should open and close! When we finally did get around to trying to open them, 5, count em' 5 would not open! Sheesh!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Regarding the eye-watering smell. Most if not all new units will have this problem and it will eventually go away. However, someone mentioned a "fix" in an earlier thread that I tried successfully. 
Pour alcohol into a small bowl or glass and leave it in the kitchen sink while the TT is closed up. The alcohol absorbs the odors.

This seemed to work well for me.

Glenn


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

GlenninTexas said:


> Regarding the eye-watering smell. Most if not all new units will have this problem and it will eventually go away. However, someone mentioned a "fix" in an earlier thread that I tried successfully.
> Pour alcohol into a small bowl or glass and leave it in the kitchen sink while the TT is closed up. The alcohol absorbs the odors.
> 
> This seemed to work well for me.
> ...


Rubbing alcohol, or something with higher proof?









Thanks!


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

That NEW CAMPER smell just isn't as appealing as the NEW TRUCK smell is it?


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

The lists from Tom Boles and the Outbackers list should take care of you. I highly recommend that you send the PDI list to your dealer before you arrive, let them know that you will be doing a detailed walk through. Chances are the PDI person from the dealer won't be able to be with you the whole time since they usually book several trailers back to back. Start with him, do a walk through of how things work then get down to business. If its a larger dealership they should be used to this with the motorhome and big trailer crew. Don't sign off on acceptance until you are satisfied.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

We intentionally did our walkthrough early on a weekday so we could have the tech there the whole time. We asked ahead to see when a slow time would be. Gave us a lot of the day to get the whole process taken care of without having to tow home in rush hour traffic.

Also, on your tow home, plan a couple spots to pull over and check everything over. I did a WD adjustment that made a huge difference, semis blowing past on I-5 made the sway important too but the lousy condition of the I-5 concrete made the WD essential. Ka-thump Ka-thump Ka-thump Ka-thump with a bounce each time was pretty unnerving with a bouncy trailer.


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Herbicidal said:


> GlenninTexas said:
> 
> 
> > Regarding the eye-watering smell.Â Most if not all new units will have this problem and it will eventually go away. However, someone mentioned a "fix" in an earlier thread that I tried successfully.
> ...


I wouldn't waste good drinking alcohol just to get rid of a little smell.


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## Puredrifting (May 7, 2004)

Hi Dan:

I have had an Outback 29F-BH-S since May and here is my Outback 5er specific checklist you should go over... I have spoken wiith five other Outback 5er owners at my dealer so I think I now have a pretty good idea of what initial defects are common with our trailers.

1. Do your regular PDI checklist, of course.

2. Either you check or have a technician check EVERY water connection in the trailer. Sinks, water pump, filler spigot, etc. Outback 5ers seem to be notorious for leaving the assembly line with loose water fittings. Mine has had two, the outdoor shower fixture and the water tank filler spigot. Water leaks are bad and can cause immense damage while remaining hidden.

3. Check your tire wear carefully at around 2,000 miles. Mine has been okay but several other Outback 5er owners have told me that they had warped axles and that the axles needed to be replaced. You can tell by uneven tire wear.

4. You can do this one yourself and it's easy. The accordian door into the bedroom has a small, white plastic pin that is screwed into the wall. The idea is that the hole in the accordian door frame matches up with this small, white plastic pin on the wall. Problem is, this doesn't work. Ours never stayed closed, even when I relocated the pin. When I unscrewed the pin, I could see that the dealer or factory had already relocated it once as well since there were multiple screw holes. Take three, white Velcro squares and replace the stupid white plastic pin with the three Velcro squares at the top, middle and bottom of the door. Works like a charm and it's an easy fix.

5. The factory mattress is VERY uncomfortable. Go to Costco and pay $110.00 for a memory foam mattress topper. It will feel like a whole new bed, best investment we have made in the trailer.

6. The stock storage door locks are a joke. You should replace them with barrel locks although you may have to do a bit of drilling. What you may not know is that there are only about three types of keys for these kinds of locks, mine came CH751. That means that anyone else with a CH751 key (about half of all RVs use this one) can just come up and unlock my storage doors and take whatever they would like. While the doors are flimsy and anyone could break one open, at least by switching the locks, you make it less convenient to do.

7. Check your tank handle labels. They should read from left (toward the front of the trailer) to right, "Gray, Black" then in between the wheels on the chassis, "Galley" for the 3rd tank. Many Outbackers report their tank handles mis-labeled. Mine were correct and this is the correct order.

8. Assuming you have kids, go to Ikea and buy LOTS of cheap rugs and spread them onto every carpeted surface. Buy some cheap sheets to fit onto the sofa. Just put the rugs down and the sheet on the couch when camping, then when you get home, wash them. They will keep your carpet and sofa upholstery looking like new. Disregard this if you don't have kids and are not slobs. RV carpet is cheap and wears quickly, especially that step up into the bedroom so we put a carpet remnant on that step and it still looks like new.

9. Check your lug nuts and tire pressure each time you haul. The stock tires are junk but might last longer if you ALWAYS have them inflated to proper pressure. So far, my dad's KZ and my friends toy hauler have both blown multiple tires. So far, I have been lucky and not had one blow out. I attribute this at least partially to having the correct pressure always. I am prepared to replace all four though when I have a blowout.

10. Have fun! Camping is supposed to be fun so once you get your trailer dialed in, enjoy it!

All the best,

Dan


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## RVFIXER (Dec 3, 2004)

Y-Guy said:


> The lists from Tom Boles and the Outbackers list should take care of you. I highly recommend that you send the PDI list to your dealer before you arrive, let them know that you will be doing a detailed walk through. Chances are the PDI person from the dealer won't be able to be with you the whole time since they usually book several trailers back to back. Start with him, do a walk through of how things work then get down to business. If its a larger dealership they should be used to this with the motorhome and big trailer crew. Don't sign off on acceptance until you are satisfied.
> [snapback]16450[/snapback]​


ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

I hammered my dealer on the walkthrough. Sure, it was stuff I could've fixed at home in the driveway. But why should I? If he wants to sell a camper to me, get it right. And I'm not talking about lining up the screw slots so they all point north. Call me cheap, or a penny-pincher or whatever, but discriminating buyers like me have created the quality we see being produced today by a wealth of manufacturers. My dealer knew I could take my business down the road, and so does Keystone. If they both know what I expect even before I pull in, they will be better prepared to close a sale, that's all I'm saying. If I owned a dealership, I'd love to get my hands on that PDI list in advance. I'd put a big sign up: "OUR TRAILERS MEET OR EXCEED THE OUTBACKERS.COM PDI CHECKLIST REQUIREMENTS!" That is like the holy grail of a sales-person: knowing what the client wants before they come in so that they will buy what you have without question. Yeah, I may have to hire a couple of extra techs to do all the "fixes", but think of the sales volume!

Interestingly enough, many of the "mods" that people have listed on this website are already installed on my 05. So somebody at Keystone is reading our mail. Or the mail from the dealer, whichever. And there is way more display of initial quality in my Outback than was in my 1991 Kit Monterey Road Ranger.

IMO, deserved or not, a few bad apple dealers have made buyers gun-shy of all dealers. And wary of shoddy workmanship from manufacturers. Both dealers and manufacturers alike need to know we are watching, and we are armed with our checklists and our knowledge from this website.


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