395DS Issues
- Thread starter jimer
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Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
Suggestion- keep track of who is complaining and what their actual problems are, as opposed to how often they complain about the problem. There are a few recent additions to the forum who seem to have joined just to stir the pot. Some were complaining before they even took delivery.
For every complainer, there are probably a few dozen happy and/or satisfied owners not frantically typing so everyone can participate in their pain. No brand is immune from problems. We have had a few issues, one being major enough that it will be going back to Alliance for repair after the season, but Alliance has been more than responsive and helpful. As I said in another thread, sugar vs vinegar. In my experience, Alliance will "Do The Right Thing", like their company motto states, if you give them the opportunity.
For every complainer, there are probably a few dozen happy and/or satisfied owners not frantically typing so everyone can participate in their pain. No brand is immune from problems. We have had a few issues, one being major enough that it will be going back to Alliance for repair after the season, but Alliance has been more than responsive and helpful. As I said in another thread, sugar vs vinegar. In my experience, Alliance will "Do The Right Thing", like their company motto states, if you give them the opportunity.
Someone once told me a camper is an earthquake on wheels. Things will loosen up. Some will break. If you’re going to RV, you need to be somewhat handy with basic tools and have some knowledge of plumbing, wiring, etc.
Sometimes you’ll have issues due to poor build quality.
What we’ve learned is if you’re not willing or able to DIY, you’ll never use your rig because it will always be in the shop.
Contact Alliance service with your VIN and they can send you a diagram of the waste tank system and what drains where…that removed a lot of mystery for us.
That said, we took delivery of a 2024 395DS in August. Issues we’ve had:
- Rear toilet leaking at water supply inlet which just required removing the hose clamp, reseating the hose and reattaching the hose clamp
- The rear toilet is a macerator toilet and it doesn’t flush well…I’m still investigating that
- In the front closet one of the lower shelves on the door-side has shifted/twisted…I’m not sure how to fix that yet
- We got the independent suspension; the bottom threaded part of the shock absorbers sticks down a bit and something bent one of them about 45 degrees. I have no idea if it was before we took delivery or after, though I’m pretty sure I would have felt it while driving. I called Morryde and they’re sending a new shock for free.
No matter what you buy form no matter the manufacturer, you’re going to have issues. It’s all about attitude. Enjoy the adventure or always be frustrated.
Sometimes you’ll have issues due to poor build quality.
What we’ve learned is if you’re not willing or able to DIY, you’ll never use your rig because it will always be in the shop.
Contact Alliance service with your VIN and they can send you a diagram of the waste tank system and what drains where…that removed a lot of mystery for us.
That said, we took delivery of a 2024 395DS in August. Issues we’ve had:
- Rear toilet leaking at water supply inlet which just required removing the hose clamp, reseating the hose and reattaching the hose clamp
- The rear toilet is a macerator toilet and it doesn’t flush well…I’m still investigating that
- In the front closet one of the lower shelves on the door-side has shifted/twisted…I’m not sure how to fix that yet
- We got the independent suspension; the bottom threaded part of the shock absorbers sticks down a bit and something bent one of them about 45 degrees. I have no idea if it was before we took delivery or after, though I’m pretty sure I would have felt it while driving. I called Morryde and they’re sending a new shock for free.
No matter what you buy form no matter the manufacturer, you’re going to have issues. It’s all about attitude. Enjoy the adventure or always be frustrated.
DanNJanice
Well-known member
Not 395DS specific, but I would recommend you go over an look at Rich's videos here Rich's Videos
He fixes a lot of the Alliance issues on his trailer, so you get an idea of the scale of some of them.
He also has a lot of good ideas for improvements.
He fixes a lot of the Alliance issues on his trailer, so you get an idea of the scale of some of them.
He also has a lot of good ideas for improvements.
Right front shock lower part bent. Fortunately the lower nut came off with a little extra effort with a ratchet. Because of the bend, I had to compress the shock from the top down to get the upper part free and then the bottom came out fine. Access to the upper nut is easier with the wheel removed. I don’t know if you can get to it otherwise. I was in the process of running the wheels to the tire shop to get TPMS stems installed so it made this easier.
Edit - last two shots are prior to torquing down the nuts…yes they are loose in the pictures!
Edit - last two shots are prior to torquing down the nuts…yes they are loose in the pictures!
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Latest frustration. I went to install a Winegard Gateway 4G LTE Wifi Router and found this when I removed the cap from the ceiling inside. Power cable present and accounted for, three antenna wires that are supposed to be here…nowhere to be found. I fished around in the ceiling with a coathanger wire but couldn’t find them. The gap between the inner ceiling and the structure above it, maybe the roof, is only about 3-4 inches; within about a 1 foot radius I couldn’t even find a hole in the upper structure though which the wires could have come through. I suppose I’ll have to go onto the roof, remove the 360+ and figure out where the wires are and how to get them down inside. Then reseal, of course.
Despite my admonition above to roll with the issues and enjoy the trip, I’m really not impressed.
UPDATE: the 4G wires were never dropped through the roof and then through the ceiling. The dealer had to dismount the dome and route the wires properly. This was lack of attention to detail during manufacture.
Despite my admonition above to roll with the issues and enjoy the trip, I’m really not impressed.
UPDATE: the 4G wires were never dropped through the roof and then through the ceiling. The dealer had to dismount the dome and route the wires properly. This was lack of attention to detail during manufacture.
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We had the coach in for a couple months (that's a whole story) and they still haven't figured it out. They keep waiting for the commode manufacturer to send them a trouble shooting guide. Near as they can tell there's a wiring problem. So we still can't use the second bathroom which was a large part of the reason we bought this particular model.
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And here's the latest issue. The 3000W inverter is apparently toast. More details when I get hold of Renogy tomorrow, but it seems like it's fried. It just quit, sitting there on shore power in our driveway. LCD display dead and it won't let AC power from shore power to go to AC outlets in the coach.
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Feels like something you could post on a Renogy page vs Alliance.
sawendland
Member
I agree with you about what you and I are hearing. However, remember that it's much easier and most people voice complaints than they do when things are going all well and fine. I'm HIGHLY considering the 395DS since it's got 2 bedrooms/bathrooms plus the loft. My wife and I are looking to retire here in 4 years and do some workkamping part time of the year and probably doing some other "traveling" when we're not at home. I live in South Bend, IN right now and the Alliance Factory is just a few miles away over on the east side of Elkhart. I plan on contacting them and doing a factory tour sometime soon. From what I've seen so far, they are definitely one of the top manufacturers of RV's.. .once I visit the factory, I'll report back on here what I see. My old camper was a 1983 Fleetwood Prowler... before any slides were really out, etc. .... very basic and not much to go wrong compared with all the "extra's" we now can't seem to live without (Me either) Plus, we just are now in a "slowing" phase of RV manufacturing. I can tell you that 3-5 years ago, the RV factories were hiring like crazy and there was no one to hire. Also many of the component factories are in this area as well. Many "dropped" their drug testing during that time and I think that time period shows it. I know of one guy who also knows someone I know very well. He was a "Quality Control Supervisor" at one of the axle factories in NE Indiana. He'd show up to work "high" and he was a Supervisor! Definitely look over the RV, look at the axles, the welds, everything you possibly can. Do you see anything "out of place". PLUS, the 395 DS has been built by Alliance now for a few years. They've done some changes, which I would guess are either things they felt they'd improve or possibly other items that actual customers suggested to them. I've not viewed the interior of the 395DS yet, except on video. I've looked over some of the other Alliance products, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with their quality. For example, when my wife and I have looked at RV's - notice when you open a wall or base cabinet doors. Notice on the "cheaper" brands they tend to vibrate when you pull them away from the magnet because they used a thin piece of luan/plywood. The higher end ones have a little thicker plywood and you can tell that when you open cabinets... but this goes across the board too with other things. I pointed out how the cabinet doors do this to my wife and now she notices these things more. If we're going to make this our "home" for about 1/2 a year, it needs to have some quality. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I'll report back once I've looked this model - I'll either "be sold" and push really hard to get my wife to agree (she did like everything that was in the Alliance video presentation" - you can find these in the alliance website, or on Youtube. They have videos for the different years.
sawendland
Member
Those shocks look like basic model shocks. I'd consider putting in a higher quality shock right away. It would probably be worth it. ???
sawendland
Member
I tried to open the Rich's videos, Youtube said "not available" ??? I'm researching everything everywhere right now.
George
Well-known member
terminalhour
Member
We live in ours full-time now. With the anticipation that we would sell our house (which we did about 2 years ago). We ordered our 395DS in Sept. ‘23 because I wanted the 8000 lb. axles, double pane windows, and gen. prep.
“Earthquake on wheels” is an accurate description, but we have had no incidents from sitting/transporting minus basic maintenance stuff like tightening plumbing fittings, etc. Maybe we’ve been lucky but I read all of these things that are being said and I’m like, “hmm”.🤷🏻♂️
The only real negative thing that has happened is that we had to have the Norcold refrigerator replaced, but, to me, that’s not really an “ALLIANCE RV” issue so much as it’s a Norcold issue.
There are 4 of us in here doing life together, and we love our Alliance “big girl”. Haven’t ever found anything leaking, even around the slides, and that was after going through hurricane Beryl (a 5 hour car wash) in Baytown, Texas a couple of years ago.
Obviously, I can’t speak for everyone but this is our 3rd fifth wheel (2 previous Keystone Cougar’s) and I have nothing but good things to say about this camper
EDIT: As far as the rear macerater toilet is concerned, it didn’t seem right after we took ownership but also found out, from Alliance, that they weren’t wired correctly on the control unit. It was just a matter of switching a few wires. Don’t expect it to be like a residential, flushing toilet. Ours has been the primary bathroom for our teenage kids and it has been, overall, quite reliable.
“Earthquake on wheels” is an accurate description, but we have had no incidents from sitting/transporting minus basic maintenance stuff like tightening plumbing fittings, etc. Maybe we’ve been lucky but I read all of these things that are being said and I’m like, “hmm”.🤷🏻♂️
The only real negative thing that has happened is that we had to have the Norcold refrigerator replaced, but, to me, that’s not really an “ALLIANCE RV” issue so much as it’s a Norcold issue.
There are 4 of us in here doing life together, and we love our Alliance “big girl”. Haven’t ever found anything leaking, even around the slides, and that was after going through hurricane Beryl (a 5 hour car wash) in Baytown, Texas a couple of years ago.
Obviously, I can’t speak for everyone but this is our 3rd fifth wheel (2 previous Keystone Cougar’s) and I have nothing but good things to say about this camper
EDIT: As far as the rear macerater toilet is concerned, it didn’t seem right after we took ownership but also found out, from Alliance, that they weren’t wired correctly on the control unit. It was just a matter of switching a few wires. Don’t expect it to be like a residential, flushing toilet. Ours has been the primary bathroom for our teenage kids and it has been, overall, quite reliable.
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