Still at it, TH still in the shop.

[TPC]

The failing hydraulic Jacks issue with our Grand Design is still with us.

It’s been sitting at the Dealer service dept since June and that’s third visit for the issue.

The wife and I sat down with the Service manager and did the play me or trade me take. Absent dealer owner place. Runs the business from his smartphone. Robin Masters dealio.

“Fix it or discount a new one without Lippert hydraulics.”
We had enough.

The problem is a year and a half old.
Only calls we got were up-selling other services.

Messed up problems with a diesel
Pusher I can kinda understand,, but a trailer?

So,,,? We’ll see with time how it develops.

 

[Meaney77]

Bummer to hear...

I wonder if you started lighting them up on social media about your experience with the dealer and issues with the brand if you would get some traction?

 

[DILLIGAF]

The failing hydraulic Jacks issue with our Grand Design is still with us.

It’s been sitting at the Dealer service dept since June and that’s third visit for the issue.

The wife and I sat down with the Service manager and did the play me or trade me take. Absent dealer owner place. Runs the business from his smartphone. Robin Masters dealio.

“Fix it or discount a new one without Lippert hydraulics.”
We had enough.

The problem is a year and a half old.
Only calls we got were up-selling other services.

Messed up problems with a diesel
Pusher I can kinda understand,, but a trailer?

So,,,? We’ll see with time how it develops.

So besides falling a bit and releveling what exactly is happening? Complete failure and falling?

 

[timstoy]

Have you tried dealing with the manufacturer directly? Hearing real customer complaints is worth a try! RV service at the dealership level is always a crap shoot.

 

[Singleton]

Good Luck
Had a buddy with the Lippert hydraulics issue.
A total of 4 trips and over 6 months in shop, trailer finally went to Lippert directly to fix.
Complete new Lippert hydraulics installed and it failed again.
Trailer was traded in on new unit after lawyer got involved.

 

[OCMerrill]

Damn I thought you had this one nailed down and fixed.

Sorry to read its anything but.

 

[Icky]

Stories like this make me glad to get my impact out and throw down the rear jacks.

 

[Singleton]

Stories like this make me glad to get my impact out and throw down the rear jacks.

100%
I look at new trailer and think that is nice. Then I read up on issues, etc.
My trailer is basic, BUT almost everything can be fixed without a shop.

 

[TPC]

Complete replacement of the entire system and the controller electronics.
We have been in touch with Grand Design and Lippert. It's been just parts changing.
My only advise is buy a TH with electric front jacks.

 

[TPC]

So besides falling a bit and releveling what exactly is happening? Complete failure and falling?

Complete failure.

 

[TVMNick]

What is the Auto Level doing? As a rule Lippert Auto Level is pretty robust and simple. They did have a run of poorly manufactured jacks in late 2021 that had internal issues and just needed replacement. The solenoids from that period are also suspect and can cause issues or just need to be tightened more frequently. I have had 7 trailers with LCI Auto Level and they have all been great, you couldn't pay me enough to run a large fifth wheel with electric auto level.

 

[Done-it-again]

Damn.... I'm glad that mine works great...

I did have to put cat hydraulic additive in it to stop the popping it had when it flowed back through the check valve when we first got it.

hope you get yours worked out sooner than later.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Complete failure.

Mine do creak and drop a bit......not complete failure though. I blame some of it to being on soft ground. I just go press the auto level and it relevels and usually that stops it. Is this what yours was doing from the get-go and then collapsing or complete collapse always?

I will park the Harley under the overhang. If a complete collapse happened that would probably make me cry....lol Or worse yet I sit under the overhang at times.....a collapse could kill me.

 

[Icky]

I run the level mate pro on my 5th wheel. After the initial install/setup it makes leveling the trailer easy. Not as easy as autolevel, but definitely takes the guess work out of things

 

[DILLIGAF]

Damn.... I'm glad that mine works great...

I did have to put cat hydraulic additive in it to stop the popping it had when it flowed back through the check valve when we first got it.

hope you get yours worked out sooner than later.

Maybe thats what I need to do. Would you happen to have a link to the additive you are using? Thanks

 

[Done-it-again]

Maybe thats what I need to do. Would you happen to have a link to the additive you are using? Thanks

Here you go. You will need to take out what you are going to put in so you keep the same amount of fluid in the resivore. I believe I did around 1.5 qt's

Then you need to cycle the jacks multiples times.

https://parts.cat.com/en/catcorp/1U-9891

 

[DILLIGAF]

Here you go. You will need to take out what you are going to put in so you keep the same amount of fluid in the resivore. I believe I did around 1.5 qt's

Then you need to cycle the jacks multiples times.

https://parts.cat.com/en/catcorp/1U-9891

Thank you!

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Sorry to hear this Ross. What a pain in the ass.

We just bought a new Genesis Supreme with that system.

You guys looking for the Caterpillar Anti Stiction additive, there is a new part #
It is 6243379.
Your friendly neighborhood Caterpillar Dealer should have it by the quart.
The old number, 1U98XX is no longer valid.

 

[J DUNN]

It's amazing how much attention they start giving you when you stand in front of the establishment and share (briefly) your horror story. Do it on a day when they usually have the most walk ins, I'm guessing a Saturday?

I did this with a bad mattress we were sold. Repeated return attempts and they kept denying the return. Anyway, I went to the mattress store on a Saturday and stood on the front sidewalk and shared, very calmly without drama to all those approaching the store, about my repeated issues. Everybody kept showing support for my plight and would get in their cars and leave. The salesmen were watching it happen right through the glass windows. They got pissed and had the manager come get me. He promised me anything as long as I would stop costing them sales. Worked out in the end, unfortunate it had to go that route but sometimes you have to play hardball, politely.

 

[Angler]

Complete replacement of the entire system and the controller electronics.
We have been in touch with Grand Design and Lippert. It's been just parts changing.
My only advise is buy a TH with electric front jacks.

The hydraulic system from Lippert has been awesome, never had a problem in 3 years now.

Sucks you're having issues.

 

[69hondo]

Man Ross what a nightmare. I hope this gets figured out quick. You missed last off-road season because of this.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Complete failure.

Ross.....just the front or all around....all jacks?

 

[J DUNN]

So, I commented on this thread last week, the DAY after I comment I go to pickup a rental RV for Power Trip Festival for the weekend and guess what, jacks don't work.
RV place doesn't say anything about it until right before I'm leaving I thought I'd try them out, I look down and it says Lippert, I try them and sure enough, no go.
Rental service says they had it in shop last year for 2 months and came back still broken but it's costing him rentals for not having the RV.

 

[TPC]

We did mention to the service writer that at EC this problem is most always the hydraulic pump.

We see it often the Mobil RV repair guys carry spares, knock the job out in an hour.
Dealer service writer:
“We’re in contact with the Manufacturer and following their advice.”

Monday I was contacted by Grand Design factory telling me they never heard anything from the dealer.
2 square block trailer dealer with 21 techs.

Grand Designs field trouble shooter is in constant contact with me and says it’s probably the pump and is talking to the dealers service manager.

 

[TPC]

Ross.....just the front or all around....all jacks?

Intermittent sometimes all.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

I hope that GD is climbing directly up the back end of that dealer....lying straight away to the customer about the servicing process on a GD product is a great way to lose the GD Line. I am glad you are in touch with GD on this, Ross..and sorry as heck you are going through it at all. The misery you've had with the previous truck and RV and now this...
I know me, I don''t think I would be handling it as well as you are.

FWIW for the folks with this system that are having the popping problem, adding about 1.5 quarts of the Cat additive listed above solved the problem for us. I just used a turkey baster deal to suck the fluid out of the reservoir and then added back the like amount of Cat fluid. Easy deal.

 

[v6toy4x]

OP, Any resolution

 

[TPC]

What the issue finally was - was the passenger side / right side front jack is the alpha dog.
If it acts up in any way the entire hydraulic jack system is effected.

Dealer started parts changing with a new unit to see if anything would reveal the issue, and the last test, was it.
All new jacks were ordered and replaced.
Yump'in yimminy they changed-out everything and it now, after almost 2 years works superb.

Now, suspension issues. Stock failed, upgraded failed, so now super heavy duty upgraded to be installed by the manufacturer.
This rig will be in new, showroom condition and we'll trade it in on a new unit.

After-market HD independent suspension upgrades aren't as good as factory installed from what we gather in the RV forums. Various, serious reasons to go factory installed. I'm learning by others experiences and mistakes as they learn from mine.

After-market solar we're hearing the same. The factory installed eclipses them all. Again various reasons best to get factory installed..
Several other improvements all over the rig,, best to just buy new and start over.

Grand Design customer service has been great. Our selling-servicing dealer not so good. I had to deal with them before noon because key employees were so drunk they could barely talk. In the Southwest, if you didn't buy your unit from a dealer, they won't service it and I won't argue that with anyone,, that's a fact.

A new, sober, granted franchise with a 5 star service dept has opened up closer,, and we'll roll with them.

 

[v6toy4x]

What the issue finally was - was the passenger side / right side front jack is the alpha dog.
If it acts up in any way the entire hydraulic jack system is effected.

Dealer started parts changing with a new unit to see if anything would reveal the issue, and the last test, was it.
All new jacks were ordered and replaced.
Yump'in yimminy they changed-out everything and it now, after almost 2 years works superb.

Now, suspension issues. Stock failed, upgraded failed, so now super heavy duty upgraded to be installed by the manufacturer.
This rig will be in new, showroom condition and we'll trade it in on a new unit.

After-market HD independent suspension upgrades aren't as good as factory installed from what we gather in the RV forums. Various, serious reasons to go factory installed. I'm learning by others experiences and mistakes as they learn from mine.

After-market solar we're hearing the same. The factory installed eclipses them all. Again various reasons best to get factory installed..
Several other improvements all over the rig,, best to just buy new and start over.

Grand Design customer service has been great. Our selling-servicing dealer not so good. I had to deal with them before noon because key employees were so drunk they could barely talk. In the Southwest, if you didn't buy your unit from a dealer, they won't service it and I won't argue that with anyone,, that's a fact.

A new, sober, granted franchise with a 5 star service dept has opened up closer,, and we'll roll with them.

Even though this does not impact me directly, too many threads like this never have the final "solution" its seems like the OPs get tired of posting once the problem is resolved. So thank you for posting your final outcome, it can only help others

 

[DILLIGAF]

saving

glad its resolved