Home Forums Truck Camper Adventure Forum Northstar owners check your shower drains

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    • #48433
      ardvark
      Participant

      Just discovered on our 2019 Northstar Laredo the shower basket is “sealed” to the floor using what appears to be tacky tape, an inappropriate use for that product, and it feels like the gasket is missing from the clamp ring that fastens the basket into the pan opening. Our drain movement led to a steady drip into the small storage space under the shower. Not a difficult repair, but a nuisance on the road. May want to check yours.

      Aardvark

      Steve and Andra
      2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
      Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
      2019 Northstar Laredo SC

    • #48436
      Keith
      Participant

      2010 850SC. Bought in 2016 from a man who used it for 2 weeks a year and then it sat much like how i use it. First trip in 2016 went to raise the roof and would not raise on one side. Pin fell out of the rack assy. luckly i found it and was able to raise the roof. Getting ready to come home went to check all the lights and had no tail lights. Kept blowing the fuse. Talked to a policeman who was there due to the fact that my wife had passed away that morning and he gave me his card and said drive home carefully with no lights in the rear. got home and pulled out the light assemblies to trace the problem. Had to take out the heater, propane cabinet to get to the wires to the left side of the camper. Finally found a staple run through the purple wire to the lights causing a ground to the metal part of the camper. Also noticed that the lag bolts holding the lift rack were pulling out of the wall Had to drill a hole to the outside and install carriage bolts to hold the rack to the wall. Sent NorthStar a letter telling about the problems found on a camper and never got a response. also replaced the junk Chinese converter as recommended in this site. not impressed with the craftsmanship on NorthStar.

    • #48438
      Jefe4x4
      Moderator

      Keith,
      What a story! Jeanie and I are very sorry you lost your wife.
      In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum

      (a moment of silence here)

      Your camper story is unusual as the N* owner’s page on facebook has very few complaints, compared to any other manufacturer. You were just unlucky.
      We cannot find anything we don’t like about our N* Laredo SC.
      Maybe it’s because ours is a one piece hardside with few moving parts.

      My brother John has a 2002 pop up 9.5 OUTFITTER!(the Pop-up Palace) that has had a lot of woes. Major systems like the buried and leaking propane lines, 3-way fridge, and water heater, have proved to be eternal problems for him. I think he’s on his 3rd fridge, and can never keep his fridge running on propane.
      So, you’re not alone in having problems, but relatively alone having problems with a Northstar.
      jefe

      2020 Ford F-350 XLT FX4 4WD SRW SB SC 7.3L Godzilla Gas TorqShift 10R140 397 amps dual Alt dual batts Frnt Dana 60; Rr Dana M275 E-locker 4.30's 4580/4320/4066# payload 7243# curb wt. 11,300# GVWR 5-er prepped. 2020 Northstar Laredo SC, 12v compressor fridge, cassette, 320w Solar sub zero insulation.

    • #48440
      ardvark
      Participant

      My goal was not to trash Northstar, but rather to call attention to a potential trouble spot that might get missed due to location. I don’t think Northstars are perfect, although I do think they do more right than wrong.

      Things like faulty appliances are not in the camper manufacturer’s wheelhouse, while things like leaking propane lines clearly are.

      Aardvark

      Steve and Andra
      2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
      Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
      2019 Northstar Laredo SC

    • #48449
      Harvey
      Participant

      Jefe, Yes there are few complaints on Northstar’s owner’s Facebook group. Do you know why that is so? I do. They kicked us out of the group because we were talking about the many defects of the 2017 Northstar Laredo we had in less than 2 years.

      I don’t want to trash a company either. However, Northstar pulled that number on us with Facebook. Rex and others refused to reply after the first year or so about all the problems. I’ve read far too many problems on various sites about Northstar’s products.

      Ardvark’s problem discovering wrong tape used, seems to be a norm not an out of the ordinary for the company. Is it their procedures, design, employees, absolutely no quality control? I don’t know.

      I made suggestions on a number of things to Northstar how to improve, but apparently the company is just fine with what they produce which is pretty weird. If I had a 60 year old business I’d still always want to improve it.

      The only thing I can’t say is, is the lack of quality and many issues a norm for all truck campers no matter the company or is this a Northstar “specialty”,

    • #48450
      Keith
      Participant

      aardvark. Not my intention to trash NorthStar either. Just pointing out some design and quality issues that i ran into. I sent them a nice letter telling them of the improvements i made to solve the problems and was disappointed that i never even got a reply.when i got my unit it looked and still does like new due to the very limited use it got. that is one reason i was disappointed to see the lag bolts pulling out of the walls for the lift unit after such low usage. I worked in an industry that used a multitude of RV, cast trailers motorhomes etc. they are all slapped together such that a red wire may be a green one at the other end of the coach. fuel lines can be spliced behind the fuel tank where you have to drop the tank to access it. I could go on and on about 32 years of working on rv and the poor workmanship. The staple stabbed into the wire harness on my camper is just another example. every time i get into my camper to look it over i say to myself what a nice unit it is but it is not perfect.

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