Last month I was home from work, and since it was a nice day, I asked Angela
if she wanted to go to out to A. C. Nelson (http://www.acnrv.com/) thinking
they might have some campers popped up to look at.  As we drove out, we
agreed like so many other couples that we were "Just Looking" (tm).

They indeed had many pop-ups set up to look at, and of course, given the
time of year, had end of season sale prices on the `05 models.  There was a
"new" (unused) `04 Tacoma on the floor with a very attractive price.  We
looked around and spotted an `05 Allegiance out on the lot that appealed to
us even more.  Given that it had a 70 inch bed on one end, and a 48 inch on
the other, at first, we thought it was a shorter box (thus a little
lighter, and easier to fit in the garage) than the Tacoma.  It turned out
that the Allegiance is a replacement model for the Tacoma, and they are
both 12 footers.  Why this particular Allegiance had a 48 inch bunk on the
back end, they could not say, as the brochures and all the other literature
state both ends are 70 inches.  The shorter bed did not bother us, and got
us a few hundred off the asking price.

The Allegiance also had a water heater, which the Tacoma did not.  The
Allegiance was $1500 more than the Tacoma, but after looking at both (they
have the same floor plans) and laying on the beds in both, we knew we would
rather have the Allegiance just for the better mattress pads alone!  

The salesman also told us that not only did the Allegiance come with better
mattresses, but also came with an automatic switchover for dual propane
tanks, and had a better warranty on the roof.  We told him that we did
primarily dry camping, and asked if it would have a group 31 (or better)
battery on it.  He said "absolutely".  (Never completely trust an RV
salesman!)

When we came out a couple of days later to sign the paperwork and get our
"walk-through", I noticed that there was *not* an auto-switchover for
propane.  I said our salesman had assured us there would be.  They
immediately installed one.  They also had, during the
inspection/prep/cleanup had discovered that the tip out galley portion of
the tenting had a small leak, and they already had a new piece on order to
replace it, it would take a couple of weeks to get.

Angela and I were eager to get it out camping, and the service man, knowing
we were experienced PU campers gave us a rather cursory walk-through.  We
towed it home, and parked it in the drive next to our old Taos.  Angela
emptied out the Taos of dishes, cooking utensils, etc. laughingly
complaining she didn't know where she was going to put it all.  She said
her biggest concern was stowing what we had in a way that it wouldn't shift
and rattle during towing, as she has *so* much more room to store
everything - the Taos had been like a Chinese puzzle box - we had
everything we needed, but it was stuffed so well, there was no chance of
any of it moving during tow.

The way Angela had the Taos packed was one of the major reasons we did not
like to do one night camps.  We had to get out 3-4 items to unpack the one
we might need, and repacking it also took more time than we wanted to
spend.

We took it out to the club range (we belong to a Blackpowder club that has,
as well as the gun range, a large and very private campground).  Of course,
the first day I spent a lot of time reading all the manuals that came with
it.  We thought the water pump was noisier than it should be, but did not
investigate it right away, not until a friend (also a frequent poster on
here) visited.

What we discovered was that the water pump was a) mounted on the flimsy 3/8"
thick piece of particle board that defined the compartment the water heater
was in, thus resonating badly b) the pump was (according to the shur-flo
manual) mounted upside down and most distressingly c) the propane line was
run in such a way as to be tightly against the electric motor of the pump.
Of course this meant during the bouncing around under tow, as well as the
vibration from the motor when it was running would eventually wear a hole
in, or cause the line to crack - *not* a good thing!

I called the dealership on the spot and told them I had found what could be
a life-threatening assembly defect in our brand new camper.  They asked me
to bring it in as soon as I could.  Our friend took digital pictures of the
way it was installed, and sent them to the service manager so he could have
a heads up as to the problem.

Let me make a long story a little shorter and say that when the dealership
saw the way the pump was mounted, they not only agreed that they had to
change the way mine was installed, they were going to go through the other
Fleetwoods on the lot and make sure that they were installed correctly.

The dealership went way above and beyond for me.  I cannot say enough good
about them.  They fixed everything the way it should have been to begin
with, gave me some additional items, and since I had to leave on a trip,
and would be out of town by the time they got done, winterized it, and
offered to either deliver it to the house, or store it until such time as I
could come after it - all free.  Fleetwood on the other hand...  

I talked to one of their people, and was told that that was the way the pump
was supposed to be mounted, that they would only pay to have the dealership
bend the propane line away from the pump (something the dealership refused
to do).  

The service manager had additional conversations with this guy, and was told
that the state inspector had already been shown the pictures, and was going
to come inspect the campers on the lot.  He was told that they expected the
inspector to say without modification, that the certificate to distribute
Fleetwoods in Nebraska would be pulled.  If he did, Fleetwood would not be
allowed to sell *any* of their products within the state.  This guy reply?
"We don't care."  The service manager came back with "I'll bet the VP of
sales for this region will care when it shows up on his desk tomorrow, and
it will!"

The sales rep was present when the inspector showed up, and declared unless
the pumps are remounted on the floor, the certificate would be pulled.  I
do not know if this will change how the campers are assembled by Fleetwood
for anywhere else, but am betting they will be different here!  If anyone
reading this has a newer Fleetwood, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at how
your pump is mounted.

As far as never trusting a camper salesman - the 2005 no longer has a
lifetime roof warranty as did the 2004.  The dealership does not stock
group 31 batteries (it was put on when I brought it back for the water pump
- I hadn't noticed the battery they had put on was not what I was
promised), and of course, the Allegiance does not come standard with an
auto-switchover.