Plastic covering over the screws on the outside of our 2011 big Country.

This is our first Big Country but our 3rd 5th wheel why would this happen to a new machine not impressed at all

Garr, welcome to the forum.This is a great place to share information.
What exactly happened to the trim on your BC? It would help get some info if we knew.
The only thing I can think of is that on some BC's there was a problem with the trimwork cracking. This was due to the suppliers manufacturing defect.
Have you contacted your dealer or Heartland?

Peace
Dave

If you are talking about the outside plastic trim that covers the trim screws, ours came off one side. I though I was dragging a piece of tape picked up from the road. The trim had come out of the channel on the body edge from the basement to the front cap. My dealer reattached it. Apparently the factory 'hide the trim end' did not hold.

Garr,

As your RV is new, I am assuming you are well within the 1 year warranty period. Please contact Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032. Have your VIN ready for them. Explain what you are seeing. I'm hopefully they will offer to send you replacement material for a self-repair or get you into the Heartland dealer of your choice to have a repair made.

Happy camping!

Jim

Garr said:

This is our first Big Country but our 3rd 5th wheel why would this happen to a new machine not impressed at all

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Like mentioned above...we are not sure what the specific issue is. If the vinyl is cracking, I am confident Heartland will take care of you! They helped me with the "cracking vinyl" issue and my warranty had expired! It is an easy fix you can do yourself. Some owners prefer a dealer fix but for me, I would rather work on my own rig when I can.

Hang in there with the Big Country...could be a few bugs to work out initially as most owners incur but I am sure you will be very pleased and really enjoy the rig. We love ours!

Best Wishes!

Ours did the same thing, Heartland sent us some replacement, it did the same thing we finally just replaced it all with insert molding we found on ebay, now our front gray cap is fading on top, also our black trim shrunk badly around each of our windows. We like the rv inside but the outside is the worst we have ever saw for weathering. AND yes we wax often and try to take care of everything as we have long payments to make.

Garr said:

This is our first Big Country but our 3rd 5th wheel why would this happen to a new machine not impressed at all

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Thanks everyone for your information I could not log on Heartland for a long period but am back. Even tho this is a 2011 I have it over a year and the last time I went to the dealer for a repair of the outside radio speaker I was denied and repaired it with a marine speaker just for info. I will see the dealer again about this tape wich is cracked and useless to see what can by done .I would be happy just to get the tape and repair it myself. If the dealer again does not help me I will phone Heartland myself and stay clear of the dealer.

Garr said:

Thanks everyone for your information I could not log on Heartland for a long period but am back. Even tho this is a 2011 I have it over a year and the last time I went to the dealer for a repair of the outside radio speaker I was denied and repaired it with a marine speaker just for info. I will see the dealer again about this tape wich is cracked and useless to see what can by done .I would be happy just to get the tape and repair it myself. If the dealer again does not help me I will phone Heartland myself and stay clear of the dealer.

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I am happy to state that Heartland supplied the plastic covering (and by this time I needed it for every track both 1" and 3/4" at the same time at my expence I replaced all the screws with SS since some were rusty.. Go figure on a 1211. ha but satified. Now my problem is a cracked window that will be covered Iam told, (the little window by the sink (never even been open.oh well.

Happened to us this past August. Coming home the trim was out of the channels and flapping in the wind. Popped it back in and it just kept coming out. However, the trip we just took, the trim was fine. So, it may be a temperature issue. Taking to the dealer and see if there is a fix...

Take it to the dealer.
Call the factory
Within the first year of warranty
After that you are pretty much screwed any way.

Now, an **** view to this which is personal for me.

Make the deal on BIG HORN. Lay out 65k to 75k.
Bring Big Horn Home. Fuel Cost 50 bucks. Time cost 25 bucks.
Find issue with trim.
Call Factory. Cost of time 25.00 Minumum cause you don't know how long it will take to get through or get an answer.
Need to take back to dealership for repairs. 50 bucks in fuel depending on where that dealer is.
25 bucks your time.
Loss of using the unit. $$$
Ok that is repair one.
pickup from dealer and take back home another 50 bucks. and 25 bucks in your time
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Meantime that 65-75k unit is depreciation faster than a mercedes.
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Now the ice maker stopped working.

call the factory about issue. 25 bucks of your time wasted being told to take it to the dealer.


blah blah blah, are you beginning to get the point.


My breakdown is as follows:

My bigHorn has been hauled to the shop 8 times in the first year of warranty. so we'll conservatively put a price of 400 bucks on that.

Taking time to talk to dealer and factory , conservatively 200 bucks.

Picking unit up from dealership 8 times cost 400.00

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I don't know about you, but I would think American made coaches would be more valuable if the purcahser spent less time in the dealership getting stuff fixed that should not have had a problem with to begin with. Such as this OP posted about the trim coming loose. It is supposed to be srewed on each end at least to prevent that.

after close to 2 years ownership of this rig it is depreciated further in value and when it needs a repair there is no way I am taking it to the dealership to get screwed with 110.00 an hour labor chanrges~ That is rediculous.

I recently had a seal problem where the D channel deteriorated, why I have no idea. I only wash the roof with Dawn Dish liguid, no petroleum products which could damage that seal.

Contacted my extended warranty and they requested an estimate from the dealer.
Dealer came back with 428.00 estimate.
Waarranty company started picking apart the estimate. Not paying for shop materials, this or that.
I'd have to pay 100 deductible plus wht warranty was not going to pay for. My total cost with out figire my time and cost of towing back and forth is 180.00

Being the industrious person I am like a lot of others on here, I went to the internet looking for the D Channel.

Bought 40 bucks worth to make the needed repair and did it myself.

So the dealer got screwed this time wanting their extreme price to fix this so they can make their lot even bigger and screw more folks!

Sorry if I have stepped on any toes, but this is utterly rediculous.

My depreciated investment (is is almost perfect shape) is worth half it's value. It is ashamed that we Americans allow ourselves to get screwed so badly and if the factory had a better quality control, we wouldn't be spending this extra money to fix crap that should not have left the factory or the dealership like that.


Carry on and good luck

I had to replace the whole side of ours at the roof level, it had broken down with the uv. I also replaced all srews to stainless steel. Make sure you double over the plastic trim ends, secure with the ends with screws and seal the ends with sealant. Works well.

On our previous trailer I did all the maintenance myself. I tighten the screws almost every year and with washing and polishing the trims and caulking have to be maintained. The sun realy does affect thoose items. The unit was in as good shape after 15 years as the day we bought it.

On the BC I did spend a lot of time doing some changes and modifications to protect the unit for years to come. Yes all screws have been changed to stainless, but used sealent to protect the aluminum because the stainless to aluminum contact could be a problem. So far after 3 years everything is good.

My unit has never seen the dealer after delivery, and we love our unit. And we do the things that will make our unit the permanent last one we will own for at least the next 12 years.

I don't know what kind of money some of you make but it sure never cost me $25.00 of my time to call someone. The plastic trim is used by every trailer manufacturer out there. It isn't made by Heartland. The same product from probably the same manufacturer, same as the ice maker, and most other parts of the trailer. But everyone wants to blame Heartland when they don't perform properly. I could live without an ice maker and some plastic trim over some screws until it was convenient to have it repaired. I have several things on my rig that could be fixed. When I get around to it I fix them. Don't need any dealer...While I was under warranty Heartland was very good about supplying parts. This is a rolling earthquake not a sticks and bricks house. When your ice maker crashes at home do you call your home builder? Having an RV is a hobby. Like most hobbies you need to be able to tinker with it and fix things on your own...Can't do that? Maybe you would be more suited to a Motel. End of rant...Don

GOTTOYS said:

This is a rolling earthquake not a sticks and bricks house. When your ice maker crashes at home do you call your home builder? Having an RV is a hobby. Like most hobbies you need to be able to tinker with it and fix things on your own...Can't do that? Maybe you would be more suited to a Motel. End of rant...Don

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Hey Don!

First, I do agree with your synopsis and the comments directed towards "yupuhuh's post . RV's are a hobby and most hobbies are expensive and often demanding. Still, I can empathize with frustrations many owners feel, especially those new to RVing. The analogy of a "rolling earthquake" I read on many forums and although it carries some reasonable credibility, I can't help but think of the many dirt bikes and cruisers I have owned which cost much less, travel the same roads and often off-roads, yet have never been returned for a warranty issue. My 2007 Silverado is one of the few vehicles I have owned that required a vehicle warranty repair and that was three weeks before the 5-year warranty expired. I guess my point is it is unfortunate that RV owners are expected to accommodate and accept all the premature failures that come with ownership simply because it is an RV. For many, the additional investment in repairs is no issue but for others the continual outflow of repair money begins to diminish not only the bank account but the enthusiasm.

You are right. I am buying a new car this month and the warrenty is 4 years on everything and it costs less than my RV. We are getting the same qualituy we got in cars in the 1980s in our RVs.