Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

I have 3 small cracks in what I am assuming are the seam lines of the fiberglass shell on my 2011 Greystone 32RE. Two are towards the front (one on each side of the unit) and the third is over the back slide on the back side of the camper. I am the second owner of this camper, the original owner bought it new off the lot this past December and never used the unit. He purchased it at a dealership near the factory in Indiana and pulled it home to South Carolina and parked it where it remained until I recently purchased it.

Was wondering if there are any known similar problems as I would assume this could be a manufacturing issue (maybe a bad resin lot or something?) since there are three cracks in different locations along the camper. It is my understanding that since I am not the original owner the warranty is no longer in effect but was wondering if it is a manufacturing defect if Heartland might help me out on this?

I have pictures that I can email to show the cracks and the location of them on the camper.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Garry

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

Hi garryr22,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. Sorry about your situation.

You're right that the warranty is for the original owner only. Something to consider is that if this is a 2011 (not a typo), it's 4 model years old - 2015s are rolling off the production line now. If the initial purchase was last December, it probably sat around on a dealer lot for 2 to 3 years.

Problems with the fiberglass shell are usually due to water intrusion. The caulking needs regular maintenance and may not have gotten any while on the dealer lot for a couple of years.

I can't speak for Heartland, but given the age of the trailer and that you're not the original purchaser, and that it may be a maintenance issue, I'd be surprised if Heartland will cover the repairs. That said, it doesn't cost anything to ask. They probably can give you their opinion on the cause and how to fix the problem. I'd suggest you call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready. Have your pictures ready. Perhaps you'll get pleasantly surprised.

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the contact info. It is a 2011 and I understand what you are saying. However, I would hope that a dealer would maintain his inventory relative to recommended maintenance or at the very least make sure there are no issues on a final post sell check which I would certainly hope would include a thorough inspection of seals. If that had been done then there certainly wouldn't or shouldn't be a seal issue that might cause potential leaks. I am going to thoroughly inspect all the seals and take care of any repairs if needed.

On a very positive note, Greg Legatt with Heartland contacted me via email very shortly after I received your response and asked if I could email him the pictures. Not sure what will come out of it as I am waiting on his reply but I will have to say I was impressed that a company rep contacted me as quickly as they did without me reaching out to them further.

This is our first Heartland and our first fifth wheel, we have previously owned three travel trailers. Already have a couple of trips booked so we are looking forward to getting out in it.

Thanks again for the quick response and info!

Have a great day!

Garry

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

Just a quick follow up to brag on the people at Heartland. Greg Legatt called me Friday morning and offered to repair the unit at their facility. He explained that being that I was the second owner that the unit was no longer under warranty but seeing that the cracks could have been due to some possible manufacturing issue that they would take care of repairs as long as I would transport the unit to them. Needless to say I was thrilled to hear this and all I can say is road trip!

We took our first short camping trip this weekend and love the camper. With Greg and Heartland going above and beyond what is required all I can say is I am very happy with my decision to purchase a Heartland camper!

Garry

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

That's a very pleasant surprise! Go Heartland!

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

I have found that Heartland is very professional when it comes to problems with their units. I purchased a 2011 GreyStone a year ago and shortly after saw that the front end cap was fading really bad. I posted a comment on this blog and got a response from the manufacture right away. Very PLEASED with their response to my situation and will always sing their praises. Good job Heartland!

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

That's awesome news Garry. Thank you for sharing your story. Please circle back here to let us know how it turned out after the repair. I'll be moving thread out of the ATF and into an Exterior forum. Please search for it when you come back

Jim

Re: ATF: Greystone - Cracks in fiberglass shell

jbeletti said:

That's awesome news Garry. Thank you for sharing your story. Please circle back here to let us know how it turned out after the repair. I'll be moving thread out of the ATF and into an Exterior forum. Please search for it when you come back

Jim

Click to expand...

Just wanted to follow up and say what a great job the guys at Heartland did getting my camper repaired. Special shout out to John Hawkins who did everything to make sure it was done properly and on time. Very impressed with Heartlands customer service. Pretty sure they have a customer for life!

thanks again Heartland!

Sincerely,
Garry Renner

Nice to hear that......Don