Now I have to paint the rear cap

Had the front of my gray Big Country painted a couple years ago because it was fading and turning white. Heartland was good enough to pay for it even though I was out of warranty. Last Summer I had to replace both wheel skirts because one was bubbling up and both were turning brown. That was done on my nickel. Now the rear cap is turning white and is very dull. Getting bids on painting that now. I don't have to tell you how disappointing it is to have all this expense to keep a 2011 model looking like it is supposed to look. Anyone who knows me knows that I keep my rig looking nice. At least the fellow I talked to in the Heartland parts dept. was very nice and dug up the paint codes for me....Not real sure if there will be another Heartland in my future...Don

Don't discount Heartland yet . . . and sorry for the long post!

Don . . . sorry to hear of your issues!

I don't know if you've followed my escapades with our 2013 Heartland Trail Runner, but next week our trailer is going in to get both axles replaced with upgraded ones, along with the springs, wheels and tires after having a massive failure of said parts from the factory.

At first, we were on our own, and were prepared to drop over $3000 to get all of this fixed as we were out of warranty (not to mention having a bad taste towards our purchase of our Heartland product), despite us not putting over 4000 miles on this trailer since we bought it 2 1/2 years ago (purchased September 11, 2012).

And back in January of 2015 on our way to AZ . . . the final straw!!!???

First, we discovered that our tires were being torn up . . . seems that the trailer was bottoming out on the tires while we were driving down the highway . . . not to mention the damage that has been caused to the bottom of our trailer and the slideout!

Not only have the tires torn up the bottom of the slideout and the floor of the trailer on the other side, but I've noticed that the dinette is coming apart due to the flex in the flooring of the slideout!

And then, while 1000 miles from home on our way to a Heartland Owners Club Rally in Arizona . . . a wheel bearing blew on our trailer, almost resulting in a fire that would have destroyed not only our trailer, but probably our new 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD as well) had it not been for a passing motorist who flagged us down to alert us to the cloud of smoke billowing out from under our trailer that I couldn't see in the side mirrors.

Good thing I decided to take the highway through Phoenix instead of the scenic mountain view two-lane road from the Grand Canyon to Quartzsite . . .

Luckily, we were less than a mile from an RV dealership that had an RV park right next door to them . . .

And let me send a shout out to Sun City RV in Mesa, AZ . . . they had us back on the road the next day by sunset!

First shot is us in the RV park next door, second shot is us pulling out of their parking lot the next day after the repair:



Look at that first shot close enough and you'll see the front trailer tire leaning in at the top due to the burnt out wheel bearing . . .

Anywayz . . . our extended warranty refused to pay for the repair ($1000) . . . and we were NOT happy campers!

So we bit our lips . . . paid for the band aid fix to get us to the Rally after loosing two days of our vacation . . . went to the remaining two days of the AZ HOC Rally and had a blast (thank you Garry and the rest of the AZ HOC Chapter members!), then home to Colorado . . . and now time to figure out what was going on.

To make a longer story even longer that really should be shorter, both Heartland and Lippert said that I had overloaded our trailer, which they both said is probably what caused my issues, so I finally decided to empty the trailer of almost everything, then took it to have it weighed.

The sticker on the trailer says that it weighed 5970 pounds out of the door from the factory . . . and the certified weight of the trailer when I had it weighed was 7040 pounds . . . and the trailer has two 3500 pound axles on it!

With those kinds of numbers . . . can't even put any water in the fresh water tank . . . let alone any clothes, food, DVD's or beer (beer the most important camping supply)!

Anywayz, after presenting our findings to Heartland Customer Service . . . Terry in Customer Service at Heartland helped us relay our issues to Lippert, who has decided to ship us two new upgraded axles and spring sets to replace the ones that came on our trailer from the factory.

Now, I do have to pay for the labor charges to get them replaced, plus the new axles do not have the brake assemblies and wheel bearings, so we'll be using the same brake assemblies that are currently on our trailer, plus I'll be paying for new wheel bearings all around, plus I am upgrading all five tires and wheels (at my expense) to a larger size and rating than what came from the factory!

Once this work is done . . . our 2013 Heartland Trail Runner TR22RK will be the biggest and baddest TR22RK (RK stands for rear kitchen) on the face of the planet earth!

BUT . . . isn't there always a 'BUT?'???

Now, it wasn't easy . . . not only Heartland, but Lippert both stepped up to the plate once they saw the real issues at hand!

Now, after all of this, we have decided that perhaps this might be the time to upgrade our trailer, and have been looking around at our options.

We've found a few pull-behinds (bumper pulls) that we really like . . . but none of them are Heartland products!

However . . . we found a couple of 5th-wheel options that we really love . . . and guess what?

They are both Heartland product products!

Not to mention that we really love the Heartland Owners Club and all of the friends we've made since we bought our Trail Runner 2 1/2 years ago, and don't want to leave the fold!

Now, we have not decided if we are going to keep our Trail Runner, or upgrade to a 5th-wheel . . .

But let me tell you this . . . there is another brand that is taunting us with a couple of features that Heartland doesn't offer that is really tempting . . .

But one thing we do know for sure is that WE WILL consider another Heartland trailer next time we do buy a new one!

And we most likely will buy another Heartland trailer when we do!

Most especially due to the Heartland Owner's Club and all of the people we've met along the way!

So . . . please don't discount Heartland for problems with one trailer . . .

There is a much larger picture out there . . . and in the end, it seems that what ever is supposed to happen will happen!

No matter what the issues we've had . . . we love our current Heartland trailer, and will most likely upgrade to another Heartland trailer when we do decide to do so!

GOTTOYS said:

...2011 model looking like it is supposed to look. Anyone who knows me knows that I keep my rig looking nice. At least the fellow I talked to in the Heartland parts dept. was very nice and dug up the paint codes for me....Not real sure if there will be another Heartland in my future...Don

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This fading and oxidation is a known issue in some 2011 models, including my 2011 Greystone 32RL.

In fact, last weekend I was talking to my local HL Sales Manager while looking at some new models. When I mentioned I had a 2011 Greystone, he specifically asked whether mine had the fading problem and whether it had been covered under the warranty. Yes, I have the problem and No, HL did not cover it as I read about the fading/oxidation issue only after it was out of warranty. (I actually thought it was just crud from being parked under a tree. OK, I'm stupid and it was my first RV.)

As I told my local HL Sales Manager, when I called Heartland about the fading and oxidation, the Customer Service Rep said it was considered "acceptable degradation".

If I were to repeat what the Sales Manager said when I told him that story, I'd get banned but I'm sure many here could successfully guess what he said.

My 3650 is starting to fade out, I sent a letter to Heartland asking for help and they refused since mine is a 2011. I figure if Heartland doesn't care what their units look like then I will suck it up and let it fade. I normally keep it shining but hopefully it won't look to bad white. I understand other brands are also having issues but when I purchase the next one it will definitely be one of them maybe they will have a fix by then.

gtrnholm said:

My 3650 is starting to fade out, I sent a letter to Heartland asking for help and they refused since mine is a 2011. I figure if Heartland doesn't care what their units look like then I will suck it up and let it fade. I normally keep it shining but hopefully it won't look to bad white. I understand other brands are also having issues but when I purchase the next one it will definitely be one of them maybe they will have a fix by then.

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You may be able to save it without painting. Try this. Wash the rear cap with soap and water. Then scrub it with Bar Keepers Friend. Wash several times with clear water to remove all residue. Then get a sponge and apply ZEP Floor Wax (you can get it a Home Depot). It will take about 5 coats and let each coat dry before applying the next coat. It will make it shine like new. The key is the pre-cleaning. It needs to be very clean with no residue. It worked on our previous Landmark when it got very dull looking. BTW it makes removing dirt/bugs easy and will last 9 months to 1 year without reapplying. The ZEP Floor Wax is not cheap either (around $28 a gallon) but it goes a long way. Also it looks crummy until you get to the 2nd or 3rd coat. Then wow.

I have seen that "solution" printed several times but not by an owner of a 2011 that is fading. I would like to know if this has worked for anyone who has the "fade". I am skeptical because the problem is not on the outside finish it is under the clear coat and in the gel coat. If you go down that far to try to fix the problem the decals will probably come off too. I had mine painted with new decals.

And by the time you go to all of the work and expense of that process it would be cheaper to have it painted.

I tried the Barkeeper Friend/ZWLFF on a small section of the rear end cap of my 2011 Big Country that had a degraded finish. I was very disappointed in the results...very splotchy and streaky. I have almost a full gallon of Zep Wet Look Floor Finish for sale cheap. The 2011 is now setting in PPL's lot and I'm pulling a Landmark with full body paint. Problem solved and it only cost me $10k! Hmmm.


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Thought it might work or if it was me I would give it a try before spending 3-5 grand getting it repainted. But then again if it doesn't work it is alot of work for naught.