Need Owner input please.

RWMooney

Member
Hello all, first post here, but long time Rver. We just purchased a new RW 413, moved from a 2005 KZ New Vision 41kg. As many of us have had to deal with, all these new coaches are laminated and just not made as well as some of the older stuff.
Walking in the door, the closet or cabinet where the controlpanel is has no light so you can see the controls. This closet is also uselessfor storage as it is too short for a broom or vacuum, plus there are limiteditems one would want to store where the control panel is. The storage area ontop of it is too high to access without a ladder or large step stool.
The residential refrigerator handle hits the cabinet doorson the island under the sink.
The master bedroom is a dungeon. I think it is too small andpoorly designed and laid out.
The mirrors on the wardrobe are useless, you cannot see yourface. And the thought about mirrors giving an open feel…they are in the hallway mostly, so pointless.
This RV has three tv’s…yet the one in the living room, thatis positioned at the poorest viewing point is the ONLY one without anadjustable mounting bracket. My wife hit her head twice on the TV in thebedroom. Poorly thought out.
The ladder to access the loft is too short. My children, 11and 9, cannot get down without assistance to get their feet to the top rung.The trim around the loft is also cheap looking and feeling. I believe this willbreak or get squashed down in the very near future.
The rear bath has no vent. NONE. No way to vent moisture orodor. Our main reason for purchasing this floorplan, and in the end thisproduct was that bathroom. Both of us being RVers since 1991 never even thoughtthere would be no vent in there, so we did not even look. Our fault in the end,your design from the beginning.
The rear bed in the garage only comes down to about facelevel for an average adult. There is no ladder or way of accessing this bed, orlowering it more. This bed platform is also where you store the three tabletops that must be removed from the bed platform and then “set up” in order tobe used. Having no access to this platform makes it difficult to reach thestraps that are there to hold them in place. The large table top is heavy whenyou are tippy toe reaching on to the platform to get it out, holding it up soyou don’t drag it across the trim piece. The door on the floor storage in thegarage is very sharp and sort of heavy as well. It should have a shock of somesort I think.
The controls for AC are very cumbersome. They are this new“touch” style mess. The problem is if you don’t touch it just right it does notwork. You should have a button style on and off with settings that are easy toread and use. Do you know if they can be changed?
Those “zero gravity” stairs are a poor design for the enduser. I had the dealer change them out. Why put water anddirt in your coach?
Do any of you have those and really like them? If so WHY?
W also do not like the house slides. We want to be able to open one slide or he other, not the way it is now with the large one being last.

The two awnings have the 3 foot gap between them. WHY? Ihave seen other models from Heartland with the awnings close as to not have the largegap.
I can see the wood floor material around the edges where theslides come in because the vinyl flooring is not full fitting to cover it. Thisis a major place for leaks/water damage, as you may well know.
I spoke to long time friend who has a grand design momentum,his coach did indeed come with an access ladder for the kids to get into therear bed. He does not have a motorcycle like I do, but says even with his golfcart, He has to raise the front jacks a few inches so it will not scrape goingin. My bike is lower than that golf cart.
We really wish Heartland would just take this thing back, but know this is not going to happen. Any help or input would be good helpful.



 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Why did you buy it if so much is wrong with it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi RWMooney,

Sorry to hear you're so disappointed.

In asking for help, is there anything in particular you'd like in the way of advice or help?
 

sengli

Well-known member
My wife and I are RV nuts. We like to look at new RV's all the time. Honestly sounds like they things you are unhapppy with are toy hauler layout standards. We have looked at toy haulers many times and thought how nice to take our toys, but in the end the creature comforts arent there for our liking. Hence we never have bought one. We have looked many other brands besides heartland too, and honestly they all look similar.

Interesting thought on the rear bath with no vent though. I wouldnt have caught that either. But surely there is fan in the rear garage area roof though?
 

ILH

Well-known member
I'm confused. What's the issue?

1. You dislike the RV that you purchased?
2. You want Heartland to buy back your RV because you no longer like it?
3. You want help making changes to your RV?
 

RWMooney

Member
Hi RWMooney,

Sorry to hear you're so disappointed.

In asking for help, is there anything in particular you'd like in the way of advice or help?

Yes just hoping for input form other owners, whether they had similar issues and/if the were ae to over come them.

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I'm confused. What's the issue?

1. You dislike the RV that you purchased?
2. You want Heartland to buy back your RV because you no longer like it?
3. You want help making changes to your RV?

Looking for input from owners if they had similar issues and if they were able to over come them.

- - - Updated - - -

My wife and I are RV nuts. We like to look at new RV's all the time. Honestly sounds like they things you are unhapppy with are toy hauler layout standards. We have looked at toy haulers many times and thought how nice to take our toys, but in the end the creature comforts arent there for our liking. Hence we never have bought one. We have looked many other brands besides heartland too, and honestly they all look similar.

Interesting thought on the rear bath with no vent though. I wouldnt have caught that either. But surely there is fan in the rear garage area roof though?

YES YES!!! Us too. We had our previous for 13 years, one because it was a good coach and a great fit, two because nothing really jumped out at us. So we bought this one, after looking very hard for about two months. This is in addition to constantly going to the local shows to keep up with general knowledge and such. And yes we have known for a while they are all the same, and been marketed to "patio haulers" in my opinion. We wanted a class diesel but could not swing it.
 

RWMooney

Member
Why did you buy it if so much is wrong with it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After much searching, we determined this would be the best for us. The to full baths, and the loft being able to sleep two sort of separately. If you go back and read my post you will see I am asking for input from fellow RVers to maybe assist me in resolving these issues perhaps with fixes of their own. I already called the factory rep, and while Ron was nice, and not a jerk like some I have spoke to before, he was of no help. He says they do not put or offer a ladder for that rear bed. Others do. I admitted this is something we missed, mostly because it is such a common sense thing, and one I had seen before on others many times. Same for the bath vent. When him and I spoke of the entrance stairs his claim was "everyone" loves the new zero gravity stairs. Honestly I find this hard to believe, because they fold into the coach. This puts dirt in your coach, even if you clean them off. But cleaning them off just adds one more thing to do before packing/during packing up. Not to mention the are screwed to your floor. Do any of you truly love those steps?

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PondSkum

Well-known member
After much searching, we determined this would be the best for us. The to full baths, and the loft being able to sleep two sort of separately. If you go back and read my post you will see I am asking for input from fellow RVers to maybe assist me in resolving these issues perhaps with fixes of their own. I already called the factory rep, and while Ron was nice, and not a jerk like some I have spoke to before, he was of no help. He says they do not put or offer a ladder for that rear bed. Others do. I admitted this is something we missed, mostly because it is such a common sense thing, and one I had seen before on others many times. Same for the bath vent. When him and I spoke of the entrance stairs his claim was "everyone" loves the new zero gravity stairs. Honestly I find this hard to believe, because they fold into the coach. This puts dirt in your coach, even if you clean them off. But cleaning them off just adds one more thing to do before packing/during packing up. Not to mention the are screwed to your floor. Do any of you truly love those steps?

- - - Updated - - -

Looking at the original post, it never mentioned wanting help in resolving issues. It's just a list of issues. That said, it's too late now, so you will have to adapt and overcome. I don't have the same model as you, but I can offer my advise on the following.

If you need light in the control panel cabinet, I suggest some cheap LED strips or something, which you should be able to tap into some power fairly easily since all the control switches are right there in the panel.

Get a folding step stool or small step ladder for the higher cabinets. Almost ALL of these toy haulers have cabinets that are way up there. I have a hard time reaching ours and I'm 6'2".

Install some kind of rubber bumper or something to keep the fridge handle from damaging whatever it's contacting.

The bedroom in MOST RVs is small and not laid out very well. It's an RV, not a custom home or hotel suite. Make it bigger and you lose your kitchen/living space.

The TV's usually just end up wherever they will fit. I understand that lots of folks Full Time in their RV's nowadays, but they are not manufactured for that purpose. And maybe the 3rd time will the the charm for the wife hitting her head on the bedroom TV. She should know it's there by now.

You can purchase a bunk bed ladder off Amazon to use on the garage beds. It's sturdy enough to hold me, so my 8 year old is able to get up and down from the bunk way easier now. Or you can always use a small step ladder. There are many options for this.

The storage door in the garage dovetail is definitely cumbersome. Sometimes I wish it was turned around where it opened from the opposite direction, or even sideways, as if you don't have the ramp door open, it's hard to get into it. I don't really have any advise for this, other than maybe it would be good to install a shock on it to help lift it. I think pretty much all Toy Haulers have this same door set up the same way.

I do not have the zero gravity stairs, but everyone I know that does seems to love them. It can't take more than 30 seconds to sweep/wipe some dirt off of the stairs before you put them up, unless they are all muddy or something.

That's all I got. Hope some of that helps. Good luck!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Here's what another owner did for his control panel light. Another choice is stick-on battery powered LEDs like this. The 4 AAA batteries last quite a long time. I used them all around our home and our RV.

On the steps, both Lippert and MorRyde are having great success with their solid steps that fold up. I've been told that some people keep a small whisk broom next to the steps and take 20 seconds to brush them off before lifting.

I seem to recall that the position of the garage bed can be changed. Perhaps someone will chime in with how to do so.

If you see exposed areas that could be damaged by water, you'd do well to seal them. If you take the rig back to your dealer for service, Heartland might cover doing that under warranty. But speaking pragmatically, you should probably not wait to do something. And you should seal the hardware on your patios to ensure there's no water intrusion. The door manufacturers should do more to prevent water intrusion. But it'll be worth your time to be proactive.

On the refrigerator door hitting the island cabinet, with slides pulled in, you should check clearance to the island all around. It's possible the island might need to be moved slightly, which can be done by your dealer very quickly.

On your thermostat, you might call Dometic at 800-544-4881 and ask if their older digital thermostats are plug compatible with what you have. Dometic includes the thermostats with the A/C units purchased by Heartland, so Heartland probably doesn't have any insight on those.

If by "dungeon" you mean the bedroom is dark, you might investigate adding some light fixtures to brighten things up. If you mean it's smaller than you thought when you were shopping, there may not be much you can do. Although if it has an RV King bed, you could make more space by converting to a standard Queen size. Quite a few people have done so by cutting the platform under the bed.
 

RWMooney

Member
Looking at the original post, it never mentioned wanting help in resolving issues. It's just a list of issues. That said, it's too late now, so you will have to adapt and overcome. I don't have the same model as you, but I can offer my advise on the following.

If you need light in the control panel cabinet, I suggest some cheap LED strips or something, which you should be able to tap into some power fairly easily since all the control switches are right there in the panel.

Get a folding step stool or small step ladder for the higher cabinets. Almost ALL of these toy haulers have cabinets that are way up there. I have a hard time reaching ours and I'm 6'2".

Install some kind of rubber bumper or something to keep the fridge handle from damaging whatever it's contacting.

The bedroom in MOST RVs is small and not laid out very well. It's an RV, not a custom home or hotel suite. Make it bigger and you lose your kitchen/living space.

The TV's usually just end up wherever they will fit. I understand that lots of folks Full Time in their RV's nowadays, but they are not manufactured for that purpose. And maybe the 3rd time will the the charm for the wife hitting her head on the bedroom TV. She should know it's there by now.

You can purchase a bunk bed ladder off Amazon to use on the garage beds. It's sturdy enough to hold me, so my 8 year old is able to get up and down from the bunk way easier now. Or you can always use a small step ladder. There are many options for this.

The storage door in the garage dovetail is definitely cumbersome. Sometimes I wish it was turned around where it opened from the opposite direction, or even sideways, as if you don't have the ramp door open, it's hard to get into it. I don't really have any advise for this, other than maybe it would be good to install a shock on it to help lift it. I think pretty much all Toy Haulers have this same door set up the same way.

I do not have the zero gravity stairs, but everyone I know that does seems to love them. It can't take more than 30 seconds to sweep/wipe some dirt off of the stairs before you put them up, unless they are all muddy or something.

That's all I got. Hope some of that helps. Good luck!


We would love to find a ladder step stool that we couldalso store in the coach of limited storage.
I hope heartland was listening when you said you are6'2" and have issues as well.
Yes We can buy all sorts of additional things that reallywe should not have to buy. They should be there. After all, these things are80k.
The TV in bedroom sticks out in front of the door to thebathroom, you don’t think this is odd or poor location? LOL
We use our toy hauler 80% of the time, dry camping in thewoods, the stairs will always be muddy.
The bedroom areas could be designed much better.Split bath and glass showers could solve some of this.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's what another owner did for his control panel light. Another choice is stick-on battery powered LEDs like this. The 4 AAA batteries last quite a long time. I used them all around our home and our RV.

On the steps, both Lippert and MorRyde are having great success with their solid steps that fold up. I've been told that some people keep a small whisk broom next to the steps and take 20 seconds to brush them off before lifting.

I seem to recall that the position of the garage bed can be changed. Perhaps someone will chime in with how to do so.

If you see exposed areas that could be damaged by water, you'd do well to seal them. If you take the rig back to your dealer for service, Heartland might cover doing that under warranty. But speaking pragmatically, you should probably not wait to do something. And you should seal the hardware on your patios to ensure there's no water intrusion. The door manufacturers should do more to prevent water intrusion. But it'll be worth your time to be proactive.

On the refrigerator door hitting the island cabinet, with slides pulled in, you should check clearance to the island all around. It's possible the island might need to be moved slightly, which can be done by your dealer very quickly.

On your thermostat, you might call Dometic at 800-544-4881 and ask if their older digital thermostats are plug compatible with what you have. Dometic includes the thermostats with the A/C units purchased by Heartland, so Heartland probably doesn't have any insight on those.

If by "dungeon" you mean the bedroom is dark, you might investigate adding some light fixtures to brighten things up. If you mean it's smaller than you thought when you were shopping, there may not be much you can do. Although if it has an RV King bed, you could make more space by converting to a standard Queen size. Quite a few people have done so by cutting the platform under the bed.

We changed steps prior to purchase. I am surprised so many just deal with what thee companies reoffering. Guess we are harder on them after giving them 80k. Yes I agree that whole porch thing is a just a nightmare waiting to happen. DUngeon means small and cramped. I will try dometic. Do you like/have those touchy things?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
We would love to find a ladder step stool that we couldalso store in the coach of limited storage.
I hope heartland was listening when you said you are6'2" and have issues as well.
Yes We can buy all sorts of additional things that reallywe should not have to buy. They should be there. After all, these things are80k.
The TV in bedroom sticks out in front of the door to thebathroom, you don’t think this is odd or poor location? LOL
We use our toy hauler 80% of the time, dry camping in thewoods, the stairs will always be muddy.
The bedroom areas could be designed much better.Split bath and glass showers could solve some of this.

- - - Updated - - -



We changed steps prior to purchase. I am surprised so many just deal with what thee companies reoffering. Guess we are harder on them after giving them 80k. Yes I agree that whole porch thing is a just a nightmare waiting to happen. DUngeon means small and cramped. I will try dometic. Do you like/have those touchy things?

We have a 2011 with older digital thermostats, not the capacitive touch type.

Tastes and desires vary. Many people love having steps that sit solidly on the ground and quite a few are purchasing steps from Lippert or MorRyde as after-market upgrades. We upgraded to Torklift Revolution Glowsteps. They stow under, not inside, but also provide that solid support. But clearly, if you camp in muddy locations, these designs don't meet your needs. Consider that you may be in the minority on this one.

The desire for a garage leads to tradeoffs in the living area. There's no way to get the 10 or 12' garage without giving up a lot elsewhere. I've walked through many toy haulers and never saw one that I thought would work for us. But that's us. Toy Haulers are very popular so obviously many people like them and readily accept those tradeoffs.

Now that you own the trailer, I'd suggest you take a pragmatic view and decide what you want to change, and what you will live with. If you don't want to do the work yourself, you can probably pay your dealer to make whatever changes would make you happier.
 
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