Heartland factory PDI'S

'Lil Guy'

Well-known member
Wanting to upgrade to the Oshkosh. Loved the chest of drawers and clothes closet on right side of TV on 18 model. Am I seeing things on their site or have they gotten rid of the storage for a stupid chair in the bedroom? Wonder who added this change. Get rid of so much nice storage and replace it with a $75.00 chair and window.
 

jimpav

Well-known member
Wanting to upgrade to the Oshkosh. Loved the chest of drawers and clothes closet on right side of TV on 18 model. Am I seeing things on their site or have they gotten rid of the storage for a stupid chair in the bedroom? Wonder who added this change. Get rid of so much nice storage and replace it with a $75.00 chair and window.

A chair is probably less expensive than a chest of drawers, etc.

On a related question, how do I know if my 2019 Elkridge has gone through the new PDI facility??? Do they put some kind of special sticker on it????

I'm doing my own PDI this afternoon at the dealer lot. I have my own checklist, but I'm afraid what I will find, at least in a static state, never mind once we start rolling. I have to "recalibrate" my brain as a current Nuclear Inspector, under Federal codes, to a common "Joe" type of guy, otherwise it will never pass!!!!
 

AWesdorp

Member
Hi everyone,
Yes, Heartland cut the ribbon on our new audit bay last summer and over time we have been able to ramp up and audit 100% of production. We have 4 lines in that facility, 2 for travel trailers and 2 for fifth wheels. In the middle are 3 rain bays.
It is the newest facility on our campus and we're happy to have it. Of course all HRV units, and all RVs period, are built with human hands and nothing is perfect, but this facility has and will allow us to deliver a cleaner and ready to sell unit to our valued customers. Thanks for asking about it!
 

jimpav

Well-known member
Hi everyone,
Yes, Heartland cut the ribbon on our new audit bay last summer and over time we have been able to ramp up and audit 100% of production. We have 4 lines in that facility, 2 for travel trailers and 2 for fifth wheels. In the middle are 3 rain bays.
It is the newest facility on our campus and we're happy to have it. Of course all HRV units, and all RVs period, are built with human hands and nothing is perfect, but this facility has and will allow us to deliver a cleaner and ready to sell unit to our valued customers. Thanks for asking about it!

Very nice, then can I assume my Elkridge manufactured in 5/8/2018 went through the new audit facility, or was that too early? Thanks
 

'Lil Guy'

Well-known member
Does this mean all of the petty and annoying issues will be caught? Like switches wired wrong, Slides properly adjusted and all plumbing inspected hooked to a water source and checked for leaks including the bay compartment? All lights working and receptical outlets checked for power? Wouldn't it be great to have the sat connections all working upon arrival. I'm ready to upgrade but have seen some real horror stories on just plain bad builds. Let's wait and see. If the Oshkosh comes with the bedroom chair, it's off our list. Wife is looking at the Cyclone now. The toy haulers scare me with the structural problems I've read about. But, I have to stay loyal to Heartland for the HOC benefit. Probably make our move at the 2020 regional at Conroe. I'll give T and S one more chance to make a deal. This will be our 4th HL product in 6 years. I have to admit, we've had great luck with all of our rigs so far. Hope luck holds.lol Later and have a great day.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Summer doesn't start in May, so units built in May perhaps were too early.

Will this facility make sure there are zero problems. Well, as Andy said, "nothing is perfect".

If it doesn't substantially reduce the number of problems getting out to the dealer and end customer, then you can be sure there'll be a lot of pressure to figure out why. This facility cost a lot to build and costs an enormous amount to run. If it's not delivering lower warranty cost, someone is going to be working pretty hard to get better results before his boss notices that the company's profit has fallen.
 

AWesdorp

Member
Wanting to upgrade to the Oshkosh. Loved the chest of drawers and clothes closet on right side of TV on 18 model. Am I seeing things on their site or have they gotten rid of the storage for a stupid chair in the bedroom? Wonder who added this change. Get rid of so much nice storage and replace it with a $75.00 chair and window.

Please blame me for that Euro chair in the bedroom! We thought it'd be a nice change to add a euro chair when we doubled the depth of the bedroom to make it seem more spacious. I'm sorry you don't like this layout. With the walk in closet and 22'' deep dresser, there is much more storage than there was before, but I respect that you don't appreciate what we did to the floor plan.

On another note, we are working on an updated version of the old Charleston floor plan, with some great changes. Expect to see that this summer. Andy Wesdorp, GM
 

'Lil Guy'

Well-known member
Others may appreciate the change to a chair but as someone wanting to go full time for awhile the cabinetry and drawers were a definite plus for us. Liked the size and weight of the Oshkosh. Apparently you don't travel in a 5th wheel much or you would miss the extra clothes storage in the bedroom when you have a wife along for extended stays. I guess I could get out of bed and sit in the chair and wait while she lifts the bed to dig out some items that could have been in a closet.JMO and a Oshkosh deal killer for us. It presently has about the same storage I have in my little Bighorn 3270RS.
 

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Summer doesn't start in May, so units built in May perhaps were too early.

Will this facility make sure there are zero problems. Well, as Andy said, "nothing is perfect".

I have heard the “nothing is perfect” argument so many times, and somehow manufacturers expect clients to attach themselves to this philosophy. We are also expected to buy into a system where the client is responsible for all aspects and hardship associated with the repairs of their “nothing is perfect product”. What does seem to be perfect, for Heartland in this case, is the money paid for the “nothing is perfect” product. Heartland, to my knowledge, never has problems with the quality of the money handed over to them for their product. Money doesn’t leak, it doesn’t have to rely an intermediate entity to repair it, and so on. While this narrative is not specific to Heartland, it does apply to the current context. So, I would suggest that the casual shrug of “nothing is perfect “ not become a marketing motto for Heartland.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Does every single new Heartland RV go through this new facility?

Or just certain brands...
 

Dmetcalf

Well-known member
I am scheduled to take a tour in their toyhauler facility in Elkhart on May 07 so I’ll ask a few questions when I’m there and report back ..!! We’re very excited about going on the tour...!
 

jimpav

Well-known member
.....Not to beat a dead horse, but "gary521's" response hit the nail on the head. It sounds like he's familiar with the 80/20 (Pareto) rule! Here in the Nuclear Industry, I've used Pareto charts during Common cause, Apparent cause, and Root cause analysis many times, among other causal tools, like Stream Analysis. Often times we've learned that if quality isn't internalized from the top, then it will never be able to flow "downhill"........and I think we've all heard what flows "downhill" by now. You can have the fanciest building in the world with all the equipment to identify issues, but if their isn't a "Quality program" internalized by management, outside of cost restraints, to implement the inspections including a robust trend analysis program, then it doesn't matter.
I understand(?) corporate profit metrics, but where is the line drawn on safety and reliability vice stuffed pockets?? Does Thor have a corporate Human Performance program like we have???? Probably not. I'm not saying that the RV industry should mirror the Nuclear industry, or other high quality industries in programs and process, because they would never get the units out, but there is much that can be beneficial to their own production structure while providing the customer with a safe/reliable product that will get them down the road for many years to come.
The "audit facility" is a step in right direction. I'd love to talk with their program manager to perhaps pass on some of my 30 years of Nuclear experience. I wish them luck!!!!
 

rhodies1

Well-known member
Jimpav I agree with your analysis of Thor, I worked for 35 years in the oil industry and understand the process.Awhile back a note floated around in reference to ISO certification..Thor could not achieve this at their current strategy..
The whole industry is pocket driven and not quality driven,,, based on what we see ,,,it won’t change .
 

WackyPup

Member
Well time will tell how good Heartland PDI's are. However, other mfg's like Grand Design do 100% PDI inspection and still have too many warrenty issues and customer dissatisfaction complaints. I agree that better inspection should cut warranty costs, but the RV industry seems a little behind-- maybe refusal to perform ISO 9000 audits have something to do with it.

Just to reassure you - I have a 2019 Grand Design Imagine XLS and there is no way that they do 100% PDI - regardless what their website says - my LPG detector wasn't even INSTALLED and it was defective when it was installed. The light over the bed didn't work. There were multiple water issues (a leaking beltline, and an improperly installed sink faucet AND drain - both leaked badly, but I don't think they test for water in PDI. I even had a rep from the company say they don't inspect 'EVERY' one. Maybe it's because my trailer isn't one of the expensive ones :(

Liz
 

rhodies1

Well-known member
Just to reassure you - I have a 2019 Grand Design Imagine XLS and there is no way that they do 100% PDI - regardless what their website says - my LPG detector wasn't even INSTALLED and it was defective when it was installed. The light over the bed didn't work. There were multiple water issues (a leaking beltline, and an improperly installed sink faucet AND drain - both leaked badly, but I don't think they test for water in PDI. I even had a rep from the company say they don't inspect 'EVERY' one. Maybe it's because my trailer isn't one of the expensive ones :(

Liz

wackypup....Grand Design is not a product of Thor Industries,,,it’s Winnebago...not sure of Wiinnebagos process but no RV is perfect nor will it ever be.
It’s just the way it is .....
 
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WackyPup

Member
wackypup....Grand Design is not a product of Thor Industries,,,it’s Winnebago...not sure of Wiinnebagos process but no RV is perfect nor will it ever be.
It’s just the way it is .....

- - - Updated - - -
wackypup....Grand Design is not a product of Thor Industries,,,it’s Winnebago...not sure of Wiinnebagos process but no RV is perfect nor will it ever be.
It’s just the way it is .....


I'm aware of that. I was replying to the statement that Grand Design inspects 100% of their units. I can assure you either they don't or they don't do a competent job.

Liz
 
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