Sliding Bathroom Door Track Pulled Out of Ceiling.

OSH4007

Member
Hey everyone,

We took our trailer to Cannon Beach Oregon for the weekend. We had an absolute blast and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cool beach town to relax at for a few days.

Unfortunately when we arrived I noticed that the sliding bathroom door was hanging at a strange angle. Initially I thought it came off the rail so no big deal. Well when I inspected it I noticed that it was still in the track but the track had actually been pulled out of the ceiling. Normally I would simply grab a screw driver and do the repair myself but this cant happen. The section of the track that came down is inside the wall so there is no way for me to reach the screw holes. The rig is still under the factory warranty so I assume Heartland will repair it but Im curious if they will send a tech out to the house to have them repair it or if I will have to take it to a dealer? We live in the RV full time while we are remodeling our home so its a bit of a hassle to take it to the dealer, plus the closest dealer is over an hour out.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thanks
Mike
 

danemayer

Well-known member
The Warranty Statement requires you to take the trailer to the dealer for warranty repairs. For this type of repair, which may not require any parts be ordered, you might be able to arrange an appointment with the dealer to fix it while you wait. It might take a few hours. The dealer may or may not be amenable, but it doesn't cost much to ask.

Another choice would be to locate a mobile servicer who will come to you. Heartland is usually flexible in this, but they require you get approval in advance for a particular servicer. The servicer may want you to pay them and get reimbursed so they're not in the middle of the warranty process. Heartland won't pay for the servicer's travel time charge, but that's often less than the cost of taking the rig to the dealer.
 

OSH4007

Member
The Warranty Statement requires you to take the trailer to the dealer for warranty repairs. For this type of repair, which may not require any parts be ordered, you might be able to arrange an appointment with the dealer to fix it while you wait. It might take a few hours. The dealer may or may not be amenable, but it doesn't cost much to ask.

Another choice would be to locate a mobile servicer who will come to you. Heartland is usually flexible in this, but they require you get approval in advance for a particular servicer. The servicer may want you to pay them and get reimbursed so they're not in the middle of the warranty process. Heartland won't pay for the servicer's travel time charge, but that's often less than the cost of taking the rig to the dealer.

Thank you for the reply. I have an email chain with Heartland so I will keep you all posted. Im actually intrigued as to how they will do this repair without pulling the wall apart. This seems like a really poor design! They either need to use much better hardware or put the track on the floor to prevent this from happening. The 1/2 inch screws they use are definitely not sufficient to do the job!
 

OSH4007

Member
Just wanted to update the thread. Ive spent hours on the phone calling all the local Heartland Dealers, other RV repair shops and even Camping World. It is absolutely shocking how difficult it is to have warranty repairs done. The local dealers (there is only 1 within 2 hours of me but they have 2 locations) told me "we dont do work for customers that didnt purchase through us"!! WTH??? Is this a standard policy for a Heartland Dealer? All the other repair shops will not do manufacturer warranty work because of the hassle in getting repairs approved. Camping World will do it but they are telling me that I may need to leave the RV with them for up to 2 weeks assuming no parts need to be ordered, if parts need to be ordered it may be a month. This is crazy to me.

In the last week we have had a new issue show up, we have water leaking in from the front pop out. I inspected it and it looks like the caulking used at the manufacturer is already failing. Its cracked. I put a tarp over the pop out and the water is not coming in any longer which makes me think that I am correct about where the leak is coming from. I really wanted to have a Heartland dealer repair it to make sure they inspected it to ensure there are no other leaks and to make a note so if we have any future issues arise like water damage Heartland would hopefully help with those repairs.

If a Heartland rep is monitoring this forum please respond with some advice. If anyone else has any ideas Id like to hear them.

Thanks
 

danemayer

Well-known member
The RV industry is unlike the automobile industry when it comes to warranty. With autos, we're all used to being able to go to any dealer who sells the product. We're also used to getting fairly prompt service (although with both our car and truck I'm routinely told that the first available appointment is several weeks out).

In the RV industry, dealers sell products from multiple manufacturers. If the manufacturer wants something, like a requirement to service your RV regardless of who you bought from, the dealer can and probably will reject that requirement and if necessary drop the manufacturer. So you'll find that based on the contracts manufacturers have with dealers, the selling dealer MUST provide warranty service. But other dealers only provide warranty service if they want to. In an emergency, many dealers, perhaps most, will help you. In a non-emergency, where they are already busy and their turnaround time for their customers is already long, they're likely to decline.

The reason many people here recommend using mobile service or independent shops is because those people make their living through service, not through sales. They're usually more concerned about their service reputation, and they probably make more money if they have better turnaround time. And their techs don't get pulled off service work to prep trailers being sold.

But most mobile/independents probably want to get paid by you and let you get reimbursement from the manufacturer. Some manufacturers will reimburse you for using mobile/independent servicers (with prior approval). Many will not allow it at all. In most cases, Heartland will, with prior approval, authorize use of mobile/independents.

The RV Industry Association and RV Dealer Association (representing manufacturers and dealers) are working on plans to improve turnaround time for repairs, availability of parts, and quality of service techs.

That's how the RV industry works.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Sounds like a pocket door track that’s come loose. You should be able to remove the door from the track to access it. You could try using a driver bit on an extension(s) to reach in there or add some additional fasteners to the section of the track you can reach.

I would try a DIY repair on something like that rather than fooling with a dealer.


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OSH4007

Member
I think at this point a DIY is the best option. I just need to figure out how to get the door out of the track. Once I do that I should be able to reattach the track to the ceiling. If anyone has info on how to get the door out of the track that would be awesome.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Unfortunately our rig is in storage, 200 miles away, but I believe you can detach the door panel from the track roller guides in the closed position and then angle it out of the pocket.


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If it’s like mine, it has locking clips on the 2 posts that hold the door to the roller assembly.
You may be able to release the locks with your fingers, I usually need a screwdriver.
It’s a really simple maneuver.

Hockster
 
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