ATF: Cyclone - QA and Workmanship

[Ltfiremedic]

I would like to begin this post by saying how much we enjoy our 2015 4100 King. The size of the bedroom and bathroom. We have plenty of room to move about with 6 people inside. This is a brand and model that we have been looing at or sometime before we decided to make the purchase in May of this year.

There are itmes that I do not understand how they made it past the QA inspection. Black caulking splattered on the metal skirt. Scuffs, and paint chips. I have tried to removed it but can not find something to remove the caulk and leave the paint. Excessive caulking around lights. Square head screws are rusting from the center out. ( this has shsown itself after 3 months of ownership. Saw dust everywhere. We have removed so much from the carpet by continous vacuuming. Saw dust in between the the skylights in the bathroom, Cabinets in the kitchen finish is cloudy and rough. This happened due to spraying dust cbinets and humidity was to high. I have tried to sand them out using 600 grit paper but as I began to more I found. I would have to removed all the doors and sand face frames inplace and then respray. After sanding one small area I figured I should not have to do this for the amount of money we spent to purchase this unit. Scraps on bottom around master bed. On top of unit where the front cap and rubber roof come together on right side, water is pooling. This is not an issue at this time but will become one in the future. On the bottom of front cap in cut outs for 88 degree turning stress cracks are beginning to form.

We where so excited to purchase this unit and get it home ( 3 hour drive) that we did not pay attention at that time. It was not till after a period of time til you can reaaly get to know this rig.

For the metal skirt. I equate it to this. If you purchased a $80,000.00 car, there had not be one scratch or blimish on it. Why can this not be same for all RV's.

When we left Emerald Isle last week i notied soapy water on the ground in front of the front axle, the inspection cut out of the under pinning hanging down. When crawled under to investigate I found water all in the under pinning. We where leaving and I let it be removed during travel.

We have one more trip scheduled in October and I will carry it back to the Dealer after we return. I know if I carry to them I will not have it back intime for this vacation. I have to use holding tanks for this trip and dump as I leave.

As I said in the beginning of this post. We really enjoy and love this rig. I just wish that it was cleaned inside and out thoroughly during and after construction. That all culk and glue removed. Cabinets caught durning inspection and sent back for resand and resprayed.

I am not one to fire off at the begining but, as time presented more items I could not remain silent.

 

[scottyb]

Ltfiremedic, congatulations on your 4100. It is very frustrating when the little things stack up. I agree with you 100% about not allowing it to spoil your scheduled vacation as long as they can be managed. These issues can easily be resolved during the off season. This was our 1st RV and I was very frustrated about the QCQA issues you mentioned. I participate on several non Heartland RV forums, and it seems to run rampant in the industry, from the low end to the absurdly expensive. Now we are enjoying our 4100 immensely.

 

[oscar]

Yes to both posters above. The industry is not even close to delivering a product that stands up like the auto industry. In the race for features and price the quality has been sacrificed. It is abundantly clear that it is not craftspeople assembling these, but unskilled labor. Over torqued everything. Parts and pieces that fall off because they are under engineered or poorly installed. And yes, it is everywhere. I have owned several boats. If any of them were delivered with this level of reliability the manufacturer would be out of business. That said, we too enjoy our 4100 a lot. I'm just lucky enough to be a tool guy and can keep the show on the road, literally, without missing more than a half a beat.

And that brings me to my last point. Ltfiremedic, be very, very careful about taking it to a dealer for these issues. A very few dealers are great, many are so so, and very many are only going to add to your aggravation by mucking it up even more, or fixing one thing and breaking another. If at all possible, get to know your rig and fix it yourself.

 

[Greengas]

We've had our Landmark 1 year now and it has been in the shop longer than we've been able to use it. I won't go back into all the details but lets just say there was no QA done on my rig when it left the factory (you can look at my posts from last year to see the details if you wish). That said, I have to disagree with you Oscar. Part of the problem is that many if not most RV'ers do just as you suggest and fix the problems on their own. That means that the factory is not having to pay for repairs that should be covered by warranty. I believe, that a first step in getting better quality is to hit the manufacturers in the wallet and make them pay for all repairs that are covered under warranty. Now, I know, that is not practical for some, but for those that can, do it! Make the factory pay for the repairs. Maybe if their bottom line is impacted, their QA will become more effective.

With all that said, we do truly love our Landmark and try to spend as much time in it as possible. But, I'm sure interested in that new 365 series, just can't let the DW know. She said I am done shopping for RV's and Trucks. Oh well, happy wife, happy life.

 

[Realist]

Make the factory pay for the repairs. Maybe if their bottom line is impacted, their QA will become more effective.

In the real world no manufacturer is going to lose money if they can avoid it.
Today there is a real demand for RV's.
If the bottom line is not where they want it, the price will just go up and we will continue to buy.
Nothing will change.
The boss man wants a good product but the labor on the floor just wants a paycheck.

Realist

 

[Ltfiremedic]

Thank You all for the information

I am a do it yourselfer and will make the repairs myself seeing how I am ver anal about the final product. I worked at a Custom Cabinet shop 3 miles from me durning my days off from the firehouse and will work on the finish on the cabinets. I will be sure to make it a point to let people know when they see the finish quality that I am the one who had done the work and not craftmanship of Heartland. As for the Cheap finish that is on the aluminum lower skirt and black caulk splattered over it this will be a long project. I have found that GOOF OFF works with lots of elbow grease but, you have to be careful that you rubthe paint right off. I don't understand how a Luxury Toy Hauler with an MSRP of almost $99,000.00 uses low quality cheap finish for the bottom that has the most exposure secondary to the roof.

 

[B-N-Kusar]

I can seriously relate to the above posts. I have a 2014 cyclone 4100 and it's the biggest piece I've ever owned I live in az so no chance for lemon law but it definitely qualifies I'm the embarrassment every time I take it out due to things not working. The latest and greatest was a 14 item list of major components that are jacked up. Just little stuff like the 3rd axel is misaligned and shredding tires and the hydraulics keep faulting and awnings that won't open or when there open they won't close. Oh yeah let's not forget the front wall has exploded 3 times. I'm so exhausted from dealing with this I'm at wits end. So I ask where the **** is the quality control heartland and that's not even taking about the poor sealing or sawdust falling out of every crack and crevice. Did I mention the ramp on the back is falling off I could go on for days.

 

[pcardoza]

Can you clarify what this means please?

Oh yeah let's not forget the front wall has exploded 3 times.

 

[B-N-Kusar]

The frame is flexing causing the back wall of the closet to break apart the dealership replaced all the wood and it did it again then the removed 6 inches of the partition wall and it's still buckled very poor design

 

[oscar]

Yes, it appears there is a LOT of flex in the front cap. Not compatible with rigid particle board dividers inside. I've given up on re-seating the walls.

 

[HarleyCowboy]

Ltfiremedic, I too am very fustrated with the quality of workmanship and quality assurance in my new 4100, and with the parts department at Heartland. I bought my 4100 in July. There were a few little things that were in need of repair on the lot before we took possession. I spoke with the sales person and He said that they would order the parts from Heartland. The sales person and parts person at the dealership were very helpfull. Almost 3 months later I recieved the parts. They were not all the right parts and the right parts were the wrong color. We called the dealership and again they were very apologetic and agreed to contact Heartland again. I ordered the parts with the intention of making the repairs myself being they were minor. But now it's getting to be the principal of the issue. It's like Heartland has a "take it or leave it" attitude. I called Heartland once with a question about the AC that should have been able to be answered by looking up my Vin number. The person I talked with acted like he was too busy to help me and told me that I should take it appart to find out what I needed to know. I still have a radio in the garage that I can't use and a surround sound in the living room that is only good for DVD's and radio, not the TV. I really like the trailer but if i had know how bad the workmanship was I may have went with another brand.

 

[scottyb]

HarleyCowboy, I'm not sure who your dealer is in TX, don't really need to know, but I discovered that my issues were mostly my dealer's fault. I too was waiting for months for parts. I finally called HL and was told they had been shipped and received by the dealer months before and shortly after the initial request. They even sent me a copy of the tacking info with a person's signature (who no longer worked there). I assume they were misappropriated by their parts department. Heartland gladly shipped the parts directly to me and have done so on 3 occasions since. Between this and a couple other instances of incompetence, I decided not to return to my dealer for future repairs. This has lowered my frustration level a lot.

 

[remoandiris]

I too am very frustrated with the quality of workmanship and quality assurance in my new 4100,

I feel the same way about the CY4000 I'm stuck with. Next week I'll be taking it to a 3rd dealer for warranty repairs. The first 2 (CW in Cocoa, Fl and Lazy Days in Tampa) will never see my business again.

 

[gregattaway]

I have to agree so far 100% on the "alleged" craftsmanship ...

Water leaking, no tv that work if 2 are turned on, awning won't retract, NEW battery that won't stay charged ...
Yeah pretty easy to make a list ...

If a consumer looking to buy ever read this forum I would bet it wouldn't be a heartland in there future purchase ...

Granted not all rv's are perfect but when you read the same complaints over and over someone is not taking notice at the factory ??? !!!

 

[TX_Clay]

I still have a radio in the garage that I can't use and a surround sound in the living room that is only good for DVD's and radio, not the TV.

If you get the surround sound working with the TV, would you please post how you were able to do that? Mine is the same way.

 

[danemayer]

If you get the surround sound working with the TV, would you please post how you were able to do that? Mine is the same way.

The TV audio doesn't play through the surround sound most likely because it's not connected to the surround sound. You typically need to look at the audio outputs on the TV, and the audio inputs on the surround sound, and install the correct cable. It's not a workmanship issue - for whatever reason, it's just not something that Heartland has elected to do.

I've helped a number of owners make these connections. Come to the North Texas Chapter Rally next Spring in Santo and I'll give you a hand with yours.

If you prefer to do it yourself, we also have an owner-written RV Audio Connections Illustrated User Guide that will help you get the right cable and any adapters that may be needed.

 

[Cjackg]

If you get the surround sound working with the TV, would you please post how you were able to do that? Mine is the same way.

Adding an HDMI connection between the TV and the Surround sound/DVD receiver is all it took to fix mine...

 

[TX_Clay]

The TV audio doesn't play through the surround sound most likely because it's not connected to the surround sound. You typically need to look at the audio outputs on the TV, and the audio inputs on the surround sound, and install the correct cable. It's not a workmanship issue - for whatever reason, it's just not something that Heartland has elected to do.

I've helped a number of owners make these connections. Come to the North Texas Chapter Rally next Spring in Santo and I'll give you a hand with yours.

If you prefer to do it yourself, we also have an owner-written RV Audio Connections Illustrated User Guide that will help you get the right cable and any adapters that may be needed.

Thanks for the reply, I am armed with a HDMI, RCA Phono Audio Cables and a Digital Audio Coax. Pretty sure I will be able to get it to work. Fun Part will be getting the 50" TV off its brackets to get in behind it.
Looking forward to this. Kind of like working on a Japanese Trans-Mis-Sion!

 

[DocFather]

Thanks for the reply, I am armed with a HDMI, RCA Phono Audio Cables and a Digital Audio Coax. Pretty sure I will be able to get it to work. Fun Part will be getting the 50" TV off its brackets to get in behind it.
Looking forward to this. Kind of like working on a Japanese Trans-Mis-Sion!

You have to remove the fireplace under the TV and use the extension tool (included in the Manual Packet) to get at the 2 bolts that loosen the TV from the Bracket. There should be a diagram in that packet or in the Tools section on this Forum. I will search for mine tonight.

See this thread:

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/33830-Uninstall-TV-in-toy-hauler

 

[TX_Clay]

You have to remove the fireplace under the TV and use the extension tool (included in the Manual Packet) to get at the 2 bolts that loosen the TV from the Bracket. There should be a diagram in that packet or in the Tools section on this Forum. I will search for mine tonight.

See this thread:

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/33830-Uninstall-TV-in-toy-hauler

REALLY? Ok, I don't recall seeing a tool of any kind in my packet. I was hoping it was similar to wall mount brackets where you pull a lock brace out and able to lift the TV off the brackets. Guess I will be making another call to HL service.