Bad experience so far
- Thread starter Relayman
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
If you have a shower access plate, you'll probably find that the connections are finger-tight screw-on fittings. It is possible that the washers could get funky when moving things around, but it's rare for that to happen, and you would see any leaks right away when you turn the water back on (before closing the access plate). If tools/crimping were required, you'd have good reason to worry about not getting it right - even though pex crimping isn't that hard.
But having the controls swapped doesn't stop you from taking a hot shower. So you could wait on that until you have another reason to go back to the dealer.
But having the controls swapped doesn't stop you from taking a hot shower. So you could wait on that until you have another reason to go back to the dealer.
Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn
Well-known member
The deposit on warranty parts are so you will come back and have them put on. If they don't complete the warranty job they don't get paid for any of the work.
Time and time again the dealer orders the parts, get them into there parts department and the customer never bring the trailer in for the repair. Then after a few months the dealer has to purge the parts inventory and toss hundreds or thousands of dollars in parts.
My dealer purges about evey 6 months. You wouldn't believe the parts they toss.
Bottom line a deposit to get you back to finish the job.
Ok with that all said I feel your pain I bought a 100K Landmark and had a ton of dumb issues. And that was before I found this forum.
Life got a whole lot better after I found all of my support team here on the heartland Owners forum.
Your not going to find this with Montana or Cardinal or any other SOB.
If I were you I would bring it home have use help you knock out you few minor problems and take your trip.
We are all here for you.
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Relayman
Well-known member
Man..... I really appreciate it !!! I'm a.jack.of all trades kinda guy..so.im pretty handy. I hate paying someone to fix something I can do myself. But ....if I did the water line repair (easy)...and it leaked and caused damage...that would be on me. 
The Inverter issue is an easy fix as well....I wish now... I had contacted Heartland and tried to get them to overnight one to.me ( but the dealer probably had to verify it was actually bad ,for the warranty). I kinda wish now I hadn't purchased the extended warranty on all the appliances. I could have saved the cash....and put anything I wanted back if something failed. Oh well.Live and learn. LOL
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The Inverter issue is an easy fix as well....I wish now... I had contacted Heartland and tried to get them to overnight one to.me ( but the dealer probably had to verify it was actually bad ,for the warranty). I kinda wish now I hadn't purchased the extended warranty on all the appliances. I could have saved the cash....and put anything I wanted back if something failed. Oh well.Live and learn. LOL
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Jesstruckn/Jesstalkn
Well-known member
You can get your money back on your warranty if you want it.
It is prorated just cancel the policy and they have to reimburse you.
As for the plumbing it's really easy and with the tool and the right clamps your going to do a better job then your dealer will.
I know you should have to work on your brand new RV but that is the reality of today's factory workers. Most of them just show up for the pay check.
Not everyone takes pride in there job.
The more time you wait for them to fix it the less time you'll have to enjoy it.
Heartland will send you the warranty parts. If you call them and tell them your going to fix it yourself.
But be nice to them and they will take care of you.
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It is prorated just cancel the policy and they have to reimburse you.
As for the plumbing it's really easy and with the tool and the right clamps your going to do a better job then your dealer will.
I know you should have to work on your brand new RV but that is the reality of today's factory workers. Most of them just show up for the pay check.
Not everyone takes pride in there job.
The more time you wait for them to fix it the less time you'll have to enjoy it.
Heartland will send you the warranty parts. If you call them and tell them your going to fix it yourself.
But be nice to them and they will take care of you.
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mlpeloquin
Well-known member
Man..... I really appreciate it !!! I'm a.jack.of all trades kinda guy..so.im pretty handy. I hate paying someone to fix something I can do myself. But ....if I did the water line repair (easy)...and it leaked and caused damage...that would be on me.
The Inverter issue is an easy fix as well....I wish now... I had contacted Heartland and tried to get them to overnight one to.me ( but the dealer probably had to verify it was actually bad ,for the warranty). I kinda wish now I hadn't purchased the extended warranty on all the appliances. I could have saved the cash....and put anything I wanted back if something failed. Oh well.Live and learn. LOL
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Under warranty and on the road across the country, I found the leak, purchased a Shark Bite fitting and fixed it. Caused by not using a pressure regulator. A good pressure regulator should be built into all RVs. I too purchased an extended warranty. First time used at my dealer. Bad mistake. They did the warranty service just fine, the repacking of the bearings was good, but they over torqued the lug bolts. Found this out after getting back from my three month trip. One I got off with a long pipe and all had to be broken loose with a breaker bar and pipe. All had metal shards from the lugs and nuts. None came loose with a impact wrench. I called Heartland needing all new lug nuts and they gave me the supplier and part number to get them directly.
I now use an independent RV repair shop that Heartland approves for warranty work. They are also approved for my extended warranty work as well. They don't advertise because they are swamped with word of mouth from their customers. Service is fast and workmanship is great. You might talk to Heartland about an independent shop near you that is approved for warranty work. Dealers, some being good with warranty service, but most are not. They want sales and rig prep for delivery and will not order parts for weeks on end. Several on the form have been told by the dealer that Heartland was the fault for the delay by their dealer, but after contacting Heartland they found out that their dealer hadn't even contacted Heartland to order the parts. Once they got Heartland in the loop it got the ball rolling. It seems dealers are notorious for this, but not all. The sales staff is great, but they have no say on service. You might call Heartland and ask if there is an independent RV service business near you that is approved for warranty work.
After all this you might also add a set of hinges or a piano hinge and latches to you service bay so that it has easy access. I did and several others have as well. Otherwise you will or the repair shop will have to unscrew the wall to get to the service bay where the water heater, pipes, electrical, and RF lines from the UDC are every time it has to be accessed.
My cousin owns a RV repair business and he works on all manufactures rigs. He says all have build problems and doesn't seem to find one manufacture or model any better the another. Trailer, Class C, Class A, Fifth Wheel, or Class B. Construction suffers on all and they all use a mix of the same manufactures stuff. They do very from rig to rig within the same models as far as workmanship. He thinks they may get feedback on warranty work and then fix the factory problem with workmanship. Heartland has built a new building that they pull a sample of rigs in to go over to look for manufacturing problems. They do not want dealers having to fix thing that should be correct to begin with. They cannot help the purchased items such as microwaves, televisions, etc.. So they are spending a lot of money to find problems on the assembly line and correct them. I don't know of any manufacture that is doing this. It is not perfect, but they are making the effort.
Good information- Thanks! I have done the piano hinges myself and was glad I did when I woke to a flooded basement on our last trip. Was able to access everything I needed with ease. Also learned about Sharkbites. Best thing I have ever used. Hope the guy who designed them has made millions! Why on earth would anyone use something different? The hose clamps used on a previous repair from the previous owner is what failed, not the Sharkbite connections. 
Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL
Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL
SNOKING
Well-known member
Good information- Thanks! I have done the piano hinges myself and was glad I did when I woke to a flooded basement on our last trip. Was able to access everything I needed with ease. Also learned about Sharkbites. Best thing I have ever used. Hope the guy who designed them has made millions! Why on earth would anyone use something different? The hose clamps used on a previous repair from the previous owner is what failed, not the Sharkbite connections.
Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL
What is going to happen to the O-Ring that makes the seal in the Sharkbite fittings over time? Chris
mlpeloquin
Well-known member
It depends on what material they are made with. Silicone will hold up for a very long time. Standard rubber ten or more years. They are approved for PEX and copper pipe in homes, so they must be constructed with materials for long term use. Haven't herd about any failures of Shark Bite fittings. They are also removable so long as the removal tool has room to fit over the end to push the plastic release inward. I am not worried about them.
IronJ
Well-known member
The sharkbite is an elastomer ring I believe...
I would be inclined to believe it would last 25+ years EASILY...
That said, if your gonna bury something with no access in a sticks and bricks home I would opt for a real crimp...
In an rv, 25+ yrs down the line I doubt a sharkbite in a relatively easy to access area That don't see uninterrupted constant pressure is gonna be a real issue...lol
sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish
I would be inclined to believe it would last 25+ years EASILY...
That said, if your gonna bury something with no access in a sticks and bricks home I would opt for a real crimp...
In an rv, 25+ yrs down the line I doubt a sharkbite in a relatively easy to access area That don't see uninterrupted constant pressure is gonna be a real issue...lol
sent from space via an invisible beam from a flying metal dish
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
25 years down the road in an RV, nothing will probably work in it, anywaz.
I don't think our dealer even pressurized the lines until the walk through. He turned on the pump and it continued running. I looked at him and said what's broken. He said it must be filling the hw tank. Right then someone poked there head in an said water is pouring out the lower fridge vent. The ice maker line before the solenoid was completely broke in half squirting water everywhere. That should have been my first clue of things to come!!
Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL
Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL
Jim.Allison
Well-known member
The best day in a RV owners life is when the warrantee expires and he is force to make his own repair. It is on that day he will find out that there are no ghost behind the basement wall, and everything is reparable without a trip from the dealer. I have a great rig, it has never been back for repairs. The reason why is I fix it myself, I'm a firm believer that dealers can induce problems. But then again some people do not have the skills to make their own repairs and are at the mercy of dealers that do not feel that 10 weeks for a repair is too long for something they sold you new last week.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
You got that right . . .
I'm a lover . . . not a handy man!
When I get the caulking gun out . . . I get more caulk on me than the job at hand!
However, I'm not above doing many repairs myself, but as I said above . . .
"I'm a lover . . . not a handy man!"
My woman is happy . . . most of the time!
"If you want a job done right, do it yourself" is the motto I live by. I have only had this trailer for 4 weeks and so far I have saved us 1 year of lost time at the dealership for repairs. We did buy the warranty, but that was to cover the cost of parts for catastrophic failure of appliances and such. As far as water leaks, AC repairs, loose screws, dinette chairs falling apart, valve problems, (super-glue on the counter <--- my fault!)... you name it, I have it handled (At least that's what I keep telling myself!). My lovely Mother (who is quite the handy-manish woman herself) has been thrilled at the fact we haven't had to take it back to the dealer yet. We are both single-mothers and are too stubborn (or broke) to hire a handy man. She raised me to always check it out yourself and see if you can fix it yourself before throwing your hands up and calling someone. I also like the self-gratification that hits when you finally complete a project and it turns out great! Nothing beats that.
danemayer
Well-known member
Carleen,
I just love your attitude (and your mother's), and I feel the same way. But I know that for a lot of people, they just don't have the skills and experience. One thing that happens at rallies is that if someone's having a problem, others will jump in to help. I have a feeling that if you and your mom get to some rallies, you'll have a chance to do just that.
