Bad experience so far

[Carleen]

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.

We are planning to go to the September rally in Colorado. The forum has been very helpful and I am excited to finally meet some of the other members!

 

[TravelTiger]

"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.

Carleen, we gotta meet sometime! I think you've taken on harder repairs than me, but I guess I am the same way, I'd rather fix it ourselves (hubby and I) than take it in. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, crawl on, around, under and inside this thing to make mods and repairs, as long as we have the knowledge and tools. Thank goodness for this forum, I've learned so much. And especially "preventative" info, that helps me look for things before they fail.




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[Carleen]

Carleen, we gotta meet sometime! I think you've taken on harder repairs than me, but I guess I am the same way, I'd rather fix it ourselves (hubby and I) than take it in. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, crawl on, around, under and inside this thing to make mods and repairs, as long as we have the knowledge and tools. Thank goodness for this forum, I've learned so much. And especially "preventative" info, that helps me look for things before they fail.




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We should meet! I learned to look at the forum to figure out what may be wrong, then look to YouTube to find out how involved the repair is, what tools I need and any tricks that can help with the process. Between the two- everything you would want to know is available.


Carleen
2011 Ford F-350 6.7
2011 Big Horn 3585RL

 

[Relayman]

Well...thus past Monday...I took my new Bighorn 5er to Exploreusa because of the inverter faolure...and some transposed water lines in the shower. they quoted me five weeks for repair. Well....my camper is sitting on its pad at my home as no write this. Many thanks to the service manager Curtis..at ExploreUSA in Misquite Texas for him expediting the repairs..(AGAIN)..and getting me back on the road. Also thanks to Terry Hays..Heartland customer service Rep. for his support of
Curtis and working with me on this. I'm going camping !!

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[BigGuy82]

What is going to happen to the O-Ring that makes the seal in the Sharkbite fittings over time? Chris

Have you ever seen one fail? On the other side of that coin, have you ever seen a sweated joint fail? How about a PEX fitting? Just curious.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Sweat joint fail?? Yep and it flooded our down stairs in our brand new..shiney house. Ruining $18K worth of hardwood floor, and all the base cabinets. drywall and outside stucco. Yep I have seen it and the house cost one heck of alot more than our BH. BTW, our downstairs was un-usable for 6 months while the builder spent that time pointing fingers at who was at fault. The cat did enjoy the open wall to the outside because she could go hunting at night and bring her treasure she caught up to us at 3 AM. Ever try to catch a 3" mouse in a bedroom while the ' OL puss is chasing it??

 

[BigGuy82]

Sweat joint fail?? Yep and it flooded our down stairs in our brand new..shiney house. Ruining $18K worth of hardwood floor, and all the base cabinets. drywall and outside stucco. Yep I have seen it and the house cost one heck of alot more than our BH. BTW, our downstairs was un-usable for 6 months while the builder spent that time pointing fingers at who was at fault. The cat did enjoy the open wall to the outside because she could go hunting at night and bring her treasure she caught up to us at night at 3 AM.

Yup. My point exactly. During the summer (we travel during the other seasons) I stay home, enjoy our pool and work part time at Lowe's in the plumbing department. We sell tons of press on plumbing connectors (we call them Blue Hawk, Home Depot sells Shark Bite - all similar stuff). The biggest customers by far are professional plumbers, who would rather spend a little more, get the job done quickly and move on without worrying about call backs. I have had them in my house for years without any problem whatsoever. So end of the day, I'm pretty confident that you can use them in your RV - they can be used on copper, PEX or CPVC - without worry. Also, PEX tends to be very reliable IF you are following instructions and using the correct crimping tools. If you are going to cheap out and use the wrong tool to save a few bucks on a PEX tool, you're asking for disaster.

 

[TandT]

I have the PEX tool that won't release until it's ratcheted down correctly. PEX crimp rings are a lot cheaper than SharkBite fittings. Jmo. Trace

 

[budmanrebel]

My first work order had 27 line items and took 5 months, If it wasn't over the winter we would have been livid. But now with only 10 trips this year we have a repeat delamination problem, repeat hydraulic problem, along with 4 other items. I guess they feel they don't have to stand behind their original work, let the dealership take care them.

Here is what CS wrote me about our current delamination: "This will need to be dealt with by the shop that did the original repair. They need to stand behind their work."

We thought buy brand new so you don't have someone else's problems, we weren't expecting to have 30+ problems from the factory. Its time for Heartland to make lemonade out of this lemon.

 

[jmgratz]

We bought our first Landmark from Explore RV. Found out we had many issues some of which were dealer induced. Their service department was sorry. I wrote a bad review on Facebook and the Owner sent me an email and got the dealer straightened out on how important the customer is. Although I did not buy our current RV from Explore RV I know the owner watches the reviews and there was even a way to email him directly on their website. Don't sit by and gripe, get proactive and make some noise by complaining to the owner and even the Better Business Bureau. Write a letter to the Dealership General Manager. One other thing, you do not have to use the selling dealership for your service. Call Heartland RV and get prior approval and you can use an independent repair facility or even a mobile RV Repairman (the trip charge is not covered by warranty). That way they can come to you and get you back on the road. By the way the hot and cold water should be easy to swap yourself as they as probably just screwed onto the fitting.

 

[BigGuy82]

I second what Dan says, but add my experience.

I have my own ring crimper with me. It would take just a few minutes to remove the old rings, switch pipes and add new rings, then recrimp the rings. Maybe HL will let you buy your own inverter and reimburse you for the costs.

My trailer has never seen a dealer since I bought it. I have had all my warranty work done by a certified RVIA/RVDA master tech while I watch. I now have any issues outside of warranty work done by a master tech if I cannot do it. My advice to you is to find a certified mater tech by you and never take your rig back to that dealer. I have never had to wait for work on my trailer once a made the appointment.

Good luck and start enjoying that wonderful trailer you bought.

I know you wrote this a few weeks back, but I was reviewing this entire thread after reading the latest lament about delamination and I came across your comment. My dealer has two RVIA/RVDA Master Technicians on their staff and they will let you sit there and watch what's going on if you wish. Keep in mind that there aren't that many of these guys around. Also, I've got an overall great dealer (sales, service, facility, etc.), whereas the originator of this thread seems to have a dealer that I think could have done a much better job, especially in the areas of prep and delivery. I'm not making any judgements here - merely pointing out that product satisfaction has at least as much to do with the quality of the dealer as it does with the manufacturer. A truly good dealer would have nipped a lot of this stuff in the bud. When I was ready to take delivery, we went through an initial inspection and I found several minor things wrong - nothing major (this after we went over the rig with a very fine tooth comb). I gave them a week to fix the issues and when I did the final inspection, everything was perfect. This dealer literally took about four hours for the pre-delivery inspections and then we took the rig out for a shakedown ride before I took it home. This is how deliveries should be done.

Will I have problems down the road? Of course - it's an RV! The originator of this thread should trying putting this in perspective - when you buy a house (especially a new one) there is a punch list of all the stuff that is wrong. That stuff eventually gets fixed by the builder. Then, as you use it, things go wrong and need to be fixed. Not much different than owning an RV.

Enjoy the lifestyle - it truly is fun if you give it a chance. And, maybe follow the advice of the folks in this forum and do some dealer/service shoppiong.

 

[JohnD]

My dealer has two RVIA/RVDA Master Technicians on their staff and they will let you sit there and watch what's going on if you wish.

Keep in mind that there aren't that many of these guys around.

And these guys don't stick around at dealerships long enough to make friends.

They move around the dealerships like cowboys do rodeos!

Also, I've got an overall great dealer (sales, service, facility, etc.), whereas the originator of this thread seems to have a dealer that I think could have done a much better job, especially in the areas of prep and delivery.

I don't know if you've bought any other RV's from this dealership and I know you just recently got your rig, but I'd like to hear your thoughts about them six months from now after they've had a chance to really prove themselves.

Both of the dealerships we bought our Heartlands from promised the world on their service departments . . . neither of them delivered.

 

[BigGuy82]

And these guys don't stick around at dealerships long enough to make friends.

They move around the dealerships like cowboys do rodeos!



I don't know if you've bought any other RV's from this dealership and I know you just recently got your rig, but I'd like to hear your thoughts about them six months from now after they've had a chance to really prove themselves.

Both of the dealerships we bought our Heartlands from promised the world on their service departments . . . neither of them delivered.

Well, actually I shopped dealerships before I shopped brands - that's how inportant I think support is. I didn't go looking for a Bighorn ... I went dealer shopping. This is my third RV - one trailer and one Class A, so this isn't my first barbecue. Not only am I familiar with all of the local dealers, I also know a lot of RV'ers in this area. Although you have a point about employee movement, these guys have both been there for quite some time and if they left, they'd likely wind up moving out of the area because this dealer isn't going to lose a Master Tech for a few lousy bucks. This dealer has been here for decades and outlasted a large Camping World franchise that tried to crush them.

Bottom line is that no dealer is perfect, but I've got myself a good one. Could they eventually "go bad"? Of course, but there are no guarantees in life, let alone RVing.

 

[Bob&Patty]

budmanrebel, why would HL be responsible for poor repairs by a dealer. The dealer made the repairs and got payed for them. If you had your car repaired by a dealer and they screwed up....would you expect the manufacturer to pay them again?? When I was an auto tech (45 years), if I made a mistake...the repair was on my dime. Not the dealers or GM.

 

[budmanrebel]

budmanrebel, why would HL be responsible for poor repairs by a dealer. The dealer made the repairs and got payed for them. If you had your car repaired by a dealer and they screwed up....would you expect the manufacturer to pay them again?? When I was an auto tech (45 years), if I made a mistake...the repair was on my dime. Not the dealers or GM.

I agree their bad repairs are on them, but over 27 line items on a brand new camper? We keep wondering whats next? How long will the side wall hold up?

 

[Pirana]

I keep reading all this horror stories...they are all true. If you follow my posts you will see that yes the dealer has some of the fault. But the blame goes directly to the manufacturer. There is no way this units should leave the factory like they do. Shotty labor and since they only offer a 1yr warranty, they will be off the hook quick! Since the units will be waiting for parts and labor the majority of the time. If manufacturers were forced to offer a 3/yr warranty like automakers they would be sure to make a better product since they are in the hook for that period of time.

Regarding the dealership asking for a deposit, its because if they change the inverter from another unit, they are not guaranteed that HL would honor the warranty and they would loose the money. Im in the same boat, probably the same dealer, for a damaged sofa that was like that prior to me purchasing the RV, so its been 6 months of wait...fortunately I'm still using the unit and just waiting for the sofa manufacturer to get their butts in order to get the sofa warranted. Meanwhile more stuff has developed and I know its going to be a mess when we take it for repairs...should be this way. Not in your first year of ownership.

 

[JohnD]

There is no way this units should leave the factory like they do.

Shotty labor and since they only offer a 1yr warranty, they will be off the hook quick!

Since the units will be waiting for parts and labor the majority of the time.

If manufacturers were forced to offer a 3/yr warranty like automakers they would be sure to make a better product since they are on the hook for that period of time.

I'm with you there . . .

I've argued here for years that a one year warranty is not enough on RV's . . .

Most especially for those of us who don't live in our RV's full time!

We use our camper 5 or 6 times a year . . . not enough time to find out about all of the issues these things have from the factory.

One other thing to consider when buying a new RV is which time of year to make the purchase.

Many here will say buy it in the fall at the end of the camping season when prices are low . . . I say 'NOT!'.

Our first brand new RV was our previous 2013 Heartland Trail Runner, which we purchased on September 11, 2012.

The price wasn't any lower at that time of year, even though the summer camping season was officially over, but it sat for 8 months in our side yard before we were able to really use it.

In other words, we wasted away 8 months of the Heartland warranty before we could even try out the trailer's systems and only three months to get the dealership to fix any issues.

Of course, now we were trying to get it in at the beginning of the busy sales and camping season.

And now the dealership was the one causing the problems . . .

Needless to say . . . we bought our 2015 Prowler at the end of May, 2015, so we were able to start finding out the issues right away as we took it out one week after we picked it up!

Fortunately, most of our issues were not serious enough to not let us use the trailer, so we added them all up through the summer months and took it in after we were done camping for the season.

Unfortunately for us, it turned out to be the dealership that was our next horror story . . .

 

[SilverRhino]

I keep reading and hearing about new coach issues and it always amazes me that they always end up being the dealers fault. Granted there are problems at the dealership level, but if HL and other manufacturers would start doing a decent job of quality control many of these problems would be solved. It is not the dealerships responsibility to have to correct sloppy manufacturing.

 

[Relayman]

It SHOULDNT be the dealership...but Heartland sends em out to the dealers in shoddy shape....we ( the consumer) purchase it from the dealer...so who has to deal with us and our issues ? The dealership. they have techs that get paid by Heartland.. for warranty work.
maybe dealers should stop accepting units from suppliers that send them out with issues. ( that wont happen because they have to have units to sell ) . the Dealership is the last point of sale. they should do a better job of going through each unit prior to selling them . MHO.

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[SilverRhino]

It SHOULDNT be the dealership...but Heartland sends em out to the dealers in shoddy shape....we ( the consumer) purchase it from the dealer...so who has to deal with us and our issues ? The dealership. they have techs that get paid by Heartland.. for warranty work.
maybe dealers should stop accepting units from suppliers that send them out with issues. ( that wont happen because they have to have units to sell ) . the Dealership is the last point of sale. they should do a better job of going through each unit prior to selling them . MHO.

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I agree that the dealerships should do a better job and they are our point if contact. The PDI should be to fine tune the unit, not have to rework major systems. That is better done and should be taken care of before a unit leaves the factory. The problem is multi level, but as consumers we should not just accept it. As you said MHO