Buying an RV at a RV show

Hi all. Sorry about the long post. We purchased a Torque T331 at the rv show in Hershey this past Sept. I came to the conclusion that I will never but an rv from a show again. It seems like they are slapped together to get ready for the show. We got to use it twice and found all kinds of things wrong with it. All the screws holding the bedroom slide and floor were loose. Seal missing on bedroom slide missing. Caulk on roof looks like the caulk tube exploded. Toilet in main bathroom does not let solids go down. These are just a few of the things we found. There's more. It's been at the dealer for 5 weeks now and they only repaired some of the things. Dealer is an hour away from my house so it's kind of inconvienient to run there. I did go there to get a few things out the camper. 1. They had to bring it up from a lower lot far from the service area. 2. The camper was unlocked. 3. The front grab rail would not stay against the door like it did when I took it there. I told them about all these things and got a bull sh** story about the camper not being level and that's why the grab handle wouldn't stay in.??? I said so everytime I go up an incline, the handle is just gonna flap in the breeze??? He just stood there and looked dumbfounded. I don't think I'll ever buy another Heartland product due ti the fact all this BS left a bad taste in our mouth.
 

Dahillbilly

Well-known member
call Heartland customer service, warranty department, have your VIN number handy & ask about any warranty claims submitted from dealer. Talk nice & see what answers you get. I did this & things worked out very well for me.
 
This post brings up the old walk-through must-do before signing the papers
Big problem was I guess I should have looked in the toilet with a flashlight to make sure the pipe wasn't obstructed. Also, never go to pick up when it's raining. It makes the outside inspection a little rough to find things( It rained for a couple days). Didn't know about slide seal until we were going to make the bed and found water stain on plywood.
I called Heartland's warranty department. The woman I talked to was very nice and helpful. All the issues are covered under warranty. The service manager at the dealership said he was trying to get a few things covered. Another BS story? Tried to call him today and his phone went to voicemail and he never called back. I'm giving him until tomorrow then I'm going to personally talk to him. Just tired of all the lies. They've had it longer then we did.
 

sengli

Well-known member
We have taken plant tours for pretty much every brand made in northern indiana. And honestly regardless of price point they are all made by hand one at a time by people who seemed to be in a terrible rush. I know when we bought our new fivers, the entire first year was all about fixing all the little things that werent right. Luckily we didnt have any major issues that I couldnt fix. Relying on the dealer is great, but any repairs takes weeks to months to be fixed. I called heartland and had the parts sent to me directly.

I do remember seeing the units they had at the factory, they were making to be shipped to the Hershey show. A lot of last minute changes and updates according to the sales guys.
 

ATP

Member
Hi all. Sorry about the long post. We purchased a Torque T331 at the rv show in Hershey this past Sept. I came to the conclusion that I will never but an rv from a show again. It seems like they are slapped together to get ready for the show. We got to use it twice and found all kinds of things wrong with it. All the screws holding the bedroom slide and floor were loose. Seal missing on bedroom slide missing. Caulk on roof looks like the caulk tube exploded. Toilet in main bathroom does not let solids go down. These are just a few of the things we found. There's more. It's been at the dealer for 5 weeks now and they only repaired some of the things. Dealer is an hour away from my house so it's kind of inconvienient to run there. I did go there to get a few things out the camper. 1. They had to bring it up from a lower lot far from the service area. 2. The camper was unlocked. 3. The front grab rail would not stay against the door like it did when I took it there. I told them about all these things and got a bull sh** story about the camper not being level and that's why the grab handle wouldn't stay in.??? I said so everytime I go up an incline, the handle is just gonna flap in the breeze??? He just stood there and looked dumbfounded. I don't think I'll ever buy another Heartland product due ti the fact all this BS left a bad taste in our mouth.
I would demand a new camper or a full refund if not satisfied. Good luck.
 

Bogie

Well-known member
We have taken plant tours for pretty much every brand made in northern indiana. And honestly regardless of price point they are all made by hand one at a time by people who seemed to be in a terrible rush. I know when we bought our new fivers, the entire first year was all about fixing all the little things that werent right. Luckily we didnt have any major issues that I couldnt fix. Relying on the dealer is great, but any repairs takes weeks to months to be fixed. I called heartland and had the parts sent to me directly.

I do remember seeing the units they had at the factory, they were making to be shipped to the Hershey show. A lot of last minute changes and updates according to the sales guys.
Ditto......

When I purchased my current fiver, I made it clear with the dealer (over 500 miles away) that no paperwork would be signed until I inspected the unit. Spent the better part of 4 hours doing so. Yes, there were some issues. Mostly minor fortunately. But the majority were taken care of before we shoved off for home the next day. Had one major issue which we scheduled with the dealer for several months later. They met their commitment and performed the work expeditiously. So having a good dealer really helps. As is often heard of on this forum, many dealers don't perform well.

Since then, I tend to take care of any new issues that come up myself. Some were still what would be considered warranty related. But, spending a few hours fixing them was far preferable to driving 500+ miles each way so someone else could do the labor.

Anyone looking to buy a new unit should take a look at the pre-delivery check list in the Tools section of this Forum. Have that in hand and take your time inspecting before you hand a dealer any money.
 

cipwood

Active Member
Made by hand or not there is no excuse for poor QC. And it's pretty sad that a buyer has to spend hours on a walk thru doing the factories job of QC inspections.
JUST SAD.
 
We heard from the dealer today. He said all the parts were in. They had to get a new tube that goes from the toilet to the black water tank. They at least winterized it for us. There were a few things that I did repair myself but I wasn't going to tackle the toilet issue. LOL
Anyway, he told my wife that they're going to get it in as soon as an RV is finished due to it's the only bay our camper would fit in. Unfortunately, we bought our RV from a small dealership. They have a small service garage.
 
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