Check your license plate holder for water infiltration!!!!!!!

[marc515]

We have an MPG-181 and the left rear storage compartment the white strip molding was lose. So I popped it off thinking I would re-nail it. While I had it off I noticed wet saw dust laying in the bottom of the gap between the floor and the back wall. The bottom of the wall is also spongy.

I re-caulked the entire side thinking that would solve the issue; next rain, more water. I called Heartland, and they couldn't figure out where the water could be getting in.

We were waxing the back and decided to take off the license plate and license plate holder to really clean it, and low and behold there is big 1" or so hole for the two little wires for the license plate holder light. Neither the hole nor the holder had any caulking, so water has been infiltrating since the unit was built.

I highly recommend you check this area for water infiltration.

This is a prime example of very poor quality control, and even though we are out of warranty I have sent Heartland an email asking them to repair the water damage, as it is obviously a production control issue, but they basically replied it's out of warranty.

It's a shame these RV manufacturer's can not be held accountable for poor quality control and workmanship. I could understand if I caused the water infiltration by not maintaining the caulking, but this is clearly Heartland's fault due to cutting corners.

Needless to say, I will never purchase another Heartland product.

 

[bigmaho]

good and sad to know. Thanks for the tip. I'll check mine. They saved $.25 on construction but who knows how many customers they just lost.

 

[Hunter11]

I saw this post last week and check ours yesterday while doing some other maintenance. I filled the big hole on ours full of clear silicon before re-installing.

 

[Snow]

Thanks I will check mine also . It's a shame that something so easy to fix can lead to a BIG problem we all know that water and wood don't get along together . It's funny how things work I just got done reading about the guy with the cracks and you get a good filling about heartland and then you read this it's crazy maybe they will start caulking the hole or drill a 1/2 " hole for the 2 wires , knock on wood we have been out 2 times this year and getting ready to go to the outer banks next week with no problems at all so I should be thankfull and I am but it's this crazy little stuff that's really gets ya , iam thankfull for knowing how to fix things on my own it's saved me a lot on time and money. I will say that I will probably buy another heartland again but the next time it will be a better PDI and to make sure the guy doing the walk though knows more about a heartland product then I do thanks and hope you reconsider buying another heartland JMHO ⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️

 

[ryanman]

Thanks for the info...I have been fighting some water issues lately and maybe this could be one issue I haven't found.

 

[donr827]

Wonder why they drilled such a large hole for the two wires?........Don

 

[Roller4tan]

Just checked mine, there is a smaller hole now,about the size of a quarter... no caulking around it tho. I took care of that. Since you have to take the holder off to install bolts for a plate, it should become obvious then that there is an issue.

 

[marc515]

Wonder why they drilled such a large hole for the two wires?........Don

OK, I've been censored twice for bashing Heartland, so I'll try to be more diplomatic this time.

The only reason I can think as to why they drilled such a large hole for two wires is they use one drill bit for all the holes which saves time/money.

However, I think Heartland should review their production and quality control procedures, as large holes make it easier for water intrusion which will lead to subsequent water damage. Additionally, all holes should be caulked before these units leave the factory.

Thank you

 

[rod_s]

I checked our 2015 Bighorn today and found the formentioned hole under the license plate light completely open to water runoff. Additionally there was a sag in the underbelly. If you guessed water you were right. Caulked the hole shut and dropped the moisture barrier to dry out. I expect that all will be fine because (thanks to the op) we found this quickly and addressed it quickly. I am shaking my head on this on though. I advise everyone who has a rear cap to remove the two screws and look behind. It's not hard as there is no caulking to have to replace.

Rod

 

[twohappycampers]

We have the same problem, how lame can they get!

 

[jmgratz]

I checked mine today and yes there was a large hold there. I used the expansive spray foam to fill the hole, then duct taped it and put it back together. Thanks for the tip.

 

[JohnD]

Has anyone checked the other tail light to see if the problem exists over on the other side?

 

[redcrane]

Thanks for the post. I checked my 2014 TRSLE 25 and it appears to be OK.