Did I get a lemon?

[rhuntpalmer]

My wife and I bought a 2013 37 Ultimate and have been staying in it just over two weeks. So far here's what's gone wrong:

Faulty GFI knocked out seven outlets
Bad cable cord
faulty landing gear motor
two blown remote fuses
ac condensation inside rv with
sewer smell coming from ac without any discernable remedy (specialty vents have been useless)
Dometic ac vent broke under normally applied pressure (broke when taking off for cleaning)
Remote light toggle as ever worked

So - is this thing a lemon or what? Only two weeks of normal use and all of these problems?

 

[danemayer]

Hi rhuntpalmer,

It's really not unusual to have to go through some shakedown problems during the 1st year of ownership.

When dealers receive a new unit from the factory, they're supposed to do a thorough check to make sure everything is working correctly. The idea is to find and fix problems before you take delivery. Nevertheless, on a complex product, there will be defects coming out of the factory, and some problems will get by even the best dealer. Some problems don't show up until the rig has been used a bit.

Nobody likes taking our RVs back to the dealer for warranty service, but I'm sure your dealer can resolve all the problems you listed.

This forum is also a great source of information and someone here has probably gone through whatever problem you're having. We all get help here, and also give help whenever possible.

I'm sure you can look for to many years of enjoying your new coach.

 

[jmgratz]

Although the things you listed as faulty are important and aggravating to you they are minor compared to some of us. The sewer smell is a normal part of RVing and all of us have experienced that from time to time as condensation from the AC. The condensation can be a problem of running the AC on low fan in high humidity which cause freezing on the coils due to insufficient air movement. Run the AC on high fan and the condensation will probably go away. Notify your dealer of the other issues and I am sure they will be taken care of. BTW welcome to the Heartland family.

 

[boatto5er]

Dan is absolutely spot on here. Most of us have had some and/or all of these fairly minor issues at one time or another. Here's few suggestions:

Faulty GFI knocked out seven outlets - Was this continuous or just once? Once means it did it job due to detecting moisture, etc. If continuous, there could be a loose wire connections behind the GFCI outlet or even on one of the outlets down the line from it. Turn the breaker off for that circuit, then check for that.
Bad cable cord- unfortunately, a common problem, check the crimps on the visible ends of the cables.
faulty landing gear motor - was it blowing fuses or not working at all? If you have electric landing gear, the fuse will blow if they are extended all the way or sometimes when pulled all the way up and the switch is held too long. If so, use a magic marker to mark a line 1" from the max extension and max in and don't go past those points.
two blown remote fuses - not sure about this one, seems related the last item on the list also. Have dealer check remote.
ac condensation inside rv with
sewer smell coming from ac without any discernable remedy (specialty vents have been useless) - On very hot, or very humid days, run the AC fan on high. This will help lower condensation and will keep the AC unit from forming ice on the coils. The smell could be a number of things. Keep the vent in the bathroom closed unless the fan is going and refresh the deodorizer in both the black and gray water tanks. My gray water tanks are often more "ripe" than the black and on a non-windy/still air day can produce an offensive odor.
Dometic ac vent broke under normally applied pressure (broke when taking off for cleaning) - you should be able to get a replacement from dometic. Their number is on the portal page of the forum.
Remote light toggle as ever worked - See comment above.

Like I said, these are hopfully easy fixes and hopefully won't keep you from enjoying your rig. We all get to work on these types of issues.

 

[dave10a]

My wife and I bought a 2013 37 Ultimate and have been staying in it just over two weeks. So far here's what's gone wrong:


So - is this thing a lemon or what? Only two weeks of normal use and all of these problems?

Generally speaking a lemon is what you are willing to deal with. RV's in general are "buggy" from the start and one must be "handy" or willing to deal with them. I've owned 3 so far and all of them had their problems, strengths and weaknesses. I have learned to deal with the problems and make appropriate modifications (re-engineering) where appropriate. The interesting part is my truck which is more sophisticated in many ways has had zero problems. When I had motor homes the engines and running gear were basically trouble free when compared to the rest of the coach.
Generally it takes me over a year to get all the bugs worked out. So my advise is to deal with it and enjoy what you can.... Alway make sure you have a manufacturer that is willing to help without hassle---and it would be icing on the cake if the dealer was also helpful.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Sorry your having a few issues. Work with your dealer and HL and they will be resolved. Forgive me....but what model/coach is a 37 Ultimate?

 

[clubmgr]

..but what model/coach is a 37 Ultimate?

Possibly an ElkRidge.

 

[boatto5er]

It is an Elk Ridge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jbeletti]

It's an Elkridge 37 Ultimate (link).

 

[TravelTiger]

We love our Elk Ridge! I'm sure once you work through these things, hopefully you will love yours too.

RV ownership has its challenges... keep in mind it is a house on wheels, built in just a few days.

E

 

[Bob&Patty]

There is one other thing you must understand. Any RV is a "rolling earthquake" and things will and do work loose.

 

[jorochon]

Proud new owner of a 2013 34TSRE...just love my unit...but like others have posted there are the initial problems you have to deal with with any new unit. Our water pumped failed the first weekend out with it and when we did the PDI they had forgot to put in a closet rod in the bedroom closet (dealer put one in) and last weekend just noticed that when they installed the cushion floor in the kitchen they must of laid it over a piece of "gunk" and I have a bulge in my floor...not too happy about that but will talk to my sales rep and see what he can do. Also a bit disapointed that I don't have sub woofer and we can't seem to get the sound from the TV go through the speakers. I had a low end fifth wheel before with a better sound system....but the bigger oven, bigger fridge, fireplace, kitchen island and enclosed bathroom make up for all the little bumps...Still love my Elkridge...

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

jorochon, Welcome to the Heartland Forum & Family. I'm not too keen on the sound systems used in recent trailers of several manufacturers. Our son just bought an entry level Gulfstream TT. His sound system leaves a lot to be desired also. And no sub either. I was fortunate to get our rig before they stopped using residential type surround systems.
Talk to the dealer about the bulge in the floor. I would insist they repair it. All that said, I'm sure you'll enjoy your new rig once the bugs are removed.
Travel Safe!

 

[Kev]

new unit new bugs

I spent a couple days going over little things that I wasn't real happy with but it's normal. The biggest thing was the edge on top of my dinette seats trim cap fell off . Found it was put on with 5 little nails so I just took it apart and put screws in it . If any one else the se problem let me know and I'll go into detail on how to fix it