First 24 hrs of ownership, NIGHTMARE! Getting run around between heartland warranty and dealer
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TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
I've been wondering why the tanks were leaking if it had been properly winterized....wouldn't someone have seen pink leaking out long before the blue chemicals the owner used?
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During my last year of being the proud owner of a Heartland Gateway, being a member of the owners group and forum, i have seen nothing close to what has happened to Nicole here and do feel sorry for her problems, however it sounds like Heartland is trying to get things taken care of.
When i winterize our unit there is very little antifreeze in the tanks, mainly in the water lines and pump so seeing pink leaking from the tanks wouldn't necessarily happen at least with the way i use antifreeze anyway.
Also as others have stated, trying to live in the unit in ND winters without any trial use might be considered a little risky......we had to use our Gateway for a family emergency during an extremely cold winter, it was foolish of me to think we would have no trouble, we had some issues but with the help of Dan, he saved my bacon, had our problems handled with his suggestions on what to do for extreme cold temps and now, as others have also stated could.and have used our FW in below freezing temps "at our own risk", i know freeze damage is not covered under any warranty i am aware of, Dan has mentioned, trying to live in the unit while there are still leaks, broken toilet, and flooding, "you are asking for more trouble", that is my opinion as well.
I realize the cost of living in ND right now is outrageous, but wages are pretty darn good as well, so if it were me, i would.bite the bullet, get the rv into a dealership for repairs and get past the resentment. Once it is repaired, you can move back in knowing everything is correct and working properly, set it up right for extreme weather and be fine from there on out. Some of the companies out there do cover hotel costs, Good Sam comes to mind, as well as my insurance companies policy for roadside assistance/emergency repairs, i am sure there are more than just one, something worth looking into, saying that, i don't think any would pay the cost you are talking about for a motel, but i know from others who are working or have worked in ND recently, there are places a lot cheaper, rooms for rent, room mates needed, ect......
I have rambled enough, hopefully you will allow Heartland to do their job, it sounds like they are trying.
When i winterize our unit there is very little antifreeze in the tanks, mainly in the water lines and pump so seeing pink leaking from the tanks wouldn't necessarily happen at least with the way i use antifreeze anyway.
Also as others have stated, trying to live in the unit in ND winters without any trial use might be considered a little risky......we had to use our Gateway for a family emergency during an extremely cold winter, it was foolish of me to think we would have no trouble, we had some issues but with the help of Dan, he saved my bacon, had our problems handled with his suggestions on what to do for extreme cold temps and now, as others have also stated could.and have used our FW in below freezing temps "at our own risk", i know freeze damage is not covered under any warranty i am aware of, Dan has mentioned, trying to live in the unit while there are still leaks, broken toilet, and flooding, "you are asking for more trouble", that is my opinion as well.
I realize the cost of living in ND right now is outrageous, but wages are pretty darn good as well, so if it were me, i would.bite the bullet, get the rv into a dealership for repairs and get past the resentment. Once it is repaired, you can move back in knowing everything is correct and working properly, set it up right for extreme weather and be fine from there on out. Some of the companies out there do cover hotel costs, Good Sam comes to mind, as well as my insurance companies policy for roadside assistance/emergency repairs, i am sure there are more than just one, something worth looking into, saying that, i don't think any would pay the cost you are talking about for a motel, but i know from others who are working or have worked in ND recently, there are places a lot cheaper, rooms for rent, room mates needed, ect......
I have rambled enough, hopefully you will allow Heartland to do their job, it sounds like they are trying.
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JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
We just picked up our 2015 22RBK a couple weeks ago. We are chomping at the bit to take it out! I'm retired, but wifey, with the holidays, can't get the time off yet.
You can always try it out in your side yard . . .
That is what we did before we took ours out on the road.
dieseldogsdad
Active Member
I am sorry for your troubles, but as some others have said you should probably take some responsibility for your 5er's condition. The first problem you had was not having a PDI. I didn't even know you could get a Heartland unit delivered directly too you without it going to the dealer first. Every TT or 5th wheel that I have ever seen or purchased is always winterized when new and even if it wasn't you should have heard the faucets running when you turned the water on. As was also stated you are living in a very harsh environment in a unit not even designed for full timing. If I buy a new car, drive it off the lot and the tire goes flat and I keep driving on the rim till the tire shreds and tears up the fender, can I expect the dealer or manufacturer to repair my car because the TPMS did not work? NO! I think that you will find that Heartland will probably only repair what ever manufacturer issues the trailer originally had and not the damage from your continued use. This would be acceptable by most reasonable individuals. It does suck that your new 5th wheel is damaged and I would be very upset too, but some of this is just ignorance on your part.
First off, lack of PDI, I was told I'd have to pay extra for PDI, because dealer would have to send someone qualified!! It was delivered fron a dealership. 2nd off, once agreed HL would LET us have mobile tech do repairs, we called had them come out and look at everything. They said theyd finish estimate, send to HL for approval, then order parts. Once parts came in they'd call us back to put on the schedule!! So we've been at the hands of the mobile tech. However the mobile tech hasn't returned any calls, voicemails, nor emails. Safe to say, well have to call HL back and call another tech! 3rd, we don't "fulltime" we have a sticks and bricks at home in Louisiana! We only stay in the RV when working out of state! 4th, this is NOT our 1st RV, it's our 3rd! We're not ignorant!!! I dont appreciate being called that!! The time it takes mobile tech, is out of my control! We did hear the faucets running inside and turned those off. We did NOT hear the outdoor kitchen faucet, nor had we even unlocked and opened it at that point. We got all that dried up. What blows my mind about that is the dealers response "relax, it's all marine grade!" No its not. This has NOTHING to do with any of the leaks and other issues were having!!
It also blows my mind, the things that are/were STANDARD that were NOT on our unit, especially the tank heat pads!!
It also blows my mind, the things that are/were STANDARD that were NOT on our unit, especially the tank heat pads!!
The wages are pretty darn good, would depend on your job title/position. While I'm sure there is other "cheaper" places for rent and or finding room mates, actually the closest to us is the Minot Hyatt House, weekly rate of $968, PER WEEK!!!! that's a one bedroom. Did I mention we have kids and one being special needs?!?! NOT AN OPTION for roommate, nor is it an option to pay $1,000 per week, when having a mortgage at home and nice little rv note now. Housing is also limited up here with the amount of workers within 5 hour span, miles and miles of work. Thousands trying to find housing in little bitty towns, not enough. It's NOT that were not allowing HL to do their job, we're at the mercy of techs, and the unwillingness to help with housing situation to put it in the shop! We were staying in our old camper that was sold before this one was delivered amd moved the day we got this unit.
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Key word, "proper". They're SUPPOSED to inspect almost this at the dealership. Having said that there's several defects on my list that SHOULD have been caught at the factory, quality control?
Yes we have a switch that also lights up when turned on, it does not say yetti package. The website (HL and dealership) shows under the standards, as part of the "enter the gateam package "fully enclosed & heated underbelly also 12 volt heat pads on all tanks"
The rear tank which is visible let and NOT enclosed, has NO heat pad. Missed quality control and dealerships inspection......some how.
Yes we have a switch that also lights up when turned on, it does not say yetti package. The website (HL and dealership) shows under the standards, as part of the "enter the gateam package "fully enclosed & heated underbelly also 12 volt heat pads on all tanks"
The rear tank which is visible let and NOT enclosed, has NO heat pad. Missed quality control and dealerships inspection......some how.
kakampers
Past Heartland Ambassador
Relying on the dealership to perform a proper PDI is something most of us would never even consider....we always make sure we are present and make certain, water is connected, all systems checked, tanks filled and dumped. If for some reason we had to have a unit delivered to us...all these things would be done in our presence before signing off and releasing the driver....if you want it done right, do it yourself. Had this been done...the missing enclosed belly and tank would have been caught and you could have refused the unit...JMHO.
dieseldogsdad
Active Member
Not really calling you ignorant, just saying you have made some ignorant choices. First off you purchased from a dealer that doesn't do a free inspection, which most will. So right there you thought you saved yourself some cash but really just weren't comparing apples to apples when it came to the other dealers prices. If they don't do the PDI free I can only imagine what other hidden fees they have probably gotten you with or what else they have left out. Some of the issues would have been caught during the inspection. Don't know if they would have caught the tank heaters if the light worked when you turn on the switch. That said if the tank froze and caused damage because they didn't put the heating pads on the tank, they should repair that in my eyes. Not sure what the industry standard definition for full timing is. I personally think if you are staying in a rv for extended period of time (more than 3 or 4 weeks at a time) you are full timing. Just because you have an actual house does not mean you are not living in an rv. I am sure when your husband leaves work every night he doesn't say I am going camping, see you in the morning. No he says I am going home. I recently ordered a Bighorn which for now I plan to take on about 3 trips a year for maybe two weeks at a time and the occasional weekend trip. Although the bighorn is rated for full timing I believe if I were to stay for extended periods for work I would step up to a Landmark. Not saying everyone living on the road needs to go out and drop 80-100 thousand dollars on a rv, but don't expect the same residential quality and livability out of your Gateway. BTW the dealer I ordered the BH from includes PDI and has no hidden fees. They also want us to stay in the rv on sight for the weekend when the unit arrives. This is in case there are any issues missed in the inspection they can fix them before we leave with the coach. They are about 5 hours from my home, the closest dealer is about an hour and a half away and they were $4,000 higher. That is a big savings for a half day of driving. I will not however sign for my unit before I inspect it my self. Looking back I have made foolish or ignorant decisions in my life too. They always come back to bite you in the @$$. I have accepted responsability for them. Live and learn.
I know this may not be what you want to hear but if the dealer made mistakes in the prepping of the RV that is going to be between you and the dealer as Heartland sells the RV to the dealer and besides warranty issues ( which you may have some) its up to the dealer to remedy mistakes they make, you will get no support on that issue with the manufacturer. Case in point, my Landmark was purchased new from a local camping world, when it was delivered to them it had been driven down from Indiana in the winter so the underside was covered in salt, camping world did not seem to think it important to wash it, I never looked under it until I got it home, the frame , running gear and many trim screws are totally rusted and will shorten the life of the RV, as far as Heartland is concerned that issue is between me and camping world as once the unit is accepted by the dealer the responsibility of ownership changes hands. I think you are going to be in the same boat, good luck
This is a bad situation all around from the sound of things and again i feel for you and all the problems you are experiencing. Why not take the kids and go back home while your husband continues to work in ND, i'm sure he could find a place to stay for a bit, find the closest dealership and get the Gateway in for repairs, once its finished and everything is working properly, you could head back to ND and know things are right, no more worries and stress free.....Just a thought.
I have never had any mobile repairs done on a vehicle or rv so can't say anything good or bad about that type.of service, however i would think especially in extreme weather there, you would get better service done indoors at a qualified dealership with direct contact to Heartland, once its finished you could go to the dealer, make sure everything is done to your satisfaction before taking it back to your site. Again just a thought
I have never had any mobile repairs done on a vehicle or rv so can't say anything good or bad about that type.of service, however i would think especially in extreme weather there, you would get better service done indoors at a qualified dealership with direct contact to Heartland, once its finished you could go to the dealer, make sure everything is done to your satisfaction before taking it back to your site. Again just a thought
Nicole J, i have left a few comments on this thread and hope you didn't take them wrong, as i do feel bad you are having so many problems with your new Gateway. It should have been a happy enjoyable occasion when delivered and unfortunatly has not been for you and your family.
It sounds like you did some research before buying the new RV, can you tell everyone why you chose the Gateway?? Just curious, i know before we bought ours last November, 2013, we looked at a lot of different makes, models, floor plans and when we got to the short list 2 of the 3 were Heartland makes. We couldn't find much information on the Gateway because it was new to Heartlands lineup of higher end fifth wheels, but after researching the company and seeing mostly excellent reviews on the company as a whole bought the Gateway with faith in the company and have been very happy with our choice.
If you did the same research as we did i am sure you know.the trouble you are having is not the normal outcome buyers have, from the sound of things and the way you bought your Gateway the dealership may have taken advantage of you knowingly selling a unit they may have known had problems but thought they would never see again, i may be completely off base with that assumption since i have never dealt with the dealer you bought from or their reputation.
I only know from being a Gateway owner and from the forum here, your trouble is not normal for any Heartland product i have ever heard about, saying that i hope this experience will not sour you with owning another Heartland RV, having owned several other makes, i am speaking from experience that ours and most other Gateways out there have been virtually trouble free compared to the other manufactures trailers we have owned.
Once yours is repaired to your satisfaction i think you will be very happy with your choice. I'm sure you don't feel that way at the moment, but let Heartland do its job and in the long run all this will have been worth the wait. Just trying to be more positive here, good luck and safe travels.
It sounds like you did some research before buying the new RV, can you tell everyone why you chose the Gateway?? Just curious, i know before we bought ours last November, 2013, we looked at a lot of different makes, models, floor plans and when we got to the short list 2 of the 3 were Heartland makes. We couldn't find much information on the Gateway because it was new to Heartlands lineup of higher end fifth wheels, but after researching the company and seeing mostly excellent reviews on the company as a whole bought the Gateway with faith in the company and have been very happy with our choice.
If you did the same research as we did i am sure you know.the trouble you are having is not the normal outcome buyers have, from the sound of things and the way you bought your Gateway the dealership may have taken advantage of you knowingly selling a unit they may have known had problems but thought they would never see again, i may be completely off base with that assumption since i have never dealt with the dealer you bought from or their reputation.
I only know from being a Gateway owner and from the forum here, your trouble is not normal for any Heartland product i have ever heard about, saying that i hope this experience will not sour you with owning another Heartland RV, having owned several other makes, i am speaking from experience that ours and most other Gateways out there have been virtually trouble free compared to the other manufactures trailers we have owned.
Once yours is repaired to your satisfaction i think you will be very happy with your choice. I'm sure you don't feel that way at the moment, but let Heartland do its job and in the long run all this will have been worth the wait. Just trying to be more positive here, good luck and safe travels.
dieseldogsdad
Active Member
Yes you are right. Sorry. My advice is give Heartland a chance to review your claims.
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I do hope everything works out for you.
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