Gateway Residential Fridge

[BigJohnD]

We have a new Gateway 3650 on order now. We came across one one the lot that had the Residential and were quite disappointed in how it was secured. They used a piece of angle iron on the top / back, screwed to the top of fridge and to the side wall. Problem is there is no backer or stud in the wall there and all screws had pulled out, thus allowing the fridge to tilt out in transit. Anybody have any experience with how the res fridges are secured? I've got ideas on how to make it better, but hoping Heartland will come up with a way better way to secure these things. That could be bad on a rough road. Any ideas or input is appreciated.


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[Speedy]

Before you take delivery and sign papers of ownership make sure the frig is secured properly and if not have the dealer/Heartland make it right or away. A through PDI (3 to 4 hours) will go a long way to making sure everything on your new Gateway is working right. Far too many people skip a through PDI and then have lots of trouble getting the dealer to repair things on a timely basis. Withholding payment goes a long way to motivating the dealership's service department to get things right prior to delivery.

 

[BigJohnD]

I hear you. This will be #7 RV so we've learned over the years. Some things I'll let the dealer touch, others I fix my way even if it costs me money. I sent a message to the Heartland general manager Bryan in hopes maybe they could look into this before we even get a VIN. I have a fix but want to see what they do. We're paying cash for this thing and only have a small deposit on it. Dealer is well aware of what I expect and that I'm more than likely gonna walk quick if it isn't gone through, tested and cleaned before i get there, so we'll see. I was fortunate enough to see that one on the lot and pointed it out to my salesman. He got on the phone with factory rep but not sure if the point got made. Not a huge deal, but something that aggravates me.


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[Turtlpwr]

Thanks for the heads up BigJohn! We will be picking up our GW 3650 mid December down in Palm Desert CA and I will definitely make a mental note to check the fridge mount. Hopefully they've improved it by then! Good luck with your rig and safe travels.

 

[jbeletti]

John,

I'm hopeful that what you saw in that Gateway was an isolated incident. I have this option in a Landmark and it's been rock solid in terms of the way it's mounted. Also forgot to lock the refer doors a couple of times with no ill effects.

Happy to hear you've already reached out to Bryan W to make him aware of what you saw. Bryan is a very hands-on GM and will go right to Engineering and Production with this miss to make sure it's addressed going forward.

Good on you to be planning to do your own thorough PDI after the dealer does theirs. You deserve a defect free coach from the outset and you are determined to get it. RVs will always require maintenance down the road on this and that but knowing you are solid from day one will be a good thing.

 

[bwwalczak]

Thank you for the posts.

Yes we are very aware of the Gateway single bracket issue. You are very lucky to have found it, because the thought we had remedied before all units left Indiana.

We had one person that did not follow protocol. The current/correct instalation method is similar to Landmark / Big Country / Bighorn residential method. Since Gateways are built on their own production line, the first few units were in question.

We are very aware, and made changes immediately. Thank you again for your posts.

 

[BigJohnD]

Thanks for the feedback on the fridge. Our 3650 did come in. We've done a pretty good PDI on it and found mostly minor things, and 1 major. The fridge did in fact feel a lot more secure, so I'm happy that has been addressed. The only issues I wasn't crazy about were
1) A few slide out adjustments (wipers weren't touching the side of the slide box)
2) We ordered heat strips and it came with heat pumps which we did not want at all due to previous experience. We were on the phone with Heartland going through the options and when the price was quoted for heat strips, I knew it sounded way too high as I've had several with heat strips (a $150 option at most). Quoted price was around $700 for one and a little less for the smaller one. But, we took it. That said though, we did get the nicer comfort control thermostats which I'm really happy with.
3) We requested that the pin box cover be left off, and it was sent with it installed. We planned on changing out the pin box to a TrailAir Tri-Glide which Heartland said they would not install, so the cover wouldn't work. The dealer did a nice job of covering screw holes from the cover and making it look nice. New pin box is installed.
4) And the 1 major, the back fiberglass wall had a bubble and cracks in it. Not sure how this happened but we refused to hand over any money until it was replaced. Heartland agreed to replace it.

Normally I would have walked away from this due to the bubble and cracks in back wall, but I have been assured by the dealer and Heartland it will be made perfect. Plus, I'm on week 10 now (8 weeks to receive, 2 at dealer getting fixed so far) and we're just ready to get it home. There is not another one optioned out like the one we ordered anywhere close. Pretty much every option you can get.

Definitely not knocking Heartland as they've been good to work with and are standing behind the product. The gateway is very hard to beat at that price point. Other than the few issues we found, there are no leaks and everything else appears to be in great shape.

We hope to make it to the factory in the near future for a tour, and as usual I got a few suggestions for the product itself. I hope to see Heartland continue to improve. It appears they're on the right track.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

John, thanks for the update. Too bad about that rear wall though. I'm sure it will be made right.