Heartland Bighorn Quality

[Klewis719]

I have a 2016 Bighorn I purchased used about 4 months ago. I’m very disappointed in the quality. The fireplace doesn’t work. It will not turn on. There is power, but nothing happens when I push the power switch. There is no way to identify what brand it is and there is no troubleshooting in the manual. The air conditions are loud and will not cool in the summer. The roof doesn’t look good. The edges are soft and behind the rear ac unit the roof has a divit that holds water. The awning is jacked and won’t close completely at the door. The roof vent in the bath doesn’t close tight so I have water damage on the ceiling. The wood (contact covered particle board) is peeling. The microwave isn’t centered and rubs the wall when opened. Nothing is centered. The self leveling doesn’t work and one of the jacks leaks. I have had so many issues and it’s out of warranty. The extended warranty that is transferable can only be used if I haul it to Dallas to the dealer it was purchased from. Whole lot of money and very poor quality. Suggestions to resolve any of the issues welcome.

 

[donr827]

Did you do a thorough PDI on the trailer before buying. It is a good idea to have the dealer have it plugged into electric so all accessories can be tested. Hope you get the problems taken care of. Being old I can say: They don't build them as good as they use to. With my 2013 BH, I had only a few easily taken care of problems.
Don

 

[TravelTiger]

I have a 2016 Bighorn I purchased used about 4 months ago. I’m very disappointed in the quality. The fireplace doesn’t work. It will not turn on. There is power, but nothing happens when I push the power switch. There is no way to identify what brand it is and there is no troubleshooting in the manual. The air conditions are loud and will not cool in the summer. The roof doesn’t look good. The edges are soft and behind the rear ac unit the roof has a divit that holds water. The awning is jacked and won’t close completely at the door. The roof vent in the bath doesn’t close tight so I have water damage on the ceiling. The wood (contact covered particle board) is peeling. The microwave isn’t centered and rubs the wall when opened. Nothing is centered. The self leveling doesn’t work and one of the jacks leaks. I have had so many issues and it’s out of warranty. The extended warranty that is transferable can only be used if I haul it to Dallas to the dealer it was purchased from. Whole lot of money and very poor quality. Suggestions to resolve any of the issues welcome.

Wow, sounds like the original owner did not take careful care of it. If all these items were working before your took delivery and now are issues, I would haul it back to The dealer for their warranty. If you didn't check the unit to make sure all systems worked properly prior to purchase, then sadly, it's just like buying anything used, buyer beware.

Seems like most of the component issues can be fixed or replaced. (leveling unit, leaking jack, fireplace, vent fan caulking, awning)

Could it be the microwave door is sagging? I found ours does a little. Not sure how to fix, I just am careful opening and closing.

Paper covered particle board peeling maybe due to moisture, is it lots of areas or just one spot? If it's lots of areas, maybe the unit was exposed to excessive water, like a broken pipe or overflow of a tank situation.

The roof of our 2016 doesn't look great either, but I don't think it's defective. Just not cleaned regularly. Not sure what you mean by edges are soft. The roof will give some as you walk around on it, and the curved edges are made with a thin metal underneath the roof membrane, not suitable for weight on them. Caulking is an owner maintenance item and should be checked every 6months. Cracking caulking should be resealed, or water intrusion is possible.

The ACs being loud -- do you have a central dump vent on the unit directly under the AC? If that is open, yes they will be loud, and may struggle to cool if all the air is coming out the dump vent, rather than the ductwork. Some floor plans have more effective hvac designs than others, and if you research AC cooling on this forum, you might find some fixes for that.

I am not sure if this is your first RV or not, but I'm worried you were expecting perfection from a 2-3 year old unit. (2016 units can be built early 2015 -- check your sticker on the off-door side front for build date.)

Most of the issues seem to be lack of maintenance by the previous owner or component failures, which can happen in any rig.

I hope you can get your unit fixed to begin enjoying it! We have had our share of various issues over the last 2.5 years owning our 2016 Big Country, and we still love it!





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[Klewis719]

Wow, sounds like the original owner did not take careful care of it. If all these items were working before your took delivery and now are issues, I would haul it back to The dealer for their warranty. If you didn't check the unit to make sure all systems worked properly prior to purchase, then sadly, it's just like buying anything used, buyer beware.

Seems like most of the component issues can be fixed or replaced. (leveling unit, leaking jack, fireplace, vent fan caulking, awning)

Could it be the microwave door is sagging? I found ours does a little. Not sure how to fix, I just am careful opening and closing.

Paper covered particle board peeling maybe due to moisture, is it lots of areas or just one spot? If it's lots of areas, maybe the unit was exposed to excessive water, like a broken pipe or overflow of a tank situation.

The roof of our 2016 doesn't look great either, but I don't think it's defective. Just not cleaned regularly. Not sure what you mean by edges are soft. The roof will give some as you walk around on it, and the curved edges are made with a thin metal underneath the roof membrane, not suitable for weight on them. Caulking is an owner maintenance item and should be checked every 6months. Cracking caulking should be resealed, or water intrusion is possible.

The ACs being loud -- do you have a central dump vent on the unit directly under the AC? If that is open, yes they will be loud, and may struggle to cool if all the air is coming out the dump vent, rather than the ductwork. Some floor plans have more effective hvac designs than others, and if you research AC cooling on this forum, you might find some fixes for that.

I am not sure if this is your first RV or not, but I'm worried you were expecting perfection from a 2-3 year old unit. (2016 units can be built early 2015 -- check your sticker on the off-door side front for build date.)

Most of the issues seem to be lack of maintenance by the previous owner or component failures, which can happen in any rig.

I hope you can get your unit fixed to begin enjoying it! We have had our share of various issues over the last 2.5 years owning our 2016 Big Country, and we still love it!





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Thank you for your response.

I’ve lived full time in an Rv for almost 3 years now. Previous unit was a 2003, so believe me, I’m used to maintenance! Totally understand the constant caulking!

I don’t think the issue is lack maintenance from the previous owners as I know them and they are big on maintenance. Much of my frustration is really quality. Comparing this unit being relatively new, especially in comparison to my previous 2003 Sprinter, I really thought I might have a year or so before I had to worry about components going out. This unit has only been moved twice since the original purchase in January 2017, so it hasn’t been shaken up much. I’m just disappointed in the workmanship for the money. Felt the need to bent!

All that said, the space and comfort is certainly nice and I do love my home! Just wish things worked.

 

[TravelTiger]

I understand your frustration and need to vent. I tend to chime in and try to offer reasons and solutions for issues folks are having. Lots of times is having realistic expectations. The rv industry is booming and quality cross the board is suffering. They want to maximize profits by buying cheaper made components. The customer gets all the bells and whistles but suffers in the end with reliability.

I hope you can find fixes for your rig and it will suit you well for the future. Welcome to the Heartland family, here's a great group of folks that will bend over backwards to try and help.


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[Klewis719]

I understand your frustration and need to vent. I tend to chime in and try to offer reasons and solutions for issues folks are having. Lots of times is having realistic expectations. The rv industry is booming and quality cross the board is suffering. They want to maximize profits by buying cheaper made components. The customer gets all the bells and whistles but suffers in the end with reliability.

I hope you can find fixes for your rig and it will suit you well for the future. Welcome to the Heartland family, here's a great group of folks that will bend over backwards to try and help.


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I’m sure this is going to be a great place to get help with various questions along the way. My home is beautiful and I hope to have many happy years in it!

Thank you for chiming in! It’s nice to have support from others who have the same rig. I know many things are simple with advice and YouTube!

thanks again!

 

[dave10a]

Remember RV are essentially hand built and therefore no two are the same. The most important thing is the basic engineering and choice of materials, appliances, electronics and other add-ons. Qualty is important in areas that are not easily repaired. I have discovered all of the short falls the hard way on my unit. That is making me a more intelligent buyer in the future.

 

[i4110peter]

I don't know if I can get my thoughts out accurately but here goes. My wife and I have had a Keystone Montana for 16 years and very much enjoyed it. Yes there were minor issues but mostly due to lack of proper maintenance on my part. We just purchased a 2018 BH3160 that was sold from an "authorized " Heartland dealer as "new". Now I will preface this bit of whine with a response read on this forum. Yes I know, I bought it this way! So I am to blame for not recognizing the issues before plunking down our hard earned money. We were on a time schedule that constricted our inspection walk though. That being said, I am sorely disappointed in the quality that I see in this "new" unit. I am equally disappointed in the dealership in Utah for having had this unit since February, having noted some of the issues at that time, and not facilitating repair before offering this unit to the public. My immediate thought is that this unit was used for a "show" item thought the year. I now have this unit at a "authorized" repair facility hear in Oregon and am being told that it may be late December before it is repaired. Many of the cosmetic issues will not be repaired but I will deal with them over time. I am very happy to belong to this forum and will be using your information to satisfy my needs. We are looking forward to spending a lot of quality time in our "new" BH3160" Thanks for your patience with this discussion. God bless.

 

[danemayer]

I don't know if I can get my thoughts out accurately but here goes. My wife and I have had a Keystone Montana for 16 years and very much enjoyed it. Yes there were minor issues but mostly due to lack of proper maintenance on my part. We just purchased a 2018 BH3160 that was sold from an "authorized " Heartland dealer as "new". Now I will preface this bit of whine with a response read on this forum. Yes I know, I bought it this way! So I am to blame for not recognizing the issues before plunking down our hard earned money. We were on a time schedule that constricted our inspection walk though. That being said, I am sorely disappointed in the quality that I see in this "new" unit. I am equally disappointed in the dealership in Utah for having had this unit since February, having noted some of the issues at that time, and not facilitating repair before offering this unit to the public. My immediate thought is that this unit was used for a "show" item thought the year. I now have this unit at a "authorized" repair facility hear in Oregon and am being told that it may be late December before it is repaired. Many of the cosmetic issues will not be repaired but I will deal with them over time. I am very happy to belong to this forum and will be using your information to satisfy my needs. We are looking forward to spending a lot of quality time in our "new" BH3160" Thanks for your patience with this discussion. God bless.

By your use of "new", are you thinking you may not be the first owner of this trailer?

 

[Shortest Straw]

In February, in Tampa, my wife and I traded our 2012 Bighorn in for a 2018 Bighorn 3970 RD. We loved it at 1st sight. My wife and I are retired and are full timers. Our home is where we park it. We also have 3 pugs. We greatly like the upgrades and style in this new Bighorn. The other side of the coin is, we have some quality issues worth mentioning here which are disheartening. Im taken aback that a Heartland "QA" inspector actually put his/her assigned ID number on a decal in the window. Under the sink, the bathroom, water heater tank and water closet where the water enters the RV, all the water fasteners were not hand tight. The water heater tank was leaking down on to the power converter. It seems as if 1 person was assigned to attach fasteners and someone else comes behind and tighten. It didn't happen. Saw dust in the floor vents, black dirt on the inside of the fire place glass. Two USB plug-ins on one side of the bed have never worked. One of the LED lights in the bathroom have never worked. My guess is that neither are wired in. The 2 recliners were secured to the deck with 8 one inch and a quarter wood screws at each corner of the recliners. The 2 recliners broke loose and the wood screws damaged the linoleum floor covering. Poor engineering. Left spine on one of the recliners has broken. The seat heaters on both recliners have stopped working. The 55" Insignia flat screen TV on the main deck has stopped working. The smaller Insignia brand TV in the bedroom has a "Best Buy" refurbished decal on the rear, so I'm guessing the 55" is refurbished also. The counter tops throughout have spots where whoever missed polishing. No up-to-date owners manual for this RV. The manual is generic on a CD. It doesn't cover the features on this model of RV. The A/C in the bedroom doesn't have a heat strip in it. Or does it? If so, it doesn't work. My 2012 model had a heat strip in it. We have been to Camping World for repairs. Three days of hotel with the dogs and all Camping World could do was repair water leaks and clean the fire place window. No major work could be done without approval from Heartland. Heartland doesn't respond. High dollar RV, Heartland produces so many in a week, they slack on QA, care more about the profit than their customers. Buyers beware. I'm done with heartland.

When you say Heartland does not respond is that what wish I wasn't at camping world told you or have you called Heartland yourself to get the repairs authorized?

 

[i4110peter]

My use of "new" in my statement does not mean that I think it was a previously owned unit. I have the original paperwork from February when this unit was delivered to the dealer in Utah. The PDI was never filled out. A receiving document records that the unit was dropped off at night and also documented the obvious damage. My reference to "new" is meant to invite the question of what happened to this unit between February and September when I purchased it. Was it used for a display model at RV shows, etc. It's obvious to me that there has been a lot of traffic through this unit. Just wondering!

 

[SNOKING]

Did you buy this unit site unseen?

 

[i4110peter]

Did you buy this unit site unseen?

Kind of sorta did! We had the pictures from the internet add, pretty standard, as listed on The RTV web site, as well as looking at it on the dealers web site. Being in Cottage grove OR and the unit was in Utah, we did agree to purchase it and put $500 down. The add stated that it was "new". We got a good price on it and now I know why. And yes we will keep it as it was what we were looking for for quite a while. Lessons learned!