Hidden options?

[taken]

Because the dealer knows everything that can be done with an order, hidden options or not, extra steps that can be taken etc.

As to the rest of your comment, those questions can be answerd by the many post and threads throughout this forum.

Wrong again. As Jim said, even he can't tell you what can be done most of the time as it's ALWAYS a case by case basis. You expect every dealer to be able to handle this how? LOL. Not. Worse yet, a buyer is expected to know about forums, this one in particular, and to be able to know all this before contacting a dealer??? A completely unrealistic expectation.

 

[porthole]

Ok, you win. I surrender.

 

[PeternLiane]

Re: Why the hidden options?????

I can understand the frustration over dealers not knowing or wanting to know more about the options that are offered. I can also understand not know about what options are available or can be obtained. I thought what the dealer got was what they got with maybe one or two other options the dealer might put on.

We bought our first trailer used. We looked around at new trailers for years. We were only ever told about a couple of options that were ever purchased. We found this forum and some others. We then bought from the dealer out of dealer stock. I started really reading the forum. I found out a lot about trailers. I became more and more informed. I thought that a lot of the items were after market only but there not. I learned from this forum. I know what to ask if or when we ever buy a new trailer. I also now what to look for on the PDI. All I can say is once you find a really good forum like this one, ask questions and ask more questions. Now that I feel more informed this way, I wish that all of the dealers spoke more about the options that are available.

 

[CliffP]

Worse yet, a buyer is expected to know about forums, this one in particular, and to be able to know all this before contacting a dealer??? A completely unrealistic expectation.

Maybe not completely. We had never been to a forum before camper shopping. We did a lot of research and found this and other camper forums online just by doing searches. Sure glad we did! We asked questions on forums, at different RV dealers, and even at campgrounds so we knew exactly what we wanted before we ordered ours. Our dealer went through the options he knew of that were available and we also called Hearland's representitive for our area and asked him lots of questions. There are things we wanted done that Heartland didn't do. Some options we had Heartland add, some the dealer added, and others we'll be adding ourselves at some point.

I have bought other things without researching them and been disappointed because I later found out I could have gotten something better. Just chalk it up to experience I guess.

Cliff

 

[Wharton]

We put everything we want on our list and hand it to the dealer at the appropriate time. Some Heartland put on(much to the dealers surprise) and some the dealer put on for us. All and all, I believe we got everything we wanted.

The only regret we have was requesting the Shurflo 5.7 water pump, after our 3rd one died in 6 months we bought a FloJet and haven't had a problem since. ShurFlo was great about replacing the pump but we have had RVs for 30+ years and never had a pump die before.

 

[taken]

FWIW, I did do a ton of research both here and on other RV forums. This is our third trailer and our second new/special order trailer. But, as was said earlier in this thread, this post is over 2 years old and unless someone knew there was a possibility of "hidden options" there is no way in the world they would know it was possible no matter how much time they spent here or on any forum as it just isn't discussed very often if at all. As to why we didn't ask the dealer about options that were not listed on the Heartland order sheet, that was simple. If options like upgraded tires and an air pinbox were not available from the factory, I certainly wasn't going to pay a dealers inflated price and crazy labor fees to add something I could simply do myself. Having it done at the factory makes sense as in that case, it's an IPO (in place of) option and even though the factory makes money on it, it's still much cheaper than buying it twice. Having a dealer or myself add something after delivery means you are paying for what came with the trailer and paying for the upgrade. I'm not crazy about paying for 2 pinboxes or 8 tires. Anyways, back to Jim's point that there are so many variables that there is no way to possibly list them all. It seems to me that even though this is true, there is a simple solution. If your policy is to do these type of additions on a case by case basis, then have a STATED company policy that you do this very thing and make sure your dealers are aware of this. Then when a dealer is taking an order they have the flexibility to feel the customer out as to whether the trailer fully suits their needs and if anything is missing, they can call their rep and find out if it's doable and the cost. This policy seems to be an oddity in such a standardized industry that it's on Heartland to let dealers are customers to know about it...

 

[tcbrady]

I feel Jim has accurately described the situation regarding "special builds". We are all about open discussion and dialogue here at Heartland so feel free to contact us directly if there is something special you would like to request on your unit. From the very beginning we have always done our best to accommodate those special requests and that is one the key things that has separated Heartland from the competition. My direct # at the office is 574-266-3776 or you can contact Kary Katzenberger (General Manager of Landmark and Bighorn) at 574-266-3798 - we would be happy to answer any questions regarding your special build requests.

thanks! Coley

 

[readytohitheroad]

I would like a rig with all the options and half off the price? Who do I call?

 

[taken]

I agree with you Coley. If I was "in the know" before ordering, I would be happy as a clam that you are so accommodating as compared to other manufacturers. Finding out after the fact was just a bummer. It's all a mater of perspective... Still love our trailer and think Heartland is the best RV company out there...

 

[Porkchop]

Re: 'hidden' upgrades from the factory build?

I asked some dealers about some of these options and the prices varied 500 between the dealers. One wanted 1500 to upgrade the tires and one dealer pretty much said it wasn't worth it. Maybe not for me because I don't plan on driving to far, but who knows. I'm glad that there are some options but it would be nice to know about them to make an informed decision. This forum has some extremely valuable information. Thank you all.

 

[kb0zke]

Re: 'hidden' upgrades from the factory build?

"The only dumb questions are the ones you never ask."

I'm on several brand-specific forums as we research our full-time coach. We're not going to by new, but we're learning quite a bit about what is available on various RV's. If we were in a position to buy new, we'd definitely ask the dealer to check with the factory on some things. One of my pet peeves, for example, is putting a pair of 6000 pound axles on a trailer with a 16,000 pound gross weight. Yes, if 25% of the weight is on the pin, then the axles support 12,000, so each axle gets 6,000 pounds. In practice, it never seems to work out exactly like that, so I'd order the trailer with two 8,000-pound axles. That way I know the axles aren't overloaded. Those axles might not be on the options list, but I wouldn't be interested in buying a trailer without them, and I'd make that clear to the dealer. No axles = no sale.

The dealer is (or should be) your friend in the purchase of a new coach. If the dealer can't or won't put forth the effort to get your coach built the way you want it, then you should take your business elsewhere. Heartland builds good coaches, and they like to build them the way the customer wants them if possible. As Jim said, sometimes that isn't possible, but no one knows for sure until you ask. Ask your dealer to check with the factory about anything you want. If the factory says it can't be done, then you either look for a different brand or live without it - your choice.

My two cents worth.

 

[wdk450]

Re: 'hidden' upgrades from the factory build?

"The only dumb questions are the ones you never ask."

I'm on several brand-specific forums as we research our full-time coach. We're not going to by new, but we're learning quite a bit about what is available on various RV's. If we were in a position to buy new, we'd definitely ask the dealer to check with the factory on some things. One of my pet peeves, for example, is putting a pair of 6000 pound axles on a trailer with a 16,000 pound gross weight. Yes, if 25% of the weight is on the pin, then the axles support 12,000, so each axle gets 6,000 pounds. In practice, it never seems to work out exactly like that, so I'd order the trailer with two 8,000-pound axles. That way I know the axles aren't overloaded. Those axles might not be on the options list, but I wouldn't be interested in buying a trailer without them, and I'd make that clear to the dealer. No axles = no sale.

The dealer is (or should be) your friend in the purchase of a new coach. If the dealer can't or won't put forth the effort to get your coach built the way you want it, then you should take your business elsewhere. Heartland builds good coaches, and they like to build them the way the customer wants them if possible. As Jim said, sometimes that isn't possible, but no one knows for sure until you ask. Ask your dealer to check with the factory about anything you want. If the factory says it can't be done, then you either look for a different brand or live without it - your choice.

My two cents worth.

On my 2008 Bighorn 3670 RL with a GVW of 16,000 lbs, I have 2 - 7,000 lb axles.