Is it just me or do most new owners have a "delivery check list"?

[ParkIt]

Never sure where to post stuff like this, moderators will move it if need be

Doesn't matter what I've owned in the past; brand new custom or someone else modified but I won't use *anything* that is on wheels without first diving into the entire unit, top to bottom front to back including vehicles. I have to be sure all plumbing, electrical, frames, landing gear, steps, slides, heaters, tires, stability, lights etc are up to par or I'm not going to sleep very well. Even though HL and a few other manufactures do a pretty decent job of building rolling units, I just can't hop in and go until everything has been checked, tested and tested again (with some replacements) before leaving and is lived in. If I was spending 300K plus on a unit then I probably wouldn't do it as anything above that price range is going to be the least trouble free and quick response to any issues but lets face it - we aren't spending that kind of money up front.

One thing is I like to do my research first then know what may need more attention than something else, the forums here of modifications have been done are a huge help but it kinda makes me wonder about those that do have problems and find out it was something factory or not long after that leaves a sour taste and usually big mess. Sometimes there are modification posts that have been up for awhile or other posts that have addressed a particular problem and its when I wonder...didn't you spend a little time researching or making your own 'walk through' list first?
Its not a slam against anyone who has had a problem but it just makes me think there seem to be a handful of folks that 'dig in' at all times to keep things as trouble free as possible or we just worry about fixing something after its gone kaput which we don't want to do.

Our Uncle Bucky moved up to a HL BC 5er as soon as they hit the market and has upgraded once since. He's never had a lick of problems but then again, he'd get the new unit home to his custom built garage for it, go over it top to bottom and spend a couple of months working on it before he and his Dear wife who passed not too long ago would take off to anywhere they felt like going. He was a heart surgeon so I think it was just in his nature to do this - that and he never wanted his DW to have to fuss with anything when they were on the road. My neighbors are the opposite, they go through TT's, campers and 5ers so often I can't keep up and its usually due to something common that went sideways. After seeing our BC 5er, they decided to buy one as well but didn't know to make sure the electric water heater means you need a full holding tank and of course, it burnt out the element first week they had it so I told them about these and other forums. They have both dug in and decided to bring the 5er back to their custom built garage instead of a friends place to check it all over and do a few things before they hit the road again. I think they will be much happier and keep it longer than if they hadn't checked for common stuff and throw a few upgrades on they want now instead of having to futz with things later, regular maintenance aside.

So I guess I wonder if some people are just more inclined to jump in or go by what a dealer may tell them or just aren't inclined to take on the task of doing the full once over.
What are your thoughts and why have you done things or haven't done anything since you took delivery of any year or model HL?

Happy Trails to everyone

 

[gwalter]

I am with you. After we got our PDI from the dealer I headed home and began to go thru every inch of it to see how things worked. We had another 5ver for 10 years prior so not a novice. The new one has so much more to offer that I checked it all out. I do all my own work if possible and am lucky that my dealer is only 6 mi. away if I run into problems. I have been very happy with HL and only minor problems have come up. It was broken into this winter and the door was destroyed. Heartland sent a new one and it was back and working in no time. This forum does seem to get a lot of people that want to "share" their concerns and it always seems to be HL problem. I have always tried to follow the old axiom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care.

 

[TravelTiger]

I'll tell you from experience, as a newbie, you assume your new RV is perfect and you're very disappointed when it's not. No one tells you "RVs are a lot of work". No dealer says, "See ya back after your first trip!" When they send you out the door. A lot of folks are unsuspecting, as we were, and had no idea to check as thoroughly as you all have mentioned above. They assume they are buying something that is built to perform the job it was intended, out the door, perfectly, the first time, and every time. After owning one, you realize you have taken on a new hobby: "RV troubleshooting, Minor Repair and Upgrading." Some folks embrace this hobby, while others are frustrated by it. I think the internet helps open your eyes that you are not alone, and you may get a tiny inkling of what you're in for... but really, it's trial by fire. You either love the RV lifestyle (with it's ups and downs), or not so much.


Erika

PS- upon re-reading, I guess we were really nieve, but I am certainly glad to have the forum and was so much wiser on our 5ver purchase because of it. Our next RV we will bring the fine-toothed comb.

 

[Chainsaw]

Well.....I could not spend the money we did and not know what we got. fortunatelyI had the forum to follow for 10 months before we took delivery. I saw all the problems that everyone else had and had a list of stuff to check for. I know we had the trailer in the driveway for 3 weeks before we ever slept in it or move 50 feet to go camping.. I spent at lest 6 hours on my creeper under the 5 er.

 

[JohnDar]

We had a five month lag between buying and taking delivery of our rig. That was by design. While the dealer stored it for us, we had them add some things to it. Having joined the forums long before taking delivery, I was armed with a PDI checklist compiled from the ones that were posted here. But, the dealer had the rig inside their maintenance garage, connected to water and electric, and I spent about 3 hours with a service technician going over everything. They had already gone over the rig's systems, but were more than willing to spend the time with me to have me play with everything. We even pulled the basement walls to check the plumbing after running systems and found a small leak. Just the sediment filter on the water pump a little loose. A couple of minor things I found and some they found got fixed while we finalized the paperwork. They found some damage on the dining table and ordered a new one for me.

Since I had never pulled or hitched a fifth wheel before, they showed me how and then had me do it. Then I drove around the parking lot a bit, backing up, manuevering into a parking slot, etc. After about 20 minutes of that they asked me if I was OK with it, and off we went.


In reading some of the complaints, I get the impression that very little time was spent going over the rig at the dealership. Either the excitement of a big, new toy, or a dealer too anxious to clear the rig off the lot and move on to the next customer, seems to result in no owner PDI done until after the fact.

 

[Moose]

When you buy a product you assume it was made according to the "claims of quality" made by the manufacturer.

I do not understand why RV owners feel that because it has wheels they should expect lower quality.

This way ot thinking has me perplexed.

When I go and buy a TV or stereo I expect it to work as advertised. Why are RVs held to a lower standard?

It is not my responsibility to ensure the manufacturer builds to their claims of quality level. When I tow it off the lot I expect it to be 100% as advertised!

Why the exceptions just because it is an RV?

 

[Ticaster]

Moose, I can't agree with you more. I am a fix it yourself kind of Guy, but I expect new to be NEW and to be what I paid for. It is confusing to say the least that I am expected to be the end of the line quality inspection.

 

[caissiel]

I bought 2 used trailers before this one and they were perfect when I bought then.
I thinkered with them a bit but for the long time I owned them there were great performers.
My friend bought new ones all the time and was at the dealer all the time to have them repaired.
So I was very satisfied buying used after the previous owner fixed everything.

I bought this new trailer and I never was back to the dealer, BUT I had to do lots of small repairs from frame to roof and it was at my choice for improvement.
I worked in the maintenance industry all my carreer and was expecting to do inprovement on all our new mill equipment, we were in a special heavy duty wear of our equipment compared to other processes and expected it.

My new RV has been no different then my friend's but I did modifications and repairs ahead of the breakdowns and now feel confident of having a great unit. My truck is also well behound what Ford manufactured and much better then a new one I would pick from the dealer.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

This is a topic that is discussed with regularity on this forum. All of us expect our new RV to work perfectly opon delivery, as we do when buying any vehicle. Hopefully, a thorough PDI is done by the dealer as well as the new owner. Many of us, me included are not mechanically or electrically inclined, and shouldn't be penalized for this lack of expertise. The manufacturer should take pride in building a top notch rig, and should be ashamed of themselves when there are multiple problems that need fixin, before the new owner drives down the road on their first trip. When one buys a new vehicle at a car dealership, these issues don't usually happen, or you would read about recalls on a regular basis. Upon spending this amount of money for a RV, I expect it to work right the first trip, albeit with a few minor fixits. Major leaks or broken hydraulics etc. are unacceptable to me.

 

[caissiel]

Just cleaned the 6 months old seal on my toilet, it had been leaking for 3 months, The previous trailer had a 15year toilet and never leaked once and never had to clean it neither.

Now I need to buy a new seal again because the rubber has detoriated. I don't blame the trailer manufacturer, its the product we get from the OEM of the modern appliances, when I find a toilet like I had in my last one I will grabe it and install it in this unit. My Sealand toilet is junk, I contacted them and they never replied.

 

[jpdoggett]

When you buy a product you assume it was made according to the "claims of quality" made by the manufacturer.

I do not understand why RV owners feel that because it has wheels they should expect lower quality.

This way ot thinking has me perplexed.

When I go and buy a TV or stereo I expect it to work as advertised. Why are RVs held to a lower standard?

It is not my responsibility to ensure the manufacturer builds to their claims of quality level. When I tow it off the lot I expect it to be 100% as advertised!

Why the exceptions just because it is an RV?

This I agree the TV is not $80,000+ so both sould be ready to go, and I don't mind fixing small items, but to have to take it to the dealer everytime you use it sucks

 

[ParkIt]

Just curious to see what responses have been and I think those of us who are maybe a bit wound up and like to tinker or do it for a living just dive in regardless of any PDI or walk through from the dealer or direct delivery. So far I haven't found but a few things that needed attention - it could have been left the way it was but I'm super picky and found either the dealer or HL already addressed some of the issues folks have had with their newer units. Maybe we got lucky or maybe from reading here first then checking with the dealer to "make sure" before delivery some things were fixed/changed/double checked because we aren't anywhere near a dealer so access is limited on that part.

The other thing is there is always going to be maintenance, if not then there will be problems later on regardless of what type of unit you have. Some can be DYI and some a service bay but either way its something you have to plan for if its got wheels.

Happy Trails!

 

[sjs731]

We just picked up our new 2012 Sundance 3300CK a week ago. I had the best experience and did something I never thought of before. I got to the dealer on Saturday before they closed and they had our trailer all set up on one of their pads. We lived in it till they opened on Monday. We tried everything. We let faucets run and checked for leaks. Made sure all the elec. jacks, awning etc. all worked. Tested all the outlets, microwaves, tv etc. We made a list of the very few issues we found and wrote down all our questions. When our dealer opened for business on Monday they went through our list and answered our questions and fixed the minor issues we found. I can't say enough about the staff at Lakeshore RV in Muskegon, MI. They made our purchase enjoyable.

 

[2psnapod1]

We had a very similar experience with Lazydays in Seffner, Florida. We went armed to our pick up with a nearly 10 page PDI (thanks to this website!) We found no major issues...only a few minor problems: slow drains, loose wires etc. Which my husband fixed himself or the staff at Lazydays took care of...we were there 5 days on their 'transfer lot' as it was a VERY busy time of the year. (we had water, electric & breakfast & lunch provided). Would HIGHLY recommend Lazydays to anyone!

I guess we just expect that there will be a few minor issues. When you build a brand new home not everything is perfect at first either. If the dealer or Heartland wasn't willing to fix the issues then it would be a different story. We live 8 hours from Lazydays so we made sure everything was good to go before we left.