Lippert Warranty Doesn't Care about safety!

Bobby A

Well-known member
Well I guess its time for me to chime in hear, most of you have heard of my spring/u-bolt problem on my new 2010 B/H 3580 on our way south for the winter. I'm in negociations currently with Lippert and will post back with the results. Thanks Larry, what a great Thread/posts
 

Dragoon

Active Member
I just wanted to let everyone concerned know that Lippert has come through for us once again. We were on our third motor for the front jacks and we were finally able to determine that there was more to the problem. Our jacks had a range of only about 6 inches before the motor started bogging down in either direction. By explaining this via e-mail to Dave Bice of Lippert, he was convinced that our on-going problem (since we took possession of the trailer) had to be more than the motor. He e-mailed us that new jacks were on the way. Julio came to our site Thursday to replace the jacks. He has now visited us in Lake Havasu City, Fort Mohave, and Benson. The jacks that were sent to him turned out to be the wrong size, but Julio came through for us by luckily having another set (new ones) with him that fit. We now, for the first time since we bought the trailer have proper action with the jacks. We told Julio that we hoped we could stop meeting like this!

Please, if you are having trouble with Lippert issues, contact them. I cannot guarantee that they will help you, but they do listen and want to do the right thing. We've now had 2 motors, 1 pair of jacks and 4 springs replaced by them at our location (wherever that may be). This goes above and beyond what some companies are willing to do. Again our thanks to Larryheadhunter for starting the ball rolling. Safe travels to all...
 

Tankie

Well-known member
I had tech contact Lippert about my 7k springs being flat. They replied that they where out of warranty (only 1 yr on chassis and axles). They claim that they where overloaded, but have sent new springs as a act of good faith but I will have to pay to have them installed. Now I see why you need a ex-warranty. I had trailer weighed when I got it and had 12,200#'s on axles. Will be getting it weighed when I pull out of here. Not sure I have anymore confidence in the new springs. I am looking into having them replaced w/dexter spring packs. or the Mor-Ryde IS and gettig away from Lippert products. IMO 1 yr. is not enough warranty, but so be it. Just my opinion.
 

beardedone

Beardedone
Hi Tankie, could you fill in your signature so I know what kind of trailer you are pulling. W/O that info I can't get the picture you are trying to tell.
thanks,
 

Bobby A

Well-known member
After a couple weeks of negociating and planning, I have decided to go with the poor mans version (C/P system) since Lippert is gonna replace my 7K springs and u-bolts to 8K under warranty. Lippert has a facility in Ocala Florida that we will be driving right by on our way north, so I will have the work done there next Friday morning. I will post back and let ya all know of my experiance at this facility. Who is Julio anyway ?? is he a traveling tech ?? I have heard his name mentioned many times when talking about Lippert. I hear he is real good ??
 

kkamshop

Well-known member
We have always had a positive experience with Lippert.
We recently found that our shocks were bent at the studs and one was bottomed out, upon closer exam we discovered that the shock hanger brackets were installed at the wrong spots on the frame on one side.
We called Lippert, spoke with Von who was very responsive in subsequent emails and soon we had new shocks and hangers installed.

We could not have asked for better service.
 

Dragoon

Active Member
Who is Julio anyway ?? is he a traveling tech ?? I have heard his name mentioned many times when talking about Lippert. I hear he is real good ??
He's a traveling tech out of Phoenix, AZ. Not sure all the states he covers, but he mentioned AZ, NV, CA, NM for sure. He's very good and takes the time to listen and explain everything he's doing or will do and then tells you to call him if there are any problems. Those of us in the West are fortunate to have him. Good luck with your install, and safe travels...
 

Bobby A

Well-known member
He's a traveling tech out of Phoenix, AZ. Not sure all the states he covers, but he mentioned AZ, NV, CA, NM for sure. He's very good and takes the time to listen and explain everything he's doing or will do and then tells you to call him if there are any problems. Those of us in the West are fortunate to have him. Good luck with your install, and safe travels...

thanks for the info, I hope the guys in Ocala are as good as he is (or close) !! thanks for the good luck and safe travel wishes. Ditto to you.
Bobby A
 

beardedone

Beardedone
Well it's done and our Landmark is home, all fixed up. In my previous posts I talked about the issue I was having with the tires rubbing against the shocks and the springs being splayed out. To be very honest I was really concerned about it from a safety point of view. I followed up on Larry's efforts and contacted Lippert and I did get some satisfaction from them. My original estimate for welding up support brackets and fixing it was $600.00 Well to tell you the truth I didn't like the proposed repair and started my research into what action I was going to take. I knew I was going to install the Trailair Centre Point suspension and I applied my credit from Lippert to the purchase of that. I thought seriously about going to Standen's Springs in Calgary and got an estimate from them but I really didn't want to take it down there. I contacted a well known truck spring and frame shop who repair a lot of RVs'. I was satisfied but I had a nagging feeling about that action and reverted to Standen's. So here is what the score is. First off they have a huge operation and are extremely well respected for their manufacturing and installations/repairs. First the frame was inspected and found to be in good condition. The springs were removed and found to be in fairly good condition so they were rebuilt with an extra leaf added to increase their rating to 4000 lbs. each. They found out why the tire was rubbing against my shock. Beside the bent hangers the saddles for the spring pack was not properly positioned. It was 1/2 " too far inboard. This is what caused everything to bend. The axles were not exactly square and would have to be re-positioned. (It had been tracking sideways a little bit but I never saw it as a problem) So while the springs are out for rebuilding the Centre Point installation started. Standen's have installed these before so there were no surprises, for them, but for me I was very pleased to see that they installed a heavy gauge tube steel under each Centre Point and connected them together so that they cannot flex and wear. Looks really solid. The air line was run under the coreoplast liner and brought up by the curb side propane bottle. The gauge and valve were installed in the front wall of the main storage compartment with the air line feeding it from behind. Safe from breakage and very easy to see because it was mounted high on the wall. For the springs I had brass bushings installed with the wet kit. All the wheels were re-packed and brakes adjusted. The OEM shocks leave a lot to be desired. They are mounted at about 45 degrees and from examining them it was observed that they were totally ineffective and actually only "bending" in the middle and not doing any dampening at all. So new shocks and brackets were in order. They now are very much closer to the vertical. Everything used in this re-build was heavy duty. The service was excellent and they really seemed to know what they were doing. They definitely were confident in their work.

So we left Calgary at 4:30 and into the rush hour traffic. We took a new route to the brand new ring road to go home. Within two blocks my wife commented on how much better everything was riding and we were going over some rough bumps on the old road to the new by-pass. It started to rain and the wind was blowing hard but everytime I looked in the mirror that trailer was tracking perfectly straight behind me and rolling so smoothly it was unbelievable. With a NW wind hitting us hard while we were heading north the unit was rock solid, tracking perfectly and not even bothered by the semi's going by. I am very happy with the work and look forward to many more relaxed trips. (By the way if anyone is in need of undercarriage work when near Calgary Standen's is easy to find on a very major roadway.)
 

Dave012

Well-known member
I haven't had problems (knock on wood) with my suspension, but if I did, I would go there too. They have a great reputation. They were at the Calgary RV show in January, and all of their stuff was really heavy duty and staff really friendly.

Keep us informed through summer as to whether there are any problems, or if its really as good as it looks.

If that was yesterday you were driving, that was some nasty weather.
 

beardedone

Beardedone
Yes, it was yesterday. The wind and rain on the QE II was really a fuel sucker. I will be going up to Edson on Monday and then down to Rocky Mountain House, so will have a very good idea of how it works out.
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
Hi everyone again, it's time for a Lippert update:

I am pleased that Lippert is beginning to show their ability to make a difference. Sometimes they are right and sometimes owners of their components are in the right, but since many of us were having such suspension and front landing gear and motor problems with their products, this thread is serving it's purpose, which is to bring to light the difficulty in getting satisfaction after making such an expensive purchase of our RV's expecting to drive out of the dealer with a rig that works like a charm. The best part for Heartland owners is that we now have a proven pipeline to Lippert, where we can talk directly with the company that we have been so frustrated with. I have a feeling that Andrew, their VP of Warranty, would rather hear directly from the owners, than build up a reputation that would have bit themselves in the rear, and potentially put them in legal and safety board jeopardy. Based on beardedone, dragoon, bobby A, and a few others we are showing some of the positive effort Lippert is taking to increase owner satisfaction. They obviously have a long way to go, but I like what I see so far, slowly but surely. Frustration with the system takes a toll, but if everyone continues to express their interaction with Lippert on this thread, both positive and negative, we will have made a difference. So please don't give up, just follow the process from HL warranty, to your HL Regional Mgr., to the Lippert warranty rep, and finally if you haven't gotten satisfaction, the last stop is to speak with Andrew VonSchoink, Lippert VP of Warranty.

I want everyone to know I have received numerous PM's and emails from our HL owners who are dealing with Lippert issues, and thank each and every one of you for sharing with me, asking for my advice, and stepping to the plate, and not leaving me holding the bag, and making me and other contributors feel they are helping make a difference in this uphill battle. This is post #154 on this thread, and I hope we all continue to keep this thread alive and up to date, as Andrew of Lippert has told me that every post here regarding their products is being read and they say they want to help with solutions. If they don't know how their components are performing, both good and bad, they can't fix these issues, and they claim they want to make things right and not leave you cursing by the side of the road because one of their components failed.

As far as my personal Lippert problems, Lippert is addressing them, and trying their best, through Julio, who is the Lippert technician here on the West Coast, to fix them to my satisfaction. The job is still not complete, and the system still isn't operating up to par, but Julio will be at the RV repair shop this coming week, trying to make everything working up to its capabilities. I will keep all posted as the process continues, and hopefully, we can go on our 2 month summer trip, and enjoy it to the fullest, without Lippert failures.
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
Hi Tankie,
I have been meaning to talk to you, but I don't have your contact info. Send me a PM so we can talk and discuss strategy for you, if you want my opinion. To answer your question, yes, when my springs broke in Oregon last year, we were still under the 2 year warranty program, although I am not sure for all the problems I had. From what I understand, now there is only a one year warranty from Lippert products, but I was grandfathered in, thank goodness. I still think if Lippert believed in their products, they would keep the 2 year warranty. Good question to ask Andrew, at Lippert. Also, if it's obvious that you received poorly built Lippert components, they should still stand behind their products. I also think your dealer has not stepped to the plate for you in the least. You got a raw deal buddy and should take your problems to the highest level, to receive satisfaction. No one spends that much money to have their axles fall off after 800 miles. Geez! Get your ducks in a row and call Andrew and tell him your woeful story. I think he will make things right. It sure is worth a try.
 

Bobby A

Well-known member
Well, had the new springs and c/p system installed at Lippert in Ocala Florida on Friday 4-23-10, the facility I think is a much smaller scale mainly working on manufactured houseing segmet but does warranty work when needed, but the guy doing the install was apparently the oldest employee working for Lippert. He did confess that is had never done a c/p system before but other than maybe taking longer than the guys in Goshin the install should be the same. They are very nice people there the 2 that I met. So far we have only traveled about a 100 miles with the new system, it does seem to ride a little smoother as Larry told me it will, I do think I may have a small air leak though because its already a couple pounds low. I am happy to report that Lippert did reconize my concerns and did address them to make me happy. I will post back after more drive time.
Bobby A
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Well, had the new springs and c/p system installed at Lippert in Ocala Florida on Friday 4-23-10, the facility I think is a much smaller scale mainly working on manufactured houseing segmet but does warranty work when needed, but the guy doing the install was apparently the oldest employee working for Lippert. He did confess that is had never done a c/p system before but other than maybe taking longer than the guys in Goshin the install should be the same. They are very nice people there the 2 that I met. So far we have only traveled about a 100 miles with the new system, it does seem to ride a little smoother as Larry told me it will, I do think I may have a small air leak though because its already a couple pounds low. I am happy to report that Lippert did reconize my concerns and did address them to make me happy. I will post back after more drive time.
Bobby A
Bobby A, Remember, ambient air temperature will affect the air pressure in any system. Tires, Trail airs and I'm guessing the C/P will show a couple pounds different as well depending on temperature. That said, if you think you have a leak, keep a close watch on it.
 

racefan

Member
My 2008 Cyclone 4012 has < 4K freeway miles on it.
My leaf spring broke last weekend and it was very difficult to get it back to the shop.
The rest of the springs are reverse bowed and will have to be replaced.
My RV repair shop called Heartland and they said "sorry this was built within specs" and basically said go away.
So I am not getting the love others seem to be getting.
It has water, (4) 200lb go karts and a few tools in the garage so I hope that is not over weight, otherwise its useless as a "Toy Hauler".
Why does a 18,000lb GTWR have (6) 2500lb springs & (3) 5500lb axles?
I understand some of the weight is on the neck but doesn't this seem under engineered?

-brad-
 

Tankie

Well-known member
I have a 09 3670 RL w/7k axles and they are flat thank God for this forum I found them. Lippert said I overloaded them (to be fair they did send out new springs I just have to pay labor) I will be getting it weighed. When I purchased it and transfered all my things from old coach it weighed 12,200# on axles, I will be getting Mor-Ryde IS (8K).I want nothing to do with Lipperts springs or axles. When I go to replace this 5th wheel I don't think it will be with a Heartland or Lippert products. I think that 1 year warranty on springs and chassis is pretty chicken when they are going to fail so easy with less than 10,000 miles. Never the less you get what you pay for just like you get repeat business from making good products and standing behind them.
 
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