New BH3070RL Some disappointments

[z-dog]

We have just completed our first week in our new 3070. We really like the layout (we got the optional island and think it is great) and many nice features of the unit.
I have to say however we are disappointed by many things we are finding in our first week (we are full timing for at least a year).
After a pretty through PDI in which we found about a half dozen things to fix (we stayed two nights at the dealer and they fixed several of the items), we came back to our rv park and have now had time to really "live" in the unit.
We have had the bathroom sink leak (which I fixed by having to seal the drain sleeve, the bottom gasket and treaded nut), the shower is now leaking pretty badly, one of the windows leaked in a rain storm, the carpet bunches up about 2-3 inches when the slide comes in at the island (the island should have been installed about 3-4 inches towards the ref., but now the screw holes wouldn't be covered in the vinyl if the island is moved), the front door is about 1/8-3/16" out at the bottom hinge side (the screen door at the top above the latch has a finger-width gap at the frame).
I know all these things can be fixed (I will probably do most myself) but I would think Heartland would do a little better job on quality control in the beginning. The hassle of going back to the dealer to get them fixed is also a pain (our dealer is about 70-80 miles away and we are headed next week in the opposite direction; to Calif. to see family). I guess what I am asking is have many of you had so many problems crop up in such a short time?
Thanks Chris

 

[cookie]

To answer your question, kinda, we have a 2011 BH 3585RL. We have about 4,000 miles on it so far. Here is a list of problems encountered. One loose screw. One loose crimp on the kitchen light switch..............that's it. We are extremely happy with it.
This is our second Bighorn. One of the reasons we bought the new one is based on our good experience with the first one. The second reason is the Heartland Owners Club. A great bunch of people.

Peace
Dave

 

[2010augusta]

The carpet really is not an issue. In the Augusta the peninsula kitchen does the same to the slide carpet flap. The carpet flattens out after a few hours and all is okay.

 

[codycarver]

We took delivery of our 3670 in Aug. and have put about 7,000 miles on it. Our problems have been minor interior trim issues in the front closet, the all thread that holds the globe on our ceiling fan comes loose while traveling so we need to keep an eye on that. On the outside the screws holding the wheel well skirts broke (replaced with larger screw and so far it's worked). That's about all I can think of....

 

[wdk450]

Chris:
The biggest obsticle for you in getting warranty work done is the fact that you are full timing. If you can let go of the trailer for a few days, you know you can have the warranty repair work done by ANY RV servicer of your choosing. All you have to do is call Heartland service for a pre-authorization. Heartland even has a list of preferred 3rd party RV servicers across the country they can recommend. Although many Heartland dealers offer great service, I am of the opinion that independent RV servicers have a financial incentive to get the work done ASAP.
There is a website, RVSERVICEREVIEWS.com that has evaluations of RV servicers all across the country.

On the QC issue, a lot of owners have posted that they are disappointed, but others have posted that this is the standard for the RV industry.

 

[JohnDar]

For the most part, our discrepancies have been minor annoyances that either got fixed during the PDI or I found and fixed myself later. The only major problem was the bedroom floor delaminating, which required some extensive warranty work at the end of our first summer season, last year. Knowing about the common shower stall leak problem ahead of time, I fixed that myself, too.

But, HL could do a better job of QC inspection before letting these rigs out the door. Missing hinge screws, sink flange gaskets not installed properly, broken trim (hidden by the fire extinguisher), missing kitchen sink retainer clips, dead bolts that have no where to latch, etc.

 

[KL7j]

Picked up a BH this August.

Found the fresh water gravity fill pipe droops along with the vent hose making filling and venting a problem. This has been mentioned in many posts over the years if one does a search. It's still happening and not prevented.

The Hot Water heater would not work on shore power, found one wire not in the wire nut.

Pull shades over the couch has spots where there was construction defects in the material. Guess nobody checked that when they installed them.

Brakes were faulty in the dealers yard, this was the finding of Lippert who came out and replaced them. It got towed it to the dealer with faulty brakes.

QC should never have let it off the factory lot. Why Heartland goes the route of paying to fix it later versus QC and through inspection before departure being cost effective is a mystery.


I agree that this level is the standard in the industry with these trailers. I have had similar problems with a former Montana 5th and an Arctic Fox. I think Thor who just bought controlling interest in Heartland owns Keystone maker of Montana's. I hope things improve with more resources but time will tell.

 

[chief190]

We are taking delivery of our special order 3585rl today. We inspected last sunday and only found two very minor trim items but was disappointed with a few items. The wall paper stripe around trailer does not line up from one area of trailer to other. when sitting in recliner you can really see this. I hope it does not drive my perfectionist wife and her twin sister nuts. The only other thing is the dealer forgot the fireplace. He is having it installed at the dealership. hope this does not effect our warranty. We just sold our Holiday Rambler Presidential to get this new trailer. We have had over time many other problems with this unit and have been told that it was one of the better built units out there. My friend with a hitchhiker champagne edition seems to have it at the repair facility more than on the road he still loves his trailer. go figure.

 

[cookie]

Chief190, we have a 3585 and love it. The wall paper trim stripe can be replaced by your dealer if it drives someone nuts. When you ordered your rig, didn't you sign off on a build sheet as to what options you were getting? I guess it happens, but how can a dealer forget. At least you are going to get it though. Make sure he gets it from the factory along with the face trim to match you woodwork. This should not have any effect on your warranty.
Enjoy your new rig. I think you will be pleased. Did you get the four door refer?

Peace
Dave

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I think the majority of our Forum members. as well as myself, are a bit biased when it comes to Heartland loyalty. As others have said, RV's from all manufacturers have their defects, some more than others. I think sometimes, the lesser expensive the trailer, the fewer defects. And the same may hold true for the other end of the spectrum. The more expensive one may have fewer defects at the start.

Yes, I agree, Heartland should be able to solve the problems that have been there since early on. Fresh water fill, a leak here and there and a few others. All in all I believe for what we paid for our trailer, I couldn't be happier. After being an RVer for a few years (40) I've learned what to look for and can do most of my own maintenance. I think owning an RV requires a person to be a bit of a handy man. If you're not, RV rentals, motels or cabin rentals may be a better option.

 

[Jellystone]

Overall, we have been very pleased with our Heartland 5th wheel. No major problems at all (knock on wood). A couple of loose screws from rolling down the highway,etc--but easily fixed by me. I feel confident that we bought a good one-it must have been built on a tuesday/wednesday/thursday and not a monday/friday

 

[jmgratz]

Keep this in mind; it doesn't matter whether you buy the least expensive travel trailer or the million dollar Prevost or American Eagle most of the components are the same. The same air conditioners, refrigerators, toilets, furnaces, water pumps etc. So if the Dometic 14 cubic foot refrigerator is a problem in the Big Horn it would probably be a problem in the million dollar Prevost. One of the bigger issues is the service after the sale by both the manufacturer and the dealer. Just a thought.

 

[2010augusta]

Keep this in mind; it doesn't matter whether you buy the least expensive travel trailer or the million dollar Prevost or American Eagle most of the components are the same. The same air conditioners, refrigerators, toilets, furnaces, water pumps etc. So if the Dometic 14 cubic foot refrigerator is a problem in the Big Horn it would probably be a problem in the million dollar Prevost. One of the bigger issues is the service after the sale by both the manufacturer and the dealer. Just a thought.

Not entirely true, most Class-A's use the Nor-Cold and Thetford Products, not Dometic.

And as in many products, just because something is the "most popular" does not mean it is "good". two Non-RV examples are seen in Bikes and Calculators.

Being roommate with two near-pro cyclists in college, I was able to build a few bikes from the frame up, in the bike world Shimino is a huge name (they also make fishing and rowing gear), but most if not all their bike products are garbage. For less money one can buy SRAM, not as well know but a much better product.

Being a higher level High school math teacher, I see a lot of graphing calculators. In every school I have seen the TI (texas instruments) is the standard. 99% of students have a TI, most classroom have a class-set of TI. Even text books show students examples on a TI. Why? because TI donated hundereds of thousands of calculators to schools. Most TI retail for $100.00. Casio makes a much easier to use and more powerful graphing calculator and it retails for $52.00, because Casio is not trying to recoup the cost of giving away so many for free. I have used Casios for the past 15 years and love them.

Nothing will change with the Dometic products, until consumers demand better in the units and manufacturers see the benefit of finding better suppliers.

Heartland is starting on the right road, with the recent change from Lippert axles and springs to Dexter products, just let the R&D keep find more components and work with the rest to the Thor products to muscle the pricing needed to change suppliers, and make the component manufacturers compete with each other to provide the better product and the best price.

Thing would be even better IF there were more than two major names out there making most of the major components.

 

[carlane]

I had as many or more had trouble getting water in the water tank because of kinked pex support for water tank not strong enough to hold the weight when water in tank tank buckled causing the tank to splite pin box frame not stonge enough hade to get it re welded and h stronger materal put in hartland would not cover the last items be cause it was a year past warranty so good luck bighorn 3670

 

[SJH]

We have had the bathroom sink leak (which I fixed by having to seal the drain sleeve, the bottom gasket and treaded nut), the shower is now leaking pretty badly, one of the windows leaked in a rain storm, the carpet bunches up about 2-3 inches when the slide comes in at the island (the island should have been installed about 3-4 inches towards the ref., but now the screw holes wouldn't be covered in the vinyl if the island is moved), the front door is about 1/8-3/16" out at the bottom hinge side (the screen door at the top above the latch has a finger-width gap at the frame).
I guess what I am asking is have many of you had so many problems crop up in such a short time? Thanks Chris

Hello Chris!

Sorry for your frustrations as no one wants to pay their hard earned cash and not have the product be all they had hoped for. For what it's worth, here are my personal thoughts on the situation...

In our short time of experience with RV's, we have noticed that owners "concerns" are often a matter of tolerance verses expectations. By that I mean, some owners expect every minute detail from a trim screw to the wall paper border to be 100% perfect while others have a less demanding expectation. There is no right or wrong to either position simply a difference in tolerance. That being said, your purchase should live up to your expectations.

Our Big Country has done just that for us, lived up to our expectations and more. Was it 100%...no! The kitchen sink sprang a leak the second time out from a loose gasket screw at the drain. My thinking was these rigs travel down the road at 60+ and some things are bound to come loose...it was a simple fix. We had a very small shower leak at the door...a little Pro-Flex stopped it. The slide carpet does bunch up a bit when retracted but lays flat after opened for an hour or so. Our door is not perfectly square in the frame but it closes easily, doesn't leak water or wind so for us, it is a none issue. Our Black Tank Wash doesn't work but I just haven't had time to deal with it. I have read here on the forum that some of the check valves were installed backwards...I will check it when I can. Your window leak should be fixed ASAP. That is a serious problem that is also usually an easy fix. Your selling dealer will (or should) fix that for you.

All new RV's have "bugs". I am not making light of your concerns but I believe that after you work these initial bugs out, you will have many years of trouble free service from your rig.

Best Wishes and Happy Camping!

PS Should I have any future "issues" I will come back and re-read my post

 

[jmgratz]

BTW Heartland uses NorCold refrigerators too.

 

[z-dog]

Hi All
Thanks for all the replys. My wife and I are still overall very happy with our BH. We have been camping/rving for over 35 years. So looking at issues with this rig is based on previous units we've had. The issues of water leaks (be it roof, sinks, showers or windows) is so critical to an rv that I guess I expect manufacturers to really target these particular areas. I will be fixing most of these items myself because of my circumstances of travel plans. I hope that Heartland will continue to improve their quality in these areas because they are building a very nice trailer overall.
We are looking forward to getting on the road next week, heading to Calif. to see family and then to Arizona for winter months. By the way, any good suggestions on reasonably priced rv parks in Phoenix or Tucson?
Thanks Chris

 

[Jellystone]

In our short time of experience with RV's, we have noticed that owners "concerns" are often a matter of tolerance verses expectations. By that I mean, some owners expect every minute detail from a trim screw to the wall paper border to be 100% perfect while others have a less demanding expectation. There is no right or wrong to either position simply a difference in tolerance. That being said, your purchase should live up to your expectations.

All new RV's have "bugs". I am not making light of your concerns but I believe that after you work these initial bugs out, you will have many years of trouble free service from your rig.

Best Wishes and Happy Camping!

PS Should I have any future "issues" I will come back and re-read my post

SJH, I couldn't have said it any better myself. Great comments.

 

[bobber]

We just purchased the 2011 3070RL Bighorn and are very happy with our choice. We have not found any problems that we could not fix ourselves. We have had the fifth wheel about a month now and are full timers. Hope things go this good in the future.