Post-Delivery Update / Still waiting for warranty work approval!

[GAcheesehead]

It has been 5 months nowsince taking delivery in November 2014 of my 2015 Gateway 3650BH.

As a whole I am very satisfied with the overall comfort, towing, ease ofhookup, and layout of my Gateway 3650. However...The amount of ‘little things’ for warrantythat have surfaced since going on the road twice is quite a bit more than Ianticipated. I will go ahead and list the items that I found during thedelivery inspection and also the ones I did not find during the inspection thatcropped up after leaving the dealership. Of note is that I spent about 4 to 5hours inspecting the rig before I fully accepted delivery. Some of these itemslisted just weren’t possible to find until it was on the road or at the firstcamp site.

I fully expected to findsome things post-delivery so I can’t say I am disappointed about that aspect.However, I am hugely DISSAPOINTED that I have now been waitingfor over 6 weeks for Heartland to approve the labor work to get things done.The process has been a bit painful in that I am working through the purchasedealership (8 hours away from me) and the service tech here that I trust(non-Heartland dealer) via multiple phone calls and emails. What is massively frustratingis that one of the warranty issues continues to cause further damage to my rig -the slider/floor issue (see below).


Items Found DuringWalk-Thru:

1. Interior cabinet hinges – about 50% of all cabinet hinges were outof alignment causing doors to not close properly or when closed they were notlined up correctly with neighboring door. Status: Fixed by the dealership service shop beforeI left them. Complete.
   
   
2. Interior 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] bedroom door – would not latch correctly when closed. Status:Dealership service tech moved the striker plate to properly catch the latch.Complete.
   
   
3. Refrigerator/Freezer- We upgraded to the residential one which isstainless. Both doors had multiple ‘dimple’ dents in them. Status: Twonew doors were sent directly to me for replacement and installation by myservice tech locally here. Labor work not yet approved by Heartland.
   
   
4. Exterior Decal – The large decal with the word Gateway onthe entry door side had two lengthy cuts in two of the letters. Status: A new decal was sent to me for replacementand installation by my service tech locally here. Labor work not yetapproved by Heartland.
   
   
5. Storage Access Door (non-entry side) – Hydraulic / gas lift onleft side did not fully extend. Damage to the hinge area due to the stress ofthe hinge not working can be seen by caulk separation and overstress of thehinge. Fix caulk and inspect the hinge for damage due to the overstress. Status:Replacement gas lift received and needs to be replaced. Installation by myservice tech locally here still no authorized as the labor work not yetapproved by Heartland.
   

Items found post-delivery:

1. Holding Tank Water leak – significant flow of water from theoutlet pipe area of the gray holding tank in the back of unit. Serves thegalley and ½ bathroom. Water leak flowed from the joint area but also when Ireturned from the only trip this has been on water came out from the variouslocations near the holding tank but from the underbelly winterization covering. Status: This has been the only warranty approved item thatHeartland has authorized so far other than the holding straps recommended by myservice tech. The water flow from the underbelly was a result of water flowingfrom the inlet drain pipe and getting into the exterior holding tank cover panand the underbelly cover. This was fixed by regluing the inlet pipe and so farno further problems. Note:One thing my service tech noted is that he recommends a metal strapping onthe holding tank as there was tremendous sag when the tank was ½ to ¾ full of water.He believes the weight caused the inlet pipe to separate. This is not fixedas that request was sent to Heartland with no further responseyet.
   
   
2. Slide-out Problems – Main slide out that has the kitchen tableand theatre seating. Left slide has damaged flooring due to creating a gougeand significant denting of the flooring to include the underlayment. Right sideof slide has left grease streaks on the carpet causing stains. Dealer notifiedone-day after taking delivery. Status: My service tech through an inspection noticed that a screw was notinstalled correctly in that is was put in at about a 40 degree angle and wasnot flush. So basically each time the slide goes in or out the screw digs intothe flooring and underlayment. Luckily, no damage to the carpeting from thescrew occurred based on the angle of the slide when it comes into the unit.Thisis not fixed as that request was sent to Heartland via mydealership with no further response yet.
   
   
3. Entryway lights under the stairs – both LED lighting strips are hanging looseand became that way about 5 days after delivery. Status: The two sided tape they use just wasn’tstrong enough to hold the LEDs when the movement down the road occurs. Theyneed to be reattached with something stronger. This is not fixed as thatrequest was sent to Heartland via my dealership with no furtherresponse yet.
   
   
4. Stair switch – A dual rocker lighting switch locatedunder the first interior strip is not functional. Wiring goes into/from bothswitches but the use of one of the switches is unknown. Status: Needsto be fixed and returned to service. This is not fixed as that requestwas sent to Heartland via my dealership with no further responseyet.
   
   
5. Switch for Awning – When retract is selected the awningextends. Extend selected it retracts. Switch needs to be reversed. Status: Needs to be fixed and returnedto service. This is not fixed as that request was sent to Heartland viamy dealership with no further response yet.
   
   
6. Exterior storage lock broken – All exterior storage locks are extremelytight and difficult to use a key. One of the outdoor kitchen locks does notaccept a key due to a broken key in it. Status:Needs to be fixed and returned to service. This is not fixed as thatrequest was sent to Heartland via my dealership with no furtherresponse yet.
   
   
7. Entertainment System – when FM or AM radio is selected allstations are 100% static – zero stations can be received. This has been triedat numerous locations during the two trips the rig has been on. My assumptionis that the antenna was not connected properly either in the back of the radioor wherever it goes out to externally. Status:Needs to be fixed and returned to service. This is not fixed as thatrequest was sent to Heartland via my dealership with no furtherresponse yet. Note: This wasidentified at the dealership but I was told it was due to the metal roof of thegarage we were in during my inspection. Obviously that was not accurate.
   
   
8. Outdoor spray faucet in utility ‘closet’ – when I tried to useit the first time the pressure was very, very low. By pure luck I had theaccess panel open to the backside of the water heater and electricalconnections inside one of the storage compartments. I saw water spraying insideof this area. Upon inspection I found that the connector hoses were not at alltightened and water was spraying everywhere into this area. As I said – luckilyI found this before any damage occurred. Status: Fixed by just tightening the connection.
   
   
9. Outdoor Kitchen TV – The cable wire connected to the back of theTV was so taunt, with very little slack, that when the articulating arm wasopened up it pulled the entire cable connector out of the TV. Not just the wirebut the actual TV connector was pulled out completely making the TV unusable.This was 100% installation issue as the cable should have had far more lengthto it. Status: Needs to be fixed and returned to service. This warrantyissue has not yet made it to Heartland as I am still waiting on all the otherthings first.
   
   
10. Molding in ½ bath room – Two pieces ofcorner molding have detached from the wall after my first drive out to acampsite. This is an easy fix but should not have occurred if installedproperly. Status:Needs to be fixed and returned to service. This warranty issue has not yet madeit to Heartland as I am still waiting on all the other things first.

Well,as you can tell I have been quite thorough going through my rig after owning itfor about 5 months. Believe it or not I am pretty satisfied with the rig asa whole as most of these issues are minor. However, my disappointment isthis horrible delay I am experiencing in receiving approval to get these thingsfixed. When I purchased the rig I was told by my dealer that Heartland normallyapproves warranty work within a few days. Well, it has been 6 weeks now and Iam still waiting. One thing to note is that there is an authorized servicelocation near me for Heartland but my past experience with them (different rigand different brand) was so bad I will never, ever go to that location. Hence,the reason I am going with another service company that is not a Heartlandpre-authorized location. I expected some delays due to this but 6 weeks isbeyond my belief.

I hope this helps some ofyou as you decide to purchase a Heartland product. Would I recommend theproduct – so far yes I would. I unfortunately just don’t have much good to sayyet about warranty help through them. By the way – my dealership has beenexcellent trying to work these issues as the middleman. I almost feel sorry forthem on the amount of time they are spending on something that isn’t theirfault.

 

[kowAlski631]

Have you contacted Heartland yourself? We had warranty work needed also after we took delivery in October 2012. Our BH was at the dealer for several weeks (mid February if memory serves me correctly) until we decided to make a call to Heartland. Work got underway quickly after our conversations with HL and the dealer and we were able to camp mid March and traveling for 12 months beginning May 1.

Have your VIN handy and call HL yourself. IMHO

 

[GOTTOYS]

Many of things, not all, are adjustments not requiring any parts. It sounds to me like a dealer problem more than anything. If it was mine I would call Heartland, they will ship you any needed parts, you can install them and avoid the wait and frustration of going to the dealer. Owning an RV does require the ability to fix and adjust a few things from time to time....Don

 

[Bob&Patty]

Call HL yourself and find out the REAL story. I bet its a dealer issue.

 

[wdk450]

Ask to talk with the MANAGER of Heartland Service, or at least have the secretary give you his e-mail address and forward your posting with your VIN number and your personal contact data.

 

[fredwrichardson]

I had similar issues with the local repair shop for my unit was in the shop for seven weeks and had to do repairs twice on the same slide because they did not have the experience. When Heartland got involved it finally got fix and fixed right. Heartland tries to let the local shop figure it out but when that fails you need to talk directly with Heartland.

 

[donr827]

I use a independent repair shop for the work that needs to be done on my trailer. I find that if I make a phone call twice a week it seems to get done quicker. The old squeaky wheel gets oiled first theory. Sometimes: I was in the neighborhood story to drop by and talk face to face.
Don

 

[jbeletti]

However, I am hugely DISSAPOINTED that I have now been waitingfor over 6 weeks for Heartland to approve the labor work to get things done.

I'm sorry to hear you're have these issues and have been without the use of your coach for so long. It's crazy to have to wait over 6 weeks to get labor approval. In fact, it sounds a bit heard to believe to me. I assume this is what your dealer is telling you - that they have been waiting to hear from Heartland for over 6 weeks? As everyone has suggested, you MUST make a call to Heartland (877-262-8032) first thing Monday morning. Make this call yourself, not from the dealership. Have your VIN ready. Ask Heartland to walk you through the timeline of events. Finally, ask them what the hold up is.

 

[danemayer]

One thing to note is that there is an authorized service location near me for Heartland but my past experience with them (different rig and different brand) was so bad I will never, ever go to that location. Hence,the reason I am going with another service company that is not a Heartland pre-authorized location. I expected some delays due to this but 6 weeks is beyond my belief.....By the way – my dealership has been excellent trying to work these issues as the middleman. (emphasis added)

HI GACheesehead,

Heartland is usually pretty flexible about authorizing non-Heartland dealers to do warranty work, but the key is prior authorization. I think Heartland checks to ensure the servicer is qualified before authorizing. Did you ask Heartland to authorize warranty work at this servicer before they started work? Hopefully you did that yourself and didn't rely on someone else to do that.

Regardless, as Jim said, you could call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030 to find out what's causing the delay.

 

[GAcheesehead]

First off - thanks to everyone that replied to my initial post. A Heartland rep called me this morning after reading this post. My finger pointing is now starting to go towards the dealer a little bit more but there is still more information to be obtained. Short story is that the guy that called me (Mike) was excellent and massively receptive to my input. He said his #1 goal is to get this rectified and not to find fault or deflect where the breakdown occurred. I appreciated that statement as I agree - get me back on the road then do a look at where the communication problem began.

As it stands now my service tech will be talking with Heartland directly and I am now confident it will be worked out in the next few days. Lesson learned - bypass the out of state dealer and go direct to Heartland if you have any warranty issues. I was aware I could do that until these posts and the call from the rep today.

I will post a final thought on this subject once everything gets fixed to let you know how it all turned out. Once again I so far love the product and if they continue to treat me well (as did Mike on the phone call) my level of 'love' for warranty repair may rise up where it should be....more to come.

 

[Gaffer]

Time to find a good dealer (any brand) or independent shop closer to home. Have the last 6 digits of your VIN handy when you call. Heartland service is great to work with. I use an independent shop that is great.

 

[GAcheesehead]

Update #3 - I cannot believe this is still going on but here I sit waiting and waiting and waiting. On May 1st my service tech received verbal approval from the Heartland warranty rep that all warranty issues were approved...finally! He told my tech that since this has been going on so long he would overnight the parts to him so repairs could occur ASAP. Today is May 13th - no parts of any sort have been received. I placed a call to Heartland yesterday and asked to speak to the Warranty Rep assigned to my case - well surprise, surprise....he no longer works in that department. So I asked to speak to someone in management. The person I spoke to said the individual for the region I live in was on a phone call with someone else and he would have him call me back before the COB that day. One guess - did he call? Nope, it is noon here the following day and nothing yet. I called again just now and got his voice mail. I just want my rig fixed...how many darn weeks and months must I wait? You know it comes down to this fact - I am willing to accept a waiting time period for things to work out within reason. However, when my service tech is told hat something will occur (overnight parts shipment), we actually believed it would occur. Then to find out my Heartland POC is no longer in that section and the fact that nobody from Heartland made contact with me or my service tech to tell us he/she was the new contact irritates me to no end.

I guess I will just continue once again to wait and wait. I hope my voice mail gets heard and somebody calls me today or even this week. I will update again once (hopefully) things are actually handled....signed, extremely frustrated in GA.

 

[MCTalley]

Stair switch – A dual rocker lighting switch locatedunder the first interior strip is not functional. Wiring goes into/from bothswitches but the use of one of the switches is unknown. Status: Needsto be fixed and returned to service. This is not fixed as that requestwas sent to Heartland via my dealership with no further responseyet.

Look under the outside steps for a yellow "clearance/side marker" light. If you find one there, flip the "non-functional" switch on and see if that light illuminates.

Switch for Awning – When retract is selected the awningextends. Extend selected it retracts. Switch needs to be reversed. Status: Needs to be fixed and returnedto service. This is not fixed as that request was sent to Heartland viamy dealership with no further response yet.

Assuming the switch is mounted in the standard black faceplate with the words "Extend" and "Retract" engraved in it, you can probably pop the switch out, flip it over and pop it back in. (Or, alternatively, swap wires on the back to accomplish the same).

Exterior storage lock broken – All exterior storage locks are extremelytight and difficult to use a key. One of the outdoor kitchen locks does notaccept a key due to a broken key in it. Status:Needs to be fixed and returned to service. This is not fixed as thatrequest was sent to Heartland via my dealership with no furtherresponse yet.

Ours were almost impossible to even get the key into when we first took delivery. A squirt of WD-40 with the key partially inserted fixed that right away. Locks all operate smooth as silk now. (Of course, this won't fix the one with a broken key in it).

Entertainment System – when FM or AM radio is selected allstations are 100% static – zero stations can be received. This has been triedat numerous locations during the two trips the rig has been on. My assumptionis that the antenna was not connected properly either in the back of the radioor wherever it goes out to externally. Status:Needs to be fixed and returned to service. This is not fixed as thatrequest was sent to Heartland via my dealership with no furtherresponse yet. Note: This wasidentified at the dealership but I was told it was due to the metal roof of thegarage we were in during my inspection. Obviously that was not accurate.

From what I've seen on the forum, the factory typically leaves the dipole antenna all wrapped up behind the entertainment system. Most folks have had success pulling the unit out (trim plate covering four screws, typically), unwrapping the antenna and putting everything back together.

Just offering some suggestions while you wait for the bigger things to get fixed.

 

[GAcheesehead]

Thanks MCT for the input...I appreciate it all! Safe travels in the future....

 

['Lil Guy']

Question about the awning switch. If I hold my switch open till it fully extends and don't get off of the switch, it will wrap around and start to come back in. Course, this is on my ER.