problems

[ellenpwr]

After looking at Heartland Products for 3 years we finally purchased a 2012 Landmark last August. Since then we have had nothing but problems with the unit, not your little inconvient issues but major problemes. I have spoke with service managers, service employees and get nothing but the run around, is there someone out there that can help us reach someone who wants to just get their rv issues taken seriously. The latest to happen was we went 100 miles from our home and all the molding in the living room,kitchen slides fell of the wall, this is small but at this point these small things are becoming huge to us after all our plumbing bursting and flooding and ruining everything in our bay, frigerator replacement one, repairs again and now wont go below 54 degrees. Please any information would be useful.

Ellen Power

 

[cookie]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear that you are having troubles with your coach.
You stated that you have spoken to service managers and employees. Have you contacted Heartland directly?
All your plumbing burst? Do you use a water pressure regulator?
What refrigerator do you have in your rig? What floor plan do you have? Is the refer in a slide?
With this information some forum members may have had the same issues and have found the cure.
If it is in a slide, there are a couple of fixes that people have come up with that help stabilize the temperature. Like added baffles and fans.
Give Heartland Customer Service a call and they may be able to help get these things taken care of.
Heartland Customer Service
877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030

Peace
Dave

 

[tmcran]

When you say service mgr is this dealer are HL? If not HL then get your vin# and call them. Good luck.

 

[mrcomer]

It really sounds like your dealership is not trying to help you out too much. As others have stated, get your vin number and call Heartland direct.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Forget your dealer. Call HL direct with your VIN# and let them get you straightened out. They might even send you to another dealer. You might even send some pix the HL service.

 

[danemayer]

frigerator replacement one, repairs again and now wont go below 54 degrees. Please any information would be useful.

Ellen Power

Ellen,

Here's some info on the refrigerator. Many of these things you can check yourself.

1. The unit has to be level. If it is not, the refrigerant will not flow correctly through the gravity feed tubing of the cooling unit. You should check this yourself with a small level. Note that it's possible for the rig to be level, while the refrigerator is not.
2. The refrigerant has to be heated to the correct temperature. Since there are two heat sources, electric and LP, it's unlikely that you would have the same problem with both heaters. Therefore, if the refrigerator cools correctly in one mode, but not in the other, that would be a clue that one heater needs work.
3. The fins on the back side of the refrigerator have to have sufficient ventilation. This is difficult when the refrigerator is installed in a slideout because the hot air cannot vent straight up. It's critical that the air flows over the heat transfer fins on the back, before going out the top vent. There should be baffling installed on the backside to direct the air. There are some modification that people on the forum have used to improve the baffling. But step 1 is to verify that it's even there. Your 2012 Landmark probably has this.
   
   In addition, in hot climates like Texas, it may be necessary to install additional, thermostatically controlled fans. Dometic has a Ventilator Kit for this purpose. When the air on the back side of the refrigerator is above a certain temp (90 degrees if I remember correctly), the extra fans come on to move more air. If you're in Alaska, you might not need this.
4. The refrigerator cannot have air leaks. Opening both doors and staring at what's inside for 30 seconds while deciding what to eat will let all the cold air out of the refrigerator. It may take 4-6 hours to recover. Leaving the doors open for a long time is the same as having a major air leak.
   
   In addition, on the 4 door models, the left-side refrigerator door has a flap that seals the gap between doors. As the left door is closed, the flap rotates into position. If there's a bind in this mechanism, it leaves a large air gap. Make sure this flap is in position.
   
   Similarly, if the seals on the doors are deformed or loose, or the doors are out of adjustment, you'll have air leaks that prevent the refrigerator from cooling correctly. You can check this by closing the door on a dollar bill and pulling it. There should be slight drag. If not, there is a leak.
   
   If you have overpacked the refrigerator, or have large plastic items that block airflow, the cold air will not circulate properly inside the refrigerator. The effect is similar to having an air leak. Dometic reps often recommend getting a small battery-operated fan to place inside the refrigerator to help circulate air. You can get these at most RV dealers, Camping World, and maybe even Walmart.
   
   If the freezer compartment is freezing correctly, but the refrigerator is warm, you almost certainly have an air leak of some kind.

You've probably found out by now that the warranty service on the refrigerator is from Dometic, although your dealer may have shielded you from this detail. If you don't have the ventilator fan kit, and you visit hot locations (temps 100 or higher) I would suggest calling Dometic directly to discuss whether they warrant their refrigerators to work in those conditions, given that temps are often over 100 degrees. Of course they'll say yes. At that point, you can nicely point out to them that they've already wasted a lot of money on trying to make your refrigerator work properly and perhaps a $72 ventilator kit, and an hour of dealer labor would be a good next warranty action.

I think we all share the expectation that 1) things should just work right and 2) that if you take it for service it'll be fixed the first time. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to dive deeper and help direct the activity that leads to a solution.

I hope this info is useful and I wish you good luck going forward.

 

[ellenpwr]

Thanks everyone for the helpful information, I should have made to clearer on my post, but we have been dealing directly with heartland. We have been full timers for 12 years have owned other RV's and never encountered problems like we have had with this company. We are to the point we are almost afraid to live in it due to issues with water going into electrical, the refrigerator and just two days ago the moding along the ceiling in the living room all came down, if one of us had been sitting in that area it was full of nails that could have hurt a bit.

 

[Treefarmer]

Fellow Campers,

I have a 2013 Rushmore with three serious problems.

The door side slide is sagging on the rear corner so bad the wood facia on the bottom has broken off and the carpet is pulled off.

the Level up system has failed three times using the AUTO RETRACT feature. The display reads, "Feature Disabled (or something similar ) and in addition after sitting on the jacks for two days the system leaks down and I have to relevel. I have called Lippert three times and the tech said to disconnect shore power and turn off the batteries and that should reset the brain to factory default settings. The auto retract feature still does not work. Any ideas?

The black tank valve leaks when shut off. Repaired once by the dealer, still get apprx two gallons of sewage when I remove the cap. Really discusting and no way to get to the remote valves to clear the obstruction.

We are on a two month trip and really disappointed in this brand new RV.

HELP

Bob Penland
803-230-3660

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

I have had pretty good luck with my unit and getting repairs done. It is disheartening to hear that such a good company has not gotten things repaired for you and that you are still having problems WOW the molding came down. Come Heartland "batter upppppppp!!!

 

[Toy1Ton]

the bigger heartland gets the worst they get

 

[cookie]

Well I say c'mon dealer.....batter up.
Sounds like a slide adjustment is in order. Dealer should take care of that.
There is a way to access the tank valves. Not the best job to do, but you need to remove the belly material to get at them.
Lippert probably is the one that needs to deal with the hydraulics, as most dealers have no experience with that.
These things should not have to be repaired on a new rig, but the fact is they do. On rigs from all manufacturers.
Continue to work with Lippert and your dealer.

Peace
Dave

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Birchwood]

Its frusterating but the first year is one of fixing problems and all RVs have similar issues.Once you get all these
problems repaired under warranty(and remember any RV company or RV repair can do the work and get paid by Heartland)
your Landmark will be most enjoyable.I have had many problems and have never had the purchasing dealer do the repairs.
We have lived in our Landmark for over 3 years and never had it in for repairs for more than 3 hours.We could of stayed in
the Landmark every night for the last 36 months if we wished(and with all the amenities).We love our Landmark!!

 

[Markie5150]

After looking at Heartland Products for 3 years we finally purchased a 2012 Landmark last August. Since then we have had nothing but problems with the unit, not your little inconvient issues but major problemes. I have spoke with service managers, service employees and get nothing but the run around, is there someone out there that can help us reach someone who wants to just get their rv issues taken seriously. The latest to happen was we went 100 miles from our home and all the molding in the living room,kitchen slides fell of the wall, this is small but at this point these small things are becoming huge to us after all our plumbing bursting and flooding and ruining everything in our bay, frigerator replacement one, repairs again and now wont go below 54 degrees. Please any information would be useful.

Ellen Power

Having a brand new RV with so many problems is extremely frustrating. Been there, done that and still doing it with my 2012 Rushmore. Contact Heartland and request to speak with the Director of Warranties.

I've been fortunate as my dealer has been great in repairing all issues with me, but unfortunatly they've gotten to know me too well. Having 9 seperate water leaks, a clogged cooling unit in my refrigerator which needed replacement and all the other little things that can go wrong, mine has been in service 5 times including a service call to my location for a broken hinge repair. Now I have to bring it in again due to the water heater not working on electric mode, only gas.

Camping is suppose to be fun and stress free, not full of service calls and wasted time of ruined camping days and driving to/from service department. By the way, even though my dealer was handling all issues, I still contacted Heartland to keep them informed on all the problems I've had. And yes, I still love my 5'er and get compliments all the time. Good Luck.

 

[dave10a]

I too have had more problems with my landmark than I have with either of my previous 2 motor homes. I give up my selling dealer and deal directly with Heartland. So far the factory has been helpful and responsive while fixing the problems myself. My prayer is that I get every manufacturing/engineering problem repaired before warranty termination next February. My present issue is the suspension because the axle spacing is 1.25 inches closer on the right than the left. The jury is still out until I can find time to drag the unit to another dealer who can properly check out the alignment and suspension components.
In short the QC and attention to detail at Heartland are lacking......but they do seem to stand behind their stuff....

 

[MTPockets]

Our Big Horn had what I'll now call minor issues - all related to loose fasteners, bolts, nuts.... Second day of ownership our basement was flooded, and we had leaks under sink and shower.... We were in a state park and I spent the time to crawl around and tighten the loose water line nuts, and sink drain connections. While I was at it, I checked and tightened all the lines I could find.... No more leaks since November and we've been full time since March.

Also had a lot of other loose nuts - wheel lugs, mor-Ryde box, axle u-bolts, door hinges - I've checked these several times and for a while had to retighten some, but now all have been staying tight since settling in......

Loose nuts and fasteners can lead to other more serious problems/issues if left un-attended. eg. Axle mis-alignment could occur of u-bolts are loose and un-attended. leaks can pop up, etc..... Check your fasteners - lubricate all moving parts, clean filters, keep up with general maintenance for better living....

I feel for those who have had to deal with more serious issues - we've been happy (knock on wood) with Heartland response the couple times we had questions.

 

[dave10a]

Also had a lot of other loose nuts - wheel lugs, mor-Ryde box, axle u-bolts, door hinges - I've checked these several times and for a while had to retighten some, but now all have been staying tight since settling in......

Loose nuts and fasteners can lead to other more serious problems/issues if left un-attended. eg. Axle mis-alignment could occur of u-bolts are loose and un-attended. leaks can pop up, etc..... Check your fasteners - lubricate all moving parts, clean filters, keep up with general maintenance for better living....

I feel for those who have had to deal with more serious issues - we've been happy (knock on wood) with Heartland response the couple times we had questions.

I have also experienced loose nuts and lack of lock washers in many cases to where I am about to nick name the trailer the "loose goose." I wished the trailer axle displacement was that simple. It looks to me as the it has spring sag on the right side which should be a warranty repair along with the expense to check the alignment.

 

[GOTTOYS]

I too have had more problems with my landmark than I have with either of my previous 2 motor homes. I give up my selling dealer and deal directly with Heartland. So far the factory has been helpful and responsive while fixing the problems myself. My prayer is that I get every manufacturing/engineering problem repaired before warranty termination next February. My present issue is the suspension because the axle spacing is 1.25 inches closer on the right than the left. The jury is still out until I can find time to drag the unit to another dealer who can properly check out the alignment and suspension components.
In short the QC and attention to detail at Heartland are lacking......but they do seem to stand behind their stuff....

Don't waste your time dragging it to a dealer to check the alignment. Most of them don't have more than a tape measure to check it with..or the expertise or equipment to align it anyway. Bring it to a heavy duty truck alignment shop. They can do the job. On the other hand your axles do move on the equalizers when parking. Look at how your tires are wearing. That is the best indication of if your alignment is off. If the tires are wearing evenly you're good to go and don't need any work done. I watch how the tires wear on my vehicles and can honestly say I have NEVER had a wheel alignment done on any of my cars and trucks in 50 years of driving. The alignment "specialists" in many shops send it out worse than it was when it came in. I worked with lots of them when I was in the business....JMHO..Don

 

[dave10a]

Don't waste your time dragging it to a dealer to check the alignment. Most of them don't have more than a tape measure to check it with..or the expertise or equipment to align it anyway. Bring it to a heavy duty truck alignment shop. They can do the job. On the other hand your axles do move on the equalizers when parking. Look at how your tires are wearing. That is the best indication of if your alignment is off. If the tires are wearing evenly you're good to go and don't need any work done. I watch how the tires wear on my vehicles and can honestly say I have NEVER had a wheel alignment done on any of my cars and trucks in 50 years of driving. The alignment "specialists" in many shops send it out worse than it was when it came in. I worked with lots of them when I was in the business....JMHO..Don

Wellp Camping World claims to have the trained expertise and use new laser equipment. I bought the trailer in Florida from Camping World and I agree that dealer is not to be trusted with anything but filling the water tank and then I would watch them closely However I intend to take it to Camping World in New Hampshire who claim they have the proper laser equipment and expertise. I will decide after I interview them if I will use their services. I axle check the axle distance after pulling the trailer and parked on a level ground. A visual inspection of the springs show the left side significantly different and flatter.