Quality Control whining ?

[jpmorgan37]

When Jim started this forum, one of the major ideas behind it was owners helping owners. For those of us that have been here for the past few years, we have gained a tremendous amount of benefit from the feedback from both owners and from the factory. If we continue to employ this type of attitude, it will prove to be a more productive forum for everyone. It has been a fun place to be, to solve problems, share ideas, experiences, travel destinations, and activities. Lets all work to keep it that way and everyone wins. Just my thoughts.

John

 

[WRIGHT ll]

I don't usually get into these discussions but thought it wouldn't hurt this time. I read this and other forums always and often more than once a day. I find them both educational and entertaining. We all face frustrations at some point in time and they can't always be handled the same way. I try to visit my dealer orten, but not being a pest, and discuss problems and issues with them. I also do this at the auto dealer. When I have a problem they know who I am and to whom my rig belongs. They also know that I take really good care of my rig. They were surprised that it took almost two days for us to do the PDI and that we allowed them to continue to do their other work without bothering them. When we picked up the rig all the defects we had listed during the PDI were properly repaired and the rig was in great shape, ready to go. Only two things have failed since we took possession and that was the Coby DVD player and one of the lights over the sofa. The BH 3400RE is about 18 months old with about 7000 mile on it. We haven't had any trouble with the chinese tires , frame cracking, the holding tanks or anything falling off the walls. When we ordered the BH I specifically ordered 7000LB axles and G rated tires to carry the load. I put 105 LBs air in the tires instead of the maximum 110 and maybe that has helped some. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that one must do a lot of preplanning and help your own cause too. We drive on freeways, turnpikes and side roads and maintain speeds according to the condition of the road surface. I guess I'm finished now, I hope I don't offend anybody here. Happy trails y'all

 

[travelin501]

If it wasn't for the whining, I wouldn't have known about the TV being fixed under warrantly. Or inspected my tires for defects of China. The dealer and the manufacter, know my unit; my name; and my address - if it wasn't for this whining we would be fixing something different everyday. At least we know what to look for and repair or return to the dealer. My unit is still under warrantly, so thanks for the whining!!

 

[SmokeyBare]

... Tiss 15 days till Christmas...

... Tiss a time to celebrate the the Blessed birth of the Christ Child...

... Time to spread Joy and Happiness...

... Time for Family and Friends to come together...

... Time to put the past year to rest...

... Might be time to reflect the Beauty of this Wonderful time of year...

... Time to show Good Will to One All...

... Merry Christmas to Each and Every One of our Heartland Family...

...May the New Year bring Joy and Happiness to us all...

Marv & Karen

 

[ct0218]

Amen Marv, great message!

 

[vangoes]

We can call these comments as "whining", "venting", "freedom of speech" or whatever you want to call them. It appears that quality issues are inherent to the RV industry with some manufacturers being better than others; so, I believe most of the postings are beneficial to someone. The one thing that really amazes me is so many times I read new owners of RV's defending manufacturers quality issues by supporting long and exhaustive PDI's and basically saying that the reason we have issues is because we did not do a PDI that lasted hours/days. This just does not seem rationale to me. If quality was not an issue then the PDI should not be much more than a quick inspection for delivery damage and a demonstation of the operations and features of the unit. Can you imagine spending 1 to 2 days on an automobile dealers lot doing a PDI on that new diesel truck. As far as the quality issues that I have had, none of them would/could have been identified during a PDI albeit they started appearing on the first trip. If most of our issues was somewhat infrequent or unique you could argue that they are not "quality issues"; however, the issues that are posted are usually redundant and common among same brand/model owners. In my mind, this is quality.....or the lack of. JMHO

 

[jpmorgan37]

Thanks Marv and Karen, and we hope that all of our Heartland family has a wonderful Christmas and that we can all enjoy our RV'ing in 2009. See you in Goshen.

John & Sue

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Perception is fact to those who believe what they are hearing or seeing.

This is my family's first adventure into RVing, and the info that I pick up when stuff goes wrong is awesome especially if I understand the fix or can beg for personal assistance which I have been very successful at obtaining. Since I am new at this game, I am so happy to have this forum to help guide me especially when my warranty is up in February. Heck, they don't even make the 3400RE any more the way mine came.
JimBo and many others have really help grow my interest in making this a fabulous way to see our country within our own personal space. Without the help of my new friends, I would have been so frustrated I would have sold my rig a month after purchase. Now I feel safe to get the sage advice of all the expert mechanical and electrically competent owners of Heartland products. Also, there is always different takes on how to fix the problem. I have 12,000 miles on my Chinese Mission Tires and if it wasn't for this forum, I wouldn't be looking for those Goodyear GSR 614's, I wouldn't know about the tent in the vent, the stabilizing products, and so much more. Thanks to all the advice that is presented in a positive manner. Whining or complaining about problems that are inherent in our rigs gives us the opportunity to be safe and learn how to avoid those same problems for ourselves. Thanks again Heartland Forum members who provide fantastic advice without an attitude.
Peace and out, and hope to see more of you on the road.

 

[Flyfish4m]

I'd be willing to bet my underbelly looks like Creeper's BH, probably the reason for no heat in the back loft room of my BC.I'm not sure if its whinning or the way today's public expects things, more for less.Some items are legit QC problems, but as long as Heartland continues to take care of their customers you will see alot less '' whinning'' on this forum than others. I am happy to have made my Heartland purchase and will continue to put out a good word for there product, unlike my dealer I bought it from.

 

[azbound]

If man built it, it can't and won't be perfect. I agree stop looking for the perfectly built RV and spend that time planning your next RV trip. I hesitate to mention another manufacturer but sense their CEO decided to attack Heartland on RV.net last year I just can't stop myself. So here's my story.

My closest RV Buddy traded his 2004 Everest for a new 2008 NUWA Champagne. He choose the NUWA primarily because he believed that because they cost more and claim to be better built, that was the best thing to do. Now he is one of those types that only owns the best. truth is I have know and worked with him for over 30 years and we retired less that 60 days apart. Back to my story and point, there is point to my story. After he bought his new NUWA and I had bought my new BH we headed to AZ. for the winter. Never a complaint about his perfect trailer just lots of praise. I try and avoid these conversations so all appears well. Upon returning home from Az. I took my None perfect new BH in for a few warranty issues. When there I noticed a new NUWA in the service lot an exact twin to my buddies. So as anyone one would I ask the service rep. if it belonged to my buddy. He said yes to you know Mr. xxx. You know I had to ask whats it for, now get this, a couple minor warranty issues Oh ya and the cabinets are coming loose from the wall. To this day I have never mention this to my buddy and he has never told me anything but that he still owns the perfect 5ver.
Perfect doesn't mean flawless, it means we don't admit to any flaws. If god didn't build it, it can't and will never be perfect. hope you enjoyed my story and the point, stop looking for perfection and enjoy what you have, hopfully an Heartland.

 

[Shadowchek]

My quick take on all of this is that this thread got in trouble when the word Whining came into play. Nobody wants to be called a whiner that is a serious insult and makes you feel like you need to defend yourself. The problem with that is your defense can be construed as further whining so it is very frustrating to deal with once you have been accused of whining. I don't believe it was ever intended to be that way but it worked out that way. I prefer to call it constructive critisizm. Forum members have problems and other forum members have solutuions. If heartland built a completely trouble free fifth wheel not very many of us could afford one. I think Heartland has come up with a very good compromise between quality and price. Honestly would we ever be completely satisfied or would we just push our critisizm to the next level. I love our Bighorn, the information shared and things I learn when Fellow forum members work together to solve problems. Isn't that when us guys are happiest anyways when we are solving problems. Thanks to all who contribute to this forum. Between the product that we get from Heartland, applying the knowlege shared here and the factory support we recieve we have one of the best rigs out there. Thank you all.

Greg

 

[TXBobcat]

Absolutely.. We would all love to have an RV that has no problems. Wonderful.

Only problem is I could not afford it. I will bet even the Prevost has problems. Not for sure because I can't afford one of them either..

BC

 

[Smokeyfl]

I'm a happy camper! Few problems have been addressed by Heartland and the dealer to my satisfaction. I have 2009 Razor 3612TS. I've had 5 other campers, starting small, and found most to be reasonably put together. I do think the dealer cam make a world of difference in the process. Bringing up a problem for discussion / resolution is constructive. The 5th time, it needs a side of cheese.

 

[htneighbors]

My Cyclone IS perfect...even with a couple of minor "issues" I have had with it!

 

[Ratowns]

I beg to disagree. A justifiable complaint is not whining. While I have owned 3 RV's now, my Landmark is by far the most expensive and comes with the most problems. I would hope that Heartland Inc. would read these forums and 'resolve the problems' in the factory.
JMHO

 

[Triber]

Quality Control Whining

I don't agree that it is all about whining! Yes, some people will never be satisfied and just like to complain. I agree that no assembly line product can ever be perfect and that even the so called Japanese made products have their share of problems.

As far as letting the manufacturer take care of warranty issues, that is easier said than done. If you read your warranty fine print you will see that even if the factory authorizes warranty repairs, you are on your own for accomodation while your rig is being fixed. If you are thousands of miles from home, that can be a problem. My experience has been that often the dealer takes your rig in, disassembles the faulty component and then finds that the manufacturer has shipped the wrong part. Your one day stay in a motel suddenly becomes one week!

I choose to do my own troubleshooting and repairs because then I know they are done correctly. That is OK for me but many people are not able to do this and they are at the mercy of the dealer/manufacturer.

One of the problems is that many dealers sales' pitch about warranty service is far from the reality. When you are buying, they tell you what great service and protection you will have. Reality is that you may have to wait weeks for parts, wait for an appointment and then vacate your "home away from home" for days while the work is done.

It would be in the manufacturers' best interests to have their dealers tell the truth about warranties and then customers could make informed decisions about their purchase.

Most of the problems that I have encountered on our rig have been of a minor nature and involve sloppy or incorrect installation of components. In general terms, we love our rig but if a person wasn't equipped to do correct these flaws, I can see where they would be very annoyed.

I will be passing on a fully documented log of repairs I have made to my dealer and to Heartland, not to "Whine" but to help them avoid those problems for future customers.
that is called being proactive, not whining!

 

[rckc228]

Great link put it in my Favorites. I agree with you some of the small repairs are expected. If you are unable to repair them should you be living in a 8 ton home that travels bumpy roads. Maybe they should make that site one of the numbers listed in the rigs.