Quality - Some feedback for factory

[bobca1]

I am enjoying my new 3110. Had it for just about 1 month now and have used both at RV park with hookups and primitive camping in mountains outside LA. Wanted to give some feedback at one month of ownership, so posting this for factory in case they are reading these posts, and for others that might be taking delivery of a new unit some things to look out for. There is room for improvement in Heartlands quality control processes:
1. Some of tiles behind the stove fell off the wall (dealer ordered new tiles are replaced)
2. Rear sofa feet are too short (dealer ordered new ones for me I installed)
3. Turn signal/brake light wiring messed up somewhere between pin box and chassis, both lights flash when turning (have to take back to dealer, not fixed yet)
4. Luke warm water (hot water heater bypass valve was open)
5. While in the area behind the water heater saw left over debris from mfg - wood chips from cutouts, roll of tape roof tape. Since the furnace return pulls air through this area, would be nice if this area was cleaned out prior to closing it up
6. Cutouts for the electric outlets in pass through area are sloppy, so big the outlets fall out when used
7. Seems the fuel gauge for generator might not be that accurate. It is showing just a little less that 1/4 tank (beginning of the red), and generator shut down and sputters when I try to restart it appears to be out of gas. Will know when I put some more gas in tank next week.
8. Wiring for the TV/surround sound is done incorrectly. The Sony DVD unit has HDMI out but its wired with old school RCA connectors??? Need to update the wiring to use HDMI.
9. Bracket for one of the lifts to storage under the front bed fell off (screws came out of the particle board)

Positive is that all the mechanical and appliances are working fine... and structurally these heartlands are engineered and well built and I consider this more important long term. They use higher end components (except for the towmax tires) LED lights, Norcold refrig, good hardware, aluminum framing, fiberglass exterior, well insulated, etc. But these small things would all not be that difficult to address at factory with some extra quality checks and result in increased customer satisfaction, it you want me to give you a 10/10. Anyway just hoping someone at Heartland is interested in my feedback.

 

[DocFather]

Ditto on almost every item. Good luck. Sometimes I think they need a Lee Iacocca lesson on "pride" in workmanship as well as quality control improvement.

 

[bobca1]

Exactly!!! The floor plan, the engineering, components, this is all top notch. But then they fail to catch and fix these annoying "little" things on final assembly... Come on folks - made in USA! Build it like it was your own.

Ditto on almost every item. Good luck. Sometimes I think they need a Lee Iacocca lesson on "pride" in workmanship as well as quality control improvement.

 

[jeffdee]

Same here on my 2014 3110 with respect to stripped out screws everywhere. Sometimes I can fix it with toothpicks put into the oversized hole and putting the screw back in. Sometimes I have to come back with a larger screw.

Otherwise, I am happy with my RV.

 

[avvidclif]

Sounds like my new one, 2 days old. Ready to leave dealer and right turn signal not working, miswired, got it foxed. Last night I started on the TV/Sound system. What a disaster. TV looks great off antenna, very good picture, video from DVD player terrible quality. Found HDMI not even used. Low quality RCA video cable, GRRRR. Was watching TV and sound was on TV only not surround sound system. Went to DVD and had surround sound and sound from TV also. Except TV sound was something else. I had to turn the TV volume all the way down to get rid of it.

I question if anyone at any RV Mfg has ever put together a decent HDTV/Surround sound system, their product doesn't show it. My last trailer had to be rewired also.

Once I figure out how to get the wall bracket loose the TV is mounted to I'll fix all that and do it correctly. I'll probably just use the Blue Ray player from my old trailer and skip the low grade video. If the Sony DVD player didn't have a built-in FM radio it would probably be gone also and a decent tuner/amp installed.

 

[danemayer]

Sounds like my new one, 2 days old. Ready to leave dealer and right turn signal not working, miswired, got it foxed. Last night I started on the TV/Sound system. What a disaster. TV looks great off antenna, very good picture, video from DVD player terrible quality. Found HDMI not even used. Low quality RCA video cable, GRRRR. Was watching TV and sound was on TV only not surround sound system. Went to DVD and had surround sound and sound from TV also. Except TV sound was something else. I had to turn the TV volume all the way down to get rid of it.

I question if anyone at any RV Mfg has ever put together a decent HDTV/Surround sound system, their product doesn't show it. My last trailer had to be rewired also.

Once I figure out how to get the wall bracket loose the TV is mounted to I'll fix all that and do it correctly. I'll probably just use the Blue Ray player from my old trailer and skip the low grade video. If the Sony DVD player didn't have a built-in FM radio it would probably be gone also and a decent tuner/amp installed.

I don't think Heartland ever connects the TV audio output to the surround sound, except perhaps where they ship sound bars in place of overhead surround sound. Never heard of a dealer doing so either, unless requested by the buyer.

 

[porthole]

Ditto on almost every item. Good luck. Sometimes I think they need a Lee Iacocca lesson on "pride" in workmanship as well as quality control improvement.

I worked for a large Dodge dealer back when he had the reins. Was really concerned that Chrysler corp was going to go under. His leadership did indeed instill pride and quality control and as a result of that and other things, including paying back of the Gov loan years early, brought Chrysler back from near extinction.

"If you can find a better car, buy it."

 

[avvidclif]

I don't think Heartland ever connects the TV audio output to the surround sound, except perhaps where they ship sound bars in place of overhead surround sound. Never heard of a dealer doing so either, unless requested by the buyer.

I guess it just makes too much sense to have one sound system for TV, DVD, radio, etc. That's the way my home system is set up. The TV audio is muted and all sound goes thru the surround system.

 

[Lynn1130]

Somewhere I have a photo that I took of the small label on the inside right side of the trailer door. It is all of those federal warnings about whatever. It is on upside down. I will just leave it at that.

 

[danemayer]

I guess it just makes too much sense to have one sound system for TV, DVD, radio, etc. That's the way my home system is set up. The TV audio is muted and all sound goes thru the surround system.

Of course it makes sense. That's why so many of us install the required cables and/or devices to make it happen. That's why we have an owner-written RV Audio Connections Illustrated User Guide to help you figure it out.

I don't think anyone can do more than guess why the factory doesn't do this for us. My guess is that it would add considerable complexity to the manufacturing process because many different combinations of equipment are used on each production line, and of course equipment changes continuously. Audio output from the TV may be RCA Phone, 1/8" minijack, Digital Coax, or Optical TOS. Audio inputs on the surround sound also vary quite a bit. What works on a Cyclone might not work on a Torque because the equipment is different at different trailer price points. But they're both built on the same line.

Probably 1/2 of us add satellite receivers to the mix. My Directv DVR has to plug audio directly into the surround sound. If I run it to the TV and from TV to surround sound, there's a delay. That creates some difficulty routing other TV audio to the surround sound because the Optical TOS connection is tied up. And my Sharp TV has Digital Copyright Protection that turns off audio outputs when watching any audio/video source coming through an HDMI connection. So if I want audio from the Amazon Fire TV to go to the surround sound, I'll have to figure out some workaround.

As you dive in, you may find it to be more complicated than you expect. But maybe you'll get lucky and your connections will be simple and straightforward.

 

[sengli]

When we have taken the various factory tours, we found out the workers dont have to work a whole 8 hours day if they are fast. Basically the crews are assigned to build so many units a day. So if they get their daily allotted units completed in 5 hours, versus the 8 they can leave early. Some where this makes sense, but it can also lead to people who are in a hurry to just get it done. I am sure they are QC'd along the a process of a build, but the name of the game is, to get it done and ship it, to recognize the revenue for the completed unit.
We saw this same routine most places we have toured including DRV. So I guess it comes down to the people in the QC to catch things that aren't up their specs.

 

[Lynn1130]

Dan, Nothing I do related to electronic install ever turns out simple and straight forward. I always add 2 hours to any job I decided to do in that field just guessing that something will go wrong and I will have to spend extra time sorting it out

 

[Gary521]

A true quality operation builds quality in and does not inspect it in. When you run a piece work shop, this is the quality you get.

 

[bobca1]

True probably some variations based on customer preference more so with the audio, but I think its safe to assume that in 2015 all new TVs going into these heartlands have HDMI, so they should have wired default option to be HDMI. HUGE improvement in picture quality. Hopefully they are not sticking with RCA to save a few bucks, probably costs extra $25 for bulk hdmi cable and hdmi wall plate.

Of course it makes sense. That's why so many of us install the required cables and/or devices to make it happen. That's why we have an owner-written RV Audio Connections Illustrated User Guide to help you figure it out.

I don't think anyone can do more than guess why the factory doesn't do this for us. My guess is that it would add considerable complexity to the manufacturing process because many different combinations of equipment are used on each production line, and of course equipment changes continuously. Audio output from the TV may be RCA Phone, 1/8" minijack, Digital Coax, or Optical TOS. Audio inputs on the surround sound also vary quite a bit. What works on a Cyclone might not work on a Torque because the equipment is different at different trailer price points. But they're both built on the same line.

Probably 1/2 of us add satellite receivers to the mix. My Directv DVR has to plug audio directly into the surround sound. If I run it to the TV and from TV to surround sound, there's a delay. That creates some difficulty routing other TV audio to the surround sound because the Optical TOS connection is tied up. And my Sharp TV has Digital Copyright Protection that turns off audio outputs when watching any audio/video source coming through an HDMI connection. So if I want audio from the Amazon Fire TV to go to the surround sound, I'll have to figure out some workaround.

As you dive in, you may find it to be more complicated than you expect. But maybe you'll get lucky and your connections will be simple and straightforward.

 

[pharmafrog]

Almost the exact same punch list that I had. Add some damaged reefer doors and a bad transfer switch and we could be twins. There are so many places that they could have just added a modicum of attention to detail. It will take a sharp sales decline, a reassessment of what we have all been saying, and they will up the quality again. For a while. We are all caught in the valley of quality between the two peaks.

 

[Bohemian]

The industry is in a boom cycle. Sales are expanding. Short sighted thinking will not fix these problems.

Where do you think Heartlands main focus is, expansion, or quality?

 

[caissiel]

It's so easy to do it right the first time. Any 7 year old is told and can understand that.

It's like when I told an engineer that I needed 3 hrs to empty a tank. When he found out I was right he asked me how I knew. There was no flow meter on the line. I told him it was my basic grade 10 physic. Left him there to figure what I meant. After all he was a civil engineer.

We tend to look to far for the basics while most life experience are so simple.

Quality control start with the pride we share among employees.

 

[porthole]

"There is never enough time to do a repair correctly the first time - but there is always enough time do it correctly the second time".

That was what I use to push on my trainees when I was still in the new car field.
Most of the time you first get that "huh" look. But the smart ones pick up real fast, and those are the guys that you take under the wing.

 

[im_1406]

Thank you for posting this comprehensive 1 month list. We will be taking delivery as soon as we get some significant snow melt. Your list will be helpful. More importantly, I'm glad to hear some positive news on the major items and their relatively good quality. thanks!

I am enjoying my new 3110. Had it for just about 1 month now and have used both at RV park with hookups and primitive camping in mountains outside LA. Wanted to give some feedback at one month of ownership, so posting this for factory in case they are reading these posts, and for others that might be taking delivery of a new unit some things to look out for. There is room for improvement in Heartlands quality control processes:
1. Some of tiles behind the stove fell off the wall (dealer ordered new tiles are replaced)
2. Rear sofa feet are too short (dealer ordered new ones for me I installed)
3. Turn signal/brake light wiring messed up somewhere between pin box and chassis, both lights flash when turning (have to take back to dealer, not fixed yet)
4. Luke warm water (hot water heater bypass valve was open)
5. While in the area behind the water heater saw left over debris from mfg - wood chips from cutouts, roll of tape roof tape. Since the furnace return pulls air through this area, would be nice if this area was cleaned out prior to closing it up
6. Cutouts for the electric outlets in pass through area are sloppy, so big the outlets fall out when used
7. Seems the fuel gauge for generator might not be that accurate. It is showing just a little less that 1/4 tank (beginning of the red), and generator shut down and sputters when I try to restart it appears to be out of gas. Will know when I put some more gas in tank next week.
8. Wiring for the TV/surround sound is done incorrectly. The Sony DVD unit has HDMI out but its wired with old school RCA connectors??? Need to update the wiring to use HDMI.
9. Bracket for one of the lifts to storage under the front bed fell off (screws came out of the particle board)

Positive is that all the mechanical and appliances are working fine... and structurally these heartlands are engineered and well built and I consider this more important long term. They use higher end components (except for the towmax tires) LED lights, Norcold refrig, good hardware, aluminum framing, fiberglass exterior, well insulated, etc. But these small things would all not be that difficult to address at factory with some extra quality checks and result in increased customer satisfaction, it you want me to give you a 10/10. Anyway just hoping someone at Heartland is interested in my feedback.

 

[donr827]

JMO but I think that since sales have picked up lately that the guys on the production line have more pressure on them to put one together. This is true for all of the manufacturers.
Don