Domi
Well-known member
I have always wondered why I keep seeing posts about how long it takes Dealers to fix stuff. My experience with replacing the Fender Skirts on our North Trail showed me how it can happen.
I called Heartland and ordered the Fender Skirts on April 25th of this year. The order was processing in a timely manner and I waited for them to call and get payment when they shipped. Side note, you MUST tell them you are in the Owners Club to get your discount, they do not just apply it. After a week I was wondering where they were at and sent an E-mail asking about it. I was told that they had to order them but they should be in within a week. Waited again and finally got a call on about May 9th for payment as they had already shipped the items. They arrived on May 12th which was the day after we had left for a long trip (18 days). We arrived back and picked up the Skirts on June 1. I opened the box, pulled them out and thought they looked a bit strange. Took them out to the trailer and found out they were the wrong ones (they are for narrow suspension and I have a wide suspension). Emailed Heartland and asked what to do about this, and sent them a picture. Got a replay the next morning that they had messed up and were sending new skirts out, they were in stock this time. Asked about the other ones and was told to keep them (someones gonna get a great deal on these soon BTW). Got the new box on June 8th opened it up and found only one skirt not two like I had ordered. It was the right size but I need two. Sent another e-mail to Heartland about only getting one skirt. Got a replay the next morning, yep they messed up second one to be shipped in the next few days. Got the second skirt in on about June 16th. I know I needed to do some modifications to make it so I do not have to do this again so I finally got the skirts installed today Jun 24th. Two full months since I placed the initial order. This really let me know how it can take so long to get a Dealer to fix stuff especially if the parts get messed up. I doubt that a dealer would have been as proactive as I was once we got back from the trip.
Heartland was GREAT during this. They did not ask for more money for the extra shipping or anything. I do not fault Heartland, this was more to show how time can really slip away when things have to be shipped around the country, and why sometimes a Dealer can take for ever to get things fixed.
Now onto the repair.
Having read on here about other peoples issues and seeing some myself I determined that a few modifications needed to be added to the new fender skirts to prevent them from cracking in the future. First if you look at the back of the skirt you will notice that the holes are recessed from the edge of the skirt. This can cause cracking if you try and tighten the screws holding it on until they are very tight (cracked the old one this way a couple of times). The solution for this was to get some nylon bushings from Ace Hardware to make up the space differential (washer, double washer bushing and triple washer bushings). I also picked up new screws, washers and lock washers since I did not want them backing out any more. For the final mod I installed a stiffener between the tires at the longest part of the fender skirt to make sure it does not flop around in the western cross winds.
I think the final product looks pretty good, it is Heck for stout and should hold up for years (If I ever have to do this again it will be to soon). Took 4 hours of labor and about $20 of extra parts but she is strong now.
Pictures are attached. Hope this helps someone in the future.
John
I called Heartland and ordered the Fender Skirts on April 25th of this year. The order was processing in a timely manner and I waited for them to call and get payment when they shipped. Side note, you MUST tell them you are in the Owners Club to get your discount, they do not just apply it. After a week I was wondering where they were at and sent an E-mail asking about it. I was told that they had to order them but they should be in within a week. Waited again and finally got a call on about May 9th for payment as they had already shipped the items. They arrived on May 12th which was the day after we had left for a long trip (18 days). We arrived back and picked up the Skirts on June 1. I opened the box, pulled them out and thought they looked a bit strange. Took them out to the trailer and found out they were the wrong ones (they are for narrow suspension and I have a wide suspension). Emailed Heartland and asked what to do about this, and sent them a picture. Got a replay the next morning that they had messed up and were sending new skirts out, they were in stock this time. Asked about the other ones and was told to keep them (someones gonna get a great deal on these soon BTW). Got the new box on June 8th opened it up and found only one skirt not two like I had ordered. It was the right size but I need two. Sent another e-mail to Heartland about only getting one skirt. Got a replay the next morning, yep they messed up second one to be shipped in the next few days. Got the second skirt in on about June 16th. I know I needed to do some modifications to make it so I do not have to do this again so I finally got the skirts installed today Jun 24th. Two full months since I placed the initial order. This really let me know how it can take so long to get a Dealer to fix stuff especially if the parts get messed up. I doubt that a dealer would have been as proactive as I was once we got back from the trip.
Heartland was GREAT during this. They did not ask for more money for the extra shipping or anything. I do not fault Heartland, this was more to show how time can really slip away when things have to be shipped around the country, and why sometimes a Dealer can take for ever to get things fixed.
Now onto the repair.
Having read on here about other peoples issues and seeing some myself I determined that a few modifications needed to be added to the new fender skirts to prevent them from cracking in the future. First if you look at the back of the skirt you will notice that the holes are recessed from the edge of the skirt. This can cause cracking if you try and tighten the screws holding it on until they are very tight (cracked the old one this way a couple of times). The solution for this was to get some nylon bushings from Ace Hardware to make up the space differential (washer, double washer bushing and triple washer bushings). I also picked up new screws, washers and lock washers since I did not want them backing out any more. For the final mod I installed a stiffener between the tires at the longest part of the fender skirt to make sure it does not flop around in the western cross winds.
I think the final product looks pretty good, it is Heck for stout and should hold up for years (If I ever have to do this again it will be to soon). Took 4 hours of labor and about $20 of extra parts but she is strong now.
Pictures are attached. Hope this helps someone in the future.
John
