New Big Country Owner - Did We Make a Mistake

[mtwalsh367]

My wife and I are the new owners of a BC 3070. We had been thinking about trading in our Keystone TT for some time and really fell in love with this BC model. We finally made the purchase and were so excited to pick it up. Everything was going well with our walk through until we discovered that the main hydraulic line coming from the pump had a big bubble in it. We stopped the walk through so the dealer could go purchase and install a new hose while they also took care of a few minor things we identified during the walk through. They did this quickly so they could get us on the road without having to make a second trip. By the time the work was completed it was getting late in the day but we were able to hook up and take the unit home.

The next day I woke up early to go get familiar with the new unit. After spending several hours working with the unit I was very disappointed and pretty concerned. This is a list of the problems I came up with after just a few hours.

- major problem: The middle hydraulic leveling jacks were not extending and the front and rear jacks were doing all the work. I called Lippert to ask them if I was following the right instructions they had provided with the unt. They confirmed I was operating the leveling system correctly and expressed some concern that by lifting the unit without the middle jacks working this was causing stress on the frame. They said I needed to get it into the shop. The current status on this is that the dealer is still working to resolve the problem.
- major problem: While lowering the landing gear to unhook from my truck I ran into a very weird problem. As soon as the landing gear hit the ground and started taking on weight the slides started to come out. By the time I could raise the unit enough to unhitch it the slides were all the way out. I put them back in and tried it again and had the same problem. This is currently being repaired and sounds like it was a valve problem.
- moderate problem: The awning was making a loud popping sound when opening and the dealer is ordering replacement parts.
- minor problem: The 2 extra chairs were not in the unit and the dealer had to order them.
- minor problem: The lights under the kitchen island would not work
- minor problem: Several of the cabinet doors are hitting each other when closed and are rubbing the finish off. They are had already been adjusted as far out as possible so I'll have to do some minor modifications to keep the doors from rubbing each other.
- minor problem: There is a small hydraulic leak near the pump.

So if this is what I found after just a few hours of working with my new RV then I'm concerned that more problems are sure to follow. My past Keystone TT did not have a hydraulic system. Should I expect that hydraulic systems are problematic? Has anyone else had these types of problems with a new RV? I can't understand how something can make it out of the factory and then the dealer with these types of problems. Hopefully when I get this back from the dealer I won't find any other significant problems. Maybe finding these types of problems with a new unit is more common than I would think. I'm curious to know if others have had these types of problems with a new BC

 

[danemayer]

Hi mtwalsh367,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

Reading through your narrative, I'd just make one observation: your dealer replaced the main hydraulic line, hurrying to get the job done and get you on the road. Your major problems with the middle jacks, stuck valve, and hydraulic leak could very well have been a result of their hurry-up job. And even if the problems were unrelated to their work, had they done even a little testing after the repair, they would have seen and corrected these problems before letting you go.

 

[chaplady]

We purchased a Big Country last year and found during intial walk through some minor alignment issues with cabinet doors and drawers. That was really about it. The day we went back to pick it up dealer had it fully booked up electric water etc with a mechanic to do pdi and explain everything to us. We spent about 4 hours with him learning , running slides in and out using level up, hot water heater ,electronics. Dealer prep was spot on.

 

[jbeletti]

mtwalsh,

Sounds like a hydro plumbing issue that can be quickly resolved is the tech is competent on the system. Coaching from Lippert should help.

Couple days from now and I think you'll be looking at your new purchase with a happy face.

 

[TravelTiger]

We just purchased our BC last month. Upon PDI, we discovered a few minor issues that I was surprised slipped through since they had a few weeks to prep the unit before we did our walkthrough. I think you'll find a few things that crop up after you've used it a bit, but nothing that should inhibit your camping. This coach has more bells and whistles than our previous one, so naturally, more areas where something could go wrong. So far, we are loving it! Even when the TV went out the day before the Super Bowl! Heartland has been great to deal with, and hopefully our warranty issues are few and far between.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Feel free to grab my PDI document in my signature below, and run through it on your RV before you bring it home again. You might catch more little things now, that will help avoid some other issues down the road

 

[JohnD]

Also try reading online reviews of your dealer's repair department.

Wish I had done that before I let them attempt to do the warranty repair list.

Out of 15 items . . . only one actually got fixed after they had our trailer 10 weeks.

Plus a couple of new problems that were not there before we dropped it off!

 

['Lil Guy']

1st, congrats on your new Big Country and welcome to the forum. I hate to see your 1st post read this way but your hydraulic issues are easily correctable from a competent service department. Like Jim says, you'll put on a happy face when you get these issues corrected. Congrats on your new rig and hope to see you down the road.

 

[kowAlski631]

We remember how all we wanted to do at the dealer's was to "hook 'er up" and get on the road. But we took our time, found 95% of the small problems (no major) and thoroughly checked the fixes before we completed the sale.

Just observing that your 2 major (& 1 minor) issues that revolve around the hydraulic system, wonder why the dealer didn't put the entire system through its paces before letting you hit the road.

 

[Capt7383]

At least your black tank didnt leak within the first 4 months. Dont ask

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

 

[RoadJunkie]

I call this the "slap-down" phase of buying any complex RV. You've done your research and paid your money to fulfill your vision of camping happily ever after. Then WHAM! Expectations are now shattered because the product--an therefore your vision--has shown it's warts. Fortunately, for most of us, this is a short phase that doesn't prevent us from enjoying all the long term benefits of owning our RVs. It might not be easy, but roll with the punches and maintain a positive and cooperative relationship with your repair team to get on the road as quickly as possible. If you can, do repairs yourself; This is important to developing a thorough understanding of the "personality" of your RV.

 

[sjandbj]

Welcome to the Heartland, and especially the Big Country, family. All these problems should have been caught by the dealer before you ever stepped foot in the new rig. I had several little things that my wife and I caught during the PDI. Most of them were small scratches and items that got lose during the transport to Nevada from the factory. The big item was that the factory forgot to install the microwave /convection oven that was on the order. In the 1 year of the warranty I have had to replace the fantastic fan since it burned up, seal the windows and several other minor things. I found it easier to do the repairs myself than try to get it into the dealer. They were always so busy. Heartland had no problem sending me the parts. We have been pleased with our rig so far. I think once you get through the hydraulic problems you will have a happier time with your new 5[SUP]th[/SUP] wheel. I wish the best getting the problems resolved and put behind you.
Regards,
Steve

 

[Shortest Straw]

I call this the "slap-down" phase of buying any complex RV. You've done your research and paid your money to fulfill your vision of camping happily ever after. Then WHAM! Expectations are now shattered because the product--an therefore your vision--has shown it's warts. Fortunately, for most of us, this is a short phase that doesn't prevent us from enjoying all the long term benefits of owning our RVs. It might not be easy, but roll with the punches and maintain a positive and cooperative relationship with your repair team to get on the road as quickly as possible. If you can, do repairs yourself; This is important to developing a thorough understanding of the "personally" of your RV.

That is a good way to label it, "The Slap-down Phase". We knew that buying our new rig, which is much bigger that all of our previous rigs was going to come with obstacles. We have almost all of our list of warranty work taken care of. We are waiting on two outside storage doors which are not closing properly. Heartland is dragging their feet on them. Anyway, on my last trip to the dealer for some more work, our washer/dryer door disintegrated into about 7 pieces while closed. Should it have happened? No. But it did. While we hope nothing else goes wrong we do expect it and try and mitigate things by checking and inspecting.

 

[farside291]

We had our share of problems with ours also. The first year it spent more time in the shop then on the road. But now the issues have been fixed and were looking forward to enjoying our new trailer. I don't believe you can find a unit with the build quality and features at this price point. Even with all the issues we've had we love our new Big Country.

 

[danemayer]

We are waiting on two outside storage doors which are not closing properly. Heartland is dragging their feet on them.

You can find out what's going on with parts orders by contacting Heartland directly. Call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready. They can tell you when the parts were ordered and when they'll ship.

Btw, I've never heard of replacing outside storage doors because they're not closing properly. It's possible the dealer's diagnosis is being questioned with a request for additional information.

 

[RoadJunkie]

Btw, I've never heard of replacing outside storage doors because they're not closing properly. It's possible the dealer's diagnosis is being questioned with a request for additional information.

I had a basement storage door replaced on my Bighorn, as well. I don't know that an alternative to replacement was considered, but replacement was the selected solution.

 

[Shortest Straw]

Btw, I've never heard of replacing outside storage doors because they're not closing properly. It's possible the dealer's diagnosis is being questioned with a request for additional information.

No I have been staying on top of this because it looks like our entry door will be getting replaced soon as well. Heartland initially told them to adjust them but that did not work. It is obvious they are bowed especially the front one under the overhang. That door is installed so cattywhumpus I have to put a shoulder into it to get it locked. They are still operational just hitting in one corner or the other when you try to close them. Warranty for them was approved about three weeks ago. In that time we have received the new awning and a new passenger side front window from when the dealer hit our rig.

 

[mtwalsh367]

Thanks everyone for all of the comments. Its great to know there is a strong community for Heartland products. Its also comforting to hear that other people have had problems and that they do get resolved and in the end they are happy with their BC. We will continue to work with our dealer and hope the warranty process goes smoothly. Right now we are waiting for approval which sounds like its Heartlands way of reviewing warranty work before it can be done.

One lesson we learned based on comments here is to take your time and go through everything in the walk through. Don't count on the dealer to have done a thorough job going through everything before you get there (I'm sure there are plenty of good dealers that do a better job). If we had discovered the major issues and held off on the purchase until they were resolved I'm sure the dealer would be more motivated to quickly get the repairs completed. Its almost camping time here so hopefully we will be back on the road soon.

 

[TravelTiger]

Thanks everyone for all of the comments. Its great to know there is a strong community for Heartland products. Its also comforting to hear that other people have had problems and that they do get resolved and in the end they are happy with their BC. We will continue to work with our dealer and hope the warranty process goes smoothly. Right now we are waiting for approval which sounds like its Heartlands way of reviewing warranty work before it can be done.

One lesson we learned based on comments here is to take your time and go through everything in the walk through. Don't count on the dealer to have done a thorough job going through everything before you get there (I'm sure there are plenty of good dealers that do a better job). If we had discovered the major issues and held off on the purchase until they were resolved I'm sure the dealer would be more motivated to quickly get the repairs completed. Its almost camping time here so hopefully we will be back on the road soon.

You can also call HL and find out what the status is of the warranty claims, if they've ordered parts, etc.

I inquired directly to HL regarding a few issues and they got back to me the same day or next day.


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[JohnD]

One lesson we learned based on comments here is to take your time and go through everything in the walk through. Don't count on the dealer to have done a thorough job going through everything before you get there (I'm sure there are plenty of good dealers that do a better job). If we had discovered the major issues and held off on the purchase until they were resolved I'm sure the dealer would be more motivated to quickly get the repairs completed. Its almost camping time here so hopefully we will be back on the road soon.

There are lots of issues that can be found during a PDI that could take more than a few minutes or hours to resolve, so holding up the paperwork most likely won't work in most scenarios.

Not to mention that there are many things you won't find until you are out actually using the RV!