New Big Country Owner - Did We Make a Mistake

[JohnD]

By the way . . .

Earlier in this thread I said our dealership only really fixed one out of 15 warranty issues . . . but I was wrong.

They actually fixed two . . . the awning seems to work good now.

 

[kowAlski631]

I'd give Heartland a call with the VIN handy and ask them what's going on and if I can shed light on any questions they have. Would let you have both sides of the situation and would let everyone know that you're actively involved and concerned about resolution. Just my 2¢ worth.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Just so you know. Some parts are shipped by the manufacturer...not HL. Your cargo doors are made by Lippert and will be a ship direct from Lippert. Most things will be that way unless HL has the part in their warehouse. Remember HL builds a fiberglass box that they install parts from other manufacturers. Its kinda like a new house. A contractor build's the box and everything else someone/manufacturer installed. Most of the warranty item's like A/C's, Fridges, Microwaves, TV's, tires/wheels are warranted by the manufacturer...not HL. BUT, HL will go the bat for you if need be. Just my 2cts.

 

[mlpeloquin]

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.

I damaged one of my storage doors. It takes a while. The doors are ordered from Lippart. They do not stock them. but make them when ordered. The order is put in and will be done on a first come first serve basis. It did take some time. I also had to order the decals. Since yours is under warranty, you do not have to think about the details. The doors come with a new frame, locks, and keys that match the ones still on the rig. Heartland is waiting for Lippart.

 

[brianlajoie]

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.

This may not help you your current problem, but consider finding a certified RVIA/RVDA tech close to you. They make their living repairing RV's. Most will work with your warranty issues, but you need to have that work pre-approved by HL. We have used this process and was very satisfied. Another source is http://www.rvservicereviews.com/. The sooner you get on the road, the happier you will be.

 

[mtwalsh367]

Great suggestion to call Heartland. I did this and they were very helpful. Turns out my dealer delayed turning in the warranty authorization paperwork for over a week and of course they led me to believe Heartland was holding up the process. Its good to have 2 sides of the story.

 

[kowAlski631]

Great suggestion to call Heartland. I did this and they were very helpful. Turns out my dealer delayed turning in the warranty authorization paperwork for over a week and of course they led me to believe Heartland was holding up the process. Its good to have 2 sides of the story.

It's a shame you have to double check people's statements and work. Before retirement, one of my staff had an issue with the truth. Her excuse was that it hurt no one because they were "little" fibs. Wrong - and she found herself seeking an alternative career.

 

[Jarod]

I have a 2015 Heartland Big Country 3950FB. We've had two hydraulic hoses bubble up and bust. We are currently having those issues repaired.

 

[jbeletti]

I have a 2015 Heartland Big Country 3950FB. We've had two hydraulic hoses bubble up and bust. We are currently having those issues repaired.

Jarod - did the Bubble Ups occur at a fitting? I saw this once on a new unit and reported it to the factory. They traced it to a hydraulic fitting crimping tool being out of spec. This fact doesn't help your situation but I thought I'd toss out there once cause for the bubble, it you're seeing it at a connector.

 

[chipdaniel]

We are also new Big Country 4010RD owners (purchased Feb 2016) and had several issues after our walk through. One was that one of our grey tank outlet valves would not close completely. We took it back and CW said it appeared that the mechanism needed to be replaced and ordered the part. Meanwhile it appears to be working fine now. Not sure if the screening work fixed the problem or if it will re-occur.

 

[RottsNScotts]

I had the same experience with my dealer and Heartland!

Took my rig in to the dealer end of March, beginning of April so they could look at the issues I was having and order whatever parts they might need with the understanding I would bring the rig in the beginning of May for them to do the work.

Fortunately, having learned from what I read here, I started checking with the dealer's service folks a couple of weeks later.

I got the same run around/finger pointing until I actually spoke with and e mailed the rep at Heartland who told me the dealer had not submitted anything for my rig!

Shall we say I "politely" got Parts at the dealership moving and rig went in as planned.

So, thanks to all who post questions/concerns and to those who post the solutions!

It is just too bad it is necessary in situations like this.

 

[bfs]

The finish is coming off the interior trim of my 2013 BC, what should I do?

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[bfs]

I know I did with my 2013 BC, I will never buy another! HEARTLAND RV. There's not any quality anywhere, except the 6 point leveling system.

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[mtwalsh367]

Just wanted to report back on my March post of problems with the new BC now that we are one summer in. Once we were past these initial problems our experience with our BC has been great. It turns out that most of our problems were due to poor dealer prep along with a bad hydraulic valve. Other than the typical little thing here and there that would come along with any new RV our experience has been great and we are very happy with our purchase.

 

[F5miland]

I know I did with my 2013 BC, I will never buy another! HEARTLAND RV. There's not any quality anywhere, except the 6 point leveling system.

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WE Bought a 2015 BC 3950 in April last year. Found several things wrong. Sound system was dirty with lots of finger prints all over it. Drain flange gasket in the sink was a flimsy foam gasket that didn't hold the water back, so we ended up with water on the floor. Shower handles fell off. Bed mattress was a cheap piece of foam. AC was putting out very little cold air. The "Love Seat" recliner didn't recline. So we replaced just about everything. Bought two full size recliners from LazyBoy, bought a new COMFORTABLE mattress. Repaired the shower door handles. Replaced the sound system with a BOSE HOME THEATRE SOUND SYSTEM AND SPEAKERS. Replaced the sink flange gasket with Plumbers putty. The two AC's were both 13.5K's and they were replaced with two 15K's ac's. So over all we sunk a ton of $$ just to get it up to snuff.

Steve Miland
Renton, WA

 

[gasman]

Just wanted to report back on my March post of problems with the new BC now that we are one summer in. Once we were past these initial problems our experience with our BC has been great. It turns out that most of our problems were due to poor dealer prep along with a bad hydraulic valve. Other than the typical little thing here and there that would come along with any new RV our experience has been great and we are very happy with our purchase.

We are on our second Big Country and, other than a few small issues, we couldn't be happier. We are basically full-time and all is well. It helped to have a wonderful dealer who is very service oriented. Time for a shout out for Legacy RV in Salt Lake City, UT.

 

[themartinplace]

We are also new Big Country 4010RD owners (purchased Feb 2016) and had several issues after our walk through. One was that one of our grey tank outlet valves would not close completely. We took it back and CW said it appeared that the mechanism needed to be replaced and ordered the part. Meanwhile it appears to be working fine now. Not sure if the screening work fixed the problem or if it will re-occur.

We bout a 4010RD from Camping World Myrtle Beach.. worse service department ever. We have had several issues and getting resolution is never easy. I'm not sure who teaches them customer service but they are definitely lacking in that department. They brag on being a large volume dealer but can't brag on service. I work in healthcare and if I treated patients and families with the type of service that Camping World in Myrtle does, I WOULD NOT HAVE A JOB!!!!

I start getting upset just walking up to the counter because I know it isn't going to go well.

 

[THBarnett]

Just wanted to report back on my March post of problems with the new BC now that we are one summer in. Once we were past these initial problems our experience with our BC has been great. It turns out that most of our problems were due to poor dealer prep along with a bad hydraulic valve. Other than the typical little thing here and there that would come along with any new RV our experience has been great and we are very happy with our purchase.

MTWALSH367, if you don't mind what was the dealer you have had to deal with so that other people know to take their business elsewhere.

PS: TheMartinPlace I know your pain. Poor customer service is not limited to the Myrtle Beach Camping World location. I try to avoid the chain like the plague.