Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Warranty Issues on my 2014 Heartland Cyclone 3110


We got a great deal on our Cyclone however perhaps it came at a price.  Perhaps the dealer knew about some of the issues associated with the trailer and neglected to mention them.  Our Cyclone is a 2014, manufactured in  2013 so it had been sitting on a lot for a while.  What follows is the list of our issues covered under warranty.  Some issues were caused by the dealer.  Most issues were covered under the warranty. Most issues were resolved in the end, but the Beast spent around two months in total at the dealer luckily in the off season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Items that were denied by Heartland:

  1. Relocate Auto Leveling Control to a sensible location.  Factory installed location was approximately 3 1/2 feet inside the compartment.  Sorry, but this is not convenient?  This just didn't make any sense but it was easy to move!
  2. Replace Tow Max Tires (AKA: Blow Max) with reliable tires. Too many horror stories.  I replaced them with Goodyear G614's.  Peace of mind!

Warrantied Issues Corrected by Dealer:

  1. Leak in one of the water tanks.
  2. Leak in one of the cross fill tank lines.
  3. Water tanks when over filled were not draining properly.(See Video)
  4. Brake Wires were resting on the Springs.  Dealer corrected one of them to satisfaction.
  5. Replaced severely cracked rubber generator exhaust pipe support.
  6. Shower Surround cracked.  Fiberglass was repaired.
  7. Screws holding hose bracket pulled out.  Dealer replaced with bigger screws.
  8. Wiring going to main slide-out burned.  Cut, re-routed to prevent grounding on Ram.
  9. Replaced Fireplace due to fan wheel problem.  New one appears to have a cosmetic defect.
  10. Blank Tank registering full when empty.
  11. Dealer emptied Blank Tank because they left the tank in the open position after working on it.
  12. Bathroom Sink had a stain.  Thought they would fix, but instead they replaced it.
  13. Molding had pulled away from the wall at the base.
  14. One of the Bedroom Drawers was not closing flush.
  15. TV in main living area was mounted crooked.  Was leaning to the right.
  16. Carpets and exterior were washed.

Dealer created issues:

  1. Failed to properly close the Refrigerator outside vent cover which flew off shortly after taking delivery.
  2. Left the valve on one of the grey tanks open after taking initial delivery.
  3. Dealer left the Black Tank in the Open position after working on it, which unfortunately went unnoticed until it was too late.
  4. Black tank drain pipe left unsecured after working on the water leak.
  5. After dropping one of the water tanks that was cracked they supposedly buttoned up the other tank so we could use the rig while the new tank was being delivered. Something else was wrong and the tank was only holding a few gallons of water.  We ran out of water very quickly as a result.  No showers!
  6. Chloroplast underbelly was only partially replaced and cracks were taped up.  Probably won't last.
  7. Did not remove old caulking under the Sink when they replaced it.  They corrected the issue.
  8. Pins were missing from the outside ladder which the dealer replaced.

Unresolved:
  1. The back wall of the New Fireplace appears to be pulled away at the bottom making more light come through behind the fake wood and it doesn't look right.
  2. One of the brake wires can still touch the Spring so i will need to address this.
  3. The Level Up jacks make a popping sound all day and all night as weight shifts.  The slightest movement will cause random popping sound that will wake you at night.
    1. Lippert recommended replacing some of the fluid with a couple quarts of Fork Oil which I have done but it didn't help.  Did it a second time with a quart of the more expensive stuff and it still pops.

Customer corrected issues:

  1. Front door piston screws were loose on one end and the other end had been repaired, but with un-matching chrome screws instead of black headed screws.
  2. Relocate Auto Leveling Control to a sensible location.
  3. Removed three loose screws left behind by the repair men that were sitting on top of one of the Jack bases directly inline and in front of the tires. 
  4. Replace Blow Max tires with Goodyear G614's. 

You may have noticed, I have not mentioned either of the two Dealers involved by name.  Many mistakes were made.  Some of them were shady and down right dumb however I am not ready to bash either one yet.  I am not ready to bash Heartland either as they took care of all of my issues so far but it will make me think twice about buying or recommending another heartland product.  Trouble is, the initial dealer could have prevented several of these issues ahead of time rather than passing them on to an unsuspecting buyer. They could have hired smarter service and delivery techs, but then they would have to charge more.

Had the selling dealer kept up on the issues they would have asked a higher price for the unit.  I probably would not have bought it had it been priced higher or if I knew about all the issues.  I would know what to look for next time but I don't plan on having a next time anytime soon.

I hope to post more positive posts in the future.  We will be testing the beast out soon on another trip to the beach so hopefully everything runs smoothly.   Soon I will be posting about some other items, problems and must haves that could have been addressed by Heartland at the factory.  I will be customizing the beast to allow for better dry camping, replacing the tires, and I need to leveling the rig to match my stock Dodge 4X4 height.  Eventually and after spending a lot more money the beast will suit our needs very nicely.  For those reading this prior to purchasing perhaps you will be more prepared before and after your purchase.  Happy Camping!