Help! Warranty/Repair Issues!

[MDCampingDad]

We purchased our 300BH last May and have spent about 26 nights in it throughout the camping season this year...just took it back for what would hopefully be our year-end punch list because I don't want it sitting at the dealer in the middle of prime summer camping season when our full year warranty was up...

Most of the minor issues are being corrected but we there are 3 issues we noted that FR seems to be saying are "normal" and won't be corrected but just "noted" in case they cause future problems...

1. Rear exterior wall has a "bubble" in it..more specifically about a 3'x3' section bows out a bit and if you stand with your POV perpendicular to the wall you can see it come out about 1/2"...depressing it you can visually see the rear wall panel move in and then come back out...FR Response...

The rear wall is a loose hung wall so the "bubble" is because it is not glued it is a loose panel that hangs for flex. Everything looks normal with that. No repair approved.

2. Floor damage caused by misaligned kitchen slide...the kitchen slide marred the floor, it did not tear through the vinyl flooring but left about a 1/4" wide by 3" long scratch/depression in the vinyl.

We have noted the lino floor damage, but because it is not torn and the room has been adjusted no additional repair is approved

3. Soft spot in floors...there is a large area about 2' inside the front door between the island and the couch where the floor is VERY spongy...a depression of apprx. 3/8" can be seen when standing in the "center" of said spongy spot (demo'd for dealer with a level)

Floor flexes as it should, does not appear to have any damage. We are noting it in case something else comes up in the future.

We bought this TT to be our "10 year" trailer...and the rear wall and floors really really concern me yet I'm basically being told its just "normal" and they will do nothing about it...are they trying to just get me to bend over a barrel, take it, and leave them alone? How hard do I need to fight this? IS it normal and I'm just paranoid??

[5picker]

Must of been two threads and my post got lost...

It is VERY hard for us to make a comment on your issues without being there to see them. We can only post OPINIONS about what you've expressed.

Since the issues were documented, Id take a wait and see position.

If the kitchen slide has been satisfactorily adjusted to stop any further marring, then you should be good there.

The rest... I'd go on my merry camping way and keep an eye out for further issues.

Keep track of documentation and dates and best of luck.

[hondo]

If the misaligned slide caused damage to the floor and FR says they won't repair the damage to the floor I wouldn't be happy about that at all either.

[MDCampingDad]

Given our year warranty expires at the beginning of May and we'll maybe have 1-2 2 night trips prior to that I don't have much time to keep an eye out for future issues...or does them "noting" the issue mean that in 3 years down the road if that 3/8" depression becomes a 1" depression they'll finally do something about it?

As for the marring of the flooring I'm extremely unhappy that the damage caused by their misaligned slide is simply something we just have to live with/look at...it would seem to me that it should be replaced/brought back to new...

The rear wall, I'm just looking for confirmation that it is in fact a normal/flex occurrence...

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by MDCampingDad

We purchased our 300BH last May and have spent about 26 nights in it throughout the camping season this year...just took it back for what would hopefully be our year-end punch list because I don't want it sitting at the dealer in the middle of prime summer camping season when our full year warranty was up...

Most of the minor issues are being corrected but we there are 3 issues we noted that FR seems to be saying are "normal" and won't be corrected but just "noted" in case they cause future problems...

1. Rear exterior wall has a "bubble" in it..more specifically about a 3'x3' section bows out a bit and if you stand with your POV perpendicular to the wall you can see it come out about 1/2"...depressing it you can visually see the rear wall panel move in and then come back out...FR Response...


2. Floor damage caused by misaligned kitchen slide...the kitchen slide marred the floor, it did not tear through the vinyl flooring but left about a 1/4" wide by 3" long scratch/depression in the vinyl.


3. Soft spot in floors...there is a large area about 2' inside the front door between the island and the couch where the floor is VERY spongy...a depression of apprx. 3/8" can be seen when standing in the "center" of said spongy spot (demo'd for dealer with a level)


We bought this TT to be our "10 year" trailer...and the rear wall and floors really really concern me yet I'm basically being told its just "normal" and they will do nothing about it...are they trying to just get me to bend over a barrel, take it, and leave them alone? How hard do I need to fight this? IS it normal and I'm just paranoid??

That sounds almost verbatim, what our dealer told us when we took ours in for an electrical failure. Had other issues, but got the same response you did.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by MDCampingDad

Given our year warranty expires at the beginning of May and we'll maybe have 1-2 2 night trips prior to that I don't have much time to keep an eye out for future issues...or does them "noting" the issue mean that in 3 years down the road if that 3/8" depression becomes a 1" depression they'll finally do something about it?

As for the marring of the flooring I'm extremely unhappy that the damage caused by their misaligned slide is simply something we just have to live with/look at...it would seem to me that it should be replaced/brought back to new...

The rear wall, I'm just looking for confirmation that it is in fact a normal/flex occurrence...

Understand that repairing the vinyl flooring is a HUGE undertaking.

The flooring is the first thing to go down on the sub-floor.
It runs completely to the outer edges and EVERYTHING is affixed on top of it, including the walls!

To repair a spot that isn't torn (just marred) would require a complete disassembly of the trailer... or a patch. If it isn't torn, I would not want anything done. If it is torn... that is a different story. You described it as a scratch/depression so I'm not sure.

My mother-in-law had vinyl flooring installed in their home and moving their refrigerator to clean, the refrigerator roller ran over something left a depression in the flooring. The flooring company sent a guy out with something that looked like a steam iron. He put something on the floor like a wet towel and used the iron on it and the depression went totally away.

Just a thought.

[MDCampingDad]

I've requested from the dealer to verify in writing exactly what having the issue "noted" will provide us in terms of protection down the road as far as the spongy floor spot and the rear exterior wall panel means...

And asked the dealer to tell FR that the non-repair of the floor damage from the misaligned slide is unacceptable to me and that the repair of the floor is non-negotiable...I'll await their response

[MDCampingDad]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Understand that repairing the vinyl flooring is a HUGE undertaking.

The flooring is the first thing to go down on the sub-floor.
It runs completely to the outer edges and EVERYTHING is affixed on top of it, including the walls!

In this instance, being so close to the outside edge, and directly in front of the room slide, a repair is I believe a reasonable request.

We give RV manufacturer's a heck of a lot of slack for their sloppy construction...given what we pay for these RV's we shouldn't have to "just live with it" because its difficult to repair...

Imagine if you had purchased a brand new $35k car, and a misalignment on the drivers door hinge cause it to dent and scratch the exterior of the car...would you want to "just live with it" or would you expect them to not only fix the faulty hinge, but also repair the damage the faulty hinge caused?

[Decon Blue]

Sadly FR got your $$ and now they don’t care about you. Their now more interested in the next suckers $$.

[NMWildcat]

I don't believe they will replace the entire sheet of linoleum due to reasons already given. More likely, if forced, they will repair it which will replace the scratch with a blemish or a patch.

After you use your RV more, I bet you don't even notice it anymore

And a couple of years, it will have friends to keep it company........

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

I don't believe they will replace the entire sheet of linoleum due to reasons already given. More likely, if forced, they will repair it which will replace the scratch with a blemish or a patch.

After you use your RV more, I bet you don't even notice it anymore

And a couple of years, it will have friends to keep it company........

I agree with NMWildcat, My concern would be the spot on the back wall is de-laminating or water damage; for the floor, I would drop the material on the bottom of the camper and re-enforce the floor. FYI, if you ever do get a tear in your floor you can go to Wal-mart and get a 10 dollar 3M linoleum/leather fix kit, they work wonders, I used one on my motorcycle seat when I got a small tear in it.

[MDCampingDad]

My biggest concerns are the rear wall and the spongy floor in that order...as I posted FR indicated they would "note" the issues in case of future issues...what I want is some sort of explanation of what that means, and for what length of time it means something...wasn't sure if any other had been told similar things and could shed some light on it as per their experiences...

As far as the floor, I just don't think that kind of response from a manufacturer is appropriate, and I don't think I should have to use a diy patch job on my 7 month old $35k brand new trailer...

[5picker]

Originally Posted by MDCampingDad

I've requested from the dealer to verify in writing exactly what having the issue "noted" will provide us in terms of protection down the road as far as the spongy floor spot and the rear exterior wall panel means...

And asked the dealer to tell FR that the non-repair of the floor damage from the misaligned slide is unacceptable to me and that the repair of the floor is non-negotiable...I'll await their response

Originally Posted by MDCampingDad

In this instance, being so close to the outside edge, and directly in front of the room slide, a repair is I believe a reasonable request.

We give RV manufacturer's a heck of a lot of slack for their sloppy construction...given what we pay for these RV's we shouldn't have to "just live with it" because its difficult to repair...

Imagine if you had purchased a brand new $35k car, and a misalignment on the drivers door hinge cause it to dent and scratch the exterior of the car...would you want to "just live with it" or would you expect them to not only fix the faulty hinge, but also repair the damage the faulty hinge caused?

Originally Posted by MDCampingDad

My biggest concerns are the rear wall and the spongy floor in that order...as I posted FR indicated they would "note" the issues in case of future issues...what I want is some sort of explanation of what that means, and for what length of time it means something...wasn't sure if any other had been told similar things and could shed some light on it as per their experiences...

As far as the floor, I just don't think that kind of response from a manufacturer is appropriate, and I don't think I should have to use a diy patch job on my 7 month old $35k brand new trailer...

In order...

1. Yes get it in writing and then all parties know what is/was said.

2. No I wouldn't let them get away with fixing the hinge without addressing the exterior of the car but if their 'repair' was to patch it, I'd sooner not have anything done. But we really can't compare apples and oranges.

3. You'll need to get that explanation from both FR and your dealer not us.

Advice from a handful of posters on an internet forum isn't going to do you a bit of good when push comes to shove, whether we've had prior experience or not.

Every case is different and I've seen the factory go out of their way to fix someone's very minor issue and do nothing for others whom I felt had a major complaint.

Best of luck with your issues.

[MDCampingDad]

I still have yet to hear back..surprise surprise...but I suppose I'm with you on the not wanting a patch job...I guess I was assuming it was like the vinyl plank flooring I've laid before in my house, and being so close to the outside edge wouldn't be a huge deal to pull out a few planks and replace...but if it's one gigantic sheet across the whole floor of the camper then I don't want them cutting it up and introducing new seams to wear/fail...

I also should point out I've been told by the dealer that the back wall issue is NOT delamination...that it is a hung wall and the panel is not glued to allow for "flex" and the "bubble" i'm noting is NORMAL...

So to that I ask if anyone else with a Hemisphere (or similar) that is familiar with the construction of these can shed some light on how "normal" it is...I can only go by my previous trailer, and those of the friends we have who have similar style trailers and I've yet to encounter a single one have an issue like my rear wall...if it was so NORMAL I'd suppose it would be seen often enough (even if not often enough to be within my circle of friends)...anyone?