Forum Discussion

mcshelll's avatar
mcshelll
Explorer
May 29, 2015

Trouble with slide outs getting repaired

My husband and I bought a used fifth wheel (2007 Heartland Big Country) in early May only to find it has some issues with the hydraulics of the slide outs. We bought this rv to go on a big trip in July. We purchased it in another state so the dealer authorized repair at a local dealer. The problem is we waited two weeks for an appointment and took it then, May 20th. They checked it out for 4 hours and then pulled it out of the shop to wait for diagnostics equipment to be sent form the manufacturer. It has been sitting and will still be sitting until June 8th when they will look at it again. They will try to diagnose the issue that day, but then we have to wait for parts and again wait for another appointment. This all seems really wrong to me but my husband seems to think this is how a really place has to handle it. I don't think our rv will be fixed at this rate by July. I have not even set up thing in this rv and we have not done a test run before our big trip. This is our very first rv so I would like to know if this is what others experience when repairs are needed?
  • RAS43's avatar
    RAS43
    Explorer III
    Not defending the dealer but the OP may have a trailer with multiple slides that work off one switch and move in/out one after another. They may be more difficult to diagnose then a unit that has individual controls for each slide. Just saying.
    Glad the OP got help from the selling dealer.
  • That is true, we do have three slides that operate from one button. I do know this dealer is very busy too. However, I did not understand waiting so long after already waiting for the first appt. That was May 20th and now they will not look at it again until June 8th. Then they would order parts and we would wait for another appt. All that waiting I do not get. So we are taking it back to the dealer we purchased it from and hope they fix it quickly. They are aware we have a trip scheduled and they take responsibilty for all repairs as it was this way when we bought it. We were unaware until we drove home with it. The slide outs came out as it was being driven. We have it home now to drive to Tulsa tomorrow, all slide outs are out about 4-6 inches.
  • If you have the manual for the slide system, there should be a procedure in it for opening/closing the slides manually. If you get them closed, put a slide lock (if you don't have them, they can be made with a simple piece of wood cut to the right length) in each slide to prevent them from coming out while moving. Good Luck!
  • Sorry I forgot to update this. We ended up taking the rv back to the dealer we bought it from. They were going to fix it for for us, but they gave us back every penny we paid for it and we bought a new fifth wheel instead.
  • Congrats on the new purchase. What did ya get?
    We bought a new unit form out of town recently and during our trip home realized a mistake was made as the usability of some things. We actually took a bit of a loss, but overall ended up in a decent deal. We traded locally and now have a few warranty issues. I guess where I am going with this is use everything to its fullest, electric, gas, batteries, on and off of dry camping, full hook ups etc. Keep a pad of paper and pen a list everything from the loose screw to the misaligned door, trim inside and out. Do a super good usage on your "Shake Out" trip, "Maiden Voyage" or whatever you want to call it. As soon as you know of items, notify your dealer and get an appointment to drop it off, let them fix everything under warranty. Obviously there will be some things you need to adjust, tighten etc. to prevent additional or further damage, but log those items too and make sure the warranty is still covering items. They need to understand that simple adjustment if any you made were in the best interest of the coach and prevention of further issues. Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !