Fuel 352 issues?

[Ryelarto]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Anyone here have a Fuel 352 with issues? I had a horrible experience purchasing this RV but that is besides the point. Ever since I have taken delivery of my 2018 Fuel 352 I have had issues. It started with leaking water fittings then proceeded to go to drainage issues with loose drain pipes and also bad seals in my Dump valves. The next issue I've had is getting local channels with the antenna as it isn't working and all the coax cable fittings were loose throughout the entire RV. Now the latest issue is the slide bracket is broken at the top. I just want to see if anyone else is experiencing these issues as this is my first personal RV though I have camped in RVS since being a kid and never had any issues like this. I was under the impression that HEARTLAND was a reputable company and made quality RV's however I am seeing different at this time.[/font]

 

[Doubleone]

Hi Ryelarto,  Welcome to the forums.  Sorry to hear you're having issues with your new 5th-wheel.  That always sucks...  I'd think most of that would still be covered under your warranty.  Each of those are the little 'nag' and 'nickel-dime' type problems that plague most every new RV.  I have a friend who got an uber posh Grand Design with five slides... a real palace on wheels.  He totally regrets getting it and tells me similar stories about build quality issues, ghost activation of the blue tooth control, lights, ceiling fans.  Funky design, he needs to open two slides just to access the toilet if we stop at side of the road.  When we were traveling across country those new spiffy flat side windows kept vibrating open and would  flail in the wind.  We had to completely duct tape them closed just so he could get it back home.  Other 5th-wheel owners came up telling stories of same types of issues.  It seems crap quality is par for the course... 

A few things my buddy told me he'd do differently if he had a do-over...  1.) He'd have bought a much smaller rig or older class C like mine.  2.) He'd immediately change out the cheap OEM tires that came with the rig to avoid the $10k in side damage that happened when an OEM tire peeled and wiped out the whole side. 3.) He'd install a tire pressure monitor system before towing the rig, since he didn't realize when the tire blew and kept driving...  

About the only thing you can do is to keep working through those problems.  Slowly and surely they'll become less and less.  The more you use the rig the more you can keep it in good working order.  Sitting in storage can sometimes be the worst thing for RV's.

 

[maki2]

The more features the more there is for the workers in the factory to get wrong. Hiring experienced help is difficult for most seasonal driven manufacturing businesses as they can't afford to keep on a full staff during the slow months of the year. That makes for a very high turnover of employees.