Water heater installation repair outcome.

[Tail_gunner]

Recently I indicated on another thread how my water heater was not properly installed at the factory and how I had to take my trailer back to the dealer to get it fixed, see: Quality Better If Special Ordered?

I contacted Jayco and explained the issue. I explained how I incurred expenses because somebody on the production line did not do their job properly in putting the water heater into our new camper. They installed it on top of the gas hose, pinching the hose off, and preventing the water heater from functioning. The problem came to light when we for the first time tried to use the water heater on gas and it failed to function.

It was and still is, my position that this was a problem that existed before the trailer left the production building. It is my expectation that for the money, I should have received a defect free RV. And as such it should not be a warranty matter, but a matter of faulty workmanship. Had the water heater person done their job correctly, I wouldn't have had to spend my fuel and time in towing the camper the 175 or so miles round trip to get a production flaw fixed.

After communicating with Jayco back and forth a few times, they refused to agree it was anything other than a warranty issue and denied my request for reimbursement for my expenses. So bottom line I'm out 18 gallons of diesel fuel and 8 hours of my time because someone did not do their job correctly.

[Mainenebula]

Kent -

I understand your frustration but that should have been caught during the walk thru with the dealer. Did they not test it in your presence? I would take it up with the dealer before I beat on Jayco.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Mainenebula

Kent -

I understand your frustration but that should have been caught during the walk thru with the dealer. Did they not test it in your presence? I would take it up with the dealer before I beat on Jayco.

X2 Look at the "Sticker" for lack of a better word and you will see you paid probably $300 or more for dealer prep and PDI.

[Crabman]

I see where you are coming from but I do not believe any of the RV makers will reimburse for travel expenses due to a warranty issue, weather its a defective part or poor workmanship...It stinks because in many cases getting the trailer to and from the dealer costs much more then the repair would due to fuel costs and time lost, but unfortunately that`s the way it is.

[exjay1]

That should have been caught at the initial walk through let along should have never left the factory that way to begin with.

[Donr827]

When the dealer did the PDI on your trailer they should have caught the problem. I always arrange to stay at a CG near the dealer or at the dealer for at least one night to try out all of the systems.
Don

[mcfarmall]

I feel your pain. You have to remember that RV manufacturers don't people who are detail oriented as such. They hire people who can work fast and get onto the next unit while flirting with the upholstery girl.

[Threebutchers]

Ken....that is unfortunate. But I cant think of a single product you can buy that reimburses you for loss / damages. We wouldn't have enough courtrooms in the world to settle the individual claims.

"Parts and Labor"

[troutslayer]

A frustrating situation for sure but, IMHO Jayco is doing what they should to rectify the problem. I can think of several scenarios where you would have incurred a lot less OR a lot more expense and I don't think Jayco is responsible for costs outside of fixing the actual problem. Again, this is just my opinion

[tinlizzie23]

Most of the above comments are also true in other industries. For example, my employer runs an automotive shop. When we do a job on a customer car, and something goes wrong, like a new part fails, we will replace the part, at no charge to the customer, but we will NOT reimburse him for time spent to return the car to us for the re-repair, nor do we reimburse him for his gasoline expenses to bring the car back. Most customers understand this, and the subject rarely even comes up.

[Tail_gunner]

I’ll agree that if a part failed, then replacement of the part is all you should expect to see. But I’m not talking about a part or component failure. What I’m getting at is somebody who is doing their job in a ‘It’s Friday and I don’t give a damn' manner.

Also, I understand that even though things are done correctly, sometimes things still fail and need to be redone. But I am trying to differentiate between work that is properly done which fails later, and work that is done incorrectly and is wrong from the start. A responsible party who does their work in a sloppy fashion should be responsible for any after effects. In my profession, I am held accountable for the soundness and quality of my work. Failure to do so and I risk having the FAA pull my license or even worse, harm could occur to those who might later fly on the airplane. That being said, I expect no more from others than what is expected from me. Maybe that helps explain my frustration in this matter. I am also pretty sure Jayco has a quality assurance or control department. Since both production and quality assurance failed to detect the condition, I am very hesitant to place blame on the dealer since they were at least 3rd in line in catching problems. The dealer all along has been good is doing what they can to make me happy.

Now I’m not trying to make a big deal out of an isolated issue either. This matter seems part of a trend. The water heater was not the only thing I've found since bringing the trailer home. There were several, mostly were minor issues I fixed myself or just decided to overlook. But not all of them where minor in my book: see Are there things you'd like Jayco to change/ Better quality control at the factory. This is our 3rd new Jayco camper purchased since 2000. The number of issues on this one far exceed those found of the other two combined.

As far as catching the problem during the PDI, I can't say exactly what was, and what wasn't looked at. I didn't see a completed PDI checklist. I was shown through the trailer during the walk-thru. And since I am an experienced TT owner, we focused on those things I did not have on my previous trailer like dual tank water system, power awning, slideout, rear sliding cargo rack and electric stab jacks. But I'm willing to bet that water heater gas hoses are now getting a little more scrutiny during the PDI.