Hoping it gets better...

[Hilldweller]

Communication breakdown. Not just a Led Zeppelin song.

After Kevin had first contacted me and asked for order numbers on the parts so he could try to expedite the shipping, I contacted Blue several times and tried to get them to provide the info. It never worked. So on Saturday (9/26) I used their website's text feature to request the info; didn't get a reply.
But then I drove up on Sunday the 27th. Nobody from Service there --- I already posted about that visit. And the more productive visit on Wednesday the 30th. Seemed we were making progress. Graham said he'd get back to me by Wednesday evening or Thursday. Haven't heard a peep. But I did get a text back from Service Friday Oct 2 late in the afternoon with the order numbers ---- that Jara had already given me and Kevin already has. They don't talk to each other.

So it's been effectively radio silence. I really thought that Graham would honor his word; he has that sort of way about him, good handshake, looks you in the eye.

sigh

 

[Jwtsg]

very frustrating journey to date,,,am sorry for your frustrations,,,,I would recommend you reach out to Bill Martin,,,Alliance VP, Customer Experience and ask him to review your logged effort’s & frustration to date,,,and request he insert himself into resolution of your situation & get back to you with a plan, a dedicated customer service advocate, to serve as point of contact and follow-up coordination of the various parties to short circuit all of your frustration. can Be found in Staff members, under Members heading at top of forum main page using the email icon on his contact page in upper RH. corner. It facilitates the private conversation with Bill & have heard, and witnessed other members experiences, that he is quite responsive and committed to helpinG these situationsget back on track.
https://alliancervowners.com/forum/members/bill-martin.4/ hope this works Good luck! 👍🤞🍀🌞

 

[Hilldweller]

I shot him a note; thank you.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Alliance has reduced their manufacturing to four days. Camping World is closing some locations.

I would venture to say this is a typical Winter schedule. BTW...where did you read that they were going to 4 days vs 5 days?

 

[Hilldweller]

Read info on line.

At the time of purchase, the info online was conflicting. The Blue Compass website had the unit listed coming with 400 W of solar. There was a flyer inside the unit that said 200 watts of solar. YouTube was giving me similar results. That’s why I called the salesman up and asked him to check. He got back to me and very elatedly told me that it was a single 400 W panel on the roof. That’s when I told him that he just sold the trailer

 

[Hilldweller]

Radio silence continues.

 

[Fishfnatic]

Could you pick up and and get a mobile tech that works with warranties to correct problems and use unit until parts come in? At least you could use it.

 

[Hilldweller]

It’s kind of not usable without a kitchen cabinet.
I’m pretty confident that they will remedy the warranty problems.
But what I am not confident about is that they will stand behind their sales person, back up his assurance about the 400 W of solar. In which case I would have to carry a portable solar array of about 300 W and probably change the solar controller.

 

[Fishfnatic]

It’s kind of not usable without a kitchen cabinet.
I’m pretty confident that they will remedy the warranty problems.
But what I am not confident about is that they will stand behind their sales person, back up his assurance about the 400 W of solar. In which case I would have to carry a portable solar array of about 300 W and probably change the solar controller.

Looking back at earlier posts dealer should have gotten you another trailer if it had that much damage. I doubt they will honor what salesman said either.

 

[Hilldweller]

I just emailed Graham, the sales manager. It’s never too late to do the right thing

 

[Hilldweller]

Start the happy dance music please. I just heard back from Graham and the general manager of the dealership has agreed to back up their sales person and they are installing an additional 200 W solar panel free of charge.
That goes a long long way and restoring my faith in the dealership and the brand.
… now I just need the trailer and a couple of beers and get camping.

 

[Hilldweller]

I just traded up to a bigger pony to pull the trailer

 

[Oregon_Camper]

I just traded up to a bigger pony to pull the trailer

Nice!! Gotta love a new truck. Congrats!

 

[Midnight Rider]

Nothing better than the smell inside a new truck!

 

[Jwtsg]

Congratulations & safe travels 👍🌞🍀!

 

[Hilldweller]

Gabriel, the sales dude, texted me this afternoon. Said he would check my battery and solar status tomorrow for my delivery on Saturday.
Which was a surprise because I had been told that the parts would only arrive there today, best-case scenario.
But, cool is cool. I emailed the service manager and he confirmed that the last parts did arrive today and the trailer was in the service bay at that moment getting everything finished.

So, if it's for-real this time, I'll have a trailer this weekend. I have to put some more miles on the Ram before I tow so I think I'll run up there on Friday to check the battery, solar, and other repairs.

 

[Hilldweller]

Gabriel, the sales dude, texted me this afternoon. Said he would check my battery and solar status tomorrow for my delivery on Saturday.
Which was a surprise because I had been told that the parts would only arrive there today, best-case scenario.
But, cool is cool. I emailed the service manager and he confirmed that the last parts did arrive today and the trailer was in the service bay at that moment getting everything finished.

So, if it's for-real this time, I'll have a trailer this weekend. I have to put some more miles on the Ram before I tow so I think I'll run up there on Friday to check the battery, solar, and other repairs.

sigh

I did run up to Blue Compass yesterday. Remember that it's 75 miles each way, new 6.4L HEMI @ around 15 mpgs.

They were happy and proud. Detail girl was in the lot cleaning my trailer. They thought I was there to take it home. I said, "let me test everything first..."

I turned on the app to check the battery; it was on shore power with everything in the trailer turned on. Battery was charging and looked pretty happy at 39% soc. So I turned off the breaker, cut the shore power to see what the solar panels (two of them now) were doing.
Battery immediately became unhappy. Still at 39% but discharging. 13.2 volts and -4.6 amps in the hole, or -60.7 watts.
It was a perfect solar day. Bright sunshine, no clouds. The fridge was running, already cold, lights were on. No other 12v consumers. So I turned off everything that was drawing current and checked the battery and Victron controller. The battery said it was getting 10.2 amps or 135.7 watts. From two panels in bright sunshine? Huh? My portable 200w suitcase puts out close to 14 amps in the same conditions. Two 200 watt panels should be well over 20 amps, hopefully closer to 25.
I told the detail girl and her eyes glazed over. She went to get a tech.
Two techs came out. The poked and prodded, got on the roof, checked the panels. Got out their meters. Verified that it looked like only the original panel was charging the battery. Panel #1 was pushing 20v to the controller; that's nominal. Panel #2 was pushing 40v for some reason.
Wasn't getting to the controller. I've been playing with solar for 18 years and haven't seen anything like this. It's either the wrong kind of panel, broken, or wired wrong.
Then back inside the trailer I checked the things that had been broken and were supposed to be fixed. The sink cabinet, counter extension, and trash door all looked perfect. Nicely done. The GFCI outlets that were backassward wired were fixed.
The two USB-C outlets in the theater seats still didn't work. And when I checked the A/C outlet above the sink in the bathroom, the bottom of the cabinet fell out. Ooopsie.

I left there in a sour mood. My wife spoke with the sales manager Graham on the phone --- she's from Brasil and has a Latin temper. I'm pretty sure she threatened his genitals but I'm not certain. It's hard to keep up with Portuguese obscenities.

The other funny thing.
When I told them that I traded my 1500 with a class-4 hitch for a 2500 with a class-5 hitch, the service guy told me that I'd need a 3" to 2.5" adapter. Which I found odd. I knew he wasn't correct but a found an Amazon vendor with a kit that contained a 3" to 2.5", a 2.5" to 2", and a nice coupler lock all together. I grabbed the hitch at the dealer and sure enough it was a 2". So they even got that wrong. But, expecting them to be wrong, I brought the right gear with me.

At this point I think Alliance should send a factory tech to the dealership to fix the solar issue. I'd declare victory at that point and fix the other things my damn self. But I want the solar sorted out, the roof warranty is at the back of my mind for that.

One fail after another. They really really looked embarrassed at the dealership. And they should be.

 

[Jwtsg]

sigh

I did run up to Blue Compass yesterday. Remember that it's 75 miles each way, new 6.4L HEMI @ around 15 mpgs.

They were happy and proud. Detail girl was in the lot cleaning my trailer. They thought I was there to take it home. I said, "let me test everything first..."

I turned on the app to check the battery; it was on shore power with everything in the trailer turned on. Battery was charging and looked pretty happy at 39% soc. So I turned off the breaker, cut the shore power to see what the solar panels (two of them now) were doing.
Battery immediately became unhappy. Still at 39% but discharging. 13.2 volts and -4.6 amps in the hole, or -60.7 watts.
It was a perfect solar day. Bright sunshine, no clouds. The fridge was running, already cold, lights were on. No other 12v consumers. So I turned off everything that was drawing current and checked the battery and Victron controller. The battery said it was getting 10.2 amps or 135.7 watts. From two panels in bright sunshine? Huh? My portable 200w suitcase puts out close to 14 amps in the same conditions. Two 200 watt panels should be well over 20 amps, hopefully closer to 25.
I told the detail girl and her eyes glazed over. She went to get a tech.
Two techs came out. The poked and prodded, got on the roof, checked the panels. Got out their meters. Verified that it looked like only the original panel was charging the battery. Panel #1 was pushing 20v to the controller; that's nominal. Panel #2 was pushing 40v for some reason.
Wasn't getting to the controller. I've been playing with solar for 18 years and haven't seen anything like this. It's either the wrong kind of panel, broken, or wired wrong.
Then back inside the trailer I checked the things that had been broken and were supposed to be fixed. The sink cabinet, counter extension, and trash door all looked perfect. Nicely done. The GFCI outlets that were backassward wired were fixed.
The two USB-C outlets in the theater seats still didn't work. And when I checked the A/C outlet above the sink in the bathroom, the bottom of the cabinet fell out. Ooopsie.

I left there in a sour mood. My wife spoke with the sales manager Graham on the phone --- she's from Brasil and has a Latin temper. I'm pretty sure she threatened his genitals but I'm not certain. It's hard to keep up with Portuguese obscenities.

The other funny thing.
When I told them that I traded my 1500 with a class-4 hitch for a 2500 with a class-5 hitch, the service guy told me that I'd need a 3" to 2.5" adapter. Which I found odd. I knew he wasn't correct but a found an Amazon vendor with a kit that contained a 3" to 2.5", a 2.5" to 2", and a nice coupler lock all together. I grabbed the hitch at the dealer and sure enough it was a 2". So they even got that wrong. But, expecting them to be wrong, I brought the right gear with me.

At this point I think Alliance should send a factory tech to the dealership to fix the solar issue. I'd declare victory at that point and fix the other things my damn self. But I want the solar sorted out, the roof warranty is at the back of my mind for that.

One fail after another. They really really looked embarrassed at the dealership. And they should be.

I feel your frustration,,,but on the bright side, that was the purpose of your trip. I offer these suggestions for your consideration. If there is no pain,,,they will not feel the lesson.
Recommend you consider requesting:
1). your next visit, the dealership respective techs sign off in writing w dates they have repaired, tested, & approved each item.
2), In adddition recommend that the service manager also sign off on the techs work & date,,,& those Compiled sign offs be signed off by the Sales manager , & his boss.
3). May want to recommend they consider a store 6 month credit voucher be issued to you for the $ amount this trip cost you because, had you not made this check trip,
4). Suggest, that you feel , at the least, gift card for an nice dinner for you & your wife for loss of use of your rig as you would dealing w their lack of proper QA/QC & forced to revisit them at that time.
5). Would also recommend the sales mgr, service mgr, salesman, & appropriate responsible service techs are on site & attend your final walkthrough. Feels to me would be the correct steps in trying to assure their customer feels valued and cared for.
If the refuse,,,a good question to ask would be why, and tell them their option is to learn Portuguese 😡

 

[BryanValRox]

sigh

I did run up to Blue Compass yesterday. Remember that it's 75 miles each way, new 6.4L HEMI @ around 15 mpgs.

They were happy and proud. Detail girl was in the lot cleaning my trailer. They thought I was there to take it home. I said, "let me test everything first..."

I turned on the app to check the battery; it was on shore power with everything in the trailer turned on. Battery was charging and looked pretty happy at 39% soc. So I turned off the breaker, cut the shore power to see what the solar panels (two of them now) were doing.
Battery immediately became unhappy. Still at 39% but discharging. 13.2 volts and -4.6 amps in the hole, or -60.7 watts.
It was a perfect solar day. Bright sunshine, no clouds. The fridge was running, already cold, lights were on. No other 12v consumers. So I turned off everything that was drawing current and checked the battery and Victron controller. The battery said it was getting 10.2 amps or 135.7 watts. From two panels in bright sunshine? Huh? My portable 200w suitcase puts out close to 14 amps in the same conditions. Two 200 watt panels should be well over 20 amps, hopefully closer to 25.
I told the detail girl and her eyes glazed over. She went to get a tech.
Two techs came out. The poked and prodded, got on the roof, checked the panels. Got out their meters. Verified that it looked like only the original panel was charging the battery. Panel #1 was pushing 20v to the controller; that's nominal. Panel #2 was pushing 40v for some reason.
Wasn't getting to the controller. I've been playing with solar for 18 years and haven't seen anything like this. It's either the wrong kind of panel, broken, or wired wrong.
Then back inside the trailer I checked the things that had been broken and were supposed to be fixed. The sink cabinet, counter extension, and trash door all looked perfect. Nicely done. The GFCI outlets that were backassward wired were fixed.
The two USB-C outlets in the theater seats still didn't work. And when I checked the A/C outlet above the sink in the bathroom, the bottom of the cabinet fell out. Ooopsie.

I left there in a sour mood. My wife spoke with the sales manager Graham on the phone --- she's from Brasil and has a Latin temper. I'm pretty sure she threatened his genitals but I'm not certain. It's hard to keep up with Portuguese obscenities.

The other funny thing.
When I told them that I traded my 1500 with a class-4 hitch for a 2500 with a class-5 hitch, the service guy told me that I'd need a 3" to 2.5" adapter. Which I found odd. I knew he wasn't correct but a found an Amazon vendor with a kit that contained a 3" to 2.5", a 2.5" to 2", and a nice coupler lock all together. I grabbed the hitch at the dealer and sure enough it was a 2". So they even got that wrong. But, expecting them to be wrong, I brought the right gear with me.

At this point I think Alliance should send a factory tech to the dealership to fix the solar issue. I'd declare victory at that point and fix the other things my damn self. But I want the solar sorted out, the roof warranty is at the back of my mind for that.

One fail after another. They really really looked embarrassed at the dealership. And they should be.

So sorry your having all of these issues! Hold their feet to the fire and make sure the rig meets your FULL expectations before taking it home.

Your write up is excellent, however one thing is nagging at me. If I followed your documentation correctly. You indicated the you noted a 39% SOC with it plugged into shore power. As you know , if both masters are on(assuming you have one for 12v and one for Solar) Both the converter and panels should be charging the battery. So a 39% SOC seems odd. Secondly, your comment about a 39%SOC while showing 13.2 volts, with shore power unplugged?
What type of battery? FLA or Lithium, either way that voltage (assuming no active charge source) would indicate a fully charged battery.(or almost with Lithium).
So, I am wondering has your display system been calibrated to your battery capacity?

 

[Hilldweller]

So sorry your having all of these issues! Hold their feet to the fire and make sure the rig meets your FULL expectations before taking it home.

Your write up is excellent, however one thing is nagging at me. If I followed your documentation correctly. You indicated the you noted a 39% SOC with it plugged into shore power. As you know , if both masters are on(assuming you have one for 12v and one for Solar) Both the converter and panels should be charging the battery. So a 39% SOC seems odd. Secondly, your comment about a 39%SOC while showing 13.2 volts, with shore power unplugged?
What type of battery? FLA or Lithium, either way that voltage (assuming no active charge source) would indicate a fully charged battery.(or almost with Lithium).
So, I am wondering has your display system been calibrated to your battery capacity?

It's a 320 amp hour LiFePo4 battery.

When I left the dealership on September 30th the battery was at 5% SOC and was charging only on solar, 9.4 amps going in from the one panel.

Not sure if it was left in the sun but at some point before yesterday it went in the barn and they installed the second panel. No telling what the SOC was on the battery at that point.

When I arrived yesterday it was in the sun, everything running, plugged into shore power. So it was getting about 60 amps of charging from the one functioning panel and the converter. Load is irrelevant when plugged into shore power....

So when I unplugged from shore power and saw that it was discharging faster than charging, that's when I knew that only one panel was working. the 13.2 volt reading is while on the charge from solar, not a resting voltage. I'd have to disconnect the solar to get that and I'm not concerned about it really.

I'm sorta retired now. Working but not in my real field. Formerly I was the manager of two test and measurement labs, electronic (Keysight Technologies), and a chemical analysis instruments (Agilent Technologies) training lab. I carry an array of gadgets with me and am pretty handy with them. I also used to work for JCI when they owned Optima (and other batteries) and my wife used to work for Exide Technologies.

Ha.
I wanted to find some of the work I did with LED lighting back in the day and I googled "Hilldweller JW Speaker" and AI found me quickly: