JumpJ
Adventurer
THE LITTLE THINGS. They can’t even cut the decals properly! The exterior solar lite worked once at the dealer and never worked again. All the cupboards had drill waste in them from the manufacturing process and when we switched on the cooking fan inside this cloud of black dust fell down?? Paint job around the hitch is so bad I’m redoing it……………………..$50K c’mon Black Series you need to up your game. Why do you want outdoor speakers on an overlanding rig? Does this mean they will be installing a 52-inch flat panel so we can watch the game? I’ve always thought of overlanders as folks who love being in the outdoors away from the masses. Are we to be besieged by kegs and team colors the next time we are on the edge of the North Rim? I hope not.
WARRANTY RESPONSE: okay so as with all camping units there’s always something that pops up but buyer beware with the Black series. Outside shower head cracked, fresh water filter cracked, leaking sink/shower, front off-road light full of water, shabby underbelly paint job, some water lines not even insulated………………………………………..not what you would expect on a trailer that starts at $47K. Worse is the “Chines Manufacturing effect”. At least sell USA plumbing fittings. I spent hours and hours trying to match up the pin hole fittings for the sink to no joy. I’m now faced with going through the entire plumbing system because A) it will freeze in cold temps. B) It’s Chinese plumbing-really small stuff that no one can match in this country. Black Series paperwork puts a lot of emphasis on their sub-contractors like Dometic. So it will be interesting to see how they handle my warranty claims on the trailer as none of the sub stuff has failed-yet!
CONCLUSION: without proper off-road use yet.
I hate to say this but to be honest I would not rush into buying an HQ 17 series YET! They claim the growing pains for launching in the USA and the 2018 and 2019s are overcome with the 2020-well they are not from my experience, and I am frustrated with my purchase. Could the dealer have done a better prep job-yes without a doubt but ultimately it comes back to Black Series. These are big big trailers. Touted to be off road capable. Then if you are going to tout that you need to prove that to consumer. You are not pulling them comfortably off road without anything capable of pulling less than 8,000 lbs. I’m sorry but if you want to take this anywhere it will fit- you are going to want that comfort in knowing you can pull this sucker anywhere and out of trouble. In the last five years the Overland market has exploded here in the USA. So, in time other large off-road trailers will enter the market. Until then I would be careful with the Black Series HQ 17 and I would also make sure you have plenty of time between your purchase and your first use.
The plan going forward for us is to wait for the parts to come in, and then seriously look at what needs to be done to get this in shape for our first off road test in March. I hope I have been able to give you some insight. I think the word is “caution” when buying an HQ unit today. Good Luck. I will report back after our first true off-road trip with updates. Love to hear any sensible suggestions or input I can pass on to our upgrade team.
WARRANTY RESPONSE: okay so as with all camping units there’s always something that pops up but buyer beware with the Black series. Outside shower head cracked, fresh water filter cracked, leaking sink/shower, front off-road light full of water, shabby underbelly paint job, some water lines not even insulated………………………………………..not what you would expect on a trailer that starts at $47K. Worse is the “Chines Manufacturing effect”. At least sell USA plumbing fittings. I spent hours and hours trying to match up the pin hole fittings for the sink to no joy. I’m now faced with going through the entire plumbing system because A) it will freeze in cold temps. B) It’s Chinese plumbing-really small stuff that no one can match in this country. Black Series paperwork puts a lot of emphasis on their sub-contractors like Dometic. So it will be interesting to see how they handle my warranty claims on the trailer as none of the sub stuff has failed-yet!
CONCLUSION: without proper off-road use yet.
I hate to say this but to be honest I would not rush into buying an HQ 17 series YET! They claim the growing pains for launching in the USA and the 2018 and 2019s are overcome with the 2020-well they are not from my experience, and I am frustrated with my purchase. Could the dealer have done a better prep job-yes without a doubt but ultimately it comes back to Black Series. These are big big trailers. Touted to be off road capable. Then if you are going to tout that you need to prove that to consumer. You are not pulling them comfortably off road without anything capable of pulling less than 8,000 lbs. I’m sorry but if you want to take this anywhere it will fit- you are going to want that comfort in knowing you can pull this sucker anywhere and out of trouble. In the last five years the Overland market has exploded here in the USA. So, in time other large off-road trailers will enter the market. Until then I would be careful with the Black Series HQ 17 and I would also make sure you have plenty of time between your purchase and your first use.
The plan going forward for us is to wait for the parts to come in, and then seriously look at what needs to be done to get this in shape for our first off road test in March. I hope I have been able to give you some insight. I think the word is “caution” when buying an HQ unit today. Good Luck. I will report back after our first true off-road trip with updates. Love to hear any sensible suggestions or input I can pass on to our upgrade team.
