Trailer Issue

[johnsimion]

Hello, we trailered our Spyder RT down to Palm Springs on Tuesday so we could get in a day of riding up to Idyllwild, California, and all around the Palm Springs area. Great ride but that's not why I'm posting. This was our first time using the new Drop-Tail trailer that I bought last fall. On the way to Palm Springs (about 300 miles from Las Vegas), all was great. On the way home, we developed lots of weird electrical issues. First the car (Mercedes GLE) reported that the left trailer turn signal wasn't working properly and the turn signal indicator in the dashboard would flash rapidly as they usually do when you get a burnt out light. So, we stopped and checked - everything was working properly no matter what the car thought. I checked the connections and they were tight and nothing was wet. We continued on. A hundred miles later, the car now reported a problem with the right turn signal so now both flashers in the dashboard were doing the rapid-flash thing any time I'd signal a turn. However, when we stopped to check, again everything was working properly outside (brake lights, turn signals, everything on both side all okay). We continued on and made it home, then we did yet another check. At home again, the left turn signal and brake light were fine but the right brake light and turn signal were not working at all. Connections were still tight and not wet; I disconnected and reconnected them and it made no difference. All the connections are fresh, no corrosion at all. There is an adapter between the trailer and the car, but we've used that adapter several times in the past and never had any problem with it (and no problem with it going to Palm Springs -- and we never disconnected anything on the entire trip). However, upon disconnecting the trailer for good at home, everything on the car returned to normal.

So, does anybody have any idea what would be causing this? Recommendations?

For the record, the Drop-Tail is very easy to load without any need for ramps other than the tailgate that comes with it, and it was also really easy to pull with the Spyder aboard and very steady up to ... ummm ... over 80 mph ...

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Just a maybe - are any of the lights ….LED's ….. issues can arise when your vehicle has to deal with something that HAS -LED's ….. hope you get it figured out ….. Mike hyea:

 

[Revalden]

Put a dedicated 12ga ground wire from vehicle to trailer.

 

[4 MARIE]

Sounds like a case for Trailer Lovers.com

 

[SuperG]

Put a dedicated 12ga ground wire from vehicle to trailer.

This.

 

[glennm]

Try another adaptor if possible. If it is like ours it is sealed so if anything goes wrong you can't get a visual on the internals. Even better replace the trailer plug to match the car.

 

[Bfromla]

Try another adaptor if possible. If it is like ours it is sealed so if anything goes wrong you can't get a visual on the internals. Even better replace the trailer plug to match the car.

:firstplace::roflblack:adapters are good temporary solutions, least until you can make the proper connections. Handy & all but they are just one more thing that can go wrong. :gaah: the dedicated ground jumper may resolve the issues first & can be quickly tested if you have some jumper cables just clamp bare metal on car & trailer. Don't suggest leaving it there while traveling, but good to test.

 

[Wmoater]

Bad ground. Also get some pink foam battery terminal cleaner spray. Spray it into the plug and let it foam and sit for 4 minutes. Turn it -side down and rap it lightly and clean with a small screwdriver. Repeat it again and then put some gel in both the car and trailer plug. Oxidation occurs. You really need to make sure it is grounded to. Spray the ball with WD40 and wipe it all off with blue shop towels. Spray the inside of the coupler and dry out. Then connect again. Loose ground and oxidation is my guess. If not replace the plug. Very seldom is it vehicle.

 

[johnsimion]

Drop-Tail was no help whatsoever. They had no recommendation about where to take it for repairs or even what to look for. The only thing their rep had to say to me was that if we needed parts, they would send the parts. They won't cover labor to fix the trailer even though it's blatantly obvious that what happened to me was a factory defect. Thankfully my only cost was $37.50 to U-Haul to have their tech work on it for a half-hour, but this was a pretty expensive trailer and the attitude from Drop-Tail was very annoying.

U-Haul's tech checked the connection to our tow vehicle and found it okay. He then opened the taillamps on the trailer. He found that on the right side, one wire was completely disconnected and hanging loose -- and I saw that it had never even been stripped at the end for a proper connection. Another wire was still in the connector but was loose and fell out as I watched. Once the tech put on proper connections, the tow vehicle continued to show errors. The tech then opened up the left side, where he found a bare spot on one wire that was making contact with the metal of the trailer (and it didn't get bare from rubbing because this is inside a watertight metal compartment where the wires can't move). Once this additional defect was corrected, everything finally worked properly. BTW, we found out that the taillights are actually press-fit into a rubber grommet in the fender, which is far from obvious. Once you realize this, however, it's simple to remove them. Re-fitting them was the opposite - the tech spent more time trying to get them back in than he did on everything else.

The Drop-Tail trailer is well-designed to haul the Spyder, it's a perfect fit, and it's easy to load. But these wiring issues are not acceptable. This was our first use of the trailer, so the faults cannot be attributed to wear and tear. It was nothing but sloppy workmanship at the factory. Whoever did this deserves to be fired and for Drop-Tail to refuse to cover labor to fix THEIR faulty workmanship frankly is embarrassing for those of us who want to be proud of "American made."

 

[UtahPete]

How come you didn't go back to the dealer where you bought the trailer? Just curious.

 

[johnsimion]

How come you didn't go back to the dealer where you bought the trailer? Just curious.

Drop-Tail doesn't have dealers. They sell through the internet. https://droptailtrailers.com/

I bought the trailer through them because of recommendations on this site and as I stated, it's a nice design to haul a Spyder. But buyers need to be aware that we're dealing with a very small company. I think there are three people working there because I always get one of the three every time I call. And the sale itself was okay. They did what they said they would do, they shipped the trailer promptly and it was properly packed and delivered. However, they're no Amazon when it comes to customer service. This trailer wasn't cheap, it cost over $3800 with a spare tire and upgraded stone shield. For that price, I expected more concern about quality control and response to the customer. I was fooled by the professional web site into thinking I was dealing with someone better than the local fly-by-night outfits that sell out of an empty lot with four or five trailers and a shack. I was wrong. At least U-Haul was willing to help me.

 

[UtahPete]

Drop-Tail doesn't have dealers. They sell through the internet. https://droptailtrailers.com/

I bought the trailer through them because of recommendations on this site and as I stated, it's a nice design to haul a Spyder. But buyers need to be aware that we're dealing with a very small company. I think there are three people working there because I always get one of the three every time I call. And the sale itself was okay. They did what they said they would do, they shipped the trailer promptly and it was properly packed and delivered. However, they're no Amazon when it comes to customer service. This trailer wasn't cheap, it cost over $3800 with a spare tire and upgraded stone shield. For that price, I expected more concern about quality control and response to the customer. I was fooled by the professional web site into thinking I was dealing with someone better than the local fly-by-night outfits that sell out of an empty lot with four or five trailers and a shack. I was wrong. At least U-Haul was willing to help me.

I see from their website they promote the assurance of 100% satisfaction guarantee, but reading the fine print lets them off the hook pretty much. Not too much in the way of consumer protections in Texas unfortunately.

Too bad you had that experience but hopefully now the electrical problems are fixed you can enjoy it the way you intended.

 

[SuperG]

A click on DropTail's "satisfaction guaranteed" button comes up 404. That's just sloppy. However, likely an accurate depiction of what one can expect of their services - especially coming on the heels of their complete repudiation of any liability whatsoever.