2010 Winnebagos - Page 2

Davel · 01-23-2010, 02:01 PM

I've been involved with manufacturing for nearly 50 years, and some things don't seem to change. Whenever an organization is going thru layoffs or new hires the quality seems to suffer. We bought our coach in '04 when they were cranking at nearly full capacity, and had been for a while, and had few problems with our Winnebago Adventurer. Now they have had layoffs which move people around to new jobs and then callbacks, which once again sorts people and jobs which is probably some of the cause. That DOES NOT let Winnebago off the hook as they should have systems in place to increase inspections in these times of flux. The probem for the manufacturer is being able to have the resources when resources are expensive and income has dropped so much. I imagine all manufacturers are facing the same issue. I spoke with the Newell salesman at Tampa and because of their drop in sales they had to lay off a number of people and you could hear the pain in his voice because they consider their employees as "craftsmen" and are aware of their loss to the organization. I'm sure Winnebago feels the same way. The bottom line is they are still responsible for providing their customers with a well built product. Hopefully sooner than later.

Good luck,
Dave

MutinyGuy · 01-23-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davel

I've been involved with manufacturing for nearly 50 years, and some things don't seem to change. Whenever an organization is going thru layoffs or new hires the quality seems to suffer. We bought our coach in '04 when they were cranking at nearly full capacity, and had been for a while, and had few problems with our Winnebago Adventurer. Now they have had layoffs which move people around to new jobs and then callbacks, which once again sorts people and jobs which is probably some of the cause. That DOES NOT let Winnebago off the hook as they should have systems in place to increase inspections in these times of flux. The probem for the manufacturer is being able to have the resources when resources are expensive and income has dropped so much. I imagine all manufacturers are facing the same issue. I spoke with the Newell salesman at Tampa and because of their drop in sales they had to lay off a number of people and you could hear the pain in his voice because they consider their employees as "craftsmen" and are aware of their loss to the organization. I'm sure Winnebago feels the same way. The bottom line is they are still responsible for providing their customers with a well built product. Hopefully sooner than later.

Good luck,
Dave

Dave,
Good points! But why does the consumer always suffer in the end?

Jim

dajudge · 01-23-2010, 04:01 PM

No matter how you look at it, Winnebago is ultimately responsible for the problems the buyer has. I think the time has come for manufacturers to step up to the plate and acknowledge they have problems and fix them, no excuses. In the end, the good manufacturers will be in business and the bad ones will not. The consumers should let there pocketbooks do talking. it's time all states have rv lemon laws.

RCtime · 01-23-2010, 05:24 PM

Well I I have read your post here and other forums and feel for you and suspect you have a whole lot of buyers remorse going on.
You did buy a good product and its a shame that you have some problems.
But I bet you have between the different forums more advice and sympathy than you can assymilate.
Just follow some of it and move on in the direction to resove your problems, you should certainly know by now from all the advice you have had in which direction to go.

Davel · 01-23-2010, 08:02 PM

MutinyGuy,

Great question. The customer suffers when the product doesn't live up to expectations and the producer suffers when the customer shops elsewhere, or not at all. There's got to be a theory in there somewhere......

Dave

ron55 · 01-24-2010, 05:29 AM

Seems to be no QA at winnebago. I have been back to the factory for repair 4 times. My roof still has the footprints of whoever originally caulked the roof and it's been that way with everything else. I bought at the height of rv sales in 2005 and I thought they were just getting them out as fast as possible, but sounds like nothing has changed. I been in my rig almost 5 years almost fulltime so it is showing a lot of wear. I have hand washed and waxed every 3 months and I can see though the white pant it was so thin.
I am ready for a 35 footer but I am not going through the ordeal of buying a new rig. There is a new full slide Journey sitting beside me and it leaking and numerous other problems the owner is moning and groaning.
I have fixed so many things I am considering getting my rig redone inside and out, but then I want to get rid of this workhorse, so its a conundrom.

jdsr · 01-24-2010, 01:35 PM

I wouldnt buy anything but a winnie. There will be problems with most anything we buy, BUT , how the mfg handles the problems is the key. Winnie has always gone above and beyond Imo on my mh's. Im hoping the qlty hasnt started to suffered because of the econmy. Threads like this is needed so folks can make the best decision when looking for mh's. No cheerleading, just the fact as they apply to you. Like I said , I wouldnt buy anything other than a winnie and hope it gets better for the orig poster.

MutinyGuy · 01-24-2010, 02:14 PM

Agree...next time I'll go in with my "eyes wide open"!!

Jim

archtop1 · 01-24-2010, 09:06 PM

Thanks for all who've replied, i appriceate the support. I should say that this is a new model and the layout is everything we wanted and more. We do like our new MH and think that Winnebago did a nice job laying out the design. i may be shooting myself in the foot but i'm doing all the repairs myself, I was a mechanic in the oil refineries for 37 years, so i'm capible of doing most of the work plus I'm learning the MH from top to bottom. But being a mechanic is what disappoints me about the craftsmenship. As mutinyguy said next time I'll go in with my eyes wide open. tom

wagonmaster2 · 01-25-2010, 10:07 PM

Over the decades things continue to change but seem to always remain the same. In the '40s & '50s my Dad worked as a mechanic for a GM car dealership and the shape some of the new cars arrived were unimagineable.
One car came in so miss-wired, (if I can remember some of the malfunctions), the lights would come on when the horn button was pressed, the horn would honk when the brake was pressed, and so on. Nothing worked as it should and they ended up completely re-wiring a brand new car. Wouldn't you liked to have been that customer who was trying to get away on vacation. GM said all they guaranteed was that all the parts were there when it left the factory and it was up to the dealer to make it work right. Comparing the RV dealers we must rely on sort of leaves us out in the cold. And then they wondered why the American public turned to the imports. I have '91 Honda Accord I bought new and the only time it has been in the shop was for replacement of the front end belts. Two years ago I bought a 2 year old Chevrolet PU and within 3 months I got a letter from GM saying the engine may have a problem with burnt valves in the future (they warranted the engine valves for an additional 3 years but since I drive vehicles for 8-15 years that's really no help). I'm currently looking for a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan PU.
My 2004 Itasca has had more problems in 5 years than my previous 2 Fleetwoods had in 11 years both put together. Not saying Fleetwood is better but the facts are the facts.
I also do most of my own maintenance and repairs, and like was stated it must be terrible for those who can't or are unable to do their own work.

Wagonmaster2

BobU · 02-05-2010, 06:43 AM

We picked up our 2010 Winnebago 33C Sightseer in mid November and stayed a few days in Forest City to check it out. Of the 5 new motor homes that I have owned, this one had the fewest problems of all of them. We had a burned out bulb and needed a different water pump. Since then we have put on over 6,000 miles with only minor problems. I think it is wise to spend a few days checking everything out before hitting the road and let the selling dealer resolve the inevitable problems that occur with a new unit. I hope you are now enjoying your Sightseer as much as we are.

Bob, now in the Rio Grande Valley, TX

archtop1 · 02-06-2010, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobU

We picked up our 2010 Winnebago 33C Sightseer in mid November and stayed a few days in Forest City to check it out. Of the 5 new motor homes that I have owned, this one had the fewest problems of all of them. We had a burned out bulb and needed a different water pump. Since then we have put on over 6,000 miles with only minor problems. I think it is wise to spend a few days checking everything out before hitting the road and let the selling dealer resolve the inevitable problems that occur with a new unit. I hope you are now enjoying your Sightseer as much as we are.

Bob, now in the Rio Grande Valley, TX

BobU, W are enjoying our new M/H, and we would also have spent time with the dealer had we not had pressing matters at home (NJ) to rush back to. I have the workhorse chassis under my rig. i would like to stay in touch with you to compare notes. I'll drop you a line. tom

MyLife · 02-08-2010, 01:08 PM

I'm looking at a class C "Access 31N" hope when I do purchase everything is fine. When you spent all this money on a RV it should be square away.

mycoolbeans · 02-10-2010, 08:53 AM

I am amazed at those who will defend Winnebago Industries, no matter what. Archtop1 has a legitimate right to complain about the lack of quality and workmanship, especially in a 2010 motorhome. He does not need to be put in a position of being embarrassed because one thinks he is on "a mission" posting this all over the internet. Shoddy work should be brought to the attention of all consumers, and there is no better way than to get info on the internet. I have owned 5 Winnebago motorhomes. Every one of them exhibited shoddy craftsmanship and workmanship in one way or another. I have made hundreds of repairs for things that should not have needed to be repaired. This is not only a Winnebago Industries problem, but as one mechanic pointed out to me, he finds it in almost every motorhome brand that he has every worked on. The point here is, when a company is not responding to customer complaints, passing off shoddy work or craftsmanship, they need to be taken to task for it. All over the internet or not. The American Auto industry had to be challenged by foreign automakers before substantive changes were made in the quality of our automobiles. Today, Toyota, which for years has been respected for high quality, is now being reminded that when a company takes short cuts, puts out shoddy products, there will be high cost to pay in the declining support of their customers. Please, don't have blind loyalty to any company, Winnebago Industries, or otherwise. When companies are doing a good job, support and acknowledge their products, when they need a wake up call, don't hesitate to let them know that you are unhappy. Thanks for your post, Archtop1, I have been considering a 2010, I was glad to read your thread.

Jerry J · 02-15-2010, 10:30 AM

mycoolbeans - I agree completely with you.

MyLife · 02-15-2010, 11:51 AM

Right On, I agree. For now we decided to stay with the RV we have now.

Gary - K7GLD · 02-15-2010, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rream

Are you on a mission as you are posting this all over the internet.

Absolutely NO need for the owner of a new "quality" brand and model to apologize for disgust with a poorly made and "tested" hi-$$$ unit!

The only ones likely to object and frrl offended, are those with the same brand/model - or the company the makes it!

As a potential future buyer, *I* dern sure want to know of issues this thread describes - and what reasonable person WOULDN'T?

Savannah · 02-15-2010, 12:15 PM

This sorta off topic but we found it interesting to watch the TV show about company CEOs going undercover to learn how their company and it's workers are doing. Have to say we were very surprised to see just how out of touch the CEOs seem to be with the real world and it's workforce. Maybe RV manufacturers ought to do it and see just what the workers think but also the consumer.

robodoc · 02-15-2010, 05:44 PM

I just took delivery on my 2010 Itasca Ellipse 42AD. I can't say I'm disappointed with the workmanship. The punchlist is shorter the one on my house when I bought it. I would expect the custom manufacturer of a 7 digit motorhome to have tweeked every possible nook and cranny, but I have to expect to do some of the nitpicking and detail inspections myself, I paid 1/4 the custom owner did and bought a manufactured product. I am chronicling my experience in my blog on this forum.

robodoc

RBK394 · 02-15-2010, 06:06 PM

Not surprising that this tread is getting so much activity. I have purchased 3 new Winnebagos. While I am not dissatisfied, I have had some dismaying moments dealing with things that I thought should never have gotten out the door. I now have 47,000 miles on my 07 Vectra. While I have had a lot of fun, I feel that I just now have our rig the way we want it and operating at peak performance in all systems. But, bringing it up to and keeping at a high performance level is turning out to be my hobby. What I think I have finally learned is that my next purchase will be a higher milage used one. I know that this opens up a whole set of new problems, e.g. has it been maintained as it should even if there is a maintenance log. But, aside from the running gear which should stand up for a long time, I think I can deal with most other items. My whole point is that even with the milage on my coach, I know that the next person will be getting at least as good and maybe even a more trouble free coach than I purchased when new. I know there will be many opinions on my obversation, but just my opinion.

By the way, brand new to the forum as a poster. But, I have been reading and searching posts ever since I learned about it two years ago. It has helped me with my "hobby".