Exterior Door Replacement

[puterbug]

I had to call Winnebago to find out how to order an exterior replacement door and they told me I CAN'T. Only a dealer can. "They built it", it does not come from any supplier. Nice going Winnebago. The door fell apart, at least partially because the dinks that built it didn't get the screws for the metal framing set in straight in the cheap core, ripped the edges and now it CANNOT be repaired, and what's more, I am now stuck with doing repeat business with the slackers who caused this in the first place.

[NeilV]

The door failed after 12 years? Winnebago did say they do not sell direct but you can order a replacement from any Winnebago dealer so what is the problem. Any Winnebago dealer in the country can order the door for you and you can be dealing with a local guy standing on the other side of a counter.

[rream]

Gee 12 years and you are complaining - just get one from a dealer.

[smlranger]

Call Lichtsinn Motors in Forest City, IA. They are a Winne dealer one mile from the factory. Have your coach serial # and they will have the door shipped to you pronto.

[puterbug]

Originally Posted by rream

Gee 12 years and you are complaining - just get one from a dealer.

Yes, I AM complaining. I had a Mazda car for 16 years. No door disintegrated and fell off. I have a 16 year old Chevy truck. No door has disintegrated and fallen off. My parents owned their home for 50 years and never had a door disintegrate and fall off.

If an accident happens or something of that nature, that is one thing.

Drunken monkey engineering and crap workmanship tend to make me very cranky.

Oh and by the way. "Just get one?" Oh? Do they have them growing on trees free for the taking? Somehow I doubt it. No I have to PAY for their junk that is apparently designed to fail.

[Brockx]

Originally Posted by puterbug

Yes, I AM complaining. I had a Mazda car for 16 years. No door disintegrated and fell off. I have a 16 year old Chevy truck. No door has disintegrated and fallen off. My parents owned their home for 50 years and never had a door disintegrate and fall off.

If an accident happens or something of that nature, that is one thing.

Drunken monkey engineering and crap workmanship tend to make me very cranky.

Oh and by the way. "Just get one?" Oh? Do they have them growing on trees free for the taking? Somehow I doubt it. No I have to PAY for their junk that is apparently designed to fail.

"stuff" happens

Google RV Salvage look for one in your area they are all over the country.

[windydaboo]

Yes, an RV door that spends most of it's time sitting in the driveway should last more than 12 yrs., they are not cheap to replace.

I found the replies from senior members troubling and frankly quite rude and it was those rude comments that really set this fellow off. Heck, they even made me a bit angry.

How about trying to help someone who is clearly frustrated rather than give some snippy response. It makes the offenders look like stuck up snobs. Not all of us are in a position to just run out and buy new doors, especially in this economy.

For the OP... Some on here gave you good advice and links, please try to ignore those who have yet to have their coffee this morning.

When in the market for a new to you RV, buy a Fleetwood, we are much friendlier folks!

[windydaboo]

Originally Posted by puterbug

I had to call Winnebago to find out how to order an exterior replacement door and they told me I CAN'T. Only a dealer can. "They built it", it does not come from any supplier. Nice going Winnebago. The door fell apart, at least partially because the dinks that built it didn't get the screws for the metal framing set in straight in the cheap core, ripped the edges and now it CANNOT be repaired, and what's more, I am now stuck with doing repeat business with the slackers who caused this in the first place.

I'm not sure what is exactly wrong with your door and why it needs replacing, but try Youtube. There are many videos on RV repair and I have watched one that explained how to take apart the door and replace all the guts because of rotted wood. If your handy and can find good instruction you will be sure to build a better one than the "dinks" at the factory.

[MntDriver]

I believe the OP is asking for a storage door, not the entry door? My unit is at the shop for a repair if the back cap and the generator door replacement. The storage doors are hollow and made of aluminum and obviously can damage easily. Winnebago was contacted by the dealer and are manufacturing a new door for me. Now that is customer service!

[edgray]

Originally Posted by windydaboo

I found the replies from senior members troubling and frankly quite rude and it was those rude comments that really set this fellow off. Heck, they even made me a bit angry.

You are right, and I apoligize to the OP if my post (since removed) was offensive.

FWIW, anytime you find a post you think does not reflect the mission here, just use the "triangle" found near the bottom left of each post to report that post to the mods. THEY will determine the best way to deal with inappropriate posts, as they did in this thread. Ed

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by puterbug

I had to call Winnebago to find out how to order an exterior replacement door and they told me I CAN'T. Only a dealer can. "They built it", it does not come from any supplier. Nice going Winnebago. The door fell apart, at least partially because the dinks that built it didn't get the screws for the metal framing set in straight in the cheap core, ripped the edges and now it CANNOT be repaired, and what's more, I am now stuck with doing repeat business with the slackers who caused this in the first place.

Some responses here may have further aggrivated the OP, but I think he set the tone by his initial remarks. In case you didn't notice in his first post on the subject he's not asking for help, just trying to lay the blame for the problem on someone.

The part of his statement " at least partially because" leads me to believe there's more to the story than he's telling us.

[puterbug]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

[/B]

Some responses here may have further aggrivated the OP, but I think he set the tone by his initial remarks. In case you didn't notice in his first post on the subject he's not asking for help, just trying to lay the blame for the problem on someone.

The part of his statement " at least partially because" leads me to believe there's more to the story than he's telling us.

Yeah there is more to it. Misalignment of some sort. The door NEVER closed properly without slamming it at least three times, thereby tripling what should have been normal use. Which came first? The shoddy building of it that probably caused that problem, or the extra wear and tear that hastened the door's demise? Hard to say isn't it? I had the alignment on that door checked and adjusted more times than I can count. But, no, of course the ones who built it must be blameless.

[puterbug]

Originally Posted by MntDriver

I believe the OP is asking for a storage door, not the entry door? My unit is at the shop for a repair if the back cap and the generator door replacement. The storage doors are hollow and made of aluminum and obviously can damage easily. Winnebago was contacted by the dealer and are manufacturing a new door for me. Now that is customer service!

It's the entry door, not a storage door. It shouldn't fall apart like that. Is Winnebago making you a new door for free? Or are you paying for all that great customer service? Because I suspect by all the stuff that I have found on mine, that Winnebago is delighted to take your money twice.

[puterbug]

Originally Posted by windydaboo

I'm not sure what is exactly wrong with your door and why it needs replacing, but try Youtube. There are many videos on RV repair and I have watched one that explained how to take apart the door and replace all the guts because of rotted wood. If your handy and can find good instruction you will be sure to build a better one than the "dinks" at the factory.

When they screwed the metal framing and fiberglass facing onto the core of the door, they just barely caught the edge of the hollow core. So those screws finally just ripped through the edge of the wood. Basically it was not screwed in place at all, because the screw holes are "off the edge" of the wood underneath.

I was sort of half thinking about trying to build one, too, thanks. A solid core door would be much preferable anyway, I think. I'll check out the youtubes for sure. I think I would need the assistance of a cabinet maker to make the radius corners correctly to fit, as well as the hardware. I can do some carpentry, but not at that skill level. And since the screen door is integrated into that factory built mess, have to figure out the best way to replicate that, or make one that works. Also have the radius corners issue there. Thanks for that suggestion.

Fleetwood... or a BUS lol. Apparently some of those old vintage buses were really meant to last. I would never in my life touch another Winnebago. If this was the first case of lousy workmanship and cheap materials being used in this rig, that would be one thing. I am surprised they were allowed to put this on the road at all. Well, except that the FORD part of it seems to be AWESOME.

[GaDawgFan]

I am really sorry for the issues that you have faced with your 2000 Minnie. My situation has been the exact opposite of yours. Five years ago I purchased my 2000 Itasca Horizon from a good friend (the coach had belonged to his parents who had recently passed). I have to say, I did have to do some initial maintenance on the coach as it had been parked for nearly 2 years, but I have not encountered the type of quality issues you have faced.

I had no idea of what I was doing when I purchased this coach but with the help of the many of the members of this forum I have learned volumes and have had the courage to tackle many upgrade projects on my own. Over the last few years, I have removed the carpet and put down laminate flooring, remodeled the bathroom, converted the 2 12 volt house batteries to 4 6volt batteries, replaced roof vents, resealed the roof and (thanks to smlranger) removed and repaired the VDC module.

Of course there have been times when working on certain projects where I have questioned some of the designs that Winnebego put into action, but I have never come to the overall conclusion that the entire coach is an example of "lousy workmanship and cheap materials'. I guess I look at it as my coach is a 12 year old home on wheels and as such is going to have ongoing needs, no matter if they are repair needs or upgrade needs, just like my 12 year old stick built home. Years ago I was a manager of a major boat dealership (small products such as Sea Doo's on up to 60 Carver Motor Yacht) and I can tell you that every one of them had issues of some sort, I guess that has led me to have a little more patience with my motorhome.

The one thing I will say is that in my 4 or 5 years as a member of this forum the vast majority of Winnebago owners that frequent this board are very happy with their coach and Winnebago as a company (in spite of their flaws). So, when you have a community of people such as this one that have all made significant investments in a Winnebago product and someone (anyone) comes on and makes posts simply to blast the company, it is only natural for some of us to become defensive and fire back (that is not what I am trying to do here). I would simply suggest that instead of coming on here and speaking of "Drunken monkey engineering and crap workmanship", why not just post what the problem is that you are facing and then sit back and wait for the many helpful suggestions you will get from the many users on this website. Every company in the world has its own issues when it comes to customer service, but no one here can help you with that. They can, however, provide you with good sound advice on how to address the issues you encounter with your motorhome.

I am not trying to "flame" you or create even more divisiveness on this board, but as someone who is a fan of Winnebago, I wanted to show my support for this company.

Respectfully,
GaDawgFan