09 adventurer-p.o.s.

[lakewoodpaul]

Originally Posted by The Shadow

lakewoodpaul and jerryj. Are you guys serious? If, when you took your car in for service, they told you to take a vacation and drive 1,000 miles and have the factory work on it, you'd be happy and be an evangelist for that manufacturer and keep buying their cars? I find that impossible to believe.

Exactly, what are your options now, every place you have been you were dissatisfied with. I have had a problem with a jeep Liberty, 2 different dealers couldn't fix it. Wish I could take that back to the factory, There IS no "evangelizing". It is what it is.

[The Shadow]

Originally Posted by lakewoodpaul

Exactly, what are your options now, every place you have been you were dissatisfied with. I have had a problem with a jeep Liberty, 2 different dealers couldn't fix it. Wish I could take that back to the factory, There IS no "evangelizing". It is what it is.

So, you will buy another Liberty will you? I ask that question because my previous time around with a Winnie product (2004 Journey 29W) I found that I was truly amazed by the number of owners who believe they have to line up behind a manufacturer and support it no matter what. They can get something that is truly a POS and then come back and buy another one.

Is your Liberty still under warranty? Does the problem prevent or hamper you from using it? What is the problem with your Liberty and does it even remotely compare to the serious nature and extent of problems reported by MH owners of this brand and all others?

Yes my friend, there sure is evangelizing. Winnie has its evangelists, Tiffin has its evangelists, Newmar has its evangelists, etc.

[Tom-NC]

Shadow, If you have problems with your Liberty then why don't you invoke the Lemon law. Besides you didn't pay as much for your Liberty as we have paid for our Rv's. So give us a break.

Are you from Canada, Shadow? If so you had your share of problems with RV's and what did you do, trade it in for something else rather than take it to factory.

[The Shadow]

Originally Posted by Tom-NC

Shadow, If you have problems with your Liberty then why don't you invoke the Lemon law. Besides you didn't pay as much for your Liberty as we have paid for our Rv's. So give us a break.

Are you from Canada, Shadow? If so you had your share of problems with RV's and what did you do, trade it in for something else rather than take it to factory.

Come on Tom, we've known each other for many years. Even been parked right opposite each other at a rally (Michigan 05).

I DON'T HAVE a Liberty - the evangelist does.

I'm not an evangelist for any car or MH thanks. Having said that we went from 3 bow ties (Tahoe, Equinox and Kodiak) in Sept to 3 blue ovals - Escape, Flex and E450.

[Beabop]

Don, I'm with you, don't think we should drive 1500 miles to get the rig right. We did it 3 times but was going that way anyway. In this economy no young family should have to take off work and drive to Forest City. When we downsize, the next one will be a Tiffin since Red Bay is on the way to and from FL. Almost everything that could go wrong on this rig has , right now we are replacing the cheap check valve on the water heater with one w/o plastic interior parts, anything that needs 2 hours to replace should be solid brass to begin with. When we had our slide problem, the owner of HWH called the dealor that Winnie thought could do the job (125 miles away) and didn't know how and He the owner of HWH walked them through it. Maybe the poster here needs to talk to HWH, slide has 3 year war on it.

[DriVer]

Originally Posted by Beabop

... right now we are replacing the cheap check valve on the water heater with one w/o plastic interior parts, anything that needs 2 hours to replace should be solid brass to begin with..

I just had this valve replaced after 8 years of service and it only took 1 hour.

[movin-on]

Enough already...Everybody gets the picture...Every make has a lemon or 2 out there...Do what you have to do and move on..

[Tom-NC]

Beabop,
Hi hope you both are Ok but I have to disagree with you on going to the factory as they have fine to me and solved all my problems and even went beyond the call of duty and repaired items out of warranty.
You didn't have many problems with your adventure but only when you purchased that used Journey and why do you think it was used?
You know I would like a lot of these complainers to put their houses on 6 wheels and see what happens, LOL.
If you do purchase a Tiffin I wish you the best of luck, however I know a few people who have had to go back to the factory for service too including Retread.
I will still be a loyal Winnebago motorhome owner and have and will enjoy my Adventurer until such time as I can't drive it anymore. It made it all the way to Alaska and home with not one problem.
As my last post to this tread I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Adventurous and Safe New Year!

[The Shadow]

Originally Posted by Beabop

Don, I'm with you, don't think we should drive 1500 miles to get the rig right. We did it 3 times but was going that way anyway. In this economy no young family should have to take off work and drive to Forest City. When we downsize, the next one will be a Tiffin since Red Bay is on the way to and from FL. Almost everything that could go wrong on this rig has , right now we are replacing the cheap check valve on the water heater with one w/o plastic interior parts, anything that needs 2 hours to replace should be solid brass to begin with. When we had our slide problem, the owner of HWH called the dealor that Winnie thought could do the job (125 miles away) and didn't know how and He the owner of HWH walked them through it. Maybe the poster here needs to talk to HWH, slide has 3 year war on it.

Hi Bernice,

No question, factory trips can be a significant burden. I suggested to Winnie and Monaco that what they should consider is the establishment of about a dozen or two consolidated service centers (by, say, Winnie, Monaco, Newmar, Tiffin, Fleetwood) around the US where one could travel a reasonable distance to get repairs by people who understand the problems and who are crackerjack techs.

The answer from a Winnie fellow was that the concept would not fly because they like their customers to see their new products when they bring their current units in for service or repairs. My view was a bit different. I think that because of the problems people do have getting things fixed, they will often change brands so I don't think their theory holds up in the final analysis.

I should tell you that when we got the Jayco we never took it back to the dealer (where we also bought the Journey and Ambassador). We did go to the Jayco factory because it was not too much out of our way on the way to and back from Florida. What a difference. They did the work thoroughly and quickly, unlike our dealer where you could expect to leave the MH for 2 weeks or longer (2 months in one case and 3 months in another). We had a lengthy punch list with the Ambassador and stuck our heads into their service facility in Wildwood Florida on the way to our park in FLA. Ha - that was Nov 1/05 and the next available appointment was March 06.

When we decided to downsize again this last fall we were considering the Jayco Greyhawk 26DS - a new model (and 2 year warranty). We were pleased with the unit our dealer had on his lot EXCEPT that the wheelbase to length ratio was about .525 and I simply refuse to buy a unit with a WB that I feel is too short. Seeing nothing else we really liked, we'd just decided that we'd stick with our Kodiak Greyhawk when on the web site of the nearest Winnie (Itasca actually) dealer (120 miles away) we saw a new product - the Impulse 26QP Silver. We searched the web and the Itasca site and it appeared to have what we wanted so we travelled to London to have a look. WB/length was over .56 so it cleared that hurdle. After allowing for water and the weight of Bev, Phil and I we have 2000 lbs for our "stuff" and a nice large storage area at the back to hold it all. So, it passed that hurdle very well. It also has the updated 2011 E450 Chassis with GCWR of 22,000 lbs. In addition it has the nice roller shades and they are a big improvement. The design and layout appeared to meet our needs AND we liked this dealer's dedication and had contact with its owners back in 2004 (they put on our tow package when we got the Journey 39W and Colorado - and did a good job. Our dealer had an 8 week waiting list for service appointments. We soon realized that had we known this dealer existed we'd have had a 04 Meridian instead of the Journey).

When we took delivery of the 26QP everything seemed fine. As we were getting ready to depart for FLA we were testing all the systems. Suddenly we had water leaking under the wall from the bathroom. The dealer agreed we should bring it back the next day (120 miles again) as we could not determine the source. They located the problem quickly, fixed it, and we were back on the road home in an hour. Of course gas cost a $120. The problem - someone at the factory had used a T instead of a 90 degree turn in the water line and the unused end of the T was not capped properly and after it had city water pressure or an hour or so it started to leak. To date that is the ONLY problem we've had and it is looking like it is a much better build than our 2004 39W. When I crawled underneath to do an inspection of the undercarriage I was much more satisfied with what I could see than I was with the "rusty when new" 39W. The day we took delivery of the 39W FC came over to have a look and when he took a peak underneath he couldn't believe the amount of rust on a new MH. If this 26QP continues to hold up and perform as it has to date we will be very happy with it and will certainly be prepared to recommend it.

We are also finding the E450 chassis more to our liking than we expected. It has rear airbags and they seem to make a significant difference in the ride. The only real annoyance is that Winnie did not specify remote door locks or power seats when ordering the chassis - and they did not wire the radio to run off the house battery when the engine is not running and the ignition is off. These were features we mistakenly assumed were standard on every MH so we didn't even check them. The radio and b/u camera combo is, however, a big improvement over the unit that was in our 39W.

Finally, the dealer gave us a fair price for our Jayco 32SS and it they sold it within about 4 weeks, which was nice to see. So I think they did well and we are happy with the swap.

I seem to remember that you had trouble with leaks in your previous Winnie. I was sorry to see that you then had problems with the 36G. We thought the 36G had a very nice floorplan but as we were more than a bit PO'd from our experience with the 39W we went to the Ambassador 40PLQ. That experience was better than the 39W, but not by much. At times I think I'm convinced that the trials and tribulations of RV ownership shorten ones life expectancy. I'm hoping the Impulse will reverse that direction.

Best

Don

[Beabop]

Allan please update us. Please call HWH about your slides, they are a good company. Tom the reason this 6 month old Journey was used was because it was too big, he traded back for a 34.We could well afford a new one but this one had the color and floor plan I wanted. Our problems were vendor probs. Sony back-up, Demensions inverter, Sharpe micro, which had never been unpacked, by the way. The slide loosing adjustment was a Winnie problem which should have been able to be fixed by a dealer w/o HWH stepping in. Our Adventurer leaked. When no one could fix it we went to the factory, 500 miles from the factory it was leaking floods, and we had to turn around 500 miles and have it fixed again. Winnie didn't offer to reimburse us the 500 miles gas. Don's right, there should be some centrally located service centers like our Freightliner Oasis that aren't so far away. Our friends took their Monoco to a service center and had great service.
Don, we want to do another Alaska and cross country then down size to a small rig. Tiffin is 1/2 between FL and PA. In fact if we put a house on the lot in FL or buy in Texas we may give up the RV all together. In the summer and fall lately we have been doing so many bike trips that the MH has been neglected. Alan, keep a vent open for out gassing and do you sanitize your water system especially any outside filters you have.

[Izzyblueye]

Unless Winnebago has had a complete change in direction I found them to be terrific in getting problems resolved. This including the complete replacement of my coach body on a new 2001 Itasca 32V no cost to me. I did not need a lawyer, just patience and talking with their cust sv people, until they determined a final resolution.

[maybesoon]

Originally Posted by Alan W

Since we purchased our 09 Winnebago Adventurer we have had nothing but problems. We thought we were buying the best of the best. Let me give you a summary of some of the continual problems...The first day of delivery...ceiling leaking water, wiring harness never mounted on dash(it was shoved up under the steering column and the dealership told us that a trip reset didn't come with this model), driver side mirror not operable. This was only the FIRST DAY! We purchased this RV at White Horse RV in Williamstown NJ. After many many more issues, White Horse told us they could no longer help us. We now drive even further for repairs over the PA bridge.
Here are the other problems:
Water leaking from roof
Slides not going in or out
Stabilizer jacks not working properly
Rust on the chassis extension
Bathroom pipe leaking
Mask on front bubbling & brown spots underneath
Driver door pin broken and rattles
wind sensor on awning will not work
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON............
HERE's the kicker....PROPANE LEAK WHILE IN THE OBX...MAKING US ALL SICK TO OUR STOMACHS!!!
I even e-mailed the President of Winnebago and I wasn't even worth a reply...he had someone else reply to tell me they were going to fix it. They have been fixing it for a year and a half. WHEN WILL IT END> I JUST WANT MY FAMILY TO HAVE FUN LIKE WE HAD INTENDED TO DO IN OUR WINNEBAGO. Now we are stuck with an RV that we can't sell, trade in or use with out headaches! I guess our last resort(since the President didn't care) is to take out a large ad in the USA TODAY to warn consumers before they buy a WInnebago. My family has had enough, we spent enough money in legal fees and this is our last resort. We have heard from individuals that work with Winnebago and for lesser issues..people have been compensated. What are we doing wrong?? Can someone please help us on this forum??

I have had the same experience with the factory, including the hand off from the President to someone else who never owned the problem. I have spent more money on diesel fuel back and forth to the dealer and all the original problems remain.

Now that I have some time on my hands maybe it is time to start being an activist and putting some public pressure on them.

Following the manufacturer (Winnebago) instructions, I rocked the 09 Journey to one side after a rain before pulling in the slides. Biggest mistake I ever made. Obviously Winnebago has never tried this because the water poured down into the bay with the Inverter/Charger and the rear most bay on the driver side which contains the inbound shorepower connection and lots of electrical wiring. This should not have happened and had Winnebago actually tried this they would know.

Feel free to PM me. I'm collecting names, model, year of manufacturer and when the tipping point is reached it will be time to make lots of noise.

When something goes wrong, there should be only one number to call and then they own the problem and coordinate all service, not simply tell you to call someone else. Passing the buck is not customer service.

[The Shadow]

maybesoon, when you say you rocked it, what do you mean by that.

My assumption is that you used the levelling jacks to lower and raise each side.

I had HWH jacks on my 04 Journey. I recall that instruction in the manual for letting water run off. Frankly, I was astounded and called HWH. The guy on the other end of the phone just could not believe me. I sent him the page. I figured they would call Winnie and say we advise against this procedure. If that is what you did and it is still in the manual, I guess they had no luck or decided "the customer knows best.".

From the Journey I went to an Ambassador that had a 3 jack system by Power Gear, and while we owned it had to continually read on the forums why 3 were no good - even though 3 levelled the MH a lot quicker and better than 4 (but it was not quite as stable). Then our Kodiak had a PowerGear 4 jack system and it would have to be recalibrated whenever I turned off the chassis battery. In the end I just used my level rather than their indicator lights.

Now, I have NO jacks at all and so far we find it just fine thanks.

[maybesoon]

Originally Posted by The Shadow

maybesoon, when you say you rocked it, what do you mean by that.

My assumption is that you used the levelling jacks to lower and raise each side.

I had HWH jacks on my 04 Journey. I recall that instruction in the manual for letting water run off. Frankly, I was astounded and called HWH. The guy on the other end of the phone just could not believe me. I sent him the page. I figured they would call Winnie and say we advise against this procedure. If that is what you did and it is still in the manual, I guess they had no luck or decided "the customer knows best.".

From the Journey I went to an Ambassador that had a 3 jack system by Power Gear, and while we owned it had to continually read on the forums why 3 were no good - even though 3 levelled the MH a lot quicker and better than 4 (but it was not quite as stable). Then our Kodiak had a PowerGear 4 jack system and it would have to be recalibrated whenever I turned off the chassis battery. In the end I just used my level rather than their indicator lights.

Now, I have NO jacks at all and so far we find it just fine thanks.

I never used the jacks to "tilt" the Journey before and also no water in any of the bays. For some reason I can across the page and thought "oops, maybe I should do this". So yes, I tilted the Journey but did not rock it per se. Every other time I just slightly lifted one end of the slide topper up and that was enough and what water was up there ran off.

I should have known better than to read the manual, so much in there is wrong or simply doesn't apply. I'll know better next time but now I'm faced with figuring out how the water got in there and how much if any went somewhere it shouldn't be.

[NancyGinette]

I would like to add my negative experience with Winnebago. We have a 2007 Adventurer with excessive rust around all the compartments and undercarriage and the paint coming off in sheets I asked that if there could be a problem with the original paint application and what was the corrective action. I contacted Jay Swearingen, Winnebago Service Advisor, and was told "The Winnebago Industries new-vehicle limited warranty provides for repair or replacement of any part or parts proven to be defective in material or workmanship within a specific time and/or mileage, 12 months or 15,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date of original purchase. I have reviewed your pictures with our District Manager and while we appreciate your concern, we must decline any participation in the expense as outlined in your letter due to the terms of our limited warranty."

As you can see, my question was never answered..only that they were not responsible for any expenses for repair.

I again contacted Mr. Swearingen requesting the root cause and the corrective action. Here is his reply: "The underlying root cause is unknown at this time. I have seen vehicles driven through some sort of road chemical have similar issues. Environmental issues, such as salt corrosion from living in Coastal region, may have also contributed. The proper corrective actions would be to remove the corrosion with a wire brush or possibly a sand blaster, apply corrosion inhibitor, prime and paint. Different repair facilities have different procedures."

I then sent letters (with photos) to the President, Vice President, and Director of Quality Control. Keep in mind the letter was signed by me (not my husband). None of these people responded. Instead MY HUSBAND received a letter addressed ONLY to him (even though the letter was from me) from Jay Swearingen stating the following: "After review of the pictures we received from you, we have determined that the corrosion affects many non-Winnebago Industries manufactured components as well. That tells us that our manufacturing processes are not to blame, rather environmental factors or an unfortunate chemical used on the roads is a more reasonable cause for the corrosion issues that plague may of the undercarriage components on your Adventurer. While we appreciate your concern and sincerity that prompted you to write, we must decline any participation in the expense as outlined in your letter."

How rude to not respond to me directly. Wonder why? So this tells me that if I drive on roads and live in coastal regions that I can expect excessive corrosion on my rig in less than three years.My concern is the tacit acknowledgement that this company is knowingly producing defective parts and/or workmanship including non-Winnebago manufactured components and and then walking away from any problems.

I have attempted to repair the corroded areas I can reach, however I am teribbly concerned with those areas that are not readily accessible or visible. Example: the framework between the engine and firewall.

I have not contacted an attorney and am wondering if it is worth the money and effort to do so. Winnebago Industries gladly took my money and are not standing behind their product. Not to mention the condenscing attitude toward women!

Has anyone else had extreme rusting issues with their rigs? Thanks for listening.

[The Shadow]

Originally Posted by NancyGinette

Has anyone else had extreme rusting issues with their rigs? Thanks for listening.

Here is an example of what can happen when it is driven from the factory to a dealer in winter across several states with a wide variety of road salts.

The invoice to the dealer said that it was rustproofed or undercoated but it turned out it was not.

2005 Winnebago Vectra Rust

Our 04 Journey was delivered in the winter and it was rusted when we got it home. A friend came to have a look the day we too delivery (May) and when he took a peak underneath he was amazed at the amount of the rust. It was eventually clearned up by the dealer. When a MH is delivered in winter standing instructions are that it is to be power washed (including the undercarriage) to remove the salt that will have collected.

[smlranger]

The topic of rust on some of the metal used in Winnebago coaches is interesting. I bought my currrent coach used and the original owner lived in Illinois. While I thought I checked carefully for obvious rust before we made the final deal, I may have not looked as carefully as I should since the coach was otherwise in nearly perfect condition.

During my first oil change and chassis lube (I did it myself and was getting intimate with the underside of the beast), I became more aware of the amount of rust on some of the thinner metal and around exterior compartments. I have since spent many hours sand blasting, scraping, rust proofing and repainting. My lesson...never buy a coach that lived north of the Mason-Dixon line .

However, I do feel that there must be some issue with the metal coating process at Winnebago. As others have noted, paint comes off in large flakes or sheets. Other vehicles, including trucks, utility vehicles, cars, etc. which are exposed to road salt and other environmental insults, do not seem to rust so easily.

It is a mystery to me. I recently did the Winnebago factory tour and saw their process for prepping and coating the metal for the coaches. It seems thorough enough. Large metal peices are dipped repeatedly in various washes, cleaned, dipped in primers and coating. A form of electrolysis is used to help the coating adhere to the metal. Some metal is prepped and powder coated. It appears they try to do a good job with this.

[Old Snipe]

I had the rust around my basement compartments on my 03 Adventurer that I bought in Oct 02, not really the time of year for heavily salted road conditions. The rust didn't show up for a couple of years.

I bought my 07 Journey in May 07, again not time for salted road conditions. Two years later, same type of rust around the compartments.

I never drove either MH in winter conditions. Both MH's were delievered outside the winter window.

Many other Winnebago owners I know have had the same rust conditions. WB has a poor process coating their steel in the building process, they cut a corner in rust protection, they know they do and we owners suffer because of it.

Best Regards!

[Voyager35L]

Wow, I must have missed this one. I may have test drove your unit prior to buying mine from WH RV. My RV has been a gem...working on a problem with the winterization levers and antifreeze coming out of a drain hole that does not exist on the specs...but with that I have no complaints. I did have a problem unit Class C Winnebago Access prior to my current model and dumped it after one year. Bought it in Pa. Sometimes you have to just trade it in.

[Automobilist]

Quite a distressing thread. It reinforces why I believe the best new RV, is generally a used RV. Let the first owner work out the problems and buy the expensive extras.

Out of seven boats and three RV's, we've only bought one new. A Weekend Warrior fifth-wheel toyhauler. Custom ordered to our specifications. I spent four hours at the dealer going over every inch of it, including hosing it down to check for leaks. I ensured ALL systems were functioning properly BEFORE we took delivery. Had a couple minor warranty issues come up, which the dealer handled promptly and properly.

Point being; I thoroughly researched dealers, and traveled a bit to go to the one with the best reputation. I carefully inspected the coach prior to accepting it. And yes, there were some things for the service dept to resolve right then and there. When I hooked up and pulled out, there was no question that it was in great shape.

Bottom line, it's very unlikely we'll ever buy another new RV. Not with so many great deals on used RV's.

I would recommend to the original poster that he simply find a quality independent RV repair shop and have them fix his coach. A good independent will not stay in business unless they are at least reasonably competent and fair on price. Finally, RV's are complex structures subject to high dynamic loads. Failure of parts and components is part of the deal. It's not a Toyota that's stamped out by the thousands and operates in a relatively low stress environment.