Winnebago quality???

[mthead55]

We have new 26RBSS Micro Minnie and feel the same. Some trim in basement pulling away because it was cut too long, toilet won’t hold water, window cracked in corner and several window seals pulling away, front trim expanded in the Texas sun and just flapped in the wind, various screws laying about. One probably was meant for the toilet paper holder since only one didn’t keep it from being pulled out. And, the black tank doesn’t seal when closed so there is water running out when the stopper is removed. Oh yeah, the tank level electronics don’t work. There are a couple more things but let’s just say I feel your pain.

I guess I am somewhat encouraged to hear all new trailers have issues. But, what does that say about us? I paid a good amount of money and expect the manufacturer to give me the product promised.

[M1 Garand]

I agree that at one time Winnebago was quality, but now I would say that Forest River travel trailers are as good or better quality than Winnebago. I might add that Forest River is far less expensive than Winnebago. So I guess with Winniebago you are paying a higher price just for the name! Yes, I own a Minnie Plus now.

[Cooperhawk]

If you get the opportunity take the factory tour in Forest City. You will learn a lot of information that dealers don't tell you.


Winnebago owns and operates an extrusion plant right on site at the factory. That kept them alive during the time that so many went broke. The reason they have that plant is that they build all the framework of every motorhome with that steel.

There are no wood two by twos at all in the construction.



Every appliance within the motorhome is anchored directly to that steel frame so that in an accident they stay in place. Every once in a while they buy a competitors unit and raise it with a crane to a good height, and then drop it nose first. Then they do a comparison with one of their own. I was told they stop all production so everyone can come out and watch.


They make all their own cabinets our of hard wood. They make all their own cushions. They fabricate all their own fiberglass walls.


A very large percentage of Forest City works for them. The work from seven in the morning till five in the afternoon. They work five days a week. If you go on the tour you can talk to the folks building the units. They all seem happy and work there a long time. Some folks drive several miles just to work there.


Winnebago built the cities sewage system, airport, electrical generator, and have contributed greatly to the community.


Between us we have owned several trailers including pop ups and Scamps. We had an Airstream motorhome for 18 years. We now have an older Winnebago and although we keep upgrading it, we love it. We generally put on between five and seven thousand miles a year.


Coop

[sunvale1]

I purchase a 2017 View and had nothing but problems with the slider, water leaks, drawers flying out in turns, generator not starting, steering problems which could have been deadly and the list goes on. On top of that non of the Winnebago dealers would even consider working on the unit since I did not purchase it from them. Most of my problems are taken are of now but I would suggest Winnebago check the workmanship of their employees. All of the problems could have been avoided if the installations were done by competent employees

[sunvale1]

My wife and I took the tour and we were very impressed with the orderliness of the plant. But somehow we ended up with this unit from hell. Must have been build on a Friday PM

[MikeBrooks]

We will be taking our intent 30r in for the second round of fixes. So far nothing incredibly bad, TV doesn't work, water fixtures hooked up in reverse (hot and cold), etc. Worst is the entry door which was not hung/installed properly so you can actually see the pavement with the door closed. Sigh. Purchased this new so we are taking in under warranty after hurricane Dorian passes.

Would be nice if quality control checks were better, but I haven't seen any indication WBGO is any better or worse than the rest of the industry. A friend of mine works for a wireless provider who a few years ago was claiming to have the best customer service in the industry. I said, great, your service is at least crummy in comparison to a company which truly makes customer service a priority. Unfortunately the RV industry is much the same. Still enjoying the RV travel experience, though!

[HappiHenri]

One of the reasons we bought our 2005 Adventurer was the support offered by Winnebago for parts and service. I really appreciate the fact that parts diagrams, electrical diagrams, etc are easily available on-line, and the few times I have called in for tech support they were very helpful. I find this to be invaluable.

For example - I wanted to add a Fantastic fan in the BR over the bed, but was very vary of cutting a 14" X 14" hole through the roof to do this - who knows what structural members, wiring or roof ducting I might cut through. So called tech support and they immediately sent me PDF files of the roof structure of my exact model & MY, showing exactly where all these items were. So I was able to work around them and cut the hole in an open area. Now we have additional great ventilation right over our bed - works great!

I have also worked as an RV tech at our local consignment RV dealer for several years, but we got to the point where we refused to work on any Thor products - because they offered ZERO product support. No parts or electrical diagrams, no parts listings - nothing. Added to the fact that even newer Thor models were plagued with all kinds of problems - the aggravation just became too great.

So it is disappointing that the new buyer of the Minnie had some problems - but honestly they all sounded very minor (compared to some of the horrors I have seen on other model RVs). But at least Winnebago will try hard to stand behind their products - especially compared to many other manufacturers.

[deucehotrods]

In late January I bought my 2005 Winnebago Adventurer 38R for with the 8.1L Workhorse W22 chassis and am very happy with it. I was very lucky to get it as it was like new, with only 12,000 miles on it and had always been kept inside or under a roof so the paint is perfect. It sold new for $146,000 and I gave just $39,000 for it. I made a few upgrades, adding flat panel TV's, a Winegard Satellite Dish, XM/Sirius Satellite Radio and Doug's Stainless Steel Headers and new tires. The previous owner had already added the UltraPower computer upgrade, Koni shocks and track bars front and rear. I just returned from a 9 week 7000 mile trip through 15 states fully loaded at 22,000 lbs pulling a 3500 lb trailer. It performed very well and I encountered many 6% grades with one 8% grade that took me down to low gear plus some 25-35 mph headwinds. Of course the gas mileage wasn't good (6 mpg) but it didn't give me a single problem, even though I was running it very hard. I hope it continues to treat me well in the future.

I previously owned a 2002 Monaco La Palma with the same GM 8.1L Workhorse W22 and it always performed well too and it had 60,000 miles on it when I sold it. I always thought Monaco was one of the better built motorhomes but the build quality was nowhere near as good as the fit and finish on the Winnebago. My Winnebago is well engineered and thought out while my Monaco seemed to be thrown together haphazardly. I was constantly upgrading and fixing things on it the 5 years I owned it. I am a believer in the 8.1L Workhorse chassis but they are getting hard to find with low miles and in good condition after being out of production for 10 years now.

In my experience, all I can say is that in 2005 they built a very good, quality motorhome!

[crg502]

I also own a 2019 Micro Minnie and I am extremely disappointed and I also thought Winnebago was supposed to be one of the better brands to buy. I am still traveling, but with what I would call a poorly built piece of junk. The AC stopped working in August, then two of the stabilizers became impossible to lower or raise. The black water valve has been impossible to fully open or close, so I had to order an adapter from Amazon. Most of the window screens have gaps between the frame of the windows, which provides a way for mosquitoes and other small insects to get in. I have noticed that a number of sheet metal screws have fallen out and I was already having major problems with dust getting into my poor investment while driving on paved roads and I try to avoid driving on gravel roads, but that is impossible. Now the slide-in has started making a loud noise while moving it in or out. I had not used the little extension at the end of the countertop until just recently. Whoever mounted it obviously did not care to make sure it was installed properly. I am glad to read that some of our fellow Micro Minnie owners are happy, but I have no doubt that I have purchased a "LEMON." Winnebago should be ashamed of their obvious disregard for any kind of quality control and we consumers have no recourse. I am almost 71 and purchasing this Winnebago is the worst investment in my life.
WINNEBAGO DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by crg502

I also own a 2019 Micro Minnie and I am extremely disappointed and I also thought Winnebago was supposed to be one of the better brands to buy.

You first posted this almost word for word one month ago today.

Have you taken it in for service yet?

[LadyDog]

WE bought a new 2016 Winnebago Destination 36RL in August of 2017. The second trip out with it, one bracket holding the roller blind up over the dinette broke. The dealer replaced it under warranty and installed a third bracket in the center. The crown molding on the slideout over the fridge came loose, I added a few screws to it and all is okay now.


A shout out to Lippert Industries:



I just replaced a broken leaf spring on the trailer which is a Lippert product along with the axles. The trailer is out of warranty, but my wife contacted Lippert, and they said they would goodwill the parts but not cover any of the labor. Way to go Lippert!


These are the only problems that we've had with this Winnebago. The quality to us is a whole lot better than the previous 2015 5th wheel that we had owned.

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by Fasttimes

It's my understanding that the Motorhome and RV-trailer divisions of Wbgo are basically two different companies. So it's hard to compare the two products except as said almost all RVs share the same level of materials and craftsmanship. Cheap and light-weight.



This leads me back to buying like new in a Travel Trailer. As long as you do your homework, all the systems are working and the roof is not leaking you have no major motor system that needs to be worried about.



My 2015 loaded 27RBDS was purchased 2.5 years old for $18k, new it would have been $48k. Since owning I've had new seals on one slide replaced and some water damaged wood trim replaced to the tune of $2700. Kept covered at home and waxed every 6 months it looks almost like the day I bought it.



My point being I'll gladly deal with some minor fixes and a bit of head-ache for a savings over 50% over buying new. Maybe not for everyone, but in my book it's worth it.

I'm with you, buying gently used, has great valuation.

[Ret.LEO]

My 2015 loaded 27RBDS was purchased 2.5 years old for $18k, new it would have been $48k. Since owning I've had new seals on one slide replaced and some water damaged wood trim replaced to the tune of $2700. Kept covered at home and waxed every 6 months it looks almost like the day I bought it.



My point being I'll gladly deal with some minor fixes and a bit of head-ache for a savings over 50% over buying new. Maybe not for everyone, but in my book it's worth it.[/QUOTE]

I'm afraid you're way off on your 50% savings. New if MSRP was $48K then real purchase price would have been $32K at 33% which is a normal discounted price.
Then consider right now a new sitting on the lot 2020 is $33k, a left over 2019 is listed at $27K, then you bought a trailer that had been titled before so it was a used RV which would have reduced the price even more.
To me a year model hold over that ate the depreciation on the dealer's lot with his price reflecting it with a new unit factory warranty is the best deal going.
Buying used is always a crap shoot unless you buy from a quality dealer like Lichtsinn's for motorized. Especially if they sold it new, will show you any work orders, give you the previous owners name and telephone number and give you a specific length of time warranty.
Otherwise you are possibly buying a used can of worms.
Fortunately I live in Illinois and about the only good thing about that is that we actually have a "lemon law" for new motorized RV's for one year. Trailers are still possibly covered by a Illinois Supreme Court ruling that a trailer has to be able to be used for the purpose intended at purchase. Sitting in a Dealer's holding lot waiting for repairs is not a intended purpose of purchase.

[Bigbird65]

Originally Posted by crg502

I also own a 2019 Micro Minnie and I am extremely disappointed and I also thought Winnebago was supposed to be one of the better brands to buy. I am still traveling, but with what I would call a poorly built piece of junk. The AC stopped working in August, then two of the stabilizers became impossible to lower or raise. The black water valve has been impossible to fully open or close, so I had to order an adapter from Amazon. Most of the window screens have gaps between the frame of the windows, which provides a way for mosquitoes and other small insects to get in. I have noticed that a number of sheet metal screws have fallen out and I was already having major problems with dust getting into my poor investment while driving on paved roads and I try to avoid driving on gravel roads, but that is impossible. Now the slide-in has started making a loud noise while moving it in or out. I had not used the little extension at the end of the countertop until just recently. Whoever mounted it obviously did not care to make sure it was installed properly. I am glad to read that some of our fellow Micro Minnie owners are happy, but I have no doubt that I have purchased a "LEMON." Winnebago should be ashamed of their obvious disregard for any kind of quality control and we consumers have no recourse. I am almost 71 and purchasing this Winnebago is the worst investment in my life.
WINNEBAGO DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS.

Sure sorry you are having so much trouble with your Micro Minnie. We bought a 2250DS new last year and love it. Right after we got it we found a very small leak and the dealer fixed it 3 days later. No leak since. A few other small items but all have been taken care of by Winnebago and our dealer, RV Land in Kyle Texas. To get rid of your slide noise you need to lubricate certain parts of the slide mechanism with the proper lubricant. Watch this video. This is my second Winnebago. I had the 2101DS for 4 years and if I thought it was a piece of junk I never would bought the larger one. I am 77 and buying the 2250DS has been one of my best purchases. Sorry for going upstream against the prevailing attitude in this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KbV...lBlAZCbKcyL8rs

[lenore]

Ok I am upset, Just bought a Vita 24p on the Mercedes sprinter chassis. First of all I owned a Trail lite By R-vision trailer for 15 years and other than a thermostat on the water heater had zero problems. It had a slide and everything worked on the day I sold it two weeks ago. I went out last Friday to Reno from Sacramento. Good test of the rig for mountains and roads. The chassis performed well, by the time I arrived in Reno the inverter had died. With that the residential refrigerator failed to cool. Ran generator and was able to make lunch. Came back down the hill, and brought home. Now the refrigerator fails to work. light on but no compressor. LaMesa RV cant get me in until November 22 so the rig is useless for travel because I have no refrigerator and no inverter. Contacted La Mesa and that is the best it can be. I called Winnebago and they tried to get me an inverter, but they are on back order. So here I sit with a brand new (2weeks) old motorhome that is useless for travel. I called refrigerator people and they will not warrant it because it is in a motorhome. Said Winnebago is only one that will provide warranty work. Nice chassis, but the hardware sucks. The service is at best poor. I worked all my life in the service industry and never have I seen such poor customer service. Quite frankly I would do ten times better than they would. I can fix anything, (background in electronics, refrigeration, and mechanics) but it irritates me to think I just bought a brand new Sprinter class motorhome and it is useless because of vender issue appliances.

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by lenore

Ok I am upset, Just bought a Vita 24p on the Mercedes sprinter chassis. First of all I owned a Trail lite By R-vision trailer for 15 years and other than a thermostat on the water heater had zero problems. It had a slide and everything worked on the day I sold it two weeks ago. I went out last Friday to Reno from Sacramento. Good test of the rig for mountains and roads. The chassis performed well, by the time I arrived in Reno the inverter had died. With that the residential refrigerator failed to cool. Ran generator and was able to make lunch. Came back down the hill, and brought home. Now the refrigerator fails to work. light on but no compressor. LaMesa RV cant get me in until November 22 so the rig is useless for travel because I have no refrigerator and no inverter. Contacted La Mesa and that is the best it can be. I called Winnebago and they tried to get me an inverter, but they are on back order. So here I sit with a brand new (2weeks) old motorhome that is useless for travel. I called refrigerator people and they will not warrant it because it is in a motorhome. Said Winnebago is only one that will provide warranty work. Nice chassis, but the hardware sucks. The service is at best poor. I worked all my life in the service industry and never have I seen such poor customer service. Quite frankly I would do ten times better than they would. I can fix anything, (background in electronics, refrigeration, and mechanics) but it irritates me to think I just bought a brand new Sprinter class motorhome and it is useless because of vender issue appliances.

Is this what you purchased two weeks ago? Was it brand spankin' new?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS4JmxXswWw

[lenore]

Yup brand new 2020 Love the chassis and what Winnebago put in this rig, but sad that the inverter and refrigerator have both died. Beautiful rig otherwise.

[E.Carlson]

I'll bite. I just found this forum while looking for solutions for some of my own issues. I have a new 2018 minnie drop. It has had some issues that I fixed on my own, plumbing leaks and loose connections and such. Annoying but part of owning a camper I guess. My big problem is that I have a roof leak. Less than a year old and I already have to replace the roof seals? I called on the warranty and was informed that seals aren't covered. Upon inspection I found that the dicor on one side (where the leak is) seemed to be hollow, like there was a long bubble all the way down the seal. Anyone think I can prove that that was a issue in workmanship so I can fight them on the warranty? It goes into the dealer on the 20th, but so far it looks like I'm out of luck.

[al1florida]

Originally Posted by creativepart

We always buy new. Mostly because my wife prefers it. But there is an upside and I don't think it's a small matter................

Our Forest River Class C started falling apart within the first 6-months of ownership. The day we traded it in we breathed a sigh of relief.

I'm guessing your Class C would be on the used RV sales lot as one of the "like new" that has all the bugs worked out?????

New or used, a thorough inspection is a must.

[lenore]

Originally Posted by E.Carlson

I'll bite. I just found this forum while looking for solutions for some of my own issues. I have a new 2018 minnie drop. It has had some issues that I fixed on my own, plumbing leaks and loose connections and such. Annoying but part of owning a camper I guess. My big problem is that I have a roof leak. Less than a year old and I already have to replace the roof seals? I called on the warranty and was informed that seals aren't covered. Upon inspection I found that the dicor on one side (where the leak is) seemed to be hollow, like there was a long bubble all the way down the seal. Anyone think I can prove that that was a issue in workmanship so I can fight them on the warranty? It goes into the dealer on the 20th, but so far it looks like I'm out of luck.

sounds like the roofing material didnt reach the side panels, take your finger and see if it is hollow under the edge.