Winnebago quality???

RACKMAN · 08-25-2019, 03:10 PM

Well just got back from our maiden trip with our new 2020 Micro Minnie...very disappointing. I thought Winnebago was suppose to be a higher quality trailer?

We got mice on this trip...never in the past 6 years with our Rockwood trailer did we get mice. I guess Winnebago does not seal up their trailers very well and now after I try to get rid of the mice I will be under the trailer looking for how the mice got in.

Our slide had an interior vertical trim piece catch on a lower horizontal trim piece and rip apart the two trim pieces. Yes, trailer was levelled properly, the vertical trim piece just was not cut short enough to ensure adequate clearance with the lower horizontal trim piece...bad quality control.

One window has the weather trim coming away at a corner.

And the TV mount on the backside of the TV cracked and the TV is almost falling off.

So after a single trip that was no different then any of our previous trips in the past 6 years with the our Rockwood that we traded in on this Micro, we are taking it in for warranty repairs and trying to get rid of mice. Not happy and now wish I had kept my Rockwood...

**creativepart** · 08-25-2019, 04:50 PM

Sad to hear and I'm can hear the disappointment in your writing.

It is what it is and sad to say all brands have quality issues. I do think WBGO is better than many other brands. Not the best. But better than lots of other makes.

ANY RV from ANY MAKER can have the problems you're seeing. It's too bad that you've got problems with this one.

I met a guy parked next to me at a campground with a Prevost Marathon that cost over $1.5mil. He said the first 6 months the motorhome had to be at the factory to correct issues in it's construction. But that he felt it was finally all fixed.

This too shall pass and you will hopefully reach the place where everything works well and inherent quality starts to show through. But I hear you, it's this first trip that leaves a bad taste for the brand.

Fasttimes · 08-26-2019, 08:42 AM

Par for the course for the industry unfortunately. And has been this way for a while.

This is one of the reasons I buy "like-new". Tremendous savings and all the annoying issues are sorted out buy the original buyer.

Morich · 08-26-2019, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fasttimes

Par for the course for the industry unfortunately. And has been this way for a while.

This is one of the reasons I buy "like-new". Tremendous savings and all the annoying issues are sorted out buy the original buyer.

Agree with this, totally but want to add why I moved back to Winnebago after others.
It takes a bit more looking to spot the difference, at times. One way to do this without buying is to go to some shows and not just look at the shiny outside but pull some cushions and open some compartments to look at how the wiring and plumbing are laid out. First do some looking at your unit for things like where/how things are attached for fit and finish. There will be obvious problems as you are finding but then compare it to other brands of the same size and price range.
What I have found is that other brands like Thor are not involved with getting things laid in and secured or cut to fit. Under the dinette seats was a big shock as they had usd what could have been storage to just slam electronics into put the real kicker was that they did not cut the wires like number six ground wire, down to fit but just made a couple loops of the excess and that left them to rattle around and make the storage pretty difficult. As I got into doing some mods on it, I found lots of scrap wires, cutoffs from pipe, strapping and screws, no attempt to attach or cleanup after construction! When I called to ask where the other end of a coax would be found, customer service acted totally dumb and told me, "they are just pretty generic" which is totally different than Winnebago which has lots of drawings and info online for me to study. Study of the drawings will show that Winnebago specifies where each fastener and what type SHALL be placed.
Not perfect and does need improvement but after owning others, I traded my 2017 Thor for a 2014 Winnebago and will not look back again.
Go by facts that you can see and not what books say!

**macnut** · 08-26-2019, 09:47 AM

Even though I had some initial problems with my Adventurer, once we got through that, we appreciate the way it was built and the support they maintain during the life of the RV.

We recently bought a new home, and surprisingly, we had about the same number of initial quality defects that had to be addressed.

So I think there is something to buying lightly used RVs and homes if you don’t want the headache of dealing with this. I can totally understand both sides.

**creativepart** · 08-26-2019, 10:32 AM

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.

When you buy used you do get a RV that's been road tested and had initial problems corrected. But the big BUT here is, who fixed it? How did they fix it? How was it used? What modifications did the original purchaser make? What is the seller neglecting or forgetting to mention that's still a problem or even an unsolved mystery problem with the RV?

One great thing about Winnebago brand products compared to a great number, perhaps most other, RV manufacturers is that WBGO has full plumbing, wiring and parts diagrams for all their models for more than a decade of past model years.

And, most of us find that those diagrams and parts lists are accurate and kept up to date. Proof the the company builds a consistent product and one they take some care in building.

When you take a factory tour of other major brands you see workers running to keep up with fast moving production lines. This may look efficient but it also looks sloppy. The WBGO line moves much more slowly. Workers have time to install and build things out before the product moves to the next station.

And WBGO makes a huge number of the parts they install right in their own factories. They are not built by some jobber in another location. My Adventurer has serial number labels on virtually every piece of wood used in the cabinets and doors, along with finish info and build dates. My cabinets were built specifically for my RV. Other manufacturers do not necessarily take this step.

I've owned only two other brands - Arctic Fox and Forest River. Arctic Fox is a good builder but you can't get any parts list or electrical or plumbing diagrams for any of their models. 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.

We feel honestly like we've purchased a well built motorhome and I would say it's definitely on par (or better) with Tiffins and Newmars that we've experienced.

pj48009 · 08-27-2019, 06:21 AM

We bought a 2019 26RBSS and I will contradict myself here. The overall quality seems pretty good such as cabinets, furniture, etc. We did have issues with both sliding doors coming loose. They fastened with screws 1/2 inch in length at the most. I question the wisdom in that. I drilled through and installed bolts with nuts and washers where each screw was and it appears pretty solid now. So there was a couple issues but I still think it’s pretty good.

Kayak73 · 08-27-2019, 06:48 AM

Quote:

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.

>>>>chop

We feel honestly like we've purchased a well built motorhome and I would say it's definitely on par (or better) with Tiffins and Newmars that we've experienced.

I think this is a completely fair and honest evaluation. I agree, owned Tiffin and WGO and looked at several Thor industry products. Yes, there are issues to be found in any of them but WGO and Tiffin are both good quality in comparison. I've found some problems are more difficult than others but WGO provides online easy to access wiring and plumbing diagrams and you can always call for help. Tiffin was extremely helpful as well. Coach House is "handbuilt" much more than some others but you pay for it and stuff can still break. I might have issues with some of the new technology things in our rig but I've adapted to the compressor fridge and like it now after making some changes to the electrical side. Little things always crop up as you use the rig, just got a real headscratcher with a loose ground wire in the 7 pin plug on the RV, made up by WGO the short jumper ground wire apparently was not properly inserted when they completed the plug. See, we had the rig 18 months before I even used the 7 pin, but the issue was there. Part of RV life and finding these issues helps keep the brain alive.

Like everyone I wish the industry as a whole had better QC but then I would hate to pay for what a real problem free rig would cost

TourNut · 09-01-2019, 04:43 PM

Friend of mine bought a new Nexus Phantom a year & a half ago , He's had it back to the mfg. 3 times to fix things & last I heard it still wasn't completely all fixed . 5 hour round trip each time ; he has put on a lot more miles doing that than actual vacation time. He has had to leave it with them for awhile at least twice . He swears by the brand but I don't know why !

Santee2 · 09-01-2019, 05:21 PM

I know how you feel , we have had 3 Winnie and the first 2 were loaded class A's. This last time we went simple and purchased a new Class C, no slides, no jacks, no steps (all the things we had trouble with before) and find this one to be a perfect fit. I think any RV with all the "bells and whistles" is going to have its share of problems. If you take a factory tour and watch them get built you will wonder how ANYTHING works. Good Luck Hope this helps

lnkaye · 09-01-2019, 05:43 PM

Here's an interesting article about a couple that sued WBGO due to an abundance of issues with a new RV. https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/08/winnebago-ordered-to-pay-couple-500k-for-problem-plagued-motorhome-in-federal-warranty-dispute.html

rckmtn12 · 09-01-2019, 06:17 PM

I bought because Winnie were supposed to be among the best for price. My old Jayco gave me fewer problems in 10 years than my W did in 6 months.

TJFogelberg · 09-01-2019, 07:07 PM

We bought new in Oct 16 - our 4 th RV and 1st new one. Coming up on our 3 year anniversary, I feel we have most of the bugs worked out. Between the dealer and the factory (we go direct to Forest City for most work) we have been able to get most issues resolved to our satisfaction.

But I do confess that the process was disappointing at times, although I half expected it having hung out on these forums for years.

The Ford Chassis (E450) handles well and requires very little maintenance. This has been a huge plus of the whole experience. (We already have 20,000 miles on her). Oil changes. Not much else. Our previous rig (Lazy Daze) had the Ford E450 also with over 130K on it and ran like new.

It's disappointing (to say the least) having to bring a new rig in for warranty work, but I do have to say the dealer and Winnebago have been great to work with and covered things after the formal warranty period had expired.

Heading out on Tuesday on a 4 month trip with fingers crossed.

(I read the link to the story about the lawsuit. That couple made 2 mistakes. #1 - they should not have gone "full time" until they owned and operated the rig for 6 months or a year to work out the bugs and get things the way they wanted. #2 - They should have gone directly to Forest City for service. These rigs are too complex, it isn't realistic to expect to drive one off the lot, pack up for full time living and head out and expect smooth sailing right off the bat.)

Blazer · 09-01-2019, 07:17 PM

“Made in the USA by American Workers”
“Quality Built”
“We stand behind every product we sell”

Growing up I used to hear a lot of slogans like these but maybe today we are expecting too much from a product “Made in the USA.” Certainly, our expectations are not being met. Once the most productive industrial nation in the world, now American companies cannot produce a trailer or motorhome that doesn’t need to go back to the shop the minute you drive it off the dealers lot.

09 harley · 09-01-2019, 07:43 PM

It happens to everyone. Just tough it through and get everything fixed before the warranty runs out. Take it back for every single problem and don’t take no for an answer.

Elgann · 09-01-2019, 08:23 PM

2018 winnie drop
I bought new and 3 months in i smelled burning rubber. I went outside to panel behind fridge and the wire carrying gas was rubber and ran right behind ignition box. It was melting!!! I took it to an rv shop. Nearest winnebago shop was a couple of hours away.

They replace melting hose with copper. I send picture of melted hose and the 146.00 bill to winnebago. I finally called and spoke to some guy, telling him this was serious and he should make sure someone in management was made aware. This was life threatening.

Several months later I get a check for 147.00. A few months ago ( well over a year later) I get a.recall.notice about the rubber hose needing replacing so it must have happened to someone.else.

Now I've learned they stopped production of these campers.

Last week I'm taking my little grandkids to Montana from Louisiana back.to their parents and my tire was smoking so bad it melted to my camper...the tire on the gas line side.

I jumped out,, poured 12 bottles.of water plus a gallon jug to stop the smoking then spent.6 hours in a mechanic shop with a 4 year old and 20 month old child to get it fixed. The bearings went out.

I'm really afraid to drive the thing back home! Is there any way to find out why they stopped production and what other problems people have had?

bwodom · 09-02-2019, 08:56 AM

Interestingly, our last unit was a Rockwood and we now have a Winnebago. Our results were so parallel to yours, but exactly opposite -- we got mice in the Rockwood (A/C vents) and love the Winnebago.

I think the real difference is that the Rockwood was a newer model than the Winnebago. The newer builds from any manufacturer are simply not holding up to the same quality standards as 5+ years ago.

I worked at NHTSA years ago, and would recommend to any potential buyer to go to their site and look up recall data on the brand you are considering first -- compare the recalls for ABC Co. to XYZ Co. Then look up exact model to see what recalls have been issued. For a new model, you probably won't find any, but it will get you an idea of where to start looking

When we looked up our used Winnebago there were -0- recalls on that year and model...don't see that very often. For the other units we were considering, we were able to ask the owner/dealers whether those issues had been repaired!

Sorry you are having issues, but after 30 years of RVing, we have found our RV to be much like our house -- there is always something needed a fix!

Ret.LEO · 09-02-2019, 09:39 AM

Quote:

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.

When you buy used you do get a RV that's been road tested and had initial problems corrected. But the big BUT here is, who fixed it? How did they fix it? How was it used? What modifications did the original purchaser make? What is the seller neglecting or forgetting to mention that's still a problem or even an unsolved mystery problem with the RV?

One great thing about Winnebago brand products compared to a great number, perhaps most other, RV manufacturers is that WBGO has full plumbing, wiring and parts diagrams for all their models for more than a decade of past model years.

And, most of us find that those diagrams and parts lists are accurate and kept up to date. Proof the the company builds a consistent product and one they take some care in building.

When you take a factory tour of other major brands you see workers running to keep up with fast moving production lines. This may look efficient but it also looks sloppy. The WBGO line moves much more slowly. Workers have time to install and build things out before the product moves to the next station.

And WBGO makes a huge number of the parts they install right in their own factories. They are not built by some jobber in another location. My Adventurer has serial number labels on virtually every piece of wood used in the cabinets and doors, along with finish info and build dates. My cabinets were built specifically for my RV. Other manufacturers do not necessarily take this step.

I've owned only two other brands - Arctic Fox and Forest River. Arctic Fox is a good builder but you can't get any parts list or electrical or plumbing diagrams for any of their models. 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.

We feel honestly like we've purchased a well built motorhome and I would say it's definitely on par (or better) with Tiffins and Newmars that we've experienced.

Buying used is a two sided coin.......either you get one that has it's problems resolved OR you get the complete lemon that the previous owner gave up on.
As far as motorized, Dealers like Lichtsinns RV in Forrest City will give a limited time period warranty. That is awesome when a Dealer will stand behind their used equipment.
I agree that Northwoods products like Arctic Fox, ORV are extremely well built quality items BUT Dealers are limited for any service work, mostly in the Northwest.
Winnebago's have a history of quality. Face it, most RV's all share the same components used by all builders across the industry. The difference comes with a solid foundation and how those common components are installed. Dealer support is everything backed up by the Winnebago Customer service and even the online resources.
I would have no reservation at all buying a Winnebago or their subsidiary company Grand Design.

ExBuckeye · 09-02-2019, 01:10 PM

No major system problems with our 2018 WB Vista. Plenty of fit and finish items that would have been caught if they actually did quality control. Didn't the dealer tell you you will have to fix most items?

Fasttimes · 09-02-2019, 01:36 PM

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.