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Old 08-22-2014, 10:32 AM   #81
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Originally Posted by SCVJeff View Post
Winne, and all others gather all the outside pieces together and assemble them. All they really are responsible for QC wise if the box all this goes in, and the infrastructure to tie it altogether.

.
Although a lot of people feel this way, I have always seen it differently.

Whether a manufacturer decides to build something in house or subcontract/outsource, shouldn't be my concern. I bought a product with the Winnebago name on it and they should feel responsible for not only the quality of their own work but also for the quality of the parts they have sourced elsewhere.

In a previous life, I was a Director of Customer Services for a high tech Fortune 50 company. I made decisions on in house vs subcontract and buy vs make... but my customers never wanted to hear me tell them that a problem wasn't my fault because one of our subcontractors had fallen down on the job.

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Old 08-23-2014, 10:16 AM   #82
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aaummmmm

I thought this post was about satisfied owners so why mention getting a Newmar as there is no comparison between a /Winnebago and a Newmar.

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Old 08-23-2014, 11:09 AM   #83
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aaummmmm

I thought this post was about satisfied owners so why mention getting a Newmar as there is no comparison between a /Winnebago and a Newmar.

Sorry about mentioning the N............ In my post that you are referring to, I was replying to WaltH as he was looking for a used diesel to fulltime in with a floorplan that was suitable for his particular needs and had narrowed his choices down to Winnebago, N....... and Tif..... I just happened to spot the N......... as I was looking at Journey 34y/Meridian 34y's. Winnebago is a great motorhome but if someone chooses something else that's fine by me.

As you can tell from my previous posts in this thread, I am very pleased with Winnebago Ind. and my Itasca and have had great, fun times at the Winnebago factory. I do keep my eye out for a good Journey/Meridian 34y or 34B as I may want to upgrade sometime in the future.
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Old 08-24-2014, 01:09 AM   #84
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Rick: My point was that Winnebago, Fleetwood, Newmar, or any other can only do so much with outsourced components. We all know that NORCOLD has some serious issues, but so does the LP competition, so pick your poison.. And the same goes for HWH, Atwood, Carefree, Surflo, and the other usual list of suspects. While it's good that Winnebago usually can get things corrected with replacement equipment equally problematic in some cases, when it comes to poorly engineered and defective equipment, they can only do so much. Back to NORCOLD.. Everyone knows the 1200 is problematic, so who do you blame.. the coach builder?

FWIW- I was back to a local dealer that I didn't even buy the coach from only once for a water heater problem under warranty and fixed a very few others myself. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Winne/ Itasca product given the track record I have. My ONLY complaint, and this IS Winnebago's responsibility and fault would be to pay better attention and QC to their exterior paint. As much as I like the product, this area is near the bottom of the list in my book.
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Old 08-24-2014, 01:33 AM   #85
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I loved my 2012 Itasca Sunstar 35F, Never had an issue with her, she unfortunately suffered an untimely death at the hands of a local dealer. :-( I miss her...
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Old 08-24-2014, 08:48 AM   #86
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Originally Posted by SCVJeff View Post
Rick: My point was that Winnebago, Fleetwood, Newmar, or any other can only do so much with outsourced components. We all know that NORCOLD has some serious issues, but so does the LP competition, so pick your poison.. And the same goes for HWH, Atwood, Carefree, Surflo, and the other usual list of suspects. While it's good that Winnebago usually can get things corrected with replacement equipment equally problematic in some cases, when it comes to poorly engineered and defective equipment, they can only do so much. Back to NORCOLD.. Everyone knows the 1200 is problematic, so who do you blame.. the coach builder?

FWIW- I was back to a local dealer that I didn't even buy the coach from only once for a water heater problem under warranty and fixed a very few others myself. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Winne/ Itasca product given the track record I have. My ONLY complaint, and this IS Winnebago's responsibility and fault would be to pay better attention and QC to their exterior paint. As much as I like the product, this area is near the bottom of the list in my book.
Our paint should not have left the painters area let alone the factory or the dealer. Some really basic errors and just sloppy work.
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Old 08-24-2014, 11:55 AM   #87
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Hi, SCjeff,

What is the problem with the 1200 Norcold? I'm on my 4th Norcold refrigerator and only had one give me a problem and that was in a rental unit I bought and it was the 800 series. The Norcold 4 door w/ ice maker seems to be working fine. I think they have improved the new units.
My guess is that people don't make sure the coach is level which as you know is critical. Also try not to park with the fridge side facing the sun. Also a plus would be if people put fans in rear of unit to keep it cool.
As far as coach builder being responsible for Norcold product I would say NO.
In my estimation Winnebago manufacturers a fine product and you can always get parts from them such as water tanks, etc.Naturally appliances are responsibility on the particular company.

Enjoy!
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Old 08-24-2014, 12:53 PM   #88
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Hi, SCjeff,

What is the problem with the 1200 Norcold? I'm on my 4th Norcold refrigerator and only had one give me a problem and that was in a rental unit I bought and it was the 800 series. The Norcold 4 door w/ ice maker seems to be working fine. I think they have improved the new units.
My guess is that people don't make sure the coach is level which as you know is critical. Also try not to park with the fridge side facing the sun. Also a plus would be if people put fans in rear of unit to keep it cool.
As far as coach builder being responsible for Norcold product I would say NO.
In my estimation Winnebago manufacturers a fine product and you can always get parts from them such as water tanks, etc.Naturally appliances are responsibility on the particular company.

Enjoy!
I would totally agree with the statement that appliances are the responsibility of the particular manufacturer. I would compare the appliances and systems in a motorhome to those in your stick house.

You don't expect the stick home builder to warranty the refrigerator, air conditioner or furnace if they fail. You go to the manufacturers representative, which is usually a local dealer or a repair facility.

You may go to the stick home builder if there's a problem with the roof, siding, or any of the structural items they built. The same is true for the motorhome builder. Whatever they designed, manufactured, and installed is their responsibility.
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Old 08-24-2014, 01:37 PM   #89
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This is my second Winnebago coach. I traded a '05 Vectra 40FD for the Itasca. The issues we had were compounded by the poor dealer repairs, for the most part. We had a leak in the bed slide roof that several dealers "fixed". It never went away. We finally went to the factory and they rebuilt the slide roof. Even then the problem came back but I knew what to look for and was able to patch the opened seam.

The folks at Forest City have always been great. I am dealing with a couple of issues with this coach and the Winnebago service hot line folks have been a great help to me. Again I have a slide roof leak. On the same slide, passengers front, I have a cabinet that has come loose from the ceiling. Her is a case of poor design. The service center tech sent me a diagram of the ceiling attachment points for the cabinet. Basically there are none. I have placed a aluminum 1/8" bar over the area I am going to attach the cabinet to and glued it down with some good goop. When I have the water out of the ceiling material I will run screws up through the roof to the new plate. I will cut them flush and caulk.

But, this story is just to indicate how reliable the factory service teams are. I do trust them over any dealer advise or service. QC issues are a problem at times on the assembly line. Sometimes they are addressed with great satisfaction and other times someone says the wrong thing and the ball is dropped. These things are made by humans.
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Old 08-24-2014, 01:53 PM   #90
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Originally Posted by Tom-NC View Post
Hi, SCjeff,

What is the problem with the 1200 Norcold? I'm on my 4th Norcold refrigerator and only had one give me a problem and that was in a rental unit I bought and it was the 800 series. The Norcold 4 door w/ ice maker seems to be working fine. I think they have improved the new units.
My guess is that people don't make sure the coach is level which as you know is critical. Also try not to park with the fridge side facing the sun. Also a plus would be if people put fans in rear of unit to keep it cool.
As far as coach builder being responsible for Norcold product I would say NO.
In my estimation Winnebago manufacturers a fine product and you can always get parts from them such as water tanks, etc.Naturally appliances are responsibility on the particular company.

Enjoy!
Tom;

I totally agree with you. I am on my third Winnebago MH all with Norcold fridges and never had a problem. My DW says it cools well and she is happy with it.

Don
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Old 08-25-2014, 07:41 AM   #91
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The RV (ammonia refrigerant) traditional frig has a long history of problems. Dometic, Norcold, or others have common problems. Mine was the coil failed. They have many recalls for overheating problems and fires. And, comparing the ability to cool with a residential frig, the residential type is the winner. RV refrigerators are ok for the short term but not for extended use. Of course these are my opinions based upon my experiences. In the coach we are in now, the residential refrigerator is far superior to the old Norcold. Ice cream and ice are harder, milk is colder and the recovery time is much better. Yup, there are many traditionalist RVers out there that are very happy with what Dad had in his RV. I happen not to be one of them.

That said, like any other product the RV manufactures use in their RV construction, it is only as good as when it was delivered to the manufacture. If the camper manufacture fails to install it correctly the consumer is the one who suffers. QC is always a concern on our end. Winnebago my be slipping in that area but they still have the staff and resources available for us to get most things worked out. They are still one of the better companies out in the RV manufacturing world. Not perfect but available to us for the most part.
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Old 08-26-2014, 02:22 AM   #92
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Actually, the traditional RV refrigerator is based on a highly efficient system that has been used in industrial applications for many, many years. The failings of the RV system has much more to do with manufacturing cutting corners than the system itself.

With regards to the popular current residential (compressor style), only a few years ago, these systems were heavier, less efficient, and not real practical in the rv environment. Winnebago has been one of the leaders in getting the new, very efficient (compressor) style units into RVs.

That being said, even with all the so-called recalls, fires, and such that get talked about, there are still millions of the old style RV refrigerator units in use every day.

Personally, I had nothing but great luck with my three previous RV refers, but my latest one, a 2010 Norcold 1200 model, had the coil system go out at the 14 month point, 2 months after the warranty expired. (interestingly, until 2009, I think Norcold had a 3 year warranty). I personally replaced the coil unit, and its been working great for the last 3 years. But I would like the freezer capacity of a regular residential unit.
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Old 07-14-2015, 08:53 PM   #93
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Very happy with Winnebago (2011model).
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Old 07-15-2015, 07:42 AM   #94
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Very happy with Winnebago (2011model).
At the bottom left of the white box under the irv2 title box is User CP. This is a button that will lead you to your area for placing information in your signature. If you notice, many of us have done this to inform the other members and readers of what we publish some information about what we are most often needing help with and a bit about who we are just for social interest. I suggest you do the same. This is a good place to brag a little .

Glad you like your coach. What problems have you had to correct? How do you use it? All good to know stuff.

Example: I love my coach. It is roomy, sets up easy and closes up the same, fun to drive and comfortable to live in. But it is not perfect. I am waiting on a new relay for the front A/C unit. A wire in the control box was not manufactured correctly. It got very hot and crisped the relay, melted insulation and blacked the wires around it. When all three units are in good working order I can turn the coach into a meat locker . Even with two working units I can keep the coach comfortable when the outside temps are in the 90's. I just wish the wind noise from the registers was not so loud or forceful.

If you look at my signature you can see that I have some added equipment that may be of interest to others or may be helpful in knowing about when I am asking for help on a problem.

Happy trails and many of them,

Rick Y
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Old 07-15-2015, 11:01 AM   #95
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I just traded a 2005 Sightseer 29R for a, yet to be received, 2016 Sightseer 33C. I like the Winnebago products.

Our 29R had a few Winnebago problems. Mostly things I could fix.

The V-10 engine on my 2006 Ford chassis had to be replaced. This was on Ford and not Winnebago. That said, V-10 engines rarely fail.

I tend to have rare events in my life.

Hopefully, my new 2016 Ford chassis will not fail. And if it does I have Good Sams aftermarket protection now.

JD
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Old 07-16-2015, 03:36 PM   #96
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I just traded a 2005 Sightseer 29R for a, yet to be received, 2016 Sightseer 33C. I like the Winnebago products.

Our 29R had a few Winnebago problems. Mostly things I could fix.

The V-10 engine on my 2006 Ford chassis had to be replaced. This was on Ford and not Winnebago. That said, V-10 engines rarely fail.

I tend to have rare events in my life.

Hopefully, my new 2016 Ford chassis will not fail. And if it does I have Good Sams aftermarket protection now.

JD
I do hope it serves you well. I gave up on Ford a long time ago.

When you take delivery please be certain that EVERYTHING is working. Camp in the parking lot a few nights if possible. I read on this forum too many bad post delivery stories. We are often so excited to finally have our coach that we forget to check it out appropriately. Unfortunately Winnebago is developing a reputation for poor quality control. I hope you do not have many such issues. These things are too complex not to find some problems. I hope your punch list is a short one.

Happy trails,
Rick Y
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Old 07-18-2015, 02:03 PM   #97
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Super happy with my 2014 winnebago Trend! As soon as the wife and I can
swing it we are outta here. As a motivating factor I got this photo on my fridge door at our "stick houser". Another happy traveler in Winnebagos counterpart to the Trend, the Itasca Viva. shown as he rolls off the local ferry in Dawson, Alaska. Driving up from the lower 48 he just put 10,000 miles or so on his rig without a hitch and is gettin' ready for more!
Gotta love it!
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Old 07-18-2015, 03:11 PM   #98
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We are very happy with our VISTA 30T. We have been full-time since April of this year and have had no real issues. Wish list would be for a larger shower and to replace the couch with recliners (recliners will happen soon)
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Old 07-18-2015, 05:30 PM   #99
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Our first RV ever was a 10 yr old C-Winnie 27P. It had 68k mileage when we bought it as a "trial just to see if we even like RV camping?". No issues whatsoever on that Winnie, we found we enjoyed RV camping. Knew we wanted to go longer distances from S & B, and stay longer. So we went looking for a Class A.

Of course, we stayed w Winnebago

We currently have a 2013 Journey 36M. Enjoying the roomy feel, and very happy. We have taken it to Forest City for service and found everyone there very customer oriented, great people.. wonderful owner support on-line CAD type interface for schematic, parts, etc., too.

So we are now researching whether to, when to, and which mfr for the next MH? We will look for tag bath 1 1/2. Have to say, as happy WBG owners twice so far, our experiences keep bringing Winnebago Tour/Itasca Ellipse high on our research list of features, quality, owner support, and $ value compared w other brands.

Safe travels to all
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Old 07-18-2015, 09:00 PM   #100
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Love My Winne's

I have had a Warrior, Brave and now a Journey they have not been perfect but I love them.
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