Factory Service. No out of Warranty Help - Page 2

John_Canfield · 10-07-2008, 03:50 AM

The weird thing about the bedroom slide leak issue is that it didn't affect every unit that rolled out of Big Bertha. Logic would tell me that a design or production flaw would be fully repeatable and show up in every unit produced. Perhaps there are other variables at play with the leaking. Ours did leak.

I do know that after the Winnebago-applied revised seal kit, we had no more leaks. (We had the leak problem from day one of our ownership, so there was never a warranty issue.)

These so called 'soft recalls' where nothing proactive is done by the manufacturer until an owner complains, are very common in the automotive industry. Our Jeep Liberty is a good example - there is a service bulletin describing a particular fix only in response to a particular performance complaint. It had something to do with the transmission and hard shifting. The only way I knew about this was by occasionally reading up in the Liberty forum - somebody posted all service bulletins.

With regard to this particular thread, I don't think it is fair to single out and vilify Winnebago since, like it or not, these business practices are common across a broad range of industry. Debating that they should do this or do that- okay fine.. I would like Winnebago (and Jeep) to take care of my product forever at no cost to me. That ain't going to happen.

porscheracer · 10-07-2008, 06:36 AM

I'm curious about the slide seal leak issue. Our '05 36RD has leaked since new. It is the left side bedroom slide, and it only leaks when left out in a driving rain. It has been worked on at least 3 times by the dealer, with limited success (LEAK MOVED FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER!).

Is this the problem everybody is having??

John_Canfield · 10-07-2008, 01:35 PM

Norm - we only have one bedroom slide on the driver's side. We would have water ingress and appear down the forward wall of the coach below the slide in almost any sort of rain shower. Lazydays worked on the problem and somewhat mitigated the problem, however it wasn't fixed until the factory installed the new seal kit.

Our leak was relatively common on our model at least (or any 40' Vectra/Horizon with the same slide seal system.) We looked at a new 2005 Horizon at Lazydays that was on display and a good part of the bedroom floor was soaking wet from the same area of leaking. I have talked to several owners with nearly the same rig (same basic model, same slide) that have never had a problem. However, all of the above is anecdotal evidence. Only Winnebago knows the full extent of the problem.

cbeierl · 10-07-2008, 02:53 PM

We haven't had any leak problems with our slides on our '05 36RD.

ms911 · 10-09-2008, 05:17 AM

In my 2005 Horizon the bedroom slide leaked. Winnebago sent the dealer new seals and it still leaked. They got new seals and did it again (plus other mods besides the seals). That fix worked for that leak but I have had another leak show up in the same slide. Coach is out of warranty now so I doubt if Winnebago will help. Ask me about the other leaks I have had.

wagonmaster2 · 10-09-2008, 07:23 PM

I was told by someone (Winnebago or CDI) that the reason the clear coat is pealing on 03-05 models is because where CDI was spray painting they were causing some kind of environmental problem with the spray drift so they just sprayed a little less clear coat. Having the slide-outs extended shouldn't have caused any problem with the top of the front (as on mine) or rear caps. Guess everyone has a different story but at least they fessed up and corrected their (our) problems.
Wagonmaster2