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Old 10-08-2014, 10:47 AM   #1
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Oak Creek, WI
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Forest City Experience

I just wanted to put up my experience so people would know what might happen if they decide to make the journey to Forest City for service.

We had an appointment, with the work we discussed, it was determined it would be two days worth of work. I am happy to report, even though we did two "add-on" sheets, they were able to stick to the original timeline.

Our list included the following items:
  • Slide Issue
  • Shower installation
  • Door adjustment
  • MCD Shade problem
  • Leveling System (add-on)
  • Header Board (add-on)
At 6:55am, bright and early, people start gathering at the door to the Service Center to get the ball rolling (doors open at 7:00am). Once you are greeted at the receptionist desk, they assign you to a Service Adviser who reviews your "punch list" items... he later turns you over to a "Tech". The Tech will go with you to your coach to discuss what needs to be done, this time gives you a chance to physically show or demonstrate your issues. He/she takes your coach and you are on your own until 3:00.


Once your coach is taken, you are free to sit in the waiting area or, if you have a transportation, explore the surrounding area. The service people are good about suggestions. I personally recommend taking the factory tour.


At 3:00, your Tech will come out and find you and review the days work, he may even advise of new items found. The coach is returned and you go back to your parking spot and "camp". I believe I counted about a dozen electrical sites at the Service Center for you to plug into when arriving and waiting. I believe there are more sites available "just around the corner" at the GNR grounds. By the way, the GNR grounds is where you can get water and dump tanks if necessary (note: if you have any plumbing work done, check your water lever BEFORE you go set up for the evening ).


If your work wasn't completed, then it's pretty much "rinse & repeat" the above scenario... I would presume if its determined to be advantageous to keep you RV "in-house" overnight, a hotel is very near.


Once your RV is done with service, the Tech will come out and sit down to thoroughly go over all that was done to the RV. If need be, they will go out and show you exactly what was done (if possible). They discuss the four month, 4,000 mile warranty are then you're passed back to the Service Adviser who will process the final paperwork.


So.. if you are looking for a quick review of how things go down at the Service Center, there it is... I'm sure this has been said before, but I want to share my experience..
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Old 10-08-2014, 10:58 AM   #2
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We are at Lichtsinns just up the road. Pretty much the same experience.

We are really happy with the people and service here. Great Customer Lounge and a Keurig for your beverage choices. Staff is really friendly.

Thanks to Winnebago. Although it was not on our original punch list our Tech identified some issues with the leveling system. In consultation with the Lippert rep. Lippert man determined we needed new jacks. Winnebago took some out of the production line to provide the necessary parts for out coach. Should be done shortly.

Two great entities IMO.
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Old 10-08-2014, 12:10 PM   #3
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So... as noted above.. we had a few issues and I wanted to expand on each of them..

  1. Slide Issue - We/I thought my slide had a height adjustment that needed to be preformed as the gasket at the bottom of the slide by the drivers seat had become mangled. There is a carriage bolt and it was destroying the gasket to the point it had ripped it and we could see outside from the lower corner. I had previously sent pictures to Winnebago and explained I had no interest in anyone looking at this other than the factory, as I believed no dealership could tackle this repair.
  • Resolution - Upon inspection by our Tech Team, it was determined I didn't have a slide issue, I had a installation issue. It appears the gasket was not installed correctly. The gasket was screwed in too high and it was causing the problems. They lifted the slide and replaced the gasket at the right height. Additionally, while the slide was up/out, they were able to clean all the construction debris that most of us find in our coaches. They also found the PDI dealer didn't do an adequate job removing the clear plastic that is laid out to protect the vinyl floor. In fact, they found there was a combination of tape/plastic that would "roll" and "unroll" with the slide each time. This was causing a restriction that would have eventually caused a failure. I am VERY happy they went above and beyond to clean up productions mess.
  1. Shower Issue - At the beginning of our season, my GF noticed near the top of the shower, where the screws are, it was cracking at each screw-head. The RV was in its second season and that seemed wrong. Again, I took pictures and emailed them to Winnebago and explained this was unacceptable for a coach in its second season. It was determined a new shower stall was needed. The initial offer by Winnebago was for them to ship a stall to me and have me pay and organize installation. Again, I did not feel comfortable with anyone but the factory repairing this item.
  • Resolution - Upon inspection, it was determined some bracing wasn't installed and some installation screws never made contact. This in return offered no support for the stall walls and undue stress was being applied at the screw point causing it to crack. New shower was installed.
  1. Door Issue - As most of you "gasser" owners know, our rig's don't glide down the roads quite as nice as our DP brothers. It seems we feel EVERY pothole, crack and/or concrete joint on the road. Over time, we get the annoying squeak and rattle.
  • Resolution - Tech was able to adjust the door and we had a wonderfully quiet ride home. Additionally, he taught me how to do the adjustment in the future... cause with the current state of the expressway system, I'll need to know..
  1. MCD Shade - We had problems with the shade going up.. it would come down fine, and stay, but it wouldn't retract back up..
  • Resolution - Tech removed the blind and made all the adjustments. It was determined the dealer had over adjusted it to the point of unscrewing the retraction mechanism completely.
  1. Leveling System (add-on) - We've had issues with the leveling system from pretty much day one of ownership. We've gone thru 3 circuit boards. Our issues consisted of, wheels being raised off the ground, even on fairly level sites, jack retraction issues, the jacks wouldn't always retract and sometimes a jack wouldn't always make contact with the ground. As said, we've had this issue for awhile and we never had a "good feeling" of the dealerships competency in this area. We had all but given up on this, but to our luck, the jacks failed when the Tech was getting ready to take the rig in the morning. We explained our issues and he said, "that's not right, I'll have the chassis guy look at it"... Hence the created add-on.
  • Resolution - It was determined the dealer was simply replacing circuit boards and no one ever went underneath the RV to calibrate it.. needless to say, they spent a fair amount of time calibrating it... We are, once again, happy campers (and level one's too)..
  1. Header Board Issue (add-on)- While showing the Tech the issue with the shower stall, my GF pointed out the board above the bathroom entrance. The board is covered by a wood similation and the sticker was not put on correct... when the Tech saw that.. he simply said.. "I'll fix that"
  • Resolution - The Tech was able to have the wood shop make a new board and was installed the same time the shower stall was installed.. Happy GF, happy life...
We were very impressed by our Tech and happy with all that he advocated for us.. I mention this to you cause our coach was over one year out of warranty. When we went to the final paperwork, our total due was $23.20. Yep, that's right.. we had over 14 hours of service work done ($110 per hour shop rate), a new shower stall, 15ft-20ft of gasket and header board and all we had to pay for was the 10 minutes or so the Tech took to adjust the door. Now, I went in fully expecting not to pay for any of the work as I felt none of these issues should have happened in year two of ownership. I believe through email (or as it was suggested, the "e" is for evidence) and proper documentation, I was able to have all my work done as "good will" from Winnebago... needless to say, I was happy and would put Itasca/Winnebago on my list of future coaches.


I share, because I want any new RV owner to see ALL manufactures do have good customer service (not just the high dollar ones)... and while I don't like to be the squeaky wheel.. in today's business world.. you have to be your own advocate.. no one is going to do it for you, and surely no one is going to offer to do it for you.. you need to take charge and have high expectations.. document, document and document some more.. and email pictures and expectations.. get it in writing to them along with pictures.. cause pictures are worth a 1000 words...


Good luck to everyone.. I hope this LONG explanation helps someone..
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:04 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oakcreekeric View Post
I just wanted to put up my experience so people would know what might happen if they decide to make the journey to Forest City for service.

We had an appointment, with the work we discussed, it was determined it would be two days worth of work. I am happy to report, even though we did two "add-on" sheets, they were able to stick to the original timeline.

Our list included the following items:
  • Slide Issue
  • Shower installation
  • Door adjustment
  • MCD Shade problem
  • Leveling System (add-on)
  • Header Board (add-on)
At 6:55am, bright and early, people start gathering at the door to the Service Center to get the ball rolling (doors open at 7:00am). Once you are greeted at the receptionist desk, they assign you to a Service Adviser who reviews your "punch list" items... he later turns you over to a "Tech". The Tech will go with you to your coach to discuss what needs to be done, this time gives you a chance to physically show or demonstrate your issues. He/she takes your coach and you are on your own until 3:00.


Once your coach is taken, you are free to sit in the waiting area or, if you have a transportation, explore the surrounding area. The service people are good about suggestions. I personally recommend taking the factory tour.


At 3:00, your Tech will come out and find you and review the days work, he may even advise of new items found. The coach is returned and you go back to your parking spot and "camp". I believe I counted about a dozen electrical sites at the Service Center for you to plug into when arriving and waiting. I believe there are more sites available "just around the corner" at the GNR grounds. By the way, the GNR grounds is where you can get water and dump tanks if necessary (note: if you have any plumbing work done, check your water lever BEFORE you go set up for the evening ).


If your work wasn't completed, then it's pretty much "rinse & repeat" the above scenario... I would presume if its determined to be advantageous to keep you RV "in-house" overnight, a hotel is very near.


Once your RV is done with service, the Tech will come out and sit down to thoroughly go over all that was done to the RV. If need be, they will go out and show you exactly what was done (if possible). They discuss the four month, 4,000 mile warranty are then you're passed back to the Service Adviser who will process the final paperwork.


So.. if you are looking for a quick review of how things go down at the Service Center, there it is... I'm sure this has been said before, but I want to share my experience..
That sounds like great customer service. They really seem to take pride in their work. I wish I was closer to Forest City for service. Some of the local RV places could take a page or two from their playbook...
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Old 10-08-2014, 02:26 PM   #5
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I had the tape/plastic under my passenger side slide also. I was lucky to be able to grab an end of it and pull it out. I've got it saved just in case.

Also, how did the tech adjust your door? Mine could use a little adjusting but I don't have time to go back to Forest City right now.

My experience at Forest City was the same as yours-amazingly professional and customer friendly.
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Old 10-08-2014, 02:47 PM   #6
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aauummm....

I hope I can explain this...

What my door needed was an adjustment of the door post (attached to outer frame)..

Take a hex socket and loosen up the post (may want to use a sharpie to mark the original spot).. needs to be able to move, but not too freely...

Close the door (pressing it closed, not slamming it closed) and pushing it closed tightly..

While holding the door closed tightly with one hand, grab the door latch handle and open...

Slowly open the door as to not move the post..

Once the door is open, tighten up the hex nut on the door post..

Boy... it makes sense in my head.. I hope it translated as I typed !!
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Old 10-08-2014, 03:00 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oakcreekeric View Post
aauummm....

I hope I can explain this...

What my door needed was an adjustment of the door post (attached to outer frame)..

Take a hex socket and loosen up the post (may want to use a sharpie to mark the original spot).. needs to be able to move, but not too freely...

Close the door (pressing it closed, not slamming it closed) and pushing it closed tightly..

While holding the door closed tightly with one hand, grab the door latch handle and open...

Slowly open the door as to not move the post..

Once the door is open, tighten up the hex nut on the door post..

Boy... it makes sense in my head.. I hope it translated as I typed !!
Thanks much for effort to explain it. I will print out your reply and go out and match your explanation to my door. I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. Thanks again!
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Old 10-08-2014, 04:07 PM   #8
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Our experience was similar. Positive!! 2 day apointment ment took 4 1/2 .
Least they are fixed.
Had window awnings added on the driver side slide windows and the the
bathroom. My expense. Replaced exhaust fan blades on all three AC'S cou the noise both in and out by at least 40-50%. Was amazed. Had some other issues.that they did on there
GOOD WILL, program , there dime. Was completly satisfied.
The good thing is the things that were repaired by them, is still working.
This is our second time to Forrest City. Both times has been. Positive.
We have a in, was originally from that area and have family and friends to stay with.
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Old 10-08-2014, 07:45 PM   #9
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Eric-Ours is a bit different than yours but the procedure is about the same. Ours has three hinges from the door to the frame, held to the frame by screws in slotted holes. I loosened the screws and raised the door by about 3/16". The door fits the opening better now. Thanks!
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Old 10-11-2014, 04:30 PM   #10
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No one mentioned Pamela Park. That is the municipal camp ground. There is a large dump station and plenty of camping sites. We just used the dump station and didn't camp there.

Don't forget to get you coach weighed at the granary. They do it for free. And for the Freightliner folks, a trip the the factory in Gaffney, SC is definitely worth the trip.
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