Winnebago Caused Rust: Need Names!!!

[ExitStrategy]

While I was advised to gather names for the NHTSA by my attorney, I feel that it would make a greater impact if the owners would contact the NHTSA directly. This will ensure a greater degree of privacy and will hopefully encourage more to come forth.

Here is a link to the proper form to fill out. Good luck to all who have been affected.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

[bachler]

Just when I thought it was over Here comes a line of ATTORNEYS;; They want a piece of that dead hores... It's over LET it rest; Lets see if we can do it with out those Little Personal attacks.. Thanks iRV. you are the best.

[RTegarini]

Originally Posted by bachler

Just when I thought it was over Here comes a line of ATTORNEYS;; They want a piece of that dead hores... It's over LET it rest; Lets see if we can do it with out those Little Personal attacks.. Thanks iRV. you are the best.

"It's over LET it rest" - sounds like that's great advice for you, bachler. While you've made your views PERFECTLY CLEAR, the fact is, it's 'not over' to those that have already had the problem and have not been reimbursed, and since there has been no formal remedy by Winnebago, this issue will be on-going for some time. (I note that you have stated yourself that you fought Winnebago and the dealer 'for three years'.) I'm sure that others will post in this thread in the future and probably start new ones regarding the exact same topic, RUST, and that's just the way it is and in fact, that's how forums work: people have issues or concerns, and want to express what's on their mind, get the word out, ask for help, etc. When the topic is not to ones liking, once you've express an opinion, sometimes it's best to 'get out' so as not to get so upset. A thread is a thread and none of us are going to completely agree on every subject matter and in most cases, we aren't going to change someone's mind or opinion when they feel strongly on that subject matter, especially if it has, or will, have a negative financial impact. (I am open to accepting a check for $3,800 in repairs though.)

As to others that have or have had this issue, I hope you'll keep posting your experiences, any solutions that that you may have come up with, along with the costs that you may have incurred. -RT

[bachler]

I Do not take any side when things like this happen;;; I shell create a sineraio. You state your opionon. You have owned your coach for 2.5 years The windshild gets broken and replaced, While replacing it You notice all the rust ( your mind is going wild, The thing could have fallen out, Back to reality) Most any piece of Steel will have some rust on it; You contact the manufacturer. They Give you the Runaround; (not a safety Issue, Did the windshild fall out? We'll have to check the warrenty) Altho we can vent our Fusteration here on iRV, it does little more then iritate us. Do I like it ? NO. . To me it is just a bit more then sitting in a rocking chair and rocking , I'm real busy doing something, But accomplishing Little/Nothing. I would just like for you all not to get your hopes to high..

[bachler]

Originally Posted by RTegarini

"It's over LET it rest" - sounds like that's great advice for you, bachler. While you've made your views PERFECTLY CLEAR, the fact is, it's 'not over' to those that have already had the problem and have not been reimbursed, and since there has been no formal remedy by Winnebago, this issue will be on-going for some time. (I note that you have stated yourself that you fought Winnebago and the dealer 'for three years'.) I'm sure that others will post in this thread in the future and probably start new ones regarding the exact same topic, RUST, and that's just the way it is and in fact, that's how forums work: people have issues or concerns, and want to express what's on their mind, get the word out, ask for help, etc. When the topic is not to ones liking, once you've express an opinion, sometimes it's best to 'get out' so as not to get so upset. A thread is a thread and none of us are going to completely agree on every subject matter and in most cases, we aren't going to change someone's mind or opinion when they feel strongly on that subject matter, especially if it has, or will, have a negative financial impact. (I am open to accepting a check for $3,800 in repairs though.)

As to others that have or have had this issue, I hope you'll keep posting your experiences, any solutions that that you may have come up with, along with the costs that you may have incurred. -RT

I must request the post that I stated I fought With WINNEBAGO for three years ?? If I mentioned Winnebago I miss spoke.. It was another Manufacturer, NOT WINNEBAGO,, Sorry about that if i did it.

[RTegarini]

Originally Posted by bachler

I must request the post that I stated I fought With WINNEBAGO for three years ?? If I mentioned Winnebago I miss spoke.. It was another Manufacturer, NOT WINNEBAGO,, Sorry about that if i did it.

I have no dog in this race;; However, I had a unit once That had A lot of problems, ( I will not bore you with the simple details) I fought With the dealership And the Factory (well known one) For 3 years; The problems Persisted, The factory Offered me a deal of A life time, ( We are talking ten thousands of dollers) Because I owned the Vehical for three years they took the low blue book gave me that much on a trade in on a new Overpriced unit;

bachler - I misunderstood your remarks posted above:maybe it wasn't Winnebago, but my point wasn't so much about you having an issue with Winnebago specifically, but rather that you felt compelled to challenge the manufacturer of product that you were unhappy with for three years.

Whatever the reason, and I'll assume that you felt justified in taking issue with the manufacturer, that's my point here. Winnebago has a known design defect that allows windshield fames to rust and rot out. The rust can lead to a safety issue and a costly repair for owners, and I know at least from my perspective, when the same problem crops up in 10+ model years in a row, that's a design flaw that a manufacturer should take responsibility for. If not, then Winnebago is fair game in this and any other RV forum and people here shouldn't be chastised or criticized by you because of your view of Winnebago. I'm sure you would have taken exception if you had gotten the same treatment from others in your quest for justice/customer satisfaction on whatever the issue was on that other vehicle. I trust it must have been important to you, or you wouldn't have spent three years fighting for satisfaction. I'll bet that there isn't a single Winnebago owner here with rusted windshield frames that have spent anywhere that time and effort. -RT

[bachler]

Yes I was the winner;; But I lost heavly. In time and Money;;

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by bachler

Just when I thought it was over Here comes a line of ATTORNEYS;; They want a piece of that dead hores... It's over LET it rest; Lets see if we can do it with out those Little Personal attacks.. Thanks iRV. you are the best.

NOT what I said bachler. There will be no attorneys. Hopefully there WILL be an inquiry by the NHTSA though. That would suit me just fine.

[bachler]

I could have not said it better; Now it can rest In peice,,, I hope. It's dead;;

[steelheadbluesman]

I appreciate much written in this thread, as there seems to be a recurring issue.... I want to check my rig, but I'm in a very rainy area right now, so I don't really want to pull the exterior rubber/plastic strips... What about pulling the interior molding strips, just a few screws it looks like, rather than the exterior rubber? Does anyone know if that gives a good view or access to the steel frame? Thanks.

[bubbletruck]

Originally Posted by bachler

Yes I was the winner;; But I lost heavly. In time and Money;;

I've lost a lot of time and money dealing with Winnebago. Back AC unit just took a crap on our last trip. Boo. What's next?

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by steelheadbluesman

I appreciate much written in this thread, as there seems to be a recurring issue.... I want to check my rig, but I'm in a very rainy area right now, so I don't really want to pull the exterior rubber/plastic strips... What about pulling the interior molding strips, just a few screws it looks like, rather than the exterior rubber? Does anyone know if that gives a good view or access to the steel frame? Thanks.

The back side of my frames were perfect. The only time you will see rust on the back side of the frame is when it has perforated through. As you can imagine, that would be a very big problem and is a worst case scenario. The very first thing you need to do, is to pull the lower strip and look for those L brackets. They are about centered under each pane of glass. Each has a rubber gasket that goes between the glass and the bracket itself. If you are very careful you can remove the rubber and try to clean and coat the brackets. Take the time to remove any window sealant around the bracket where it is welded to the frame, as the sealant hides rust. Many think this sealant protects the steel, but it does not. Most of my rust was under the sealant. The rubber strips are decorative only and do nothing to protect the window frame from moisture, so you might as well pop them off and have a look.

Good luck. Hopefully you are early enough to do some preventative work.

[ExitStrategy]

Originally Posted by bubbletruck

I've lost a lot of time and money dealing with Winnebago. Back AC unit just took a crap on our last trip. Boo. What's next?

Hi Bubbletruck - What happened with the A/C? Was it a rust issue? I know some heat pump outer cases have experienced rust like the window frames. Again, a good idea that was poorly executed when the A/C was moved below the rig behind the rear wheels where road debris and moisture can be thrown up. Let us know so we can all keep an eye out. Thanks.

[zippo]

We have a 2008 35L that had a leak at the upper drivers side corner. The dealers had tried and tried to fix the leak but never could find and stop it. A few weeks ago I got it in my head I was going to find the leak. I took off inside trim and no sign of rust. I removed the rubber strip over the windshield, yes rust. What I found was the caulk/sealant between the top of the windshield glass and the strip the rubber goes into had breaks in the caulk/sealant. This allowed water to get in to the metal. I cleaned the old caulk/sealant out cleaned the rust out and painted it with a rust converter, then painted it and resealed the groove with butyl. And for the leak, I found that, it was behind the wing on the side that partly covers the edge of the windshield, near the top. There were two places about a 1/4" long with no caulk over them. No wonder the dealer never found it, they were not that determined to find it.

[steelheadbluesman]

Originally Posted by ExitStrategy

The back side of my frames were perfect. The only time you will see rust on the back side of the frame is when it has perforated through. As you can imagine, that would be a very big problem and is a worst case scenario. The very first thing you need to do, is to pull the lower strip and look for those L brackets. They are about centered under each pane of glass. Each has a rubber gasket that goes between the glass and the bracket itself. If you are very careful you can remove the rubber and try to clean and coat the brackets. Take the time to remove any window sealant around the bracket where it is welded to the frame, as the sealant hides rust. Many think this sealant protects the steel, but it does not. Most of my rust was under the sealant. The rubber strips are decorative only and do nothing to protect the window frame from moisture, so you might as well pop them off and have a look.

Good luck. Hopefully you are early enough to do some preventative work.

Thanks, Exit, that's what I was wondering, as I was reluctant to start peeling interior trim without knowing if it would reveal a serious rust problem. So I'll have to wait until a little warmer weather. After I've done the inspection, I'll get back with a report.

[bubbletruck]

Originally Posted by ExitStrategy

Hi Bubbletruck - What happened with the A/C? Was it a rust issue? I know some heat pump outer cases have experienced rust like the window frames. Again, a good idea that was poorly executed when the A/C was moved below the rig behind the rear wheels where road debris and moisture can be thrown up. Let us know so we can all keep an eye out. Thanks.

Not sure yet, The AC just doesn't cool. Our generator completely corroded out a few months ago because it was placed behind the back wheels and whatever is on the road just splashes up into the air intake. It failed because of rust. The jacks still extend when driving and the alarm goes off. We had the jack solenoids replaced because they had corroded off. Our side camera connections corroded off and they stopped working. This is all within the first year. I am sure if I pulled the window down it would be rusty as well.

[emiddleb]

Well, I just got bit by the windshield rust problem. Rock thrown by truck broke driver's side. Parts ordered, insurance claim, etc.

Sitting here in Elkhart, had the windshield removed, but "weep weld" (is what I think they called it) is so rusted that they cannot replace windshield. Tried grinding etc but too much damage. So now the other side will have to be removed and the shop will grind things down fabricate some steel and do some welding to essential rebuild the frame for the glass (and prime/paint etc.) Then things can go back with my wallet being about $2k lighter, plus the original windshield costs.

FYI, getting the "official" replacement part (the steel "weep weld"?) from Winnebago requires 3 weeks at this time, which is why I'm going the route I am.

Shop say they just finished doing similar work on an 2010 Winnebago. Reading through the thread I see a lot of comments, nay-sayers, other stuff that I have no wish to contribute to... just the facts presented for what it's worth. Am at one of the bigger RV glass specialists with good reviews who says 95% of the time this is the case when repairing broken Winnebago windshields (their words) so be prepared.

I need a drink...

[edgray]

Originally Posted by bubbletruck

Not sure yet, The AC just doesn't cool. Our generator completely corroded out a few months ago because it was placed behind the back wheels and whatever is on the road just splashes up into the air intake. It failed because of rust. The jacks still extend when driving and the alarm goes off. We had the jack solenoids replaced because they had corroded off. Our side camera connections corroded off and they stopped working. This is all within the first year. I am sure if I pulled the window down it would be rusty as well.

bubbletruck: if you don't mind, please tell me what year/model/chassis you have and if you bought it new. THANKS.

OBTW, you can enter the info as your "signature" and it will appear at the bottom of your posts (like mine).

[bubbletruck]

So sorry emiddleb!!!

Edgray I have a 2011 Winnebago Vista 32k. We purchased it brand new in December 2010.

It's on a ford chassis. I think the problem with mine is it is a gasser so all of the components underneath are just out in the elements. We noticed on the diesel pushers that all of these components are in compartments because there is no drivetrain in the way.

[bachler]

I want to buy a Motorhome, It would be one that all you __-_-- design. Probley no windows . because they steam up and rust out;; No generator. It corrodes. And a lot more of nothing as things go wrong;; I know some/all of you dissagree; But we all make mistakes; . And I can't take anymore. After all . I bought and payed for It;;. And look what I got.. ( what I payed for )) So I need to suck it in and except it, For it is what I inspected ,did my home work, and BOUGHT