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Old 10-18-2005, 09:32 AM   #1
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Heart rate up!

I cannot believe this has happened. Yesterday the glue holding the door on the front access hatch let completely loose on my 04 Journey. Luckily I found it before it fell off the vehicle and caused a problem behind me or under me.

It's just bad epoxy and a stupid way of affixing a hatch anyhow. In reading through previous forum messages, this has been an issue with Winnebago for a number of years and they've done nothing about it. Worse yet, there are a whole bunch of other things, like the headlights for example, that are held in place by this same junk.

Since parts falling off vehicles is a safety issue, I'm notifing NHTSA and filing a formal complaint.

If any others have had this problem please join me in pressing W for a recall. There is simply no excuse for this type of shoddy construction.

Heart rate coming back down.
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Old 10-18-2005, 09:32 AM   #2
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Heart rate up!

I cannot believe this has happened. Yesterday the glue holding the door on the front access hatch let completely loose on my 04 Journey. Luckily I found it before it fell off the vehicle and caused a problem behind me or under me.

It's just bad epoxy and a stupid way of affixing a hatch anyhow. In reading through previous forum messages, this has been an issue with Winnebago for a number of years and they've done nothing about it. Worse yet, there are a whole bunch of other things, like the headlights for example, that are held in place by this same junk.

Since parts falling off vehicles is a safety issue, I'm notifing NHTSA and filing a formal complaint.

If any others have had this problem please join me in pressing W for a recall. There is simply no excuse for this type of shoddy construction.

Heart rate coming back down.
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Old 10-18-2005, 12:07 PM   #3
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So your hood fell off....bummer. Now walk around the back and secure the radiator access door. It's held on by the same gorilla snot stuff and should be separated about now. Just carry a tube of Liquid Nails and a rag in your back pocket. Don't worry about accidently sitting down on the tube and some squirting out. You'll usually fix something else that's ready to go South.
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Old 10-18-2005, 01:16 PM   #4
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I agree with you, this is not a new problem. My engine access door came off in my hand and the front fascia mounting brackets broke loose too. I have looked at other manufactures and they use embedded material in the fiberglass (most use wood encased in the fiberglass), then attact their brackets via wood screws.

I used a product called C-7 (found most hardware stores) to resecure the brackets, and I inspect the remaining brackets often so as not to loose a cover or fasica on the road.
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Old 10-18-2005, 01:37 PM   #5
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Thanks for the encouragement. I thought about trying to re-glue it, but there is no way to get to the back side of the opening with out dropping the generator for access.

Your suggestion for the rear hatch is a good one, but why doesn't Winnebago use a better product so that we customers don't have to do it? I mean, come on, this rig's got less than 10 K on the clock and stuff is already beginning to fall off? What a bunch of bull! I had a '91 Southwind with 55 K on it and nothing ever fell off and it cost a H*** of a lot less than this pig did.
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Old 10-18-2005, 02:48 PM   #6
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Yeh, I had problems too. The factory repaired one and then when I returned home the other side let go. The dealer had a better fix than the factory repair..
PS: I don't know how this will look when posted as my computer characters bear no resemblance to what is being typed so I'll limit my words until some one comes up with a fix.
Best regards...
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Old 10-18-2005, 05:13 PM   #7
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The cover in front of the generator would be the hardest to fix. My generator rolls out on a track so I can get behind it, but I think it would be hard to clamp it up after applying the new epoxy. I sent an e-mail to a service advisor at Winnebago factory service and the reply didn't say for sure that if I took the coach there is would be covered under warranty, BUT he didn't say it wouldn't cover it either.

It looked to me that part of the problem is that the brackets that break loose are painted with a gloss black paint. I wonder if this paint is preventing the epoxy from adhering to the steel. The factory epoxy seems to stick very well to the fiberglass. Do you see this on your coach?
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Old 10-19-2005, 05:05 AM   #8
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I'll add my name to the list. Was out under the hood the other day and noticed the lower part of the hood brackets separating from the front body panel. Talked to Winne and they sent me the glue they used. Not sure I want to use the same??? Looks to be a very tough area to get in and around to do a proper repair. Has anyone come up with a good repair procedure yet?
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Old 10-19-2005, 11:07 AM   #9
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The hood comes off the hinges easily. Took Mine to the dealer and he epoxyed and clamped for two days. Holding great.
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Old 10-20-2005, 06:40 PM   #10
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Well, we're on the road now. I Really have no "dealer" to spend any time with until mid November when we get to San Diego.

I may just duct tape it into place until I can get back to SLC in April 06. At least with an ugly strip of tape across the front, I'll have plenty of opportunity to tell other RV Park visitors how I feel.

I can't get over how this is affecting my opinion of Winnebago and their cavalier attitude towards us, their customers.
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Old 10-21-2005, 11:19 AM   #11
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Barney,

Most duct tape has a real crude rubber adhesvie that will be very difficult to remove and could stain your paint/decals.

I'd recommend some 3M blue painters tape as it can be removed cleanly if done in a week or so. At least you could get to your destination. I think you can find it at the better paint stores. Don't be confused with the Brand X blue masking tape.

It would also look every bit as ugly as the duct tape too.
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Old 10-21-2005, 08:24 PM   #12
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10-4 Donavon. 3M Blue it will be.
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Old 10-22-2005, 04:04 AM   #13
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Our engine hood fell off as well. now I have two identical nicks on the cowilng below it... but I was wondering why they dont at least put a backer plate behind the hinge, not neccessarily to hold the hinge , but to prevent some of the vibration.
My dealer is pretty good, but all they are going to do it put it back to square one.....
Im considering fixing it myself.....
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Old 10-22-2005, 04:12 AM   #14
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Those access doors and hinges are bonded using Plexus Methacrylate Adhesive - a 2 part adhesive used to weld hinge attachments, etc to front and rear fiberglass caps.

When the technician repaired mine, he related that it is a superior adhesive, but that the mating materials must be super clean. My repair seems to be holding well.
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Old 10-22-2005, 04:54 AM   #15
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Did any of you notice if the metal brackets that broke loose were painted with a high gloss black paint? I think that was the original problem, the epoxy did not adhere to the metal bracket because of the high gloss paint. The one thing I did before re-epoxying the bracket was to rough up the metal bracket with sand paper.
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Old 10-22-2005, 07:12 AM   #16
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When you say the front access hatch are you talking about the front of the couch that you access when you go into the generator area?
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Old 10-22-2005, 09:52 AM   #17
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">When you say the front access hatch are you talking about the front of the couch that you access when you go into the generator area? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes.
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Old 10-22-2005, 06:54 PM   #18
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We had a piece of tire come up in front, hit the hood, blew it right off. It crunched and ground it's way under the coach, ripped off half the Ultraguard in the back, bounced down the freeway and hit a car. It was still in ONE piece, and luckily we were able to find it on the side of the road when we returned a couple of days later. The owner of the car it hit claimed we had something fly out of our motorcycle trailer (which is only rails with bikes), but we were able to prove what happened with that hood we picked up. The glue was not cracked nor broken on the frame that held the hood!
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Old 10-23-2005, 12:21 PM   #19
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Hello: Can anyone offer more specific detail on the "C-7" glue mentioned. I've done a Google search but with no results.
Thank you kindly
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Old 11-23-2005, 08:24 AM   #20
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I lost a fog light, found it hanging from the wires. Then when the Banks Power package was being installed, the generator cover/hood fell off on the tech's feet! Both repaired by the dealer as warr. Later while servicing the generator I looked up at the brackets securing the lower section of front cap & found some additional improperly bonded joints. Called factory to report while in warranty, but ave been unable to get to a service center for repair. Hope they stand behind their word to fix.
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