Do you love your coach?

dylansmom · 09-27-2007, 01:34 PM

We have had our MH a year now, and it seems the longer we have it, the less we like it. LOVE the floorplan though. LOL

I know all makes/models have their issues, but we seem to have a lot. We do have an appointment at the factory in a couple of weeks, so hopefully they will fix it to the point that we do love it.

In the park we are currently in, there are several Adventurer MH's and I have taken a poll of most of them. Almost all say they are very happy with their MH one was as unhappy as we are.

So..............do you love yours?? And would you say you had a lot (say more than 20) issues with your coach.

dylansmom · 09-27-2007, 01:34 PM

We have had our MH a year now, and it seems the longer we have it, the less we like it. LOVE the floorplan though. LOL

I know all makes/models have their issues, but we seem to have a lot. We do have an appointment at the factory in a couple of weeks, so hopefully they will fix it to the point that we do love it.

In the park we are currently in, there are several Adventurer MH's and I have taken a poll of most of them. Almost all say they are very happy with their MH one was as unhappy as we are.

So..............do you love yours?? And would you say you had a lot (say more than 20) issues with your coach.

Moder2 · 09-27-2007, 02:09 PM

We are not the first owner's of our coach, so I am sure they had more troubleshooting than we did, however, have have had some problems.

Unfortunately, and I am the first one to say this SHOULDN'T Happen, but it sure seems there is always a period to get the bugs worked out of a new one. We had it with our last trailer, and I have seen it in every piece of equipment past employer's bought.

All that being said, problems are going to occur in any machine as complex as a motorhome, you are asking a lot from the engineer's and assembly workers to get it all correct, and then you run it down the road at 65 mph, bounce it through campgrounds, and plop down on the sofa when your ready to rest. The fact is mechanical things break, and they will continue to break.

Almost every trip we take I find something else to fix, thankfully it is normally minor, a loose screw or a broken catch, but we find them. For me it is mostly the fun of owning a motorhome, but for others it get old fast.

So to answer your question, yes we still love our coach. Though at times it is love like that mother in the grocery store has for that REALLY ugly and misbehaved child, but it is still love.

Again, I agree Quality Control has lacked, but you are certainly not alone. Our close friends bought a new Ultimate Freedom in 04, and their initial punch list has over 90 items on it, some of them so insanely stupid we still laugh about it (Like the switch for the ceiling lights that simply was not installed. Wired, but never put in...)

Hang in there...

John

John_Canfield · 09-27-2007, 02:41 PM

Love it? Uh - love isn't a word I generally use to describe a relationship to 'things.'

Satisfied with our very expensive purchase? Yes, I'm very satisfied. I like the overall design, the engineering, and the way I have been treated by Winnebago.

We have had our share of problems, but practically all of the significant problems were vendor problems and not Winnebago construction problems (except for the bedroom slide leak

)

Bob&Pat · 09-27-2007, 03:05 PM

We purchased our Motorhome, Oct. 2003 it is a 2003 Itasca Sunrise 36M, it was used
with 8,628 miles on it. My first experience driving a motorhome was when I drove it home to Michigan from Indiana 360 miles. Enjoyed it. We have a total of 33,000 mile to date. No warranty and no dealer to deal with, we purchased from the original owner and they only had it for 10 months, it was like new, no smoking and no pets.

I fixed many of the issues myself.

Issues:
11/2003 Replaced nylon brackets for drawer slides in bedroom drawers.
02/2004 9,750 miles HWH Leveling Jack System repaired under HWH warranty
04/2004 Suburban furnace replaced circuit board, under warranty worked directly with Suburban.
04/2004 Straighten steering wheel
07/2004 Replaced bathroom shower valve with Moen brand.
09/2004 16,950 miles HWH Leveling Jack System repaired under HWH warranty.
11/2004 17,020 miles HWH Leveling Jack System repaired under HWH warranty
10/2005 Toilet Neoprene/Teflon ball valve seals cleaned and coated with silicone spray to hold water.
10/2005 Added Eternabond to end caulking roof every 6 months.
02/2006 Caulked shower enclosure walls at base shower pan.
10/2006 Replaced toilet flush lever, water valve and replaced neoprene ball seals parts under warranty
10/2006 Replaced bathroom vanity sink faucet.
10/2006 Recaulked windshield glass to stop water leak.
08/2007 Replaced Vacuum valve on Toilet

Items Added
05/2004 Added skid wheels
06/2004 Added Wall Mounted Hair Dryer in Bathroom
12/2005 Added Oak Trim to Dash, Added Oak Console Box and Oak Trim to Work Station.
12/2005 Riser for floor mats raised the floor mats up 2" off the floor. It made a world of difference.

Pat and I like the side aisle floor plan best that is why we purchased the 36M Sunrise. It is personal preference and I can see many advantages to the split bath layouts however for us the side aisle and the bathroom all-together in one room works best for us.

Since we purchased used and got a pretty good deal so we feel pretty good about our situation. What I paid for it would be a lot of money for some, however the highline coaches lose three to four times what I paid total when they drive it off the dealers lot and seem to have more issues than others.

We love the sightseeing from the height of your seats in a class A motorhome while traveling.

We stay in our motorhome about 16 weeks a year.

Izzyblueye · 09-27-2007, 03:08 PM

It is usually a matter of expectations on your part. Don't expect it to ride like a Bentley, don't expect it to be as quiet as a library, don't expect great fuel mileage. However, if it gets you to your destination, shelters you, helps in delivering some of the niceties of life. Brings you back home safely and in comfort for which it was built. The love affair will begin, like any relationship, it takes due time. Happy RV'g to you . HOMER

Fakrwee · 09-27-2007, 03:15 PM

I get very attached to my vehicles, some more then others.

My punch list for the cruiser when new was about 6 items of which 2 were prep problems I didn't catch on the walk thru, Propane tank hadn't been purged properly and 3 tires were low. The other 4 were drawers and water pump.

I just returned from a 2 months trip to Alaska and my punch list is about 20 which include various big items such as hydraulic hose leaks in slide out and gas furnace won't work, but then again Alaskan roads can be punishing to say the least.

Do I still "Love" it? Yup and very proud of the beast. Everyone in the campgrounds was complaining about how much dust got into their storage and closets. The Suncruiser is sealed so tight I never got dust in the storage bins nor inside. Amazing with the kind of gravel and dirt roads I drove.

Hope you get everything fixed and get to really enjoy your MH.

Tom

jtharley · 09-27-2007, 03:32 PM

I am on my second winnie product and we are VERY satisfied with the current one. We purchased our vectra because we literally had no real issues with our Journey prior to our new coach.

The DW and I are finding we like the lifestyle more over the last 6 years of RV'ing. The only "sad" part is seing it sit in the pole barn when we can't use it..

AFChap · 09-27-2007, 07:25 PM

We bought our coach "new" in July 2003 ...it had been a dealer show coach. We've certainly had more than 20 items needing repair (are those "issues?"). Some I might call "issues," but most are just stuff needing repair and/or tweaking. After 4 years and 31k miles (plus 5k the dealer put on it taking it to shows for a year), we are still quite fond of our coach and are quite pleased with the support we have received from Winnebago Owner Relations.

NeilV · 09-28-2007, 12:28 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dylansmom:
We have had our MH a year now, and it seems the longer we have it, the less we like it. LOVE the floorplan though. LOL

I know all makes/models have their issues, but we seem to have a lot. We do have an appointment at the factory in a couple of weeks, so hopefully they will fix it to the point that we do love it.

In the park we are currently in, there are several Adventurer MH's and I have taken a poll of most of them. Almost all say they are very happy with their MH one was as unhappy as we are.

So..............do you love yours?? And would you say you had a lot (say more than 20) issues with your coach. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Only four issues with my coach and most of them due to the poor service staff at the dealer.

1 - Minor Hydraulic leak in the bedroom slide (dealer incapable of fixing and causes more damage when they try).
2 - Generator reverse wired by dealer while servicing.
3 - Detail shop poked hole in roof.
4 - Basement Air needed a blower motor and some starter caps replaced.

We bought the coach used when it was five years old and all the items we had a problem with were not because of Winnebago and can be mostly attributed to the dealer. The AC problem was due to running durring extended brown-out conditions without an AutoFormer to boost the voltage back up to spec.

We are closing in on 50,000 miles and even though we have looked can't find a replacement or reason that is compelling enough to make us part with our current coach.

ichn2go · 09-28-2007, 01:10 AM

I am on my third Winnie product .. 1st. 99 Adventurer bought used,,very few if any issues
2nd. 03 Horizon, took me 2 years to get "my" problems resolved and then it was great.
3rd is the current coach , bought it used also and everything is working fine(where is some wood to knock on) at this time..had to put new tires on itbut I think that is quite normal..

Its not the same love I have for my wife, but I do like it alot. Fits our needs to a T.

When you get your problems solved you will look back and smile. Its all part of owning a RV. Good Miles

FrontRangeRVer · 09-28-2007, 03:38 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John_Canfield:
Love it? Uh - love isn't a word I generally use to describe a relationship to 'things.'

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

BINGO! It's a material possesion.

We have had our share of problems, and if Winnebago had a better insulation package, we would REALLY "like" it, but we currently "like" due to it's value. The floor plan is top notch!!

1995Brave · 09-28-2007, 04:28 AM

I don't love or hate our RV. I got it used and it was all we could afford at the time. After putting in about 3grand we now have an RV that runs real good(9-10mpg at 60-65mph), new ceiling, new floor, outside nice and shinny, and new batteries and converter for boondocking. It is a good weekend getaway vehicle to go to the coast fishing.

joatmon · 09-28-2007, 04:48 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> After putting in about 3grand we now have an RV that runs real good(9-10mpg at 60-65mph), </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's fantastic..............how do you do it??

Ok, maybe "love" was a poor choice of words, but you all know what I mean.

Thanks for your responses. I certainly keeping my fingers crossed that our trip to the factory solves all of our issues. Our dealer certainly couldn't.

I sometimes forget about this forum and forget what a wonderful resource it is, being able to get help/support/ideas from folks that have the same products. Thanks!!!

Oops, sorry, using my hubbies laptop and forgot to change ID...............

Dylansmom

rvten · 09-28-2007, 05:13 AM

We were very happy with our 2001 Adventurer 35U. Only reason we traded. Was we wanted to down size. Went with Winnebago Aspect. So far happy with this one also.

smlranger · 09-28-2007, 05:26 AM

We are certainly fond of our rig. This is our second motorhome and our 5th RV. I do love the sound of the CAT (purrs nicely), the power, the handling and ride (compared to our previous gasser on a P-32 chassis). There have been some service issues, most of which I've been able to resolve myself. For me, the rig is sort of a hobby...love to tinker and make stuff.

For our needs, it is great. Some day we'd like something different..not sure what or when.

I will say the ownership experience has been enhanced greatly by the wonderful folks on this forum and the fantastic support from folks at Winnebago.

SargeW · 09-28-2007, 05:27 AM

Like John says, I am very "satisfied" with my rig, but I LOVE to RV. There were some initial issues with our rig, but they didn't pop up for quite a while, and we use the rig a lot. We love the life style so much we will be full timing in about a year.

However, that said I can say that we worked our way up with our RV's. We started with a TT, moved to a 5ver, and then the MH. All had issues, most of them could have been easily prevented with a little quality control. For durability the Winnie wins hands down. Both the towables really showed wear with their structural integrity after a short period.

All in all, I am very pleased with the MH quality and features.

Sarge

Chief · 09-28-2007, 06:08 AM

Second Winnie product and very satisfied. Been treated well by Mfg-Dealers are a different story especially when it comes to warranty work.

Bought our current rig @ Daytona show. Came straight from Forrest City to Daytona. Dealer(Lazy Days) washed & prepped the coach on day 1, and we purchased on day 2. Only QC problem from the factory was leveling dump valve cable was not plugged up (in). I'd say that was pretty good quality control. At any rate, the dealer changed the dump valve, screwed up the hyd lines in the process before checking the cable. Took 2 more visits to the dealer to get it right.

Only other problems were hyd leleling system malfunctioned, steps refused to operate (both went out on last day of the trip-thankfully) and the rear/side view camera quit during a long trip in Aug. Decided to fix them myself (no confidence in dealer "tech's"). HWH and Kwikee stepped up to the plate and sent parts based on my troubleshooting, both systems back up within an hour of receiving parts. Very good companies to work with. Voyager (ASA Electronics) rear/side view monitoring system went out on day 1 of the trip and I must take it in to a dealer for monitor replacement. Never did get to speak with a "human", just recorded msgs and email. Not a real easy company to do business with.

We "like" the rig and would purchase again from the same Mfg.. Don't like to see it sit in the back yard, would rather be out using it.

DragRacer · 09-28-2007, 09:23 AM

We have a 2002 32' Adventure that we bought used a little over a year ago. It's our first motorhome. We are very happy with it, don't know about loving it. If gas was $1.50, then we would love it. We have only put about 4000 miles on it, but we have used it every weekend but 3 since the first of April. My concern is that it's going to wear out because we use it so much. We don't camp a lot like most people, we use it to tow our race car. Every Sunday it get's cleaned and looks like new. The only problems I have had are with the dash A/C and the slides leaking hydraulic fluid. The dash A/C was easy to fix. I found a bad O-ring and had a buddy recharge the system. Between HWH's great service and me having a great dealer, the leaks have not been much of a problem either. The only other problem I have is with the front TV squeaking as were driving, but I will fix it.

Easyrider · 09-28-2007, 06:37 PM

We like our 33' Sunrise very much. Really haven't seen another rv in our price bracket that we would want to trade our's for. Hey DragRacer, before you tear your TV cabinet apart, try this, roll your driver's side window down just a tiny little bit, not enough to make an open space but enough to take the pressure off the glass and window frame. We thought we had a squeaky TV, I rolled the window down for some reason for the first time after a couple years of ownership and was surprised when the squeak disappeared! When I rolled the window up tight the squeak came back. So I always have it set to not be pressing against the window frame!