Stupidest engineering idea EVER!

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by NeilV

So why would you have to pay out of pocket to repair a 3 month old coach that's under warranty? I'm confused.

He probably had to pay because the work was done by an independent contractor not associated with the dealer or Winnebago Industries. Most people who perform a service expect to get paid when the job is done.

I would save the receipts and present a copy of them to the dealer first. This is an extremely unusual situation most likely caused by freezing, defective materials in the fittings, or improper installation. I would also save the components that were replaced and present them (but not give them to the dealer) when you submit a claim.

If the dealer doesn't reimburse you for the cost contact Winnebago Customer Service. Make sure you present them with the receipts and broken parts.

As a side note our 2001 Adventurer had a number of the same style fittings and we never had a failure in 12+ years and over 100,000 miles. Our 2013 Adventurer also has quite a number of these fittings. Again none have failed in over a year and almost 15,000 miles. This is a highly unusual situation.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

He probably had to pay because the work was done by an independent contractor not associated with the dealer or Winnebago Industries. Most people who perform a service expect to get paid when the job is done.

I would save the receipts and present a copy of them to the dealer first. This is an extremely unusual situation most likely caused by freezing, defective materials in the fittings, or improper installation. I would also save the components that were replaced and present them (but not give them to the dealer) when you submit a claim.

If the dealer doesn't reimburse you for the cost contact Winnebago Customer Service. Make sure you present them with the receipts and broken parts.

As a side note our 2001 Adventurer had a number of the same style fittings and we never had a failure in 12+ years and over 100,000 miles. Our 2013 Adventurer also has quite a number of these fittings. Again none have failed in over a year and almost 15,000 miles. This is a highly unusual situation.

Camping World is open 7 days a week so you can always call them at some time most days. I would have been on the phone verifying the warranty options with either Camping World or Winnebago Industries before potentially paying someone to void a warranty. Winnebago also use to provide one year in their travel package that included trip interruption coverage just for such events so there was the possible option of leveraging that too.

My first trip out in my Adventurer I had all the warranty and service numbers to call in an envelope that I put in the front folder of the Winnebago Black Bag just so they would be all in one place and quick to get at.

[budlightman]

Originally Posted by NeilV

Camping World is open 7 days a week so you can always call them at some time most days. I would have been on the phone verifying the warranty options with either Camping World or Winnebago Industries before potentially paying someone to void a warranty. Winnebago also use to provide one year in their travel package that included trip interruption coverage just for such events so there was the possible option of leveraging that too.

My first trip out in my Adventurer I had all the warranty and service numbers to call in an envelope that I put in the front folder of the Winnebago Black Bag just so they would be all in one place and quick to get at.

Actually, CW's service area is only open M-F. We called them on Saturday to find that fact out and were offered an appointment in late Aug, which was a month away and we were on the road. CW referred us to the mobile repair service we used.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by budlightman

Actually, CW's service area is only open M-F. We called them on Saturday to find that fact out and were offered an appointment in late Aug, which was a month away and we were on the road. CW referred us to the mobile repair service we used.

And were they or Winnebago the ones to reimburse you? Either Winnebago messed up building the coach or Camping World did in how they handled the coach before you bought it.

I believe you can see by now that these fittings have been universally used by many manufacturers for a decade possibly longer which has worked out better than many of the other choices that do not hold up as well in a vehicle and was actually an idea and product that solved problems.

Dealerships that let coaches freeze up on the other hand without properly inspecting them before selling them and then try to pan off the cost of their error on others is another matter.

I know that many times when I had a problem even under warranty I had to weigh in on the multiple trips to the dealer (largest in the Country though I believe at times they claim the World) to get things fixed that despite pictures with circles and arrows showing exactly where the problems were they still ended up looking somewhere else and ended up not doing the repairs. It would sometimes come down to how much time and gasoline will it take to take it to the dealer and in bulldogging then to get it done right compared to how much time cost and effort would it take to do it myself and more often then not it ended up being cheaper to do it myself taking less time than the round trip to the dealer and filling out the paper work.

One time they kept the coach so long that I had to go and blow out the lines in the coach during a freeze which if it caused any damage they would not be held accountable. They felt it was cheaper to take their chances with freezes and deal with any damages in a claim or litigation.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by NeilV

And were they or Winnebago the ones to reimburse you? Either Winnebago messed up building the coach or Camping World did in how they handled the coach before you bought it.

A third possibility is that whoever made the fittings had a defective batch. Sometimes defects aren't apparent at installation, or even during an inspection. A few miles of vibration and several hours of pressurization could reveal defects not caught on the production line or by someone doing a PDI.

[budlightman]

Thanks everyone for your answers and advice. We contacted Winnebago and are scheduled to take it to Forest City to inspect the entire internal water system, test all the fittings, etc. We will continue the punch list process and present all the issues when we get there.

This forum has been an incredible resource and I have learned quite a bit. Obviously I was wrong about the engineering design of plastic fittings, but at the time and given the experiences we had, it was easy to place fault there.

Thanks again everyone. See you on the road!

[RickO]

Originally Posted by budlightman

Thanks everyone for your answers and advice. We contacted Winnebago and are scheduled to take it to Forest City to inspect the entire internal water system, test all the fittings, etc. We will continue the punch list process and present all the issues when we get there.

This forum has been an incredible resource and I have learned quite a bit. Obviously I was wrong about the engineering design of plastic fittings, but at the time and given the experiences we had, it was easy to place fault there.

Thanks again everyone. See you on the road!

Glad to see you're getting somewhere with this. Just as a note about your punch list, make sure you go over it with them via telephone and/or email before you arrive because I believe they limit the number of warranty items they will fix on a give visit. As I recall, it was seven items but I could be wrong on that.

Rick

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by RickO

Glad to see you're getting somewhere with this. Just as a not about your punch list, make sure you go over it with them via telephone and/or email before you arrive because I believe they limit the number of warranty items they will fix on a give visit. As I recall, it was seven items but I could be wrong on that.

Rick

7 is the number of items that will be repaired during the GNR later this month. You can submit any number of repairs (warranty or customer pay) at any other time.

When you make the appointment you are asked to submit the list of items you want repaired. You can submit as many or as few as you wish. That list can be expanded by any number up to 3 working days before your appointment. Within 3 days of your appointment or when you arrive you can only add 3 items to your list.

Just make sure to prioritize your list. If you have a list of 50 items they start with #1 and work their way down the list. If your primary items are #49 and #50 it could take several days to get to them.

If you decide to wait for your coach to be fixed they will take it into the service area at 7:00 AM on the Monday you have an appointment. They will work on it until 3:00 then return it to you for the evening. The next day they will come out again and take the coach to the service bays. This process will be repeated for as many days as it takes to complete your list.

There is a nice waiting area, but the days get awfully long sitting in one place. Be prepared to do some sightseeing or other activities to minimize the boredom. There's no need to stay glued to the service area waiting room. If you leave them a cell phone number they'll contact you for any information, and update you on the progress.
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