2014 Itasca Sunstar 35F

[jmraz73]

After debating between a Coachmen and a Fleetwood, I ended up choosing to purchase a Itasca Sunstar 35F. I pick it up on Monday.

Any suggestions on what I should keep an eye out for during delivery? The dealer's service department will only have Monday to prep the unit before I pick it up Monday evening. So, they may not be as thorough.

[artgpo]

Make sure you run the driver's side slide in and out a few times. Winnebago is using the Lippert Schwintek system on the two slides. This has been a trouble prone system. The last time I pressed the "Out" button the rear end stopped and the front kept going. Fortunately the slide retracted fully. I now have a service appointment to have the slide repaired. Something either broke in one of the two drives or they got out of synchronization. It is a worrisome issue.

The slides are a very major issue. Other than that I have had few other problems, mostly very minor.

[SuperGewl]

Take it for a test drive with the Service Manager and pay close attention to the Steering wheel alignment. If it ain't straight then make them do an alignment before you take it.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

Take it for a test drive with the Service Manager and pay close attention to the Steering wheel alignment. If it ain't straight then make them do an alignment before you take it.

The owners manual specifically states that it's the owners responsibility to have the coach aligned once it's filled with all the items you normally take with you when you travel which may include a full tank of fresh water, fuel, and propane.

FRONT AXLE TIRE

ALIGNMENT

We recommend that you have the front

suspension and steering alignment checked and

adjusted after you have fully loaded the vehicle

according to your needs. Thereafter, have

alignment inspected periodically to maintain

vehicle steering performance and prevent uneven

tire wear.

The initial alignment performed at the Ford chassis plant and the one performed at the Winnebago factory will only be accurate for the weight the chassis is carrying at the time it's done. Adding several thousand pounds of food, clothing, fuel, and water will affect the alignment.

[Bill & Teri]

We have had very few problems with our 2013 35F purchased this last May.Crack in shower wall in the corner, check closely.
One bad drawer slide. Check all drawers.
Front heat pump fan speed was wired backwards, I.e. Low was high and vice versa. Walk thru all systems having them turned on and off.
Mini blind tie down in half bath was offset.
Last but not least, check front hood stops. Both of ours came unglued.


That's all we have ran into. Make them take as much time as you need. At least 2 hours to cover everything.


Congrats, we love ours!




Bill & Teri

[Mario-John]

I had an Itasca 35F the only issue I had from the get go was the drain traps, they didn't tighten them all the way Check those!

[ghutch]

You will have things that pop up after delivery. Make sure you communicate well with the dealer and that he knows you expect him to make everything right. Get it in writing if there is any doubt. At delivery, take your time and do not feel rushed.

[jerichorick]

Is there any chance that you could camp in the service center RV parking for a day or two? It is amazing what you can learn when you actually use the rig. Once your eyes become accustom to what you are seeing you may find things you did not see initially that need fixing.

[SuperGewl]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

The owners manual specifically states that it's the owners responsibility to have the coach aligned once it's filled with all the items you normally take with you when you travel which may include a full tank of fresh water, fuel, and propane.

FRONT AXLE TIRE

ALIGNMENT

We recommend that you have the front

suspension and steering alignment checked and

adjusted after you have fully loaded the vehicle

according to your needs. Thereafter, have

alignment inspected periodically to maintain

vehicle steering performance and prevent uneven

tire wear.

The initial alignment performed at the Ford chassis plant and the one performed at the Winnebago factory will only be accurate for the weight the chassis is carrying at the time it's done. Adding several thousand pounds of food, clothing, fuel, and water will affect the alignment.

Yes this is true, but if you take the time to read you would have noticed that I said at PDI. NOT after loading it. The steering wheel and MH should track straight when delivered and NOT require an alignment before you even take it home.

[Yorker]

We have had several issues some of which have not been resolved even with a trip to Forest City.

Rear slide has to be pushed to go out all of the way.

Lots of drain problems. Bathroom sink was never connected. Kitchen leaked on first extended trip. Toilet may not be tight causing an odor problem.

Converter died on us in the summer making it difficult to run the fridge and AC.

Fridge lining cracked twice.

The King Dome is now dead.

One basement door rubs against the slide.

Several cosmetic problems not fixed before delivery. The guy who did the walk through
admitted that he had little knowledge of motorhomes. We had to show him how things worked.

Warning lights went off because the parking brake linkage was not adjusted.

Is this your first rig? Use it enough the first year to find all of the faults and plan enough time to take it back until they get it right.

[jmraz73]

Yes this is my first rig. Can you tell me more about:

1. How you figured out the so is were not hooked up? How did you notice that?

2. The brake light thing. I think I may be having a similar problem where the brake light stays on after I release the parking brake. Goes off if I restart the engine.

Originally Posted by Yorker

We have had several issues some of which have not been resolved even with a trip to Forest City.

Rear slide has to be pushed to go out all of the way.

Lots of drain problems. Bathroom sink was never connected. Kitchen leaked on first extended trip. Toilet may not be tight causing an odor problem.

Converter died on us in the summer making it difficult to run the fridge and AC.

Fridge lining cracked twice.

The King Dome is now dead.

One basement door rubs against the slide.

Several cosmetic problems not fixed before delivery. The guy who did the walk through
admitted that he had little knowledge of motorhomes. We had to show him how things worked.

Warning lights went off because the parking brake linkage was not adjusted.

Is this your first rig? Use it enough the first year to find all of the faults and plan enough time to take it back until they get it right.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Yorker

We have had several issues some of which have not been resolved even with a trip to Forest City.

Rear slide has to be pushed to go out all of the way.

Lots of drain problems. Bathroom sink was never connected. Kitchen leaked on first extended trip. Toilet may not be tight causing an odor problem.

Converter died on us in the summer making it difficult to run the fridge and AC.

Fridge lining cracked twice.

The King Dome is now dead.

One basement door rubs against the slide.

Several cosmetic problems not fixed before delivery. The guy who did the walk through
admitted that he had little knowledge of motorhomes. We had to show him how things worked.

Warning lights went off because the parking brake linkage was not adjusted.

Is this your first rig? Use it enough the first year to find all of the faults and plan enough time to take it back until they get it right.

What did FC not fix correctly?

The King Dome is equal to what falls under a horses tail from what I see on this forum.

Is the slide that you need to push the same one the door is rubbing? That is definitely an alignment issue.

I don't understand the issue with the fridge. Liner cracked twice? How can it stay reliably cold? And, did they replace the fridge or the lining?

[Yorker]

Water running out of the sink for the bathroom.

Water running out from under the slide for the kitchen.

The brake just had to be adjusted. Not happy that it wasn't notice and fixed when shippped.

Fridge has been replace twice. First time free, second time just labor $500.

Slide and door on opposite sides.

Am seeing the same thing with King Dome. They want me to send them the unit and then they will give me an idea of how much the repair will cost. Am considering replacing with something else.

[Mario-John]

Originally Posted by jmraz73

Yes this is my first rig. Can you tell me more about:

1. How you figured out the so is were not hooked up? How did you notice that?

2. The brake light thing. I think I may be having a similar problem where the brake light stays on after I release the parking brake. Goes off if I restart the engine.

jmraz73, its nice to read all of this but whatever you do don't obsess over the issues everyone else had. I had one, the pipes needed to be hand tightened under the sink, no biggie! You may have zero issues. Take a gander and the problem areas and enjoy your coach! Obsessing will only make every minute in it unbearable.

[edgray]

Originally Posted by Mario-John

...... You may have zero issues........ enjoy your coach! Obsessing will only make every minute in it unbearable.

THANKS ! I needed a good laugh today.

[Yorker]

They key is balance.

Lots of people here sing Winnebago's praises and some condemn them. If you don't expect them to be perfect then you won't be disappointed. There will probably be issues as if you had a new house built. I am a little frustrated that some of the issues should not have gotten to me in the first place but I will never deal with a large national dealer again.

Winnebago service is good to work with. They work to contain costs so you have to be firm and follow up but service is one reason to buy Winnebago.

I don't have another company to compare with since both our rigs were Winnebago products. I would still buy another one.

[StringFellow]

If the dealer is a reputable dealer that cares, any issues should be resolved BEFORE you arrive for your delivery. If you find issues at delivery time the dealer didn't do their prep work, period! NO excuses!

Make sure the dealer does not rush you and if you find issues, assume the dealer didnt do their prep work and their may be other issues.

Our Winniebago had no issues during the walk through....which is how it should be!!!!

We did have one issue on our first trip with it and the dealer helped troubleshoot over the phone (I was 2000 miles away from dealer). The walk through would not have found this issue.

The problem was the heater unit pinched several wires under it and the vibrations of the heater blower eventually wore through the insulation which resulted in a short (affected heater/AC and fridge circuits). Two wire splicing repairs late and we were good to go. Dealer approved and recorded field repairs without any warranty concerns.

A good reliable dealer is key to ensuring a good and issue free delivery!

[SuperGewl]

Just get out and use the MH and attempt to use every thing inside and out. That is the only way to really test every thing out and make sure it works.
Enjoy it as much as possible

[John Mo]

+1 on driving it with the service manager at delivery. Mine left the dealer with a bad pull that I fought with Winnebago over at length. The dealer stepped up and reimbursed me for the alignment that was needed to correct the caster. I was very disappointed with Winnebago on this because they make a point in their promotional materials about the alignment they do at the factory, but when I pushed them about it they admitted that they only check the toe.

[jerichorick]

Not to defend the way Winnebago treated you, if you look closely at your manual it is recommended that you have the coach weighed after putting all of your stuff in it (setting the correct tire pressures) and aligned. The added weight changes the alignment, ride height and could change the required tire pressure.