Refrigerator fell across moho out of its slot - Page 2

Americanrascal · 04-07-2016, 11:19 AM

Had a good talk with Winnebago this morning. While nothing has shipped yet they advise it will be expedited later today or tomorrow. Seems that when the fridge decided to tip over forward it took all the fringe woodwork trim along with it. The replacement wood trim is being milled at another plant, then to be shipped to the Winnebago's warehouse today. There it will join a new refrigerator and microwave for an expedited shipment to Oakwood GA. Should all arrive Monday or Tuesday (fingers crossed)?

Winnebago thinks that somehow in production the tie bracket screws for the fridge missed or somehow pushed aside the strap that is in the wall for the fridge to securely connect to. While its a good assessment and very likely what occurred, its of some concern as to how they might assure they hit it and secure the brackets properly on the repair. How would they validate the connection?

The Powergear slide ram is another story. Winnebago says the service center in Oakwood will have to deal directly with the Powergear folks. Oakwood could not give me an answer on where that stands this morning maybe later? Very disconcerting that the top 2 bolts stripped out of the end of the ram. That had to have been some more kind of force to do that! Even after its repaired one has to wonder why the slide and ram were not even seating properly when retracted?

Still about 2 or three other items of concern but these are the biggies.We very much need the rig back late next week for an urgent trip. We're pretty uptight about it all but have our fingers crossed it will somehow all come together.

Forza Tom · 04-08-2016, 06:56 AM

The refrigerator in our Forza 36G was mounted so out of plumb that the doors would hardly close.

I was really obvious that there was a issue. All you had to do was to look at it.

Winnebago and my dealer still delivered the unit and I had to take the unit back to have the unit fixed shortly after we took delivery.

It amazes me the Winnebago didn't take care of this before it left the factory.

It also amazed me that the dealer didn't fix it before they delivered it considering they charged a dealers prep fee.

RTegarini · 04-08-2016, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

The refrigerator in our Forza 36G was mounted so out of plumb that the doors would hardly close.

I was really obvious that there was a issue. All you had to do was to look at it.

Winnebago and my dealer still delivered the unit and I had to take the unit back to have the unit fixed shortly after we took delivery.

It amazes me the Winnebago didn't take care of this before it left the factory.

It also amazed me that the dealer didn't fix it before they delivered it considering they charged a dealers prep fee.

Just one of many quality-control issues that seem to be so prevalent lately with Winnebago products.

Another post here mentions Winnebago now building Country Coach motorhomes. I could never afford one but if I could, that would be one less brochure I'd need to study. -RT

Dr4Film · 04-08-2016, 02:15 PM

And yet some people are amazed to hear why so many millions are fed up with the crap that American companies are producing.

No wonder this country is so screwed up these days.

It's our money buying this crap and we should not settle one little bit. If you do you are as much to blame for the crap being sold to consumers as are the manufacturers.

I don't take crap from any supplier. If they want to sell it I don't have to buy it.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

Forza Tom · 04-09-2016, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RTegarini

Just one of many quality-control issues that seem to be so prevalent lately with Winnebago products.

Another post here mentions Winnebago now building Country Coach motorhomes. I could never afford one but if I could, that would be one less brochure I'd need to study. -RT

The reality is that Winnebago is one of the best assembly line units on the market.

The whole industry uses their customers and dealers to manage their quality issues.

I know quite a few people who have coaches of a different manufacturer with problems.

I guess unless you have the money to buy a Newel you just have to work through the issues.

With the exception of a few what I consider to be minor problems we have had a good experience with our Forza 36G

rream · 04-09-2016, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

The reality is that Winnebago is one of the best assembly line units on the market.

The whole industry uses their customers and dealers to manage their quality issues.

I know quite a few people who have coaches of a different manufacturer with problems.

I guess unless you have the money to buy a Newel you just have to work through the issues.

With the exception of a few what I consider to be minor problems we have had a good experience with our Forza 36G

Well said no problems here with our unit purchased 11/11/11

bobmac · 04-09-2016, 06:25 AM

While it is easy to be critical of Winnebago, this particular failure is clearly extremely serious but appears to be really an isolated incident. I am confident that this is a sort of incident that would be well publicized if it were wide spread. I agree fully that Winnebago needs to ramp up up their quality control processes.That said, all you need to do is check other manufacturer sections here to see that similar issues affect their products as well.
I think - whether we like it or not - that anything assembled by humans will likely not be perfect. Given that, I believe the true indication of a quality product is the manufacturer's response when theses issues are identified. I believe Winnebago has stepped up and done the right thing here. I would also bet that they are delving into why the anchoring process failed.
I am a fan of fixing whatever I can myself. One of the key reasons I purchased a Winnebago was the availability of product, wiring and plumbing diagrams as well as a complete parts list of everything in the coach - this is a real differentiator for me. I have had my share of troubles with my coach including having both sidewalls replaced and subsequent issues when a portion detached - so I have a good understanding of Winnebago processes but would still purchase another Winnebago product.

JohnBoyToo · 04-09-2016, 06:44 AM

Just because some of you have not seen it on the forums may not mean it is isolated...

If not for the island in our Redwood, the fridge probably would have come out the other side of the rv !

The bad thing about this one, was that I brought it up in the pdi that I could tilt it with one had - it never was fixed properly before it went back to them for the 50 or so serious issues, I just tried my best to take right hand turns easily

bobmac · 04-09-2016, 07:01 AM

Johnny Boy

Is that a Winnebago brand? It certainly wouldn't surprise me in SOB RVs but does with Winnebago given their highly disciplined approach to design and manufacturing.

JohnBoyToo · 04-09-2016, 07:06 AM

Who knows, given the consolidation frenzy,
it may well be under the Winnebago brand by now

So no, it's not winnebago,
but just indicative of poor quality control on ANY assembly line when pride in your work is not prevalent and you have to put out X number of units.

cpoo · 04-09-2016, 07:15 PM

Mine arrived with large crack in roof. Got fixed so you would never know it was there. When I had it washed in Florida I asked the washer who had just come off the roof how the repair looked and he said what repair so that seemed to work. Matrix had to be replaced and satellite was a mess. We got it fixed. Satellite radio antenna is loose. They are working on it now. A large bunch of wires fell down from the windshield in the area of the solar shade. Being fixed now. The latches on the refrigerator doors pulled loose. I now use a Velcro strap to keep the doors closed. I don't think I will reattach the catches as they just got in the way when using it. Refrigerator seems solid. I think given several turns and some bad roads it would have tipped by now. I love the floor plan and the new six speed. The ride is great and much quieter than my previous was a 2015 so hope problems are worked out. Mine seem to be getting resolved. Good luck with yours. I had one cabinet door in kitchen that never had a screw in the hinge. I thought it came out and when I got a screw to replace realized there was no hole. My washer hoses were reversed. Second coach that has happenned. In my pdi he told me about how to deal with my hot water heater but described a suburban. I explained the Atwood. I worry when I have things done what they will do. Hey when I go to Ford dealer for oil change I check to make sure the caps are all on. Never had problem with Ford but did with Jeep dealer. Oh well I do love the coach.

Old Radios · 04-09-2016, 08:19 PM

Went to a show a couple of months ago. Saw nothing but junk under $200,000. Staples, press board, wood and molding not fitted together properly, doors not closing or latching properly, shelves sagging with nothing on them, floors/tiles with gaps. Lots of shoddy construction out there. You would think that at least at a show the models would have some attention to detail. Manufacturers are cutting corners anywhere they think they can get away with it. I don't think they care about repeat buyers, just the first timer sales and just reaching the end of the warranty period.

RTegarini · 04-10-2016, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

The reality is that Winnebago is one of the best assembly line units on the market.

While that may be true, I guess to a lot of us, that isn't saying much. -RT

RTegarini · 04-10-2016, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobmac

"While it is easy to be critical of Winnebago, this particular failure is clearly extremely serious but appears to be really an isolated incident..."

"Given that, I believe the true indication of a quality product is the manufacturer's response when theses issues are identified."

Most likely is an isolated incident (and a major safety issue), and could be the very reason Winnebago is stepping up to resolve it. Other well-known problems, such as 10+ model years of rusted windshields and leaks get a verbal denial of the existence and absolutely no financial assistance, likely because it ISN'T an isolated incident, and would cost Winnebago ten's of thousands of dollars to resolve the rust, leaks and windshield glass replacement. Hence, Winnebago's commitment to customer service and satisfaction... of making the owners pay the full cost of repairs.

What's the old saying... integrity is not what you do when people are watching, but what you do when there are not...

Just my personal view on how Winnebago has made owners pay for their engineering mistakes. -RT

FlyFishinRVr · 04-10-2016, 09:27 PM

According to Fortune magazine, in 2013 Winnebago was making as many as 50 units a day across all classes. I assume that number has increased, and as a result their QC has slipped as they have prioritized quantity as their number one goal.

I was watching a factory tour video of SOB and they do things like pressurizing the coach, coating it in soapy water, and looking for bubbles to help find leaks. They also fill all of the tanks with water and check for leaks. I doubt very much that manufacturers that are just trying to crank out as many units as possible have the time to do tests like these, so that leaves final QA to the dealer (who won't touch it) or the customer (hence all the reports about bad quality).

The only way these manufacturers are going to resolve this is to put leadership in place that prioritizes quality as the number one goal. That will only happen if someone does a detailed analysis of how much these repairs are costing them in both real and "potential lost customer" dollars and show they can cut production by X% to do more thorough testing and still net more $$$ by reducing repair expenses. Of course they may have already done this exercise and the numbers favored prioritizing quantity...... :/

JC2 · 04-11-2016, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RTegarini

Most likely is an isolated incident (and a major safety issue), and could be the very reason Winnebago is stepping up to resolve it. Other well-known problems, such as 10+ model years of rusted windshields and leaks get a verbal denial of the existence and absolutely no financial assistance, likely because it ISN'T an isolated incident, and would cost Winnebago ten's of thousands of dollars to resolve the rust, leaks and windshield glass replacement. Hence, Winnebago's commitment to customer service and satisfaction... of making the owners pay the full cost of repairs.

What's the old saying... integrity is not what you do when people are watching, but what you do when there are not...

Just my personal view on how Winnebago has made owners pay for their engineering mistakes. -RT

I agree. None of the manufacturers are perfect by a long shot. Brings back memories of the Spartan chassis fiasco where inferior quality rubber boot cover material was used over ball joints in the early 2000's resulting in ball joints being damaged from road grit, etc. The issue was apparently known by Newmar/Spartan but not addressed unless owners complained and their rig was under warranty.

We paid $2800 to have our ball joints replaced. Another is the trailing arm issue on certain (4) bag chassis used by Monaco in the early/mid 2000's. By and large they skated on that one by declaring bankruptcy and a different Monaco was formed by a lot of the original people.

Source Engineering came up with a fix that addresses that issue but that is also in the $2500-3000 range.

Americanrascal · 04-15-2016, 04:55 AM

Yesterday we picked the motor-home up at the dealer. Winnebago did right and replaced the convection/microwave, the refrigerator and the trim woodwork. It all looks and operates great!

Due to an error at the dealership they failed to order a needed slide insert ram mechanism that had to be replaced where the end bolts had been stripped out. That mechanism will have to be fabricated and shipped by ground due to its large size. However in order to get us back going the dealer did what seems to be a good temporary fix by re- tapping with a larger bolts on the slide until we can get back for the new ram for installation. So another 300 mile round trip to and from the dealer --through the fun Atlanta traffic. That part of the story is a bummer.

We still have issues with the engine on the F-53 V-10 but it looks like Ford will reprogram the PCM today and the Ford dealer is only a mile from the house. Ford has been helpful also.

Still some other bugs (key won't work on one of the cabinet latches, maybe leak still there?). There will always a be a glitch or two but we'll work on them.

I've been very happy with Winnebago's response to this and their staff has been very helpful. In spite of an error in parts ordering the dealer did nice work and got us back on the road when we needed the rig with a temporary repair. Hopefully Ford will come through on their end and we'll have out new rig back together again!

bobder41 · 04-15-2016, 05:19 AM

Americanrasc glad to see your making progress. I'm driving mine 300 miles to the dealers this weekend for the sixth time. They are trying their 5th attempt on a water leak over the wife's seat, replace the water heater and cabinet that it is mounted in and several other minor issues.
I hope you have better luck then I have had with my unit. I have owned it 11 months and 7 of them the unit has been at the dealership.

Duner · 04-15-2016, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by americanrasc

........
Due to an error at the dealership they failed to order a needed slide insert ram mechanism that had to be replaced where the end bolts had been stripped out. That mechanism will have to be fabricated and shipped by ground due to its large size. However in order to get us back going the dealer did what seems to be a good temporary fix by re- tapping with a larger bolts on the slide until we can get back for the new ram for installation. So another 300 mile round trip to and from the dealer --through the fun Atlanta traffic. That part of the story is a bummer.

I suggest you look at this "temporary" fix closely, if nothing else is bent or broken, the larger bolts could be stronger than the original design and just leave it the way it is now. Maybe talk to the shop foreman and get his opinion.

Just a thought that could save you some money and more frustration.

Good luck,
Bill

Americanrascal · 04-15-2016, 04:59 PM

Thanks for the thoughts Duner. I would tend to agree with you generally on the re-tap being stronger possibly. However the tech that did the tapping was concerned over how thin the steel was that these bolts tap into. Apparently it was the first time he'd seen this issue on a Powergear slide and they seem to do a lot of them .The service techs just did not have good feeling about it holding up given what they found for the thickness of the metal.

It just bugs me how much force must have been on those top bolts to strip them. Not a good feeling here either with the re-tapped bolts or replacement of the entire ram arm assembly.

Trying to attach a pic of the top stripped bolts on the forward slide ram face-plate here- but we'll see if that works