2020 Factory workmanship issues

[Vinnie2018]

Well said. You have identified the real issues. Many thanks

[71_340]

Like others said, don't expect new car quality or fit and finish. The original owner is the QC department.

I currently don't own a Winnebago product. I traded our Itasca Reyo for a new 2019 Thor Four Winds 24 BL (Sprinter based). I know everybody says that Thor is the worst but I paid 75500 with full body paint, a diesel generator and some other option, a deal I couldn't pass up (a comparable View or Navion would be 50K more).

I spent the first weekend "fixing" my new RV (securing most of the wiring underneath, cleaning out saw dust from behind and inside cabinets, replace some stripped screws and reseal water fittings). There were some other small items I fixed. The dealer had to replace a slide out seal and one of the MCD shades, they still owe me the remote for the dash radio and the front cab floor mat (those items were missing). So far we have been on three 4-day trips, everything worked and we had a blast.

You have to be mechanically savvy or you will hate the whole RV experience. Yes, a Winnebago product may have less initial issues and a little better fit and finish but you still have to work on it. A lot of times is not worth going to the dealer just because it is free under warranty because you cant use your RV. If it is under a 100 in parts I'll fix it myself, I know it is done the way I want it done and I can use my RV.

As everybody knows, RVs are selling like hot cakes right now and dealer inventories are low. The RVs being built now after the factories started up again may have a few more issues because I am sure the is a push to crank them out as fast as possible to meet consumer demand and make up for lost revenue. And, of course, the service departments will be totally overloaded.

As a personal note, we may trade again in a few years and it will most likely be a Hymer. Thor bought owns a least the US part of that brand and they built a new factory in Indiana. The good part is that those RVs will be made using automated assembly lines just like in Germany and will have much higher quality standards. I was in Germany last December and looked at several Hymer RVs, even a Winnebago is no comparison to them.

[JerryP]

Originally Posted by PaulandSue

We have a 2017 24V. We would NEVER buy another Winnebago. The workmanship is horrible. They look good until you look at how they are put together. You should look a little more before you buy.

I bought a used 2017 View 24V last year, but have not traveled much yet due to Covid. What were some of your issues?

My main issue that I had was a rear roof piece of fiberglass had several small cracks. This panel of fiber glass is where the roof connects to the back vertical wall of the coach. This was a cosmetic fault that did not cause a roof leak. It was probably caused by over tight screws. Actually this part might be made of molded plastic.

Thanks,
Jerry

[BlueGekko]

Lou D, I had the same problem with my pantry sliding shelves. I installed a 2” sliding flat bolt (don’t recall the correct name for them) below and to the side of each drawer. That fixed the problem and took only a few minutes to install. Just remember to add “check pantry shelves” to pre-departure check list.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by creativepart

No one should purchase an RV with the idea that there will not be problems from the factory.

Like any very complex man-made factory built item, especially built on an assembly line with hourly workers there will be mistakes, short-cuts taken and just plain bad luck all working against any quality control measures that have taken place.

All RV buyers, of all brands experience this. These are not designed or built like current day automobiles. I spoke with a guy next to me at an RV park with a $2 million Prevot/Marathon that said it was in for warranty repairs for 3-months after he picked it up and went on a short shakedown trip.

Also, unlike automobiles, RVs are full of items built by some other manufacturer on their assembly lines and these items are subject to the same good day/bad day "luck" in their build, as well. Air conditioners, water heaters, water pumps, TVs, refrigerators, furniture, fans... just about everything.

Fortunately, it all works most of the time. But the RV sitting on a dealer's lot with zero defects or problems does not exist.

Good post. Even the suppliers of the many components have problems with QC, though it seems not as much as the RV manufactures. Things really get antsy when a number of supplier components fail and the RV is not put together correctly. Those cases are not frequent but do happen too often. Just the normal QC issues would not be half as bad if the dealers did their part when prepping the units for delivery. If I understand this process correctly, dealers are given a "purse" limit to correct factory errors. The dealers are the QC folks for the factories. It seems the dealers leave it up to the buyer to find and report the QC issues and then make them wait to have the issues repaired, if they are addressed at all.

I buy used, hoping the majority of the issues are fixed. When we bought this coach, about 6 years ago, we had many issues to have fixed and the dealer did a fair job. Even so, there were a few I missed. If they were no functional I just live with them if the cost of repair is too high. Other things like door adjustments, water leak issues, etc. I simply fix. This is a 7,2M earthquake waiting to happen each time we travel. QC is one issue but use is a totally different ball of wax. Some manufactures units stay together over time and travel better than others. Ours seems to be a very well made unit for the most part.
Great topic and a frequent one it seams.
Rick Y

[Ramilian]

We took delivery of a 2021 Minnie 31h five weeks ago. We have had two minor issues and it was taken care very quickly. We are very happy with our purchase.

[JBP]

I bought a 2018 Vesta in 2019 from Lichtsinn. Experience with dealer was very good. Spent one night at dealer and they fix items next day. Have 9000 miles on coach and all items that needed to be fixed Winnebago respond and fixed. My major problem dealer was 290 miles away.
I have had several RVs and like Winnebago best. But believe that QC could and should be better. We spend a lot of money for these RVs. I am fortunate that I am close to a great dealer now (Olathe Ford RV).
Because of the distance to the last dealer Winnebago took care of my last list at Olathe after my 12 months were up.
One of the most important thing is having a good dealer and be patient. The being patient is the hardest thing for me and my wife.

[VascodaGama]

Originally Posted by Paulbrady

has anyone who bought a new winnebago has quality issues with their Rv, we have a 2021 View 24D on order, and have heard many stories of lack of quality control from the factory, have you had problems with your new rv and what problems were they, thanks

Dear Paulbrady, We purchased a new 2020 Navion 24D and we have had very minor issues/defects out of the gate, a tail light put on backwards, leveling system with a small leak and a few fit and finish issues. We love our new Navion but like many have indicated in this blog RV's aren't like automobiles RV's have many systems from third parties, expect some issues as ALL RV manufacturers aren't perfect. Have your new RV inspected prior to taking delivery to possible catch some of those issues. Enjoy and happy camping!

[Roadburnz]

We picked up our 21D last week at the factory and drove it ~1600 miles on the way back to Houston. So far we have found no major quality issues.

[rprochnow]

We haven't noticed the pantry drawer issue in our 2021 24D - will check that out on our trip next weekend.

Worst case, add some bumpers to add padding between the end of the drawer and the door.

It's possible we haven't noticed it, because I don't try to take corners like we do in our cars, which minimizes the side-to-side movement, that will cause issues not only with the pantry doors but with anything in the overhead cabinets (which will then fall out when the cabinets are opened).

[Katman]

2019 View 24D. If you have ever bought a new boat at the same price point just figure the boat builders have fewer after sale fixes to tend to than the RV builders. Unfortunately, it’s more challenging to get after sale support for an RV too.

[megawatt]

Purchased a new 2019 Winnebago Sightseer 7-19 and had a number of issues after taking possession. Appears to me the issues came from the factory and no quality control follow-up by Camping World. Generator did not load to coach power. Onan service center found sheered coupling that had to be replaced. Hot water heater did not work. Circuit board had to be replaced. Door awning had to be replaced due to mechanical failure. Windshield wiper fell off first time used. All four batteries had to be replaced. After battery replacement, charging system still not working. Found Camping World did not reconnect one of the battery cables. Obviously CW did not QC the battery system. Main awning did not extend with fabric just rolling down the side of the coach. CW had to repair. Various other smaller issues as well. Suggest you have dealer activate all systems and show you they are working ok. Assumed all systems had been checked out before I left CW so that was my major mistake.

[1237dmctlc]

Originally Posted by megawatt

Purchased a new 2019 Winnebago Sightseer 7-19 and had a number of issues after taking possession. Appears to me the issues came from the factory and no quality control follow-up by Camping World. Generator did not load to coach power. Onan service center found sheered coupling that had to be replaced. Hot water heater did not work. Circuit board had to be replaced. Door awning had to be replaced due to mechanical failure. Windshield wiper fell off first time used. All four batteries had to be replaced. After battery replacement, charging system still not working. Found Camping World did not reconnect one of the battery cables. Obviously CW did not QC the battery system. Main awning did not extend with fabric just rolling down the side of the coach. CW had to repair. Various other smaller issues as well. Suggest you have dealer activate all systems and show you they are working ok. Assumed all systems had been checked out before I left CW so that was my major mistake.

I must ask did you do a thorough PDI? New or use I found it always prudent to do it before I drive off the lot. Unfortunately my new 2018 FR 31L5 I bought in 2017 I thought I did a thorough PDI but found out I wasn't as knowledgeable as I thought I was on PDIs and I was a little naive being my first Class A thinking new meant well built :-( ...some major issues like both ACs leaking and sliders not retracting showed up after a trip or two but other things I should've caught. This year moving up to DP new to me used 2018 Winnebago 38W the dealer said they'll have everything set up and running. Said plan on spending the morning going thru things with your assign mechanic and rep. Spent all day basically started at 9AM finished PDI at 2PM told them I'll leave it til everything I wrote down is fixed. Spent till 6 working on issues may them put all the issues on the bill of sale and an appt. For right after the parts arrived before I drove out. Very happy with the dealer did everything without one complaint. Service manager and dealership was pleasant to work with so happy. I know we can't find everything bc some things are latent failures but we can sure try...thxs

[megawatt]

PDI was my shortcoming. First time Class A owner and putting too much trust in dealership QA. You did it right as I will next time.

[Tom Ficca]

Originally Posted by Paulbrady

has anyone who bought a new winnebago has quality issues with their Rv, we have a 2021 View 24D on order, and have heard many stories of lack of quality control from the factory, have you had problems with your new rv and what problems were they, thanks

Bought a new Forza 38F in late 2018...........the BIGGEST PIECE of **** I EVER BOUGHT !

[Jamie M]

We bought a 2019 Forza 34T in June 2019 and we are 14 months in and 2 past the warranty expiration. This was our first RV, period, so we were a year ahead of the stampede of newbies due to the pandemic. Some of our issues have been operator error, me being the operator. But the build quality is not very good. Here are some examples of the issues we have found:

1. Screws are put into wall board or particle board with no anchoring
2. Anything attached like wall coverings, corner pieces, exterior decorative molding, etc is not secured well
3. Seals around the windows are not great
4. Compartments have seals on the doors but are not sealed well on the seams of the interior walls

3 and 4 you'll only discover where you have a problem when you drive through pouring rainstorms with puddling on the streets/highway.

So much crap falls out from under the interior walls each time we driver it, that it is incredible. Any screws or bolts or other hardware, save them. There is a good chance they were not just dropped on assembly but actually go some where.

We have also had an issue with the dealer service. They are nice people but you have to be very specific and come with a list of issues with everything spelled out. My big learning there was to not just assume it is ready and all is fixed when they call and say it's ready. Unlike a car serviced by a dealer, I learned to quiz the service rep on exactly what the technician wrote in their system, to read it to me. If something is not right I tell them to make it right - they know I'll call the service manager if they don't. This has saved me time and trouble on pick-up.

When the unit is under warranty and something goes wrong, you add it to the list for the next time you take it the dealer. They may or may not fix it properly, but the worst part is you don't learn what they did. Now that it is off warranty, I am trying to tackle things. I am not the most mechanical of people, but a lot of it I can figure out.

We took a month long trip out west from the middle of July to the middle of August. Three major issues surfaced during the week we drove to Denver for our son's wedding. We contacted a mobile tech in Golden, CO, and he came out the morning after we arrived. He spent an hour and a half with us, and fixed all three things. Around $250. And the best part was, I shadowed and helped, and he showed me what he did to fix each of the things. What I learned from him abut how to approach problems with an RV helped me work through a couple of minor issues that arose on the rest of our trip. That is my model for future issues - a good mobile tech.

I feel like a paratrooper from the 82nd or 101st on D-Day plus 5 - a veteran from 5 days of combat, but still keeping my head down because bullets are whizzing all around me and still so much to learn from experience that you can only get by living through it.

Stay safe out there.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by Tom Ficca

Bought a new Forza 38F in late 2018...........the BIGGEST PIECE of **** I EVER BOUGHT !

Could you be a bit more specific? What were the issues?

[1237dmctlc]

Originally Posted by AJMike

Could you be a bit more specific? What were the issues?

Agree need more information... was it manufacturer issues, dealer issues...both and some specifics would help. Also it would be good to know are these issues finally behind you and new ones coming issues. I'm particularly interested since I own a 2018 Forza 38W but I bought it used just this past May it had about 9000 miles on it. I'm wondering if I'm in for some surprises. Thanks

[Tom Ficca]

Basement compartment doors open at will while traveling down the road. (3 recalls and they still don't know what there are going to do to fix it) Take 3 people to open the gen set door . There was a water leak in the shower valve that leaked into the shore power compartment that took out the master transfer switch , and the inverter . The over head cabinet in the bed room fell off the wall . The wall in the half bath came off the frame . The floor in the bed room sounds like a haunted house when walking on it. The rear grill has broke free from the body twice now. Once on each side. All the marker light from mid ship back have been out along with brake and directional lights . The stacked washer and dryer were never anchored down and leaned through the doors and broke the door .The headlamps were never aligned and shine in the trees and not down the road. The back splash in the kitchen fell off the wall. Both sink drains where never sealed and leaked in the cabinet below. All the paint on the frame in the under compartments has peel off and rusted. ( 2 months after we bought it ) The list goes on and on ! Like I said the BIGGEST PIECE of **** I have ever bought !

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by Tom Ficca

Bought a new Forza 38F in late 2018...........the BIGGEST PIECE of **** I EVER BOUGHT !

I just Googled the unit...and it looks really nice...I can see why you were perhaps attracted to the model. So sorry to read of all your travails...you're right..you should only be motoring and the biggest worry, would be to find the next camping site enroute. Bummer..hope at some point, all this stabilizes..