Appalling 2022 Micro Minnie Parts Situation

[Mbtuner]

I tried to order a piece of door hardware that I broke on my 2022 Micro Minnie. The dealer asked for pictures of the broken part as well as a VIN, which I supplied.

When I hadn't heard back from my dealer after a half day or so I emailed Winnebago to see if I could expedite the process. (4/17/24)

In the meantime the dealer called me back (the next day) She explained that no parts catalog exists to look up he parts for Winnebago Towables. She offered up that she thought that she found what I needed in their parts room and she measured it and sent me a picture.
Thankfully, it seemed correct, even though aftermarket.
She was nice enough to send it UPS after I paid for it.

She did an amazing job with nothing but the picture to work with.

Today, nearly 2 weeks later, Winnebago replied with a part number.

Two gripes: Why can't a consumer or even a dealer look up parts to fix one of these trailers?

And why does it take nearly two weeks to get any kind of answer?

[Morich]

Basic answer may be found if you look around your local area and maybe even where you work!
Are things done like they were 4-5 years a go? Not likely in most cases. We can't even go to the grocery and get good produce like we had found. Covid has changed everything from the way people go to work (or not) to the number of people to do that work.
We let a million people die and that prompted another bunch to retire! We ran off everybody we could even if they were who mowed the lawn and picked the fruit! We started a trade war with China, even though they made lots of our parts!
No need to answer the phone when we can work from home and use a mouse jiggler to confuse the boss!

That's one reason I now work from home and only when I feel like it! I kind of like not having a boss!

So it may never be the same and we get to live with it!

[Mbtuner]

Sorry, that doesn't excuse the basics of a manufacturer that won't supply a parts catalog so their product can be serviced. They sure used COVID to jack up prices. They should use some of that cash to take care of customers

[Blue Sky]

Personal opinion: Winnebago earned a great reputation in the motorized sector - and that's where it ends. WGO has been successful for the stockholder; likely at the customers expense. SOME of the folks I have had to deal with at Winnebago CS don't know what they need to about travel trailers.

Edit: I have learned the hard way they don't care about me or the product I bought from them. I don't think the caring thing is intentional, I don't think they know how. ... not to different from other corporations I have to deal with.

2nd edit: A parts catalog not being availble is consistent with ...

[creativepart]

Blue Sky has hit upon the reason. Winnebago is over 50 years old and had always been a manufacturer of motorhomes. They long ago established dedicated helpful resources for those motorhomes that go back decades.

This is not the same for Toyables. Travel Trailers and 5th Wheel Trailers are made at a different factory in a different state. Winnebago purchased SunnyBrook Travel Trailers in it's entirety right in 2010 after the great recession and has adopted that company's way of doing things. Much like Grand Design and Newmar they have not worked to bring the Winnebago motorhome-style resources to those subsidiaries.

And RV dealerships are blissfully ignorant of the products they sell. Add to this that their agreement with Winnebago gives them plenty of room to do as they see fit good or bad - but mostly bad.

It's a shame that Winnebago doesn't wake up and smell the coffee on improved support and customer service. It's really nothing more than excuse after excuse. But, that's how it is and frankly that's how most other towable companies tend to work, too.

[Morich]

Big smile?
Remember the days when you called a phone company and they came to the house and kept everything working? Try comparing that to what you get if you have a bad line or service on your phone today!

My grandson mentioned the old days last week! But that was about 1980!
The old days are gone and the folks who remember them will be gone at some point.
Then all will be roses, right?

[FT RV]

Devils advocate - there is no parts manual because the parts are always changing, the parts manual would be in constant revision and you can imagine the disaster that would lead to. I assume they tried and this is the result. The SOP is likely for the dealer to call winnebago for the correct part

[Mbtuner]

FT RV, that doesn't make sense to me. I was in the auto repair business for 45+ years and there was always a way to look up parts without calling the manufacturer, even before the internet, which should make things even easier.
And cars are a lot more complicated than RV trailers.

When parts change there are cross reference numbers that parts sellers use. This isn't brain surgery, it's a lack of trying.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Mbtuner

FT RV, that doesn't make sense to me. I was in the auto repair business for 45+ years and there was always a way to look up parts without calling the manufacturer, even before the internet, which should make things even easier.
And cars are a lot more complicated than RV trailers.

When parts change there are cross reference numbers that parts sellers use. This isn't brain surgery, it's a lack of trying.

There is a huge difference. Auto mfgrs. are required to make replacement parts available for 10 years minimum. No such requirement exists for the RV industry.
For instance; when a new line/model of MH's are built, replacement parts are available. When that model is discontinued, no replacement parts are manufactured or stocked.
I know of a 2018 MH that sat in a body shop parking lot for a year, waiting on a used front cap to become available. All that time the owner was making payments on the MH.
The shop owner said the MH model was no longer built, so no new front caps were made, so he had to wait for a wrecked MH of the same model, with a good front cap to show up at a salvage yard.
He told me if I ever damaged my end caps to save all parts, no matter how small. He could then use the damaged parts to reconstruct the end cap.
That 2018 owner had not saved the parts of his front cap BTW..



P.S. I know that because I smashed my front cap and took my MH to that body shop for an estimate. I was told that information while waiting. I had saved the parts of my damaged cap.
If an RV mfgr will not carry replacement parts for a $500,000 MH, why would an RV mfgrs carry replacement parts for a $40,000 trailer?
Perhaps it isn't right, but it is reality.

[FT RV]

Originally Posted by Mbtuner

FT RV, that doesn't make sense to me. I was in the auto repair business for 45+ years and there was always a way to look up parts without calling the manufacturer, even before the internet, which should make things even easier.
And cars are a lot more complicated than RV trailers.

When parts change there are cross reference numbers that parts sellers use. This isn't brain surgery, it's a lack of trying.

These aren't cars. They will switch suppliers on the fly if the supplier can't deliver inventory such as AC units, toilets, beds, fridge, generator, furnace, electronics - basically everything. It was VERY bad during covid which is likely when the change happened but could be on the way to getting fixed now.

[Mbtuner]

Cars change parts suppliers even faster than RVs. Quit giving them a pass for being too cheap and lazy to provide good documentation. By complaining, we hope to see them do better. Sheesh!

[Morich]

Obviously you are not happy with what you bought! So the real solution is not coming here to complain as that doesn't do anybody any good.
Sell what you don't like and get something better!

Your mistake, fix it!
Problem solved.