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Old 07-12-2020, 11:21 AM   #1
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Awful factory service slide and electrical

WALL SLIDE: I had an appointment for three months for service and listed all of my problems. The primary ones were the full wall slide not closing tightly and a red and green light blinking after the slide was extended or closed. The slide was also sagging towards the rear. They said the coach had a broken center rail and had to be re-attached. They repaired the rail and returned it to me for evening. When I opened the slide the lights were still flashing. And I now had a popping sound in several areas in front of the sink which happens to be right above the center rail. The next morning when I ran water in the kitchen sink the water went all over the floor. I showed the tech at 7am. He then had his supervisor Matt come out and look at it. He said they would diagnose it and give me an estimate to repair. I said what estimate? It was all broken during the repair! If the floor had been popping and if water was running out onto the floor from the kitchen sink don’t you think it would have been on the repair order, especially since I drove almost 800 miles to Winnebago in Forest City?! They obviously had to raise/jack up the wall slide to lift it back into place. No doubt this is when the plumbing and the floor came lose. They wanted 4 hours to repair the floor plus parts and said they would split it with me. They said the sink had already been leaking! BS! They wanted 2-3 hours labor plus parts to repair the sink. I told them to leave the floor alone and I would pay $200 to repair the sink plumbing. They agreed. I stepped in a rut at 5pm while in their overnight camping area and fractured two bones in my foot or I would have repaired the plumbing myself).
ELECTRICAL: In my appointment I asked that the ATS, electrical system, and basement AC be checked because the because the Powerline electrical panel would sometimes go dark and the AC and electrical would turn off. It happened twice during my drive to their Service Department. The tech said everything checked out ok on the generator, AC, and ATS. On my 11+ hour drive home I stopped 5 times to turn off the generator and restart it in able to get power to the control panel and run the AC. The last two hours of the trip was without AC because now the lights go on Powerline Energy Management System control panel for about 3 seconds them immediately goes blank and no power! They’ll be hearing from me in the morning. The only way I will ever return there for service will be in the slide fails within the 90 day service guarantee. And if it does they better be prepared to reimburse me for the $400 fuel cost to and from their facility!
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:32 AM   #2
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Old 07-12-2020, 01:01 PM   #3
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Slide repair

Oh my. I'm so sorry to hear this, but certainly understand your feelings.
We had our slide repaired in Junction City, OR last July - when the center was open. We couldn't get a space in Forrest City, so drove 2000 miles for service.
The service there was excellent however.

I can maybe help with the flashing lights if you are interested, as well as the 'seal' part. I even repaired the 'sag' myself on ours where a support bolt broke (not uncommon) but that was a BEAR of a repair.

Best of luck to you as you continue the battle. Stick to your guns...and know that others are behind you!
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Old 07-12-2020, 09:35 PM   #4
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I'm sorry to hear this too, but I think your expectations are a bit high for a 10 year old RV, most 10 year old RV have many system problems. You are beyond the expected life of many systems that include electronics like the energy management system.
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Old 07-20-2020, 08:14 AM   #5
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Thank you for your reply sir but I don't have too high of expectations out of a 10-year-old Motorhome. My post is not about breakdowns, it is about Winnebago not doing their job and not fixing the problem that I took it there for. If they would've changed the ATS while I was there and as I requested they do it would've only cost me $100 for the part and labor total under my extended service contract. They said there was nothing wrong with it. Six hours into my return trip home out of a twelve hour trip it totally failed....and so has Winnebago factory service. I called Parallax, manufacturer of the ATS 501, which was installed in 2010. They said the 501 model was failing due to small contact points in it. They replaced the 501 model with a 503 model which has bigger contacts. They said that should rectify the problem. Why didn't Winnebago factory service know that and change a 10-year-old ATS that has known problems, especially when I specifically had it on my appointment and asked them at least two or three times to change it while I was there?
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Old 07-20-2020, 09:32 AM   #6
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No sense of quality work

Absolutely unbelievable! How does place like that stay in business?
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Old 07-20-2020, 10:26 AM   #7
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I understand your frustration. Honest, I do. But Winnebago isn't set up to install parts other than what's installed at the factory. And, after 10-years they have no legal requirement to do anything at all.

If you, on your own, find a part that's revised or better than what was installed in 2010 it would be your responsibility to have that installed and just about anybody could do it just not the Winnebago factory.

I get it. We all get it. RV manufactures do limited testing and they change parts and suppliers willy nilly all the time. Once your RV was out of warranty their only responsibility is to have replacement parts in stock or available for up to 10 years. Not continue to test and stock newer upgraded versions of the parts originally installed 10 years ago.

Like Randy, Powercat_ras said... you mistakenly expected them to do more than they are set up to do to RVs they manufactured a decade ago.
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Old 07-20-2020, 12:17 PM   #8
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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Old 07-20-2020, 02:11 PM   #9
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Agree and disagree.

Most RV manufactures assemble a bucket of parts with little or real pride in their final product. Only sales and the bottom line count in most cases. There are noted exceptions. The OP had problems which the service plant agreed to repair. Once they agree to a a service job they do have a responsibility to do that work and do it properly. Without causing additional problems. If they do break something else they do have a responsibility to repair that at their expense. Not some 50% cost sharing basis.

A couple of years ago I rebuilt a 1964 TT that had some water damage. The project came out great. The factory original frig, furnace and stove/oven all still worked. Needed new seals on the frig doors.

I have a 2007 Excel 5th that has very few problems. But is was well made.

I think it is wrong for the RV community to just accept that a 10 year old coach is worn out and beyond its service life. Sure some appliances and components will fail in that time period. But the RV should still have years of service left in it.

There's a difference in the quality of the original build and quality of service work.
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Old 07-20-2020, 02:32 PM   #10
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I totally agree with you Rarebear. I realize the coach is 10 years old but I don’t think they should be ready for the junk yard when they reach that age with only 30k miles on them. I had a couple other “issues” arise immediately after leaving the service center that I didn’t even mention in my post. My service advisor agreed that I should probably cancel the third party maintenance contract because out of the $1800 I spent at Winnebago the service contract covered ZERO, so I cancelled it that day. If Winnebago would have replaced the ATS as per my request my deductible would have been $100 for the part and labor. But since I cancelled the service contract that day I’m stuck with the replacement part and labor. UPDATE: Three days ago Winnebago agreed to sell me the new ATS for $300 plus tax and shipping instead of $580 plus tax and I will install it, but it could have been done there during my 4 days of service for only $100 and I wouldn’t have had to drive back to Ohio with no air conditioning in 90 degree weather. Not a happy camper here. Thank you for your support and your post. Safe travels my friend!
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Old 07-20-2020, 02:34 PM   #11
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Totally agree phreddyphrog. Thank you for your support and your post my friend!
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Old 07-26-2020, 05:44 PM   #12
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I agree that a 10 year old coach should not be considered obsolete. I had a different brand which was 13 years old when I sold it and there were no major problems. I have owned 5 Winnies thru the years, and they are a price point coach. I bought the Via with that realization. One has to realize that. You were not treated well. But there are private service organizations which do a really good job. Perhaps a lesson learned.
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Old 07-26-2020, 06:15 PM   #13
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Angry Winnebago issues at Forest City!

Sept. 2019 we went to Winnebago for repair on 2 slides out of 3 on our 2014 Itasca Ellipse. We had an appointment later in September but after 2 slides failed we decided to just go there. We were living in a “hallway “ but thankfully we could still use our bed! Turned our the door side slide failed because it had been built with too light rails. Winnebago didn’t notify any owners but the internet betrayed them. They agreed to fix it fairly reasonably with all new correct hardware. Next, our whole driver’s side slide motor had failed, so they installed a new rear motor. Two and a half weeks later we headed home. That’s the good news! Now the bad! Within less than 50 miles we had a tire go down, compliments of all the screws they used, and the ones that fell on the floor, on the door side slide mechanism they replaced. Four hours later we were on our way, $800 poorer! And here’s the ugly! Six weeks later, we slid out the big wall slide and heard a huge bang noise as it finished going out. We lived in our half house for two more months, because we were on a job! When we arrived home we discovered that when Winnebago replaced the slide motor they forgot to reinstall a cotter key that keeps the gear from moving on the shaft. The gears needed to be replaced because they shifted without the cotter pin! Our faith in the Forest City repair center is low! Nice people, but.
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Old 07-26-2020, 07:33 PM   #14
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Lesson learned!

Yes, thataway, I learned my lesson. I had actually been to a reputable RV repair center in the Cleveland Ohio area prior to going to Winnebago in Forest City. The owner/technician worked on the full wall slide and made it functional but failed to completely fix it properly because he did not diagnose the middle rail that had broken loose, therefore it was still out of alignment. After spending over $600 with him I decided to take it to Winnebago thinking they would be the absolute best since they built it. I was definitely wrong! I am hoping the slide holds up and doesn't break again. BeanLady I am so sorry to hear about your bad experience as well and wish only the best for you and your coach. I shall not return to Winnebago in Iowa unless the slide fails again within 90 days because it is guaranteed for 3 months. Keeping my fingers crossed.
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Old 07-26-2020, 07:50 PM   #15
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I feel for you, over the years we made 3 trips to the factory. Two were great and one was the pits. We had a new MH with a huge leak coming in the front driver window.our dealer used the machine and couldn't find it. Took it to the factory, tec said it was fixed and I told him if it leaked 500 miles down the road I was coming back to kick his keyster. 250 miles away poured rain water into the rig. went back told him to bend over and we wanted a different tec. We were assigned a woman who did a great job and fixed it right. wish we would have had her first. So it depends who you get.
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Old 07-27-2020, 06:51 AM   #16
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That is so true! Everyone at Forest City were very nice, so it’s hard to tell who are the great techs. Luckily, my husband is a great at fixing things and has every tool you can imagine. So he installed the new gears, PUT IN THE COTTER PIN, reinstalled the motor and it now works like it should. He also replaced the other slide motor because he figured it was only a matter of time before the second motor failed. Now we have a spare motor, just in case! When you own an RV you can expect to need repairs, whether new or used, no matter the brand. It’s just part of the RV life!
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Old 07-27-2020, 08:37 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phreddyphrog View Post
Absolutely unbelievable! How does place like that stay in business?
High demand...
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Old 07-27-2020, 09:37 AM   #18
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Boy, Things have changed in Forest City. Sorry to hear about your experiences. We've been to Junction City twice for slide repairs and they were all fixed to our satisfaction- and great people to deal with as well. I was so depressed to hear they closed the facility a couple of months ago. I wrote emails and made phone calls pleading that they reconsider (not that I thought they actually would), but I had to make my feelings known. We love our 12 year old Sightseer.
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Old 07-27-2020, 10:13 AM   #19
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Winnebago Factory Service

I don't consider my experience with WB factory service was exactly a delight either. On our first night out for a 5 month outing, our largest slide made a horrible noise going out, but did continue out to full extension. The next morning we got the slide to come in on the second try. We managed to get to a dealer in OH that determined that we had the now "famous" broken bolt issue. They called Winnebago and and were told they didn't recommend a dealer repair and we should get an appointment and go the factory. This was mid April and the first appointment was early August, but we could come in and wait. So we took a 1400 mile detour to Forest City. I will say we didn't have a long wait - less than a week and they did get the slide working again by welding a bracket and installing a new bolt. I had several other items for them to look at while there (we could have 7 items on non-appointment service). They didn't even look at most of the items - said it would take too long The one thing they agreed to address was a sensor issue on the gray water tank. The tech seemed to think it was a water flow issues and spent an hour basically doing nothing and pushed some extra foam under one of the 2 tanks. That didn't resolve the issue at all, but since the tanks were now empty, it read empty as expected. It still read empty when the kitchen sink wouldn't drain several days later. To extend the story, I then needed some additional work on the slide seals of the same slide and took it to my FL dealer when I got home. When I got the unit back, the service writer said "who did that repair on the slide support bolt?" I told him. He said his tech thought I had done the welding. He called it "bubble gum weld" and spent some time cleaning it up and grinding away some of the excess blobs. All I can say is I would never go back. Oh, they did reimburse me for the wasted time on the sensor, so there is that.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:11 AM   #20
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As a new owner of a 2004 Minnie Class C, my jaw has dropped to read that a motorhome is considered "used up" after 10 years! I'm already 6 years past used up and I haven't used it yet! I'm thinking I won't tell the wife.

When we bought it yesterday, it looked close to new. It only had 12,000 miles on it, and I believe it, it looked that nice. I hadn't even thought about slides. It was plenty roomy for just the two of us. But, after reading these stories about failing slides, I crossed myself and thanked the gods that I didn't have any slides in my unit!

Last night I watched a long Winnebago factory tour video on YouTube, and I was so impressed with that I was sure I had bought a great unit built by a great company. After reading this thread, I'm wondering if I wouldn't be ahead to just drive it straight to the scrap yard saving thousands of dollars and untold headaches on future repairs? Just take the loss now? I feel like I've just bought a huge box of cheap junk, badly designed, improperly assembled by incompetent people, and then clumsily bolted to a Ford chassis with bolts that are probably already half broken.

Shudder.
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