Factory order fail

[WineLuvrs]

We just finished our Adventurer 37F orientation, and found some disturbingly sloppy work. After a lunch break we returned to be told that one of the slide gears on the driver side full wall slide out has failed. It seems the two motors are out sync. Of course nothing can be done until Monday; best case dealer receives and properly repairs problem by Wednesday. Meanwhile we are trying to be good sports but that and the sloppy finish work on the roof equipment seals, several exterior trim pieces have the screws over torqued, while other pieces are already barked up or marred but used anyway. The passenger armrest height adjustment wheel is frozen. This is just the stuff we found during our first few hours, I shudder to think what we will discover when we return Monday and begin cycling all the other mechanical and electric systems. By the way we have yet to sign the final bill of sale. To the dealers credit they offered to pay our modest hotel bill and the free use of a loaner car.

Very disappointed with the QC at Winnebago so far.

[wildtoad]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with a brand spanking new Winnebago. Been thinking about upgrading and have been looking at a Winnie. Hope your dealer can get things fixed to your satisfaction. Take good notes and create a list of all items you want fixed before you sign the final papers, and take your time. Go through every procedure you would have to do at a campsite.

[Dupdyke]

Call the factory support number....

Service

They stood behind any and every thing on the four winnes we have owned and they almost forced me to bring the one that had problems 150 miles down to forest city so the factory could fix everything correctly.

They even gave me a credit for the fuel for driving it down. The lady went thru with us and pressed every button and ran every accessory and made her own list of thing we did not notice or care about and they were taken care of correctly before we left.

D

[rream]

Wow sounds like small issures to me - only a big deal about the slide

[WineLuvrs]

Originally Posted by rream

Wow sounds like small issures to me - only a big deal about the slide

We have only just finished the dealer orientation, and one hour of exterior examination. we have yet to begin the inspection of all the other systems, after lunch we were summed to the sales managers office. I felt like I had gotten caught cutting class and was being called to the principal's office. Long story short they told us the part is on rush order should be here Tuesday and hopefully by Wednesday we can head back to the stick house.
Upside is now we have lots of time to do our PDI and exercise all the systems, except the one wall slide and road test of course.

[Ray,IN]

One thing to check is the holding tanks and fresh water tank. Have them all filled to make sure everything associated works as designed, no valves leak or malfunction, and liquid level gauges work properly. I forgot, and since the fresh water tanks (yes plural) are plumbed together, a pipe or something leaks when the tank reaches 3/4 full and above.

[Grimesy]

Not to be a spoil sport, but as long as no papers have been signed the dealer is going to bend way over to impress you, but what happens when the final is done and the problems remain??? My position has always been if the small things get fubared the the big things are probably worse.

I am on my third Winnebago and I can truthfully say the '89 was the only one properly cared for. Promises were made but rarely carried through, my bottom line statement is make sure it is perfect before you sign. Could be the Monday and Friday built syndrome exists not only in the car industry but the RV world as well.

Don G WIT 70041

[sirpurrcival]

Much of it may be small stuff but little signs are often indicators of bigger issues. What is more disturbing is that stuff like this gets away from the factory. Do they actually inspect this stuff at all before it goes off to the dealer? As we all know, RV's aren't cheap and represent a real commitment in terms of time and money from the owner. If I am going to plunk down money in the amounts that these things often incur, I feel that I have a right to expect that all possible steps have been taken to make sure the unit is in good working order when I take delivery. These "little things" represent a cost in time and money to the owner and when it is perfectly visible, sloppy workmanship, we all have a right to feel misused and bluntly "pissed off".

[sdennislee]

While some of the issues you list may be simple fixes they are not small problems.

They certainly give you an indication of the build quality.

You have every right to expect delivery of a new coach to be free of these types of issues.

[94-Newmar]

At the dealership I work for I have seen numerous problems on brand new units on many brands. Most recently however During PDI we found a Minnie Winnie was missing 2 connections that join to the gray tank, black tank connection was missing, Same coach, all the plumbing under the sink was missing. 1 furnace outlet was being blocked by a 2x2 piece of wood for the kitchen drawer framework so rather than removing the next knock-out forward and connecting it there they simply left the supply hose disconnected laying on the floor under the cabinets. Im not sure how this one passed any tests at the factory before it was delivered to us....I think this one was built on a Friday afternoon at 4:30 :-)

[rream]

Interesting when the folks chime in who do not even own a late model Winnebago.

[sdennislee]

Originally Posted by rream

Interesting when the folks chime in who do not even own a late model Winnebago.

Are you saying that those who don't own a Late model Winnebago are not capable of offering an opinion on MH build quality.

I would think anyone is capable of discussing this topic.

Most if not all MH owners regardless of brand have dealt with build quality issues.

[Buffalo Bill]

Originally Posted by rream

Interesting when the folks chime in who do not even own a late model Winnebago.

How about those of us who are considering buying a Winnebago because we have heard good things about the quality of build. We like to hear the good and the bad so that we can make a sound judgment on what to buy. Don't get so defensive about Winnebago.

[rream]

Not defensive, just I would like to hear from Winnebago owners about Winnebago not others is that too much to ask ?

[sirpurrcival]

Originally Posted by rream

Not defensive, just I would like to hear from Winnebago owners about Winnebago not others is that too much to ask ?

In short yes. Lots of us have been touched by the QC issue. It goes beyond Winnebago and has been the subject of much debate in other threads. If the OP had made a request for just the opinion of Winnie owners, then most would respect that.

[sdennislee]

My other RV is a 2009 Winnebago.

[Grimesy]

In my earlier post I mentioned that I was on my third the latest being a 2005 pusher with all of the bells and whistles and a multitude of problems. Washers missing frrom water connections, pipes that leak, rattles in walls. Having been to many Grand National Rallies and very involved with the WIT Club, taken factory tours etc I think I can offer an opinion about the state of the industry and Winnebago in particular. The founder, John K Hansen, either walked the grounds and in later years rode his golf cart around and would stop and ask about your motorhome and if you were unhappy he would personally take you to customer service. "A Captain must walk his ship" which he did and his employees knew where he stood so you better do it right. Those days are gone and the bottom line is profit, so get the product out and let the buyer get it fixed.

Sorry for the rant, but when you buy something that costs many times what you paid for a house you expect and are entitled to quality.

Don G. WIT 70041

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by rream

Not defensive, just I would like to hear from Winnebago owners about Winnebago not others is that too much to ask ?

For one thing this is an open forum, anybody can comment about anything. People are then free to choose what they post or read.

[TerryJ]

I am the not so happy owner of a 2011 Vista 35F which I purchased new. This is our 6th MH, 4 of them Winnebagoes, and I have to say that the Vista has finally cured me of wanting another Winnebago. It seems to me that nowadays the customer is their only Quality Control Dept. I'm not going to recount my misadventures with the Vista again on this forum but if you are interested just search my other posts.I truly wish that I had never signed the final bill on my MH. It would have saved me one helluva lot of grief, stress and money!

[dengraham]

I am so sorry to hear about the problems some of you have been facing. I have owned three Winnebago units and have been very pleased. Each, of course, had initial assembly problems going to Forest City has always solved the problems. Winnebago once had 4,800 employees and then dropped to around 2,200 during the bad economy. They have been hiring new employees as fast as they can since last October. Many of their vendors and suppliers are no longer in business or could not provide products which forced them to re-engineer major components. With my 2013, yes, my punch list was a longer but over half were vendor supplied problems. (Lights not working, camera not fully assembled, soap dispenser not working, faulty shower fixture, etc. The Lippert levelers and slide mechanisms are from a new vendor.
I also go to GNR every year and just have the Service Department fix everything. Sure, it would be nice if they never had the punch list items but there are a lot of components. I so much enjoy RVing that the problems are just a small item.
I hope you all enjoy your travels.