I am so disappointed with Winnebago's Roof construction

[Eric]

Bought my 2019 Outlook 22C brand new end of 2018. I've had zero issues with roof integrity. I'm up on it regularly have had technicians up there. have two 170 watt solar panels attached that have been through several 60 plus mile an hour wind storms, and golf ball size hail storms on the highway. No problems at all with the TPO roof.

[09 harley]

Typical of most manufacturers. They cut corners everywhere they can. You might ask why they do it. Simple answer really. Most buyers shop by price and you get what you pay for. Hard to get a Mercedes for a Chevy price I don’t think this will ever change. Will all homeowners who inspect their roof every six months please let us know who you are. This shabby construction is common in just about everything we buy. Why do you think most items come from China? It’s because of price.

[SteveBeyer]

Originally Posted by Gladd651

The wife and I just recently purchased a new to us 2019 Outlook 22C with very low mileage(12,500 miles). We had it inspected and everything said 'pull the trigger'. We've been watching You Tube and reading forums as much as we can to be able to properly maintain our RV. Having said all that I got the worse feeling in the pit of my stomach when I watched this latest video by blogger AZ Expert regarding a 2018 Outlook 22C. This is a video that he posted on his vlog regarding a total roof removal of that model year.

What I really need to know is this was 2018 the last year that Winnebago built roofs like this? No metal supports nor bracing for the roof and only using 1/8" thick paneling?

I have a 2015 Vista and after watching one of AZ Experts roof videos I inspected mine. I found eterna bond tape over the seam which had been applied by the previous owner. I pushed on the seam and found the radius loose and the caulking on the seam had dried up. I decided to do the repair myself using the procedure, tools and materials Az expert recommended - I removed all the Eternabond tape, cleaned out the seam, applied new caulking and re-taped the seem with new eternabond tape. The whole job took me 7 days but saved me many thousands of dollars in repairs.

[Journey39n]

When the roof problem in question is your roof, it is a big deal. But keep in mind, Winnebago has built several hundred thousand if not millions of roofs with this design. And yes, there are some bad ones out there, but the vast majority are good.

I watch this roof repair guy's videos all the time. He does seem to get the worst of the worst to fix, and they cover the whole spectrum of RV manufacturers. Most of the time, the root cause of any roof failure is lack of maintenance, or correction of a leak or other issue, when the first happen.

After having a small leak in my first Winnebago, I learned how to correct the problem, and on my current RV, I do an inspection once or twice a year, or anytime I happen to be on the roof.

Those side seams always seem to need a few feet here and there removed and replaced. It is very easy to spot. The cross seam at the front cap, almost like clockwork, every 3-4 years needs to have some spots fixed. Folks come up with all sorts of solutions from Eternabond tape, to what I do using the recommended sealants.

These roofs move around and flex with the constant earthquake of driving, and even thermal expansion and contraction as we move from hot to cold climates (and back again).

It is actually amazing any RV roofs work as well as they do. Could there be better designs, absolutely. Look at those eggshell like fiberglass units, or the Air Streams. Wish we had roofs like them, but . . . the cost would really boost the price of the average RV. And I suspect they have some problems occasionally, too.

I'm sorry your unit has this problem. I hope the repairs can be made efficiently. Then do your due diligence with maintenance and enjoy the RV as much as you can.

[kamphiker2]

This is from the 2019 Winnebago Outlook literature. I would think as long as you do routine maintenance (and keep records of such), Winnebago would cover repair work. I have a 2006 Outlook with the fiberglass roof and it has been stout.

[tderonne]

Originally Posted by Journey39n

When the roof problem in question is your roof, it is a big deal. But keep in mind, Winnebago has built several hundred thousand if not millions of roofs with this design.

Somewhat related. Just to scale this a bit. From 2002 to 2015 Winnebago averaged just under 8000 motorhomes built per year (gathered from the yearly statements).