Is Winnebago ignoring long time problems?

TerryJ · 10-22-2012, 08:41 AM

This is an offshoot of the "bracket falling off" thread that I started in April. I did not expect the many responses to that thread so I started to to look through this forum a little closer. It seems to me that there are quite a few problems on here that have been common for quite a few years back and it seems that there have been no effective fixes from the manufacturer. It also seems to me that we need to speak as one to the company and maybe they'll do something instead of ignore us. What say you all? I am not a crusader, but in numbers there is strength. The 2011 Vista 35F I have is my 4th Winnebago and my 6th motorhome and it is also the worst. It is high time to be heard.

BFlinn181 · 10-22-2012, 09:19 AM

Instead of changing the company, why not change to another brand? After 3 Winnies, and "there are quite a few problems on here that have been common for quite a few years back and it seems that there have been no effective fixes from the manufacturer." Why keep buying from the same company?

RickO · 10-22-2012, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

Instead of changing the company, why not change to another brand? After 3 Winnies, and "there are quite a few problems on here that have been common for quite a few years back and it seems that there have been no effective fixes from the manufacturer." Why keep buying from the same company?

Ditto.

There do seem to be certain issues which are commonly attributed to a lack of quality by Winnie year after year and it's surprising that they're not addressed.

However, IMO the list is no longer than those of their competitors... and Winnie has remained in business all these years so there must be a reason people keep giving them repeat business.

Rick

TXiceman · 10-22-2012, 10:20 AM

Winnebago has had the issue with the cheap plastic drawer runner connectors since BEFORE 1999. We had one then and heard about the problems. It is amazing that they are still putting the same cheap bracket in the units. I slowly change them out to a better runner from Home Depot as the junk broke. They started breaking after about a year.

Ken

Jon Mopar · 10-22-2012, 10:40 AM

Buy a Newmar, be happy.

p.s: is this seriously over drawer slides?? if that's the only problem, it's a pretty minor one....and an easy fix. Sure, it sucks to spend good money on something new and have problem, but...

BFlinn181 · 10-22-2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Winnebago has had the issue with the cheap plastic drawer runner connectors since BEFORE 1999.
Ken

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Mopar

Is this seriously over drawer slides?? if that's the only problem, it's a pretty minor one....and an easy fix. Sure, it sucks to spend good money on something new and have problem, but...

I believe the OP is complaining about metal brackets falling off the fiberglass moldings on the exterior, not drawer brackets.

Jon Mopar · 10-22-2012, 12:34 PM

oh , well then I take that back

Mr_D · 10-22-2012, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Mopar

oh , well then I take that back

But he's still welcome to buy a Newmar!

kalynzoo · 10-22-2012, 01:01 PM

Are you talking about the front engine cover where the spring mount is "glued" to the fiberglass? If so I drilled in 4 bolts when the mount became loose. I don't know why Winnebago would use glue over a bolt, but I sort of assume there is an engineering reason since it takes less time to set a bolt than it does to glue and clamp.
If this is not the basis of the thread...sorry.
Happy Trails.

fun time · 10-22-2012, 06:36 PM

Sorry to hear about your front cover coming unglued but I really wonder why this happens on some and not others. I have owned two Winnies with these and never had a problem. I have several other friends and they never have had the problem. Now, having said that, I had a guy pull in next to us last year with the same year coach as I have and I watched him open and close the front cover. When he closed the cover he just let it come down almost to a "slaming effect". Later I was talking to him and he said he has had to glue his back on twice since he has owned the coach. I showed him how I close mine by gently bringing it down then with both hands gently pressing it into the lock position. He and I then went back to his and I noticed something else that could be a part of the potential problem. I looked at his "stop buttons" and low and behold they we turned out so far that the cover actually bowed out when it was closed. That creates a lot of pressure on that door and glue. My point is first, check your stop buttons and gently close the cover. Same applies to the rear one. Maybe that will take care of the problem. Just a thought

Gary - K7GLD · 10-22-2012, 06:42 PM

CHANGE brands?

Sometimes, as the saying goes "better the Devil you KNOW, than the one you DON'T know"...

OR, to put it another way, which maker has NO issues of ANY sort?

new2RVn · 10-22-2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary - K7GLD

CHANGE brands?

Sometimes, as the saying goes "better the Devil you KNOW, than the one you DON'T know"...

OR, to put it another way, which maker has NO issues of ANY sort?

I have owned our 2000 Winnie since 2003. The only issues, with the window rust issue being the exception, have been normal R&R items that have reached their life expectancy. If you are going to own one you have to expect things to wear out at some point. We love our MoHo and wouldn't be any happier with any other make. They all have issues because humans are involved with designing them and building them. I see on this forum all the time posts from owners of the so called top of the line brands such as Monaco. I do wish that Winnebago would have chosen to address the window rust issue more aggressively. IMHO, a simple and probably inexpensive solution would have been to treat the framework around the window with a rust preventative or coat it with some sort of heavy duty primer. $2600.00 later mine is just that, primed and coated. Hopefully "my issue" is resolved, even if was at my expense.

Lindsay Richards · 10-22-2012, 07:32 PM

I had my hood latch come loose also. I found it on my predelivery inspection on a 3 year old coach. It was reglued and is still doing well after 5 years. I came close to doing the bolt thing as a precaution and would do so if I ever had another problem. The few problems I have had were never new. They were all discussed widely on this board. There are so many Winnies out there, that a small number of any problem can seem big when so many folks post here and seek out solutions. Many of our coach's systems are off the shelf items by other manufacturers. I have found the fit and finish to be very good.

Wayne M · 10-22-2012, 09:30 PM

Isn't it comical that the solution is to change brands? Maybe some of us do not have that option since we own a newer coach and sort of stuck with it. I don't have a glue problem, but I sure as heck had a rust problem that caused the windshield to rust. A very common problem that has been on-going with Winnebago for years.

Yes, all manufacturers have had their problems, but I can assure you that in my 2008 the majority of problems was from poor design, craftsmanship, or both.

So the OP is correct in his statement, if you will just read it, that there are a lot of problems on here that have been going on for years.

So the people with "Other" brands, well, you really just don't need to post, do you, except to toot your own horn.

Yes, I would be interested in any "Rust" solutions that can be taken up with the manufacturer.

Read it Winnebago Co., read it well.

BFlinn181 · 10-22-2012, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TerryJ

T It seems to me that there are quite a few problems on here that have been common for quite a few years back and it seems that there have been no effective fixes from the manufacturer.

The 2011 Vista 35F I have is my 4th Winnebago and my 6th motorhome and it is also the worst. It is high time to be heard.

Gary - K7GLD, Wayne M, I made the comment about changing brands because the OP has purchased 6 MH, 4 of them Winnebagos and he's unhappy with the product. It doesn't take 4 purchases of anything that I find unsatisfactory, poorly designed or with expensive repairs needed to change brands.

As a famous leader once said:

Bush "Fool Me Once..." - YouTube

Grimesy · 10-22-2012, 10:58 PM

As a 23 year member of the Winnebago Itasca Travelers (WIT) , the thought of not being able to hang out with my WIT friends is unthinkable. Believe me I have had my share of problems and as a group I think we have had at least one of each. Keep picking away and maybe someone with some bbb horsepower will listen to us.

Don, WIT 70041

alv3769 · 10-23-2012, 06:42 AM

i had a 2006 winnebago aspect for a few years great m.h. so i bought a new 2012 itasca sunstar in april. worst m.h. i have had. the electrical system is terrible, they install a 30 amp service in them then put a computer energy management system that turns items off when you draw too much power. when the ac would come on the tv's would go out including the sat. system it would come right back on as soon as the ac was running but now you have to wait 60 seconds for the sat. to reboot. also with one ac unit if it gets above 95 degrees you can not get the coach below 85 degrees. if it gets over 100 you are in deep s&#*. called winnebago their response was that the m.h. is doing what it should i asked why they didn't put a 50 amp service in said probably should have as the energy mngmt. system cost almost as much as the 50 amp service. the key word is almost. had enough and am trading it in on an allegro by tiffin.

Lault · 10-23-2012, 07:02 AM

Be sure you get a newer Tiffin that does not need roof rails, wet bay or rotted slide floors replaced. Red Bay is sooo backed up.

TerryJ · 10-23-2012, 07:18 AM

BFlinn181 I take exception to your statement which seems to suggest that I am not very smart. The reason that I bought a new Winnebago is that I have owned 3 Winnebagos over the last 30 yrs, a 1973, 1992 and a 2006 Sightseer. They were, without exception, well built, reliable motorhomes. I have also owned a Pace Arrow and a Dutchstar. I have NEVER had problems with any of them like this new Vista has given me. I would be happy to give you a list of the trouble I've had in the last 2 yrs. since I bought this new one. You can then reply with your reasons as to why the company doesn't need to change. Any company that uses it's customers to troubleshoot their products after the sale doesn't even deserve to be in business, and if they don't change, they eventually won't be in business. Sooner or later it will catch up to them.
To Wayne M: Thanks Sarge for your service. Your reply was, IMO, right on target. And to ALV, welcome to my world. I already tried to get rid of my Vista but am not rich enough to take a 40 to 50K loss so I'll fix what I can and find someone to do what I can't.

BFlinn181 · 10-23-2012, 09:44 AM

TerryJ, I was in no way suggesting anyone was stupid. I even hesitated linking the video of Bush for fear some would think it political instead of just funny. If you keep buying the same product, but feel, "It seems to me that there are quite a few problems on here that have been common for quite a few years back and it seems that there have been no effective fixes from the manufacturer. It also seems to me that we need to speak as one to the company and maybe they'll do something instead of ignore us." it's hard to get the attention of a company if you continue to buy their product. You said you had owned 4 Winnies, and the latest was the WORST. Using the superlative of the word BAD inferred that one or more of the others were BAD, so I wondered why you bought another. I think you'd have a stronger argument if you stopped buying Winnebagos. Rewarding a company with 10s of thousands of dollars seldom convinces them they need to improve quality.