Lichtsinn Motors

[Doug Sage]

Well, this thread is quite old. I wrote the original post in August 2006. It is now 2008 so it is pretty stale but I would like to followup.
I was really concerned about the warranty issue if I bought from one dealer out of state and tried to have warranty work done near my home. I finally worked a deal with my local dealer, including a rebate from Winnebago, which made the price almost as good as what Lichtsinn offered. It would have had to go 1,800 miles from my home to Forest City so I included those costs too. Anyway, I bought from the local dealer and ended up with a punch list that ran to several pages. Some were minor issues but some were substantial. My new motorhome ended up in the service center for almost three months! I don't know what I would have done if I had to wait months for service each time something came up. As it was, I didn't get the motorhome sorted out for almost a year (which I have been told is fairly common). In the fall of 2007 I had a major slideout problem and since I had retired that year I took the motorhome to Forest City and had the factory fix the problem. By the way, I had very poor service from my local dealer. They would take the unit in promptly but they were incompetent at fixing the problems. It took them three days and four tries to simply bleed a hydraulic line that they replaced. Of course the slideout was stuck out so I couldn't even drive it to another service center. I complained about the service that I had received over the months to the service manager and store manager and finally to Winnebago and will never go back to that dealer. Now that I am retired and fulltiming I think the answer to my question is different than it was when I bought my Suncruiser. I think that it is important to buy from your local dealer if you are at a fixed base but if you are fulltiming and moving around then I would buy wherever I could get the best price. Generally the dealers will work you in if you are traveling. They just are cranky if you live in their town and did not buy from them.

[ichn2go]

Doug, you are absolutely right. Some dealers don't have qualified personell to fix some more complicated problems with our MOHO"s.

I really don't understand why they are reluctant to call Winnie and ask if the problem is one that has happened before and what the solution is. A phone call would solve the problem in most cases.

Glad that things are better. Safe Miles

[RoadRohrers]

Thank you for your reply. Having had motorhomes bought from small local dealers and large megadealers, I now totally disregard the service aspect in my decision. Why? Because service at all of these dealerships was the same. AWFUL. Say anything for the sale, get in line for the service. My best experiences have been with the small independent RV repair shops. Note these are my personal experiences and opinions, not gospel. For those blessed with good dealer service facilities, take them some doughnuts and let them know you know they are way above average.

[Izzyblueye]

ROADROHERS: In response to your original question. Yes Winnie has autorized non-affiliated local shops to work on my Suncruiser. This was a big repair job and the local Winnie dealer could not handle it,(actually he didn't want to). I made the original contact with the private service company, per Winnies instructions. Then had the private contractor call Winnie and submit an estimate. It was satisfactory and the work was done right away.

[RoadRohrers]

Thanks Homer

[rv rick]

We bought our 2008 Tour from Lichtsinn while spending the winter in Florida (after shopping down there with no success). They delivered it to us, drove our trade back and everything was exactly as stated. A very easy, honest transaction at a great price.

I have since been back there twice for service (including once while at the GNR) and they went out of their way to take care of me. No question that is where we will shop first for any coach in the future.

[Izzyblueye]

It is so good to hear good things about a dealer consistantly as Lichtsinn Motors. I sure wish Winnebago would give Ron a couple of zone service facilities in different parts of the country so we could all deal with this kind of dealer.

[Janjanjan]

We've concluded that the only realistic answer for most problems is to learn to do the work ourselves. Obviously, that doesn't work for major chassis problems, but Workhorse service isn't the problem. The problem is the coach stuff, especially the variously branded components. Winnie dealers seem to be either slightly incompetent or impossible to get an appointment with. On the flip side, the manufacturers of those components are almost invariably cooperative, and willing to send parts at no cost during their various warranty periods, and sometimes ever after those periods expire. Most have helpful technical help staff who will talk you through most repairs.