warrenty repair in forest city - Page 2

smlranger · 10-08-2006, 02:42 PM

Interesting and thought-provoking discussion. While I agree with Homer that many of us who still work cannot afford to be making periodic trips to FC for repairs. It seems a company as large as Winnebago could keep some regional service facilities open...perhaps not. If I was retired and had the time, I agree a factory visit is probably a better alternative than taking your chances with dealers along the way, and probably an interesting and fun diversion. We wanted to visit FC on our trip but passed through that area late on a Friday so will do it another time.

That said, I also agree with John on the apparent sturdiness of these coaches. We just finished a 5,300 mile trip and some of the roads we traveled shook us pretty badly. I expected to have something break, fall off or come loose, but nothing did. I do routinely check tightness of screws, etc. and think it is a good idea to do as much preventative maintainence as is reasonable.

Also, I've learned with the motorhome (along with boats and other things that get shook), that a little Blue Loctite goes a long way to keeping things tight

.

Izzyblueye · 10-09-2006, 04:23 AM

Not in the interest of being argumentive, but the following items have nothing to do with rough roads or traveling.
1.Dinnette not screwed to bulkhead, screws lying on floor underneath
2.Fuses missing from chassis fuse block. (no high beam headlights).
3.Dead radio/TV speakers first time out. wire not connected.
4.Hot water heater wire not connected.
5.Cloth on ceiling came loose from foam backer.
bad glue.
6.Water lines plugged with debris from manf process.
7.cable operated dump valve on black tank not hooked up. What a mess.
8.Rear axle seal leaking.
None of these has anything to do with rough highways and happened in the first 30 days. It took two dealers nearly a year to get them corrected. He doesn't like warranty work, claims it cost him money, hence long waits. Reluctance to schedule warranty work when he could be makeing big $ on standard service. None of these things should have ever left the factory. In spite of all this, I still like my Winnie and think they are one of the best built. However my next M/H will probably be built in Indiana. So I can use factory service and not have to drive half way across the country to area I have no interest in. Motor home service is not a sport I enjoy. The PDI did not turn up any of these QC deficiencies.

diesellabs · 10-09-2006, 04:41 AM

Valid points about QC and manufacturing defects, but I was forewarned to expect some problems during the "shakedown" period with any new coach. Fortunately I have not had that many.

I was in FC for service mid-September and was extremely satisfied with the results. I did get to meet a number of people there with a variety of problems. A subset of them were there for the second or third time for same problem (or so they said) -- not good. But all problems paled in comparison to those had by the couple that drove in with an 06 Vectra: two trees totalling 15,000# had fallen on it while they were camped in Vermont. The outside didn't look that bad -- testimonial to structural integrity. However I was told the inside was a mess with cabnets, doors, etc. askew.

Clay L · 10-09-2006, 05:06 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by diesellabs:

I was in FC for service mid-September and was extremely satisfied with the results. ..... the couple that drove in with an 06 Vectra: two trees totalling 15,000# had fallen on it while they were camped in Vermont. The outside didn't look that bad -- testimonial to structural integrity. However I was told the inside was a mess with cabnets, doors, etc. askew. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I was there when they pulled in but left before they found out if it would be totaled as they hoped. Do you know what the final outcome was?

We were in the Sightseer a few sites over from them and on the same row.

John_Canfield · 10-09-2006, 05:13 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">--snip--He doesn't like warranty work, claims it cost him money, hence long waits. Reluctance to schedule warranty work when he could be makeing big $ on standard service. --snip-- </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Winnie pays the dealers well for warranty work - I find that rationale hard to swallow.

Izzyblueye · 10-10-2006, 01:05 AM

John Canfield: Two dealers have told me this, and I have no good reason to doubt their word. Unless you know for absolutely sure to the contrary, it is a matter of your opinion. These are both large dealers. Their claim is Winnie will not pay the dealers standard hourly labor rate. They also constrict them on the amount of time they will allow to repair an item. Whether Winnie is right or not is anybody's guess, but the fact remains these dealers do not favor warranty work. The customer is in the middle. My whole point is zone factory repair stations would stop this non-sense. Especially when it involves poor factory QC. which does exist.

Tom N · 10-10-2006, 04:37 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Homer:
Two dealers have told me this, and I have no good reason to doubt their word. Unless you know for absolutely sure to the contrary, it is a matter of your opinion. These are both large dealers. Their claim is Winnie will not pay the dealers standard hourly labor rate. They also constrict them on the amount of time they will allow to repair an item. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Which two dealers have told you they will not do warranty work because of the reasons you note???

rebelsbeach · 10-10-2006, 05:18 AM

HERE is a link to a Winnebago web site which offers service tips and the names of 20/20 Award Winning Service Centers throughout the United States.

At our annual dealer meeting Winnebago Industries recognized 128 of our dealers as 20/20 Vision leaders. To achieve 20/20 Vision status a dealer must have performed warranty repairs on at least 20 different traveling customer coaches or have performed 20 percent or more of their total Winnebago Industries warranty claims work for customers who purchased their motor homes elsewhere.
"At Winnebago Industries we place a strong emphasis on serving the traveling customer," said Steve Evenson, Director of Parts and Service. "Long term success for our industry depends on providing quality service after the sale. The ability to get service when a need arises while traveling is a critical component of the quality service issue. I am pleased to honor the 128 dealerships who earned 20/20 Vision recognition."

Izzyblueye · 10-10-2006, 08:00 AM

It might surprise you to know the one larger dealer is a "Golden Circle of Excellence" award winner, several years running.
What could be the reason so many owners are trekking back to the factory to get warranty repair? I think you may have answered your own question about warranty service. I am not going to name the dealer. It would serve no purpose,there is nothing any one can do about it. I have no more warranty issues to resolve, but I still need him for regular service and repair, which he does a great job of. He told me in confidence when I had a large expensive warranty repair that needed to be handled. He did not want to do it for the reasons I have posted. Now this is the last time I am going to post on this subject. I posted what I know, you believe what you want to believe. It was never my intention to appear before a RV subcommittee and testify. What has become of this forum? Look at my profile, I have been on this forum as long as some of you have been RVing. I have no reason or desire to bad mouth a dealer or give erroneous information to IRV2 members. Enough said! HOMER

rebelsbeach · 10-10-2006, 08:08 AM

Homer, I don't think there's any need for us to convene a subcommittee and investigate anything and in the spirit of good citizenship I might add there are MANY "spirited" discussions that take place on these forums.
I think the fact that we don't "moderate" disagreeable posts here makes us a cut above the other guys,where dissenting views are not encouraged.

Sometimes I admit I "cringe" when I read certain posts, but I sincerely appreciate EVERY opinion, even when it differs from mine...

We've tried to make iRV2 something like a bunch of RV'ers sitting around a campfire exchanging ideas with one another. If someone ruffled your feathers and I missed it, I apologize for that.

Thank you for your long time continued support of iRV2 and KEEP POSTING!

Bob

ron55 · 10-10-2006, 08:35 AM

the theme i see here is that you all not only go once, but you go the second time for warrenty work at forest city, and evidently love it. I to old, life to short, and I am going fishing in Florida's Ten Thousand Islands
Adios!

Izzyblueye · 10-10-2006, 10:25 AM

Rebelsbeach: Disagreeing with me is not a problem. If the one in disagreement is right, then I have learned something new. As I do every day. If one questions my integrity and credibility in a post, then a line has been crossed, whether perceived or real. I shall continue to post. I will keep a wary eye on the subject participants.

pbbill · 10-11-2006, 06:48 AM

We are fulltimers also. And we've been forced to travel to Forest City twice; once in February because of a leaky slide. In our year and a half on the road, we have had more than 50 problems with varying severity. We have found ONE dealer willing to work on our coach without making an appointment one to two months in advance. It didn't matter to the dealers that in some cases our problem was a safety issue.

Because we are, in effect, driving our home over many rough roads, I have come to believe we will always have some problems. We may not know what the problem is yet, but there will be problems. I believe this is true whether you own a stick home, an automobile, or an RV.

That said, I agree QC is poor. Our problems weren't things breaking; they were caused by poor manufacturing or installation. The people in Forest City are always helpful and friendly, but I would love to see less of them!

peter griffin · 10-23-2006, 03:13 PM

well just returned from forest city and they did fix the RV but refused to repaint the nose. My dealer is paying the cost so no complaints. CDI estimated it at $1200.00 AS for my repairs it was not an easy time but they did get fixed and I am satisfied. Mostly communications problems between the rep, customer service, and my dealer. How the repairs was going to be made...and who was covering certian costs.

If you are getting any painting work you really need to wash the RV and then check for overspray..CDI got one of my storage doors..didn't realize it until I got home...some advice..be nice but firm on warranty repairs.. Check in on the progress every day but dont bug them...It was a tough repair and I am happy with RV and would buy another Bago... Also on the way out to iowa from boston I emailed Bago customer service about a heater and electrical problem and got an answer within 1 hour....now thats service!!