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Old 06-21-2018, 02:02 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by evilkevin View Post
This is my problem, less than a year old and I noticed the panel had popped out. Took it to Lazydays Tampa, where we purchased it and Winnebago's response was put a black diamond plate panel on it and call it done.
Lazydays told me this and said we do not agree with the bandaid approach. I called Winnebago directly and they agreed to repalce as requested by Lazydays but only approved 35% on the requested labor hours. Lazydays says they cannot fix properly it with these few hours. Once again I call Winnebago, they say pick it up and we will have you take it to a shop that agrees to the labor hours.
I told them, that this was inconvenient and they were uncaring about that. I am inclined to agree with Lazydays and do not want it barely fixed some where else. Lazydays has asked a Winnebago rep(one who only deals with motorized) to look at TT and talk to Winnebago. It seems that I cannot meet with rep as he does not deal directly with public.
They have had it for over a month and I am very annoyed with Winnebago not being helpful.
I'm very sorry to hear of your trouble with WGO.

Sadly, stories like yours are common.

No need to explain just for me, but it's not clear to me from the photo which panel it is you are referring to.
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Old 06-21-2018, 02:31 PM   #42
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Attempting to get repairs done

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Originally Posted by lucy View Post
This is a great thread. We bought a new 2018 Winnebago Voyage Lite 5th wheel. Took it to Montana in May. No refrig the entire trip. Stopped a friend's dealership and he tried to fix it. The unit would not work. Finding a place to get it fixed has been a nightmare. While I understand caring for your customers first, is my money not as good? If a dealership does not have the unit you are looking for then how can you buy it there. Any way, we are two weeks into waiting for a dealer that is Dometic authorized repair center to work on our unit. We were given the spiel that we would have no trouble getting warranty work done where we had problems. Lesson learned!!!!
I've been reading these horror stories for almost 10 years now -- since at least 2009, when I started researching RVs.

As I said in a recent post, we would probably not have purchased our View if I did not feel I could handle most repairs.

Most people do not have a technical/electromechanical background -- and one should not be required to have those skills to own an RV.

An RV, especially a "name brand" like Winnebago (WGO) should be -- maybe not trouble-free -- but much less trouble-prone than they tend to be.

That's #1 -- RV mfrs could get a few tips from the automotive industry, esp mfrs like Honda, Toyota, and Subaru, among others.

#2 is service -- both warranty and non-warranty. Both are problematic.

a) Dealers are reluctant to do warranty work -- particularly if the rig was not purchased from them.

b) Even when paying full retail (outside of warranty) customers often have to wait weeks of even months for service. That is outrageous!

The sales manager at a local WGO dealer is a friend of ours (actually the son of a friend). He told us that the industry slogan is, "Flash and Trash". IOW, sell the sizzle, not the steak. Make the sale, grab the cash and hope they never come back -- unless they want to trade-in.

All businesses have to be focused on sales, this month, this quarter -- but if they neglect customer service those sales will eventually drop off.

In the RV industry, there is too much emphasis placed on what happens before the sale and not enough on what happens after.
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Old 06-22-2018, 06:37 AM   #43
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I have found that the Service Advisor is the key.When I had my Essex, and no one knew how to service it, I ended up at LaMesa RV in Tucson,and Joseph (with Scott) took care of me for several years.
Now that I have the 2016 GT, purchased at LaMesa,Mesa, Bob Horner (with Brian) took car of me for the entire warrantee period, and it seemed like I found another winning combination. Once out of warrantee, they switched my Service Advisor, and the difference in service was appalling. I waited 5 months for service, for a small list which should have been completed in a month. No apologies,no phone call, no emails, everything was initiated by me. Finally, I implored the Head of Service, and everything was done the following week, UnlessI get Bob Horner back as Service Advisor, it's bye-bye LaMesa.
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Old 06-22-2018, 07:08 AM   #44
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Thank you SAJOHNSON, after reading your post I feel so much better and I'm sure the dozens of other people you referred to feel the same way too. As for knowing as you do that one must realize when buying a RV that anything that goes wrong with it is something your going to have to repair yourself. I have repaired all the things that were and have gone wrong with my RV. I brought the extended warranty for the peace of mind as you say but it ended up being a piece of S--t. My biggest complaint is that CW is not qualified to repair a tri-cycle let alone a complicated RV. So my warning to anyone thinking of buying an extended warranty from CW, save your money to pay someone who is qualified to repair you RV.
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Old 06-22-2018, 08:59 AM   #45
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Was in Forest City yesterday to get 2 minor issues taken care of. Overheard a fellow RVer who was camped out there waiting for the Good Sam extended warranty people to arrive to do an inspection before Winnebago could proceed. He said that after they do their inspection, another 24-48 hours would lapse before they approve /decline the required work order. He was in a 40' DP - (most of the units that seem to be camped out in Forest City are big Class A's. ) I am glad I didn't buy an extended warranty. I generally try to impound money each month for RV repairs (as well as auto and home) and build up funds this way. The frustration of dealing with a 3rd party to approve work is something I would never want to deal with.
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Old 07-07-2018, 06:00 PM   #46
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My 2010 Ellipse AD was finally bug free last season....having said that I wouldn't trade it for a new one straight up...
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Old 07-08-2018, 01:06 AM   #47
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My 2010 Ellipse AD was finally bug free last season....having said that I wouldn't trade it for a new one straight up...
We wouldn't trade our 2009 View for a new one.
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Old 07-08-2018, 08:23 AM   #48
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The best days of my life is when the Warranty is over

No more leaving my rig on a Dealer lot through spring hailstorms while my garage sets empty; no more new damage to the rig because it was jammed into a staging lot by a 16 year old kid; no more gobs of goo poured over a problem as a means of repair; no more straight out lies and attitude from the service desk........
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Old 07-08-2018, 12:52 PM   #49
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Originally Posted by Meridian42e View Post
The best days of my life is when the Warranty is over

No more leaving my rig on a Dealer lot through spring hailstorms while my garage sets empty; no more new damage to the rig because it was jammed into a staging lot by a 16 year old kid; no more gobs of goo poured over a problem as a means of repair; no more straight out lies and attitude from the service desk........
With the above in mind, it seems that in many cases, there is effectively no warranty on new RVs.

When owners have to put up with all of the above and then some -- dealers flat-out *refusing* to do warranty work unless the rig was purchased from them -- it makes purchasing a used RV from a private seller seem even more appealing.

When purchasing a lightly used RV from the owner, the buyer is avoiding the initial ~20% depreciation hit, and getting an RV that in most cases will be more trouble-free than a new rig -- especially with the QC issues RV mfrs are having these days.

The tales of abuse and mistreatment from dealers keep pouring in. I see no reason to reward them by doing business with them.

Needless to say, there are exceptions. Lichtsinn is one that consistently gets good reviews.

IIRC, Lewis, in Ohio, is another.
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Old 07-08-2018, 02:36 PM   #50
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I would agree, I couldn't say anything bad about Lichtsinn. I consider them the Ambassadors of Winnebago, in the land of retail and consumers.

Just the passion he has for them inspires me. Everytime I need to research one, I go to his videos because he seems to be the most accurate. He does Q&A live events, maintenance and repair videos, and I think I even caught a solar power test on a fridge and a Winnebago vs Tiffen video here and there. I will make it a point to look to him first next time we buy.
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