2010 RV buyers nightmare- please assist

[a k]

Why would you, after the first time screwing the alignment up, then taking it somewhere else to get it fixed right, take it back and let them do it again? Did we miss something?

That doesn't make sense.

 

[m111]

They have an excellent mechanic who I trust

Why would you, after the first time screwing the alignment up, then taking it somewhere else to get it fixed right, take it back and let them do it again?

That doesn't make sense.

They have an excellent mechanic who I trust to do the other work on our RV. He has been very honest and very accurate. They offered to do the second alignment for free after we had some other suspension work that required a realignment so I was out no $s for them to try again. The worst that could happen was that I had to take it somewhere else and pay for an alignment. What was the harm in letting them try?

 

[John Hilley]

Once coming down the grade into St George, UT my motor home got real hard to control. I stopped at Mesquite, NV for the night. I checked my air pressure and it was about 20 pounds high. I had left North Dakota at about 10 degrees below zero. I inflated the tires to normal pressure at that temperature. Coming into St George was the first warm temperature since leaving ND. I waited til morning when the tires were cool and let the pressure out to normal operating pressure. Handling returned to normal.

 

[faye-KEY]

my thought, class a's should not be driven over 55 miles per hour, i realize there are people that do it, but it is not safe to you or to those you meet on the road. motorhomes are not racing cars and are top heavy, with that being said, best of luck to you with this dealer.

 

[34footer]

my thought, class a's should not be driven over 55 miles per hour, i realize there are people that do it, but it is not safe to you or to those you meet on the road. motorhomes are not racing cars and are top heavy, with that being said, best of luck to you with this dealer.

.....they should not try to kill you at 60 in any case.
J

 

[RVNeophytes2]

"the support members for the front cap were not attached correctly" sounds fishy to me. How is that possible? Think I would invest in a Carfax report if you have not already. Could it have been in an accident? Why would the original owner not have taken care of major problems like that under warranty.

I would definitely check for lemon laws in AZ. Some states require dealers to refund money if you can prove you where sold a lemon. Could also check with your state attorney generals office.

Yeh, I'm leaning in the concealed mishap damage direction, too.

If the dealer is hearing from the BBB, the state atty general, and they are in possession of written documentation from a reputable service center suggesting they tried to pass off an unsafe vehicle onto unsuspecting buyers, they should eventually cough up a refund for your purchase price, registration/taxes, interest; minus a reasonable amount for the 400 miles of terror.

This is exactly what Lexus did for my wife, due to persistent and uncorrectable rattles in her brand-new hard top convertible.

 

[swhowardno1]

we just got the vehicle back from la mesa yesterday afternoon. it drive better on the way home, but we kept it around 55mph, we did encounter some difficult sway after we got in some bad air from a simi passing us. we filed a complaint with NHTSA yesterday, they are opening an investigation on it now.

I think part of the difficulty is the sightseer is produced on 3 different chassis. we have the ford F53 chassis as far as i can tell. after talking to others the chevy workhorse doesn't seem to have the sway and control issues we are having, my guess would be the center of gravity would change from one chassis to the next, if they manufacturer didn't adjust the body/weight ratio seems like it would create the same symptoms we are encountering.

 

[m111]

Glad to hear there was some improvement

I'm glad to hear there was some improvement. All the big RVs to some extent have issues with semi's passing and high winds. There are lots of posts on things folks have added to alleviate the problem.

I also wanted to mention that when we had our tires replaced the shop put them at 95-100 psi. The correct pressure for our weight and size of RV is 65-70 psi. We adjusted it when we got home because I was harshly bouncing all over the road when I picked it up. That is one more thing to look at when you RV starts handling poorly. John Hilley already posted on it but I wanted to reiterate because that alone could have been the cause of your problem.

 

[two-niner]

Have you done a four corner weigh and adjusted the tire pressure accordingly yet ??

Kerry

 

[SuperMike]

I think part of the difficulty is the sightseer is produced on 3 different chassis. we have the ford F53 chassis as far as i can tell. after talking to others the chevy workhorse doesn't seem to have the sway and control issues we are having, my guess would be the center of gravity would change from one chassis to the next, if they manufacturer didn't adjust the body/weight ratio seems like it would create the same symptoms we are encountering.

As I said on page one of this thread, our 2010 Sightseer is on Workhorse W22 Chssis with a Chevy 8.1L engine. We have no experiences of your problems. Ours drives like a dream. The only thing I feel is the passing of a large truck and the slight twitch as it's bow wave of air hits us.

 

[maybesoon]

First things first. You should not have to add accessory anything to get a new (this is a 2010 remember) to drive down the road safely. If you need to add helper springs, levelers or anything to have it drive relatively straight, those are excuses to cover up something wrong. Either it needs adjustments (repair) or is defective.

If it is less than a year old, then the Winnebago warranty comes into play in a lot of cases. The trick is to accurately identify the symptoms. Stay away from terms that mean different things to different people.

Take your rig for example. Get it on a straight smooth level road. Drive it at different speeds up to freeway legal and at each speed note what happens. If it doesn't run straight without constant correction just to keep it on the road for short distances, note which way it drifts and how fast. Something like "within approximately xx feet or xx seconds it pulls to the right or left". Another example: at xx mph the steering wheel shakes left to right or up and down xx inches. It isn't that difficult to do but that way you are putting numbers on something and quantifying the symptom.

Full documenting specifics is essential.

As others have said, check to see if it has been involved in an accident. Call Winnebago and ask them for a replacement parts and prior service history for the specific reason of determining if it was involved in an undisclosed accident. There is recourse available to you if it was in an accident and not disclosed.

As for leaving it at the dealer for such a long time. You have a right to know the estimated time for repairs. Ask the question directly and don't take "waiting on parts" as an answer. Any parts you could possibly need are available within 2 weeks. Longer than that and you are being held hostage so to speak.

Get all your existing warranties together and read them. Make sure you know what is and is not covered. The various manufacturers of components will all provide you with written warranty disclosures. Don't reply on what you read on their websites, those are usually only summaries.

If you are paying for repairs, you do not need to go back to the selling dealer, especially if they aren't getting things done. Go elsewhere.

Always pay for a diagnosis. Here is the reason. When you pay for diagnosis, the dealer must be then able to fix the problem according to the specifics of the diagnosis. If they come back later and then claim it was something else, then you are not liable to pay for the work done because of a faulty diagnosis. This is not some art, it is a science and the repair of mechanical things can be diagnosed. Many dealers will just want to swap parts until something works. That is called guessing and no one should pay for that. Most often, the parts swap will not fix the actual cause, it will address a symptom only. Worthless.

Use only a credit card when you pay for service. If it isn't right you have recourse with your credit card company. With good documentation, you will prevail.

I think that if you very clearly and accurately (with facts- numbers and so on) explain everything, Winnebago should be able to provide quite a bit of assistance.

You don't need to get nasty nor do you need to be run over and get shafted because someone who is liable for what was sold to you doesn't want to lift their finger to take care of things

 

[merthit]

For your problem at highway speeds with your Winnebago, try the following:
1. Check tire pressure -- it can make a big difference in how it drives.
2. Install a heavy duty stabilizer bar on front end.
3. Try driving with an empty water tank and filling up once you get to your destination. Sloshing water doesn't help stabilizing.

Good luck!

 

[Midniteoyl]

Quit going on trips and get it to an independent mechanic....

 

[offthewall]

First things first. You should not have to add accessory anything to get a new (this is a 2010 remember) to drive down the road safely. If you need to add helper springs, levelers or anything to have it drive relatively straight, those are excuses to cover up something wrong. Either it needs adjustments (repair) or is defective.

If it is less than a year old, then the Winnebago warranty comes into play in a lot of cases. The trick is to accurately identify the symptoms. Stay away from terms that mean different things to different people.

Take your rig for example. Get it on a straight smooth level road. Drive it at different speeds up to freeway legal and at each speed note what happens. If it doesn't run straight without constant correction just to keep it on the road for short distances, note which way it drifts and how fast. Something like "within approximately xx feet or xx seconds it pulls to the right or left". Another example: at xx mph the steering wheel shakes left to right or up and down xx inches. It isn't that difficult to do but that way you are putting numbers on something and quantifying the symptom.

Full documenting specifics is essential.

As others have said, check to see if it has been involved in an accident. Call Winnebago and ask them for a replacement parts and prior service history for the specific reason of determining if it was involved in an undisclosed accident. There is recourse available to you if it was in an accident and not disclosed.

As for leaving it at the dealer for such a long time. You have a right to know the estimated time for repairs. Ask the question directly and don't take "waiting on parts" as an answer. Any parts you could possibly need are available within 2 weeks. Longer than that and you are being held hostage so to speak.

Get all your existing warranties together and read them. Make sure you know what is and is not covered. The various manufacturers of components will all provide you with written warranty disclosures. Don't reply on what you read on their websites, those are usually only summaries.

If you are paying for repairs, you do not need to go back to the selling dealer, especially if they aren't getting things done. Go elsewhere.

Always pay for a diagnosis. Here is the reason. When you pay for diagnosis, the dealer must be then able to fix the problem according to the specifics of the diagnosis. If they come back later and then claim it was something else, then you are not liable to pay for the work done because of a faulty diagnosis. This is not some art, it is a science and the repair of mechanical things can be diagnosed. Many dealers will just want to swap parts until something works. That is called guessing and no one should pay for that. Most often, the parts swap will not fix the actual cause, it will address a symptom only. Worthless.

Use only a credit card when you pay for service. If it isn't right you have recourse with your credit card company. With good documentation, you will prevail.

I think that if you very clearly and accurately (with facts- numbers and so on) explain everything, Winnebago should be able to provide quite a bit of assistance.

You don't need to get nasty nor do you need to be run over and get shafted because someone who is liable for what was sold to you doesn't want to lift their finger to take care of things

I agree with you but handling has a lot to do with driver expectations and perceptions as well. There are plenty of products on the market that can improve the handling of a gas MH. Some drivers have no desire for them, others would consider them a necessity on the same MH under the same conditions.

I drive a BMW, my wife drives a JEEP. When we first got our Class C, I hated the way it handled. My wife had no problems with it. After adjusting tire pressures, getting the chassis aligned then later changing the shocks, stabilizer bars and steering dampener, I was a happy camper. My wife admits it drives a lot better now even though she didn't mind it stock.

BTW: We both feel the new DP is miles ahead of the Class C in handling even after all the upgrades.

 

[maybesoon]

I think when someone says "uncontrollable" and "violently" shaking and unable to keep it in lane, no accessory is needed, something is very wrong.

A drive on a smooth, straight road with no wind and unloaded but with full fuel will determine the next course of action. Adding the variables after that (full water and stores) then isolates when the problem starts unless it was present in the first test.

For something like this a video recorder is invaluable. Seated behind the driver if possible makes for a very easy to see item that can be given to anyone doing the repair.

You are right in that perception comes into play but to the degree the OP was explaining how it drove, they really need it fixed before adding accessories to improve what should be safe handling.

PM me if you want to share tips on the 34Y, I've got one. Ran into some things you might want to know.

 

[jutojohn]

go to a frame shop get it check and go from their

 

[Chuck 1935]

POST #77
Do yourself a favor and torch it !!!!

 

[AlwaysDusty]

New to forum and to owning a MH. We purchased a 2011 Sightseer 33C. I've only logged about 200 miles about equally on expressway and two lane highway. So far no real handling problems from 50-65 mph even recently during windy days on my way to the service center to have our rigs set-up for towing. The problems I've noticed I believe would be attributed to the poor road condition on sections of I-5 rather than the MH. We still need to have it weighed and I think we will have the alignment checked before we take any long trips. That's not to say I'm totally comfortable driving our 33C but my grip on the steering wheel continues to loosen with each trip. By the way, I've learned a tremendous amount on the forums -- sometimes too much as I begin worrying about stuff we've never encountered.

Newbie question: how do I log on to the Winnie live chat sessions? Hope to meet you on the road!

 

[Richard1973]

That's not to say I'm totally comfortable driving our 33C but my grip on the steering wheel continues to loosen with each trip.

Interesting comment. When I bought my first motorhome two decades ago, I wondered aloud at having never driven anything so large. The salesman told me I would be an expert and comfortable in 50 miles. Now with over 100K I still wonder if I will be an expert and totally comfortable in next 50 miles.

Keep at it. Being too comfortable can equal complacency.

Happy Travels

 

[two-niner]

OP ??????

Kerry