Any Winnie Drop Owners on Board?

[kippie07]

We bought our 2018 170S Drop in July. We spent a good amount of time debating the the benefits and drawbacks of the different floor plans but eventually decided the larger bathroom and front table placement offered just what we needed. We're happy with the trailer overall and have just completed our second trip for a total of just 5 nights and 200 miles in our new Drop. No surprise that we would discover some defects and problems with actual use of the tt; we've compiled a list of issues that 9I hope) are covered by warranty and have scheduled service for October. We've never had warranty service on an RV, and I do worry that it will be a hassle to get everything fixed correctly the first time - our dealer is 3 hours away. I'm hoping if anyone here has experience with or resolved any of these issues, they might offer some advice:
1. Does your 2018 Drop have exterior cargo doors with the single center latch that causes the bottom corners of the rather weak CARGO DOOR to BOW OUT- not fit flush or seal tightly? If you had this issue, how did your dealer resolve it?
2. Has anyone had issues with their closed AWNING retaining WATER after it rains?

3. We drove about 5 miles down a dusty gravel road on our recent trip with our Drop. Upon arrival, I discovered a good LAYER OF DIRT covering the floor inside the door and on near the slide - quite a mess to deal with. Everything was closed tightly; my best guess is that the entrance door or slide does not seal tightly enough. Anyone else have this issue?
4. Water puddles on our roof around the air conditioner after it rains - the AC drains down the back of the trailer - I think this is normal but the pooling of rain water is concerning.

5. The underside of our 2018 Drop's wood floor is covered with a black plastic sheeting to protect against moisture (and hopefully insects, rodents, etc.) However, the sewer system and tanks are mounted on the outside of the plastic sheeting - the tanks and sewer lines are completely exposed underneath. My dealer states this is how they are manufactured. Can anyone verify if the tanks and sewer pipes are actually supposed to be enclosed in any way?

6. Did your 2018 Drop come with a fire extinguisher; mine did not but the brochure indicates that it comes with a fire extinguisher. If it did, where is it mounted?

We will appreciate any advice or comments other Drop owners can offer. Thank you!

 

[BlackDog21]

My 2018 Drop came with an extinguisher mounted by the door next to the fuse panel. The underside is the same as what you described. I've thought of trying to insulate it for those colder nights but I haven't had any issues yet.

I don't have any issues comparable to your 1-4 items.

 

[Rod48]

Dear kippie07,
Sorry to hear about your problems with your Minnie Drop 170S.
We are pleased with out Minnie Drop 1710 which does not have a slide out. Your drop entry door leakage issues my be related to having a slide out.
1) Our pass through exterior cargo doors do no bow out.
2) The awning does not retain water when retracted.
3) No leakage of dirt or dust inside the entry door after travelling on dusty roads.
4) Water does not puddle on the roof. It runs off both the front and back.
5) The freshwater, graywater, & blackwater tanks a all exposed. (this is normal).
6) There is a small fire extinguisher mounted on the bottom left wall as you go into the entry door.
We did get the off road package with the large wheels(15 inch) which gives better clearance for those tanks underneath.
Hope your Winnebago dealer addresses all these issues for you. Hopefully they will make you a happy camper.

 

[RodneynDawnT]

“2. Has anyone had issues with their closed AWNING retaining WATER after it rains? ”

All campers, regardless of brand, with exposed awnings do this to one degree or another. If water gets to the tight rolls it will wick between the layers. Capillary action.

 

[Casademike-WO]

We're new Winnie 1710 Drop owners as of July.

When we received our Drop, both our storage doors were bowed out and would not properly seal. Our dealer ordered new ones under warranty. Neither of the new ones bow out, however one of the replacements was misaligned and it's sticking on the outer frame when we try to close it.

So the dealer had to once again order another new one under warranty (which takes 6 weeks because they're not held in inventory and only made to order). I have to drive over an hour to get to our dealer, so it was pretty frustrating the issue with the replacement door was not identified before I drove there or it was actually installed. I'll be heading back in a few weeks to get the still-deffective door replaced once again.

I called Winnebago to complain about the poor quality of the doors and was basically told, they don't make those doors so they're not responsible for them (except to replace them under warranty). I was really taken aback by this attitude.

We generally like our trailer and felt it overall had better quality than comparable models from other manufacturers, but this whole door ordeal has been very time consuming and frustrating. I will say however, the doors have been replaced under warranty at no cost to us (if you don't count time and gas towing the trailer for over 2 hours each time we bring it in). So if you're doors aren't sealing I would definitely take it back into the dealer.

 

[evilkevin]

Winnebago does not build the tt's, they have an outside company do it. so they are very cavalier about problems with the travel trailers.
We had a delamination problem on our 2017-1710 and it took 4 months and many calls by me to Winnebago. Lazydays in Tampa was good and did not agree to the bandaid solution Winnebago suggested at first. I repeatedly called Winnebago and Lazydays and questioned Winnebago's responses to Lazydays. In the end the shell was replaced completely. I recommend calling Wiinnebago directly and politely complaining, often.

 

[kippie07]

Winnebago does not build the tt's, they have an outside company do it. so they are very cavalier about problems with the travel trailers.
We had a delamination problem on our 2017-1710 and it took 4 months and many calls by me to Winnebago. Lazydays in Tampa was good and did not agree to the bandaid solution Winnebago suggested at first. I repeatedly called Winnebago and Lazydays and questioned Winnebago's responses to Lazydays. In the end the shell was replaced completely. I recommend calling Wiinnebago directly and politely complaining, often.

I’m having difficulty communicating with anyone at Winnebago. The just refer me to my dealer. How did you make contact?

 

[evilkevin]

Winnebago Towables
General Inquiries
(574) 825-5250
Called this number and it will ask if you are an owner and connect you with a rep. I spoke with Jake, keep calling till you get whatever you feel is a reasonable response.

 

[newtune3]

We bought our 2018 170S Drop in July. We spent a good amount of time debating the the benefits and drawbacks of the different floor plans but eventually decided the larger bathroom and front table placement offered just what we needed. We're happy with the trailer overall and have just completed our second trip for a total of just 5 nights and 200 miles in our new Drop. No surprise that we would discover some defects and problems with actual use of the tt; we've compiled a list of issues that 9I hope) are covered by warranty and have scheduled service for October. We've never had warranty service on an RV, and I do worry that it will be a hassle to get everything fixed correctly the first time - our dealer is 3 hours away. I'm hoping if anyone here has experience with or resolved any of these issues, they might offer some advice:
1. Does your 2018 Drop have exterior cargo doors with the single center latch that causes the bottom corners of the rather weak CARGO DOOR to BOW OUT- not fit flush or seal tightly? If you had this issue, how did your dealer resolve it?
2. Has anyone had issues with their closed AWNING retaining WATER after it rains?

3. We drove about 5 miles down a dusty gravel road on our recent trip with our Drop. Upon arrival, I discovered a good LAYER OF DIRT covering the floor inside the door and on near the slide - quite a mess to deal with. Everything was closed tightly; my best guess is that the entrance door or slide does not seal tightly enough. Anyone else have this issue?
4. Water puddles on our roof around the air conditioner after it rains - the AC drains down the back of the trailer - I think this is normal but the pooling of rain water is concerning.

5. The underside of our 2018 Drop's wood floor is covered with a black plastic sheeting to protect against moisture (and hopefully insects, rodents, etc.) However, the sewer system and tanks are mounted on the outside of the plastic sheeting - the tanks and sewer lines are completely exposed underneath. My dealer states this is how they are manufactured. Can anyone verify if the tanks and sewer pipes are actually supposed to be enclosed in any way?

6. Did your 2018 Drop come with a fire extinguisher; mine did not but the brochure indicates that it comes with a fire extinguisher. If it did, where is it mounted?

We will appreciate any advice or comments other Drop owners can offer. Thank you!

We just closed on a 170S and the cargo door was warped new. Dealer has ordered the two latch replacement. Glad we saw this comment so we looked and there was the warped door. Thanks!!

 

[Annieoakley-WO]

I have a 2017 like yours. Used about 3000 miles, 2 seasons, about 4 months ea year, none of your problems. Have an extinguisher near door. Bottom was uncovered so tanks and pipes show. I did have a covering installed to inhibit rodents and help with heat or cold. I felt the sewer was way too low to ground, about 6 inch m and had frame raised 4 in, this necessitated new steps. All in all very pleased. I have seen much less complaints re the Drop vs the other similar brands too. Also mine is red and get lots of lookers. ��

 

[BlackDog21]

I have a 2017 like yours. Used about 3000 miles, 2 seasons, about 4 months ea year, none of your problems. Have an extinguisher near door. Bottom was uncovered so tanks and pipes show. I did have a covering installed to inhibit rodents and help with heat or cold. I felt the sewer was way too low to ground, about 6 inch m and had frame raised 4 in, this necessitated new steps. All in all very pleased. I have seen much less complaints re the Drop vs the other similar brands too. Also mine is red and get lots of lookers. ��

I've thought of enclosing the undercarriage in my Drop. How hard was it (or did you have a shop do it)? What material did you use?

 

[Kelly k-WO]

Great info! We bought a winnie drop about a month ago, I was testing the fridge and thought something was wrong because it does take forever to get cool

 

[E.Carlson]

Hey there! Just joined this forum. I have a 1790 that I bought about a year ago. It was a special edition real tree that is lifted so there is additional clearance for the sewer pipe.
The fridge takes 24 hours to cool down and never really feels cool, although it does keep the food cool. Do these fridges not have fans? Mine doesn't make a sound.
I love it overall and although I've had issues, most have been an easy fix. I do have a leaking roof which happened right before the year warranty was up. I think the dicor was improperly applied but have to wait and see if the dealer agrees. The warranty department with winnebago doesn't want to cover it so we will see.
It's my first camper and the family is really enjoying it, I guess fixing things constantly is just part of owning a trailer.

 

[Sun_Seeker]

Hey there! Just joined this forum. I have a 1790 that I bought about a year ago. It was a special edition real tree that is lifted so there is additional clearance for the sewer pipe.
The fridge takes 24 hours to cool down and never really feels cool, although it does keep the food cool. Do these fridges not have fans? Mine doesn't make a sound.
I love it overall and although I've had issues, most have been an easy fix. I do have a leaking roof which happened right before the year warranty was up. I think the dicor was improperly applied but have to wait and see if the dealer agrees. The warranty department with winnebago doesn't want to cover it so we will see.
It's my first camper and the family is really enjoying it, I guess fixing things constantly is just part of owning a trailer.

Most absorption fridges do take 12-18 hours to pre-cool down to what you'd run your house fridge temp at. Be sure that you have the inside Dometic thermostat sensor at the height you want it to be on the far right side of the interior cooling fins...higher on the fin for colder, lower for warmer. I run mine on my 6 cubic foot fridge at about 70 percent the height of the fin, from top to bottom. That keeps my food around 42 F, and the separate freezer section, keeping pre-frozen food, rock solid. Do you pre-chill everything you transfer to your TT fridge? If not, you should try doing that...food, beverages, et all.

Regarding security to you having your Shore Power cord connected to the TT as you pre-chill the fridge....

Depending on where you have your TT as you pre-chill your fridge...as it is on my driveway...I always sleep overnight (upon my driveway) in my TT, as your Shore Power detachable 30/50 amp electric supply cord can be susceptible to detach and walk away theft. I thwart that by being inside the trailer, as well as you can hear or feel if anybody attempts to disconnect your cord...just sayin'... Have I ever felt someone attempting to detach my Shore Power cord? No..glad to report, not yet...but I don't want to roll the dice, by being inside my home, with that cord attached to the trailer, sitting out overnight on my driveway. No sir!

 

[Vroom_vroom]

Seems like I found a good place for information! We just purchased our first travel trailer this month, (1790 drop) Very pleased so far with it can’t wait to get an early start on camping this year! Already modding it, removing the wet bath sink, hard wired surge, new speakers ext. can’t seem to find a lot of support for it however. Where would I locate a wiring schematic?