Quality and support question from potential buyer

[Scotte303]

Good morning all,
I have owned towable RV's for the past 25 years. Currently in a 42' 5ver.
We want to downsize and are looking at the Winnebago Class C.

I was curious how pleased you are with the rigs and the manufacturer support. ( I am Fulltime and if I would need parts/mobil tech )
Also, has anyone installed a on demand water heater in these?
I appologise if this is posted in the wrong spot.
Thanks,
Scott

 

[lenore-WO]

Great question, I believe the support you receive is dependent on where you buy. However Winnebago does a great job of answering questions if you need help. We have the Winnebago Vita Class C. Biggest issues have been with my dealership (La Mesa) they cant seem to get you in very fast. I am a DIY guy so I gave up and just repair it myself. RV industry wide, quality is a issue for new units. Producing too fast and many mistakes.
I find the individual product support to be very good, I had a bad leveler and they sent me a new one no problem. I have heard mobil tech are the ticket, but have not used one. My Vita is on Mercedes chassis and Mercedes has provided all recall, and one failure repair very much to my satisfaction. Good luck in your downsizing, I know I had a travel trailer for 15 years and had zero issues. But I am loving my 24 foot Vita RV. Pleasure to drive and so much easier.

 

[Scotte303]

Great question, I believe the support you receive is dependent on where you buy. However Winnebago does a great job of answering questions if you need help. We have the Winnebago Vita Class C. Biggest issues have been with my dealership (La Mesa) they cant seem to get you in very fast. I am a DIY guy so I gave up and just repair it myself. RV industry wide, quality is a issue for new units. Producing too fast and many mistakes.
I find the individual product support to be very good, I had a bad leveler and they sent me a new one no problem. I have heard mobil tech are the ticket, but have not used one. My Vita is on Mercedes chassis and Mercedes has provided all recall, and one failure repair very much to my satisfaction. Good luck in your downsizing, I know I had a travel trailer for 15 years and had zero issues. But I am loving my 24 foot Vita RV. Pleasure to drive and so much easier.

Thanks for your reply, great feedback.
Another thing I was curious about , especially with the bigger unit s such as spirit and Minnie Winnie was how stable they are. Other manufacturers actually advertise the suspension and sway control that is installed such as ride rite , j ride etc… when I called Winnebago the lady idpoke with said I can add that as aftermarket… was curious about handling on stock models.
Thanks again,
Scott

 

[s1njin]

Ford chassis handling is pretty much “it is what it is” no matter what coach you have on top of it.

To Jayco’s credit - JRIDE Plus does have some advantages, but not everything listed is a JRIDE exclusive. Driveshafts are all balanced on a stretch. Isolation pucks come from Ford. I do prefer the Hellwig helper springs over the Ride Rite airbags, but that’s just a personal choice. Upgraded shocks over stock FOMOCO is a no-brainer, and the upgraded rear sway bar is very nice to have.

In my current rig I added a track bar and heavier front sway bar. On my ordered rig, I’ll put the heavier rear sway on when the dealer swaps my track bar over. I may put the heavier front sway on myself again as its doable w/o a mechanic if you have the tools. Shocks would come when my FOMOCO junk ones wear out, but they’ll be serviceable for many miles before I have to do it.

Welcome to our forum - I suspect you’re the person I was messaging from the JOF.

 

[Morich]

Over the years, I have moved through about all the types of Rv, except the really big rear pusher units and I now rarely shop anything but Winnebago.
Part of my thinking is that you do see lots more older Winnebago than most any other brand. That tells me folks like what they have and can fix or repair them as they age, both of which fits me well, as I do want to do most of the work myself. Any time Ihire work done, I tend to regret it as I often have to take it back or redo it!

And that leads to some things I like to look at when shopping. I like to think that a good looking job is more likely to be done by folks who care more and that leadsto better quality. One way to judge this is looking in under the cabinets and places where most folks don't look and trying to spot how much care was given to smallpoints like how the wiring is done.
I find almost all seem to leave way too much sawdust but when I look at wiring and plumbing, I see better in Winnebago for these points. They have a written plan on the drawings for each part and where each wire or tubing is attached and at what length.

They share lots of info and part of that are the drawings here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/Plumbing.htm

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/Wiring.htm

One it shows me they DO have a specificplan for all things in construction and they are not ashamed to let folks know what the plan is!

I WOULD like to hear more about better quality but I think that is just normal for many things, not just RV.

I like to look at how things like wires are cut off to specific length and how the excess is stored---- not just thrown in a compartment which is meant for our use.

A big point when moving from fiver to any motorhome si the differentin noise as it will have lots of rattles and squeeks as you are driving your house! But you will also have lots of advantages as you will arrive with the RV pretty well set on temperature as you are already controlling that while driving. You don't have to arrive and wait 30 minutes for it to get right enough to sleep is you want to pull over in the middleof the day in the middle of nowhere. We tend to avoid going throguh high traffic at the wrong times so we just pull it over and have a bite or take a nap until traffic feels better.
I do think many add parts to make driving feel better but we have never done much on that. Point to shop is how much RV hangs behind the rear axle. Longer overhang wag the dog more!

 

[Winterbagoal]

Good morning all,
I have owned towable RV's for the past 25 years. Currently in a 42' 5ver.
We want to downsize and are looking at the Winnebago Class C.

I was curious how pleased you are with the rigs and the manufacturer support. ( I am Fulltime and if I would need parts/mobil tech )
Also, has anyone installed a on demand water heater in these?
I appologise if this is posted in the wrong spot.
Thanks,
Scott

I ordered our 2018 Navion with the Truma AquaGo Comfort Pluss tankless w/h to save on OCCC. On some of their Class C models it's an option, and some come with it. It's been flawless for us so far. The down side, if there is one, is that there's no electric option, so if we run out of propane, no hot water. So we don't run out.
OCCC is probably the biggest challenge for the Sprinter based Winnebago small Class C (Vita Porto View Navion). The fuel economy of the Sprinter diesel chassis can be as much as 2 to 1 over the V10/V8 gas engines in the Ford based chassis. The Ford chassis will generally pull more, but it comes at a price, which is much higher RPMS required to harvest the horsepower and torque, and the diminishing fuel economy as a result. We balance the weight of the Navion and our 2016 Wrangler JKU to keep it under the 15250lb GCWR, and it tows it just fine.
Beyond that, any of the Winnebago Class C motorhomes are probably good quality and value for the money. I guess it comes down to gas or diesel for many folks. We had some reservations about going diesel after a decade of gas motorhomes (Class A and , but after just a few short trips out, we appreciate the differences and have nothing but praise for the Mercedes 3.0L turbo-diesel and drive train. However, MB is dropping the 3.0L V6 in favour of a 4 cylinder version, that will have similar HP and torque specs to the V6.
Service (maintenance items) is less often for the Sprinter, than the Ford, and can be a bit more expensive, but that evens out over time, based on cost to operate a Sprinter over time. It's less than some people think. Don't buy the myth that you can get your Ford based motorhome serviced at any Ford dealer. That has been disproved by more and more people on the various forums that have had trouble getting their Ford based units into the Ford shop. Do your homework before you decide on which way to go, with that in mind. Call your local Ford dealer and ask them if they service Class C motorhomes. Same for the local Mercedes shop.
Lastly, as others have said, Winnebago has been around for a long time, and you still see a few classics out there on the road today. We're quite happy with our Navion, and are glad we switched to diesel.

 

[rprochnow]

View/Navion come with Truma hot water heaters as standard (at least for models built in 2020 and later).

We purchased our 2021 24D at Lichtsinn - which has provided great service. However, we live 1000 miles away and we don't have confidence in the dealerships near us for service - so either we go to Lichtsinn, drive about 4 hours to the nearest Winnebago dealer we trust, or we have a local mobile RV tech work on our View.

Now that we've gone through this once, if/when we purchase another RV, we'll be more careful in researching not only the purchase - but where we'll go for maintenance after purchase.

 

[Winnefredo]

Be careful

We love our View Class C. But we don’t live in it. I truly love the power train in our 2018 and if you get a 2020 or newer you probably know they upgraded to a 7 speed from a 5 speed. But the reality is that most towables simply have more space, including larger fresh, gray and black tanks. Considerations for you are that at 10m it is a lot easier to get diesel fuel than propane so we’re happy that we have a diesel generator which is quite efficient. Also if you are like me you will notice that the profile of the vehicle allows for it to get pushed around by larger vehicles passing you or coming against you. I calmed it down with 2 anti sway bars, a heavier duty Helwig behind the rear axle to replace the OEM and a Roadmaster add in front of the axle. Also we put on Bigfoot Hydraulic lifts to level and stabilize. Fortunately I’ve never had to seek dealer support while on the road for either the chassis or coach. Mercedes is expensive but my local dealer is pretty good to work with. I have only had to call Winnebago and got some good info and direction. Out extended warranty is up this month and have only had to replace the A/C early on. Good luck.

 

[Blacktoe-WO]

Great question, I believe the support you receive is dependent on where you buy. .

This is so true! I’ve had my rig for over 2 years and had warranty issues the 1st week of ownership. My dealer had me come back to the dealership so they could inspect the problem areas. After a couple of email exchanges about additional problems, That was the last I heard from them.

 

[BCam]

Personally, I wouldn't buy new and wouldn't want to be dependent on a dealer. With your experience and as a full timer who's likely to be away from the selling dealer, I'd think used would be your best bet.

I'm with Morich on the quality of Winnebago's online resources. They've even emailed me detailed drawings that aren't available online.

One of the most important things to understand as a Winnebago MH owner is the unique roof design and the need to routinely inspect and maintain (seal) the edges of the roof where the Filon roofing is tucked into an aluminum extrusion. It's not a big deal to do so but, if neglected, can cause major issues.

Some would have you think that Winnebago roofs are flying off all the time, which isn't the case although there are videos of spectacular failures and subsequent roof replacements. The key is to ensure that these edges are properly sealed so wind can't get under the edge.

I have no personal experience with Winnebago warranties but I've read that that they require inspection/maintenance every six months. This can be a key documentation issue in the case of a roof failure. :

 

[creativepart]

When discussing “Winnebago roof design” it’s important to add that this applies to Winnebago motorhomes. Not all Winnebagos have Filon FRP roofs and our members with Towables and rubber roofs don’t have this concern.

That doesn’t mean they don’t need to inspect and maintain their rubber roofs, just that they don’t have this particular Filon roof concern of sealing the roof in the sidewall drip rail.

 

[s1njin]

My C does not have the rolled over sidewall that the class A’s have. It’s just flat with a heavy bead of black dicor (looks like dicor and I patch it with dicor) on either side. It does roll over the rear of the coach however.

 

[creativepart]

It’s just flat with a heavy bead of black dicor (looks like dicor and I patch it with dicor) on either side. It does roll over the rear of the coach however.

Be aware that Winnebago uses a silicone caulking and Dicor might look similar but will not stick to it. Oh, it will look like it’s working but after it’s dry you can just pull it off in one piece. Dicor is totally the wrong caulking material to use.

A list of Sealants used for your model is available here :

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/Sealant.htm

 

[BCam]

Dicor must have the best marketing department of any manufacturer. It seems like many, if not most, RV owners know of nothing else. Even Dicor's own site characterize it as being formulated for rubber roofs. Many RV owners use it for everything, even when adhesive properties are needed, even though Dicor's adhesive properties are minimal.

Here's more about Dicor on Winnebago roofs:

 

[s1njin]

I’ll have to take a good look at my roof repair. So far anything I have put it on sticks to the point that I need the putty knife to remove it. Hrm …..

 

[s1njin]

So I just jumped up on the roof; I had to replace a vent pipe cover as mine was cracked. My Dicor application on that new install over a month ago is still holding strong. I can’t get any of it to release willingly even w/ the putty knife (plastic).

I suppose it’s something I’ll now obsess over in the coming months. I’ll get a couple tubes of the black Winnie approved stuff from my dealer in a couple weeks.

Looking at the video above, my application did not involve putting my Dicor OVER any existing Winnie sealant. I pealed off all the black sealant, scrapped it off (plastic knife) as much as I could, hit it with mineral spirits to clean it up, hit it again w/ acetone, and I let the sun dry it up. I then put the new vent cover down on with butyl tape under the rim and covered everything up again w/ a tube of black dicor.

Again, I’ll pay particular attention to this repair now and I’ll have some Winnie approved tubes at the ready.