Winnebago Vista 31be

[Lette-WO]

Hello folk, I’m a new member and 1st time RV owner. My wife and I are in early phase of pre retirement and invested in a Used Winnebago to explore and eventually do Rt 66 across the country ....a ways off. For now, we purchased a 2016 Vista and drove it back from Florida to Massachusetts...no problems BUT once I opened the hood I see one of the mounts dislodged....that led me to this sight ...seems to be a quality issue . I’ll have the local dealer fix this but I must tell you it’s not acceptable....in product development I would have had the quality folks fired...or design engineer....things need to be ORT for things of this nature....anyway...found the answer...thank you!

 

[macnut]

First, welcome to the forum! Sounds like a great plan. Regarding the mount, Its a fairly common issue. The dealer will likely epoxy back in. Many do it themselves. Wishing you the best!

 

[Morich]

On the rte 66 plan, you may already be up on it if you are a big fan but there are many who travel it and are pretty disappointed in what they find as so much of it is very hard to find and travel. some of the books and info make it seem like you can glide along for miles and miles on the old route but they don't always tell you the important details! In lots of places the old road went with the terrain to get around hills, etc. while the new replacement interstate often just goes through those things. That can leave the rte 66 being chopped into lots of little 1-10 mile sections and little maintenance.
Not to put you off but just heads up on planning as driving that route can look simple but take twice as long when we have to hunt for it as it is not well marked in places where it has become county roads and such. Saint Louis to Tulsa was my part and it's a bear to find in places.

 

[creativepart]

I must tell you it’s not acceptable....in product development I would have had the quality folks fired...or design engineer....things need to be ORT for things of this nature

Welcome to the Forum... and welcome to the real world of RV ownership. You'll find yourself repeating those words above over and over and over again.

But, like the rest of us you'll learn to accept it for what it is and have a ball seeing the sites all over this huge country.

 

[Lette-WO]

On the rte 66 plan, you may already be up on it if you are a big fan but there are many who travel it and are pretty disappointed in what they find as so much of it is very hard to find and travel. some of the books and info make it seem like you can glide along for miles and miles on the old route but they don't always tell you the important details! In lots of places the old road went with the terrain to get around hills, etc. while the new replacement interstate often just goes through those things. That can leave the rte 66 being chopped into lots of little 1-10 mile sections and little maintenance.
Not to put you off but just heads up on planning as driving that route can look simple but take twice as long when we have to hunt for it as it is not well marked in places where it has become county roads and such. Saint Louis to Tulsa was my part and it's a bear to find in places.

Thank you...yes, I have read enough on Rt 66 and it’s what you have said in your response....but I still think we’ll enjoy seeing these areas and especially the major parks.....eventually getting to CA and touring wine country in more depth...this is all a ways off... Thank you for the kind insight....

 

[macnut]

The wine country in CA is awesome, but if you have the time, you may want to add Pasco Robles to your list. The wine rivals Napa Valley and the surrounding area is really beautful. The drive from Paso to Cambria on the coast is one of my favorites.

 

[Lette-WO]

The wine country in CA is awesome, but if you have the time, you may want to add Pasco Robles to your list. The wine rivals Napa Valley and the surrounding area is really beautful. The drive from Paso to Cambria on the coast is one of my favorites.

Thank you so much! Great feedback and guidance...wish we could go tomorrow but the hood bracket is still curing...lol. This trip is in our future so our travel notes are Building for this major getaway....thanks again!

 

[BCam]

Here's a current thread on the hood mount issue. You'll see that some are adding bolts for added security. Did they re-mount both brackets? If one failed, I'd suspect the other as well.

As things go, this is a relatively minor issue. I don't want to discourage or scare you but there will be many things to fix as you use your rig, this is the nature of RVs, no matter who the manufacturer. Many of us come to RV'g with the expectation that quality control, etc. is similar to that in the automotive industry. That simply isn't the case with RVs. In some ways, it's a little like a house in that, as time goes on, things need fixing/replacing.

Your number one priority will be to ensure that the roof and all vents, etc. are properly sealed, with the proper sealant since roof leaks can be devastating. Hopefully the dealer took care of this but you need to check it out yourself:

http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/Sealant/000211252.pdf

https://winnebagoind.com/resources/service/pdfs/2016-05 Sealants Call-Out Sheets.pdf

Bookmark this "sticky" for useful reference link:

https://www.winnieowners.com/forums...s-and-hwh-levelers-slides-diagrams-19250.html

And this one as well:

https://www.winnebago.com/owners/owner-tools/service

 

[Lette-WO]

Here's a current thread on the hood mount issue. You'll see that some are adding bolts for added security. Did they re-mount both brackets? If one failed, I'd suspect the other as well.

As things go, this is a relatively minor issue. I don't want to discourage or scare you but there will be many things to fix as you use your rig, this is the nature of RVs, no matter who the manufacturer. Many of us come to RV'g with the expectation that quality control, etc. is similar to that in the automotive industry. That simply isn't the case with RVs. In some ways, it's a little like a house in that, as time goes on, things need fixing/replacing.

Your number one priority will be to ensure that the roof and all vents, etc. are properly sealed, with the proper sealant since roof leaks can be devastating. Hopefully the dealer took care of this but you need to check it out yourself:

http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/Sealant/000211252.pdf

https://winnebagoind.com/resources/service/pdfs/2016-05 Sealants Call-Out Sheets.pdf

Bookmark this "sticky" for useful reference link:

https://www.winnieowners.com/forums...s-and-hwh-levelers-slides-diagrams-19250.html

And this one as well:

https://www.winnebago.com/owners/owner-tools/service

Thank you Bobc! I actually have these printed out and locked in under RV maintenance....part of my research before we bought this RV..... I m in the process of detailing in order to see first hand what needs work....lot of oxidation.....I may have the dealer do the sealing the first time....

Do you know if the roof is the same as the body (gel coat) and needs to be polished/waxed regularly?

Thank you so much for the guidance! I like to take care of my vehicles .......so they are worth something when I’m done....

 

[BCam]

Thank you Bobc! I actually have these printed out and locked in under RV maintenance....part of my research before we bought this RV..... I m in the process of detailing in order to see first hand what needs work....lot of oxidation.....I may have the dealer do the sealing the first time....

Do you know if the roof is the same as the body (gel coat) and needs to be polished/waxed regularly?

Thank you so much for the guidance! I like to take care of my vehicles .......so they are worth something when I’m done....

The roof can be polished and waxed but it's not necessary to do it too often.

Don't be so sure that the dealer is going to do a better job sealing things than you would. Often they just glop more sealant on old with little or no prep.

There are a ton of threads on sealing the roof, especially the edge where the bottom of the curved part is inserted into the metal channel.

Check out some of AZ Expert's videos on YouTube.

Here's one to get you started:

 

[Lette-WO]

Thanks again Bobc! I’ll add to my fall list. Great video. Day 6 on the Hood bracket remount...all looks great!. Added 16mm cable connections to each mount so they will dangle if the Co off....great ideas from those who have winne experience......

Back to detailing....front and back look awesome....what a difference.....

 

[Lette-WO]

Folks, another question; while detailing the Winnie I cleaned the rims and check the tire pressure all around. I found 85 psi up front and 65 psi in the twin rears? The tag on the vehicle states that both fronts/rear should be at 82 PSI. Now I would not say the vehicle rides like a car but should I leave this alone or adjust to spec? Tires are factory and rated at 110psi. Temp was taken in current normal New England weather.... Not directly in the sun.....

 

[Morich]

Folks, another question; while detailing the Winnie I cleaned the rims and check the tire pressure all around. I found 85 psi up front and 65 psi in the twin rears? The tag on the vehicle states that both fronts/rear should be at 82 PSI. Now I would not say the vehicle rides like a car but should I leave this alone or adjust to spec? Tires are factory and rated at 110psi. Temp was taken in current normal New England weather.... Not directly in the sun.....

On the tire pressure question, I got a real shock when I first got a temperature and pressure monitor on the RV! Temp and pressure vary so much and so quickly for so many different reasons that it forced me to back down a bit on worry about getting an exact correct pressure!
And you've pointed out that you already know several parts of that story. Just setting in the yard, the back tires get different pressure from the front and then it changes as the sun shines on different sides. The temp/pressure is different after driving 5-10 miles and varies with different wheel location like near the exhaust!
So I now go with less worry but watch as I drive to see all are staying at a somewhat steady pressure and let the alarm tell me if it goes too far in any direction! If it's going to be different every hour I drive, I see little reason to hassle getting it set exactly right before I drive!
For instance a country road with a slope at the edge to drain water does put more load and pressure on the inside dual than the outside, so who knows which style road you will be on an hour from now? Hit a middle area and stay there is as good as I see.

 

[BCam]

There are a lot of threads about optimizing your tire pressures for the actual weight of your rig but inflating to the placard PSIs is always OK. The door placard PSIs will always be less than the max PSIs embossed on your tires. All this assumes that your tires are the specified size and weight range. The embossed max PSIs are also OK but will probably result in a rougher ride. If your rig rides like a car at the placard PSIs, you've found a sweet spot and there's no need to do anything differently. However, weighing your rig is still a good idea to ensure you aren't overloaded (see link near the end of this post).

All the above PSIs are "cold" PSIs, meaning that they should be taken after the tires have cooled down, preferably in the morning before driving. The placard and embossed PSIs have wide, built-in safety margins for variances in ambient temperatures and tire heating from driving, so no need to adjust your based on temperature measurements.

You should consider investing in a tire pressure management system (TPMS) which will alert you to any potentially dangerous tire pressure or temperature issues. Again, there are many threads on this topic. Personally I have the EEZ TPMS:

https://www.amazon.com/EEZTire-TPMS...ms&qid=1595425051&sr=8-3&tag=googhydr-20&th=1

This one has ten sensors, six for your MH and four for your toad.

Here's a link to all you need to know and more:

https://www.rvtiresafety.net/2011/03/introduction-to-this-blog-and-roger.html

The author, Roger Marble, a retired tire engineer, is a Winnieowner under the name Tireman9.

This site also has a good overview on RV tires, weighing, pressures, etc.

https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/weighing-your-rv.aspx

 

[Lette-WO]

Week 4 with our 2016 Vista and few issues during camping were quickly resolved.

I'm now installing a hardware Southwire 35530 EMS into the electrical and wondered if I need to bypass the EMS? Why, because the Winnebago requires I plug back into the 30amp socket when not plugged into shore power to complete the circuit. This may be more related to Southwire for answer but maybe someone on the board has already installed?