List of repairs from day one for my Class C

Expyinflight wrote:
I guess we are the exception...

fantastic, and very encouraging.

I guess we are the exception to the rule here. Our 2017 Winnebago Spirit 25b has been very trouble free, so far. The fit and finish is remarkably good. Not one thing has broken, or fallen off. Everything has worked and performed as expected, from day one....appliances, furnace, air conditioner, TVs, generator, etc.
The beds are very comfortable. The bathroom functions well...love the glass shower door. The kitchen is small, but it works for us.

Have not returned to the dealer since the day we took delivery.
Just a couple of small items that needed attention.
Both sides of the kitchen sink leaked. I removed both drain baskets, applied new plumbers putty....problem solved. Had a small leak at a water pump connection....easily remedied. That's IT.

We have just returned from a 3,200 mile trip from Arizona to Illinois, and back. Not one problem the entire trip. Everything worked perfectly, and as designed. We had everything from 95 degree days to one 32 degree morning...no problem. The coach was comfortably cooled or heated, when needed. The dual pane windows help a great deal. Drove through some good rain one afternoon. Not a leak to be found anywhere.

The Ford E450 chassis drives beautifully. Shortly after purchase, I did have an alignment after it was loaded as it would be used for travel. Even in some pretty strong wind...no steering problems. We think it also really rides incredibly smooth, and quiet. (I did add an extra layer of insulation to the doghouse) The V10 is awesome...with tons of power. No problem passing the trucks on long hills on I40, or keeping up with traffic anywhere. It was a very relaxed drive the entire trip. Averaged 8.8 miles per gallon, and I have a heavy foot. Probably could have done better, but we had time constraints, and I pushed it pretty hard. Didn't buy it to worry about mpg.

We washed and cleaned everything inside and out today, to be ready for the next adventure. Even washed the fiberglass roof....which also looks perfect, and the caulking looks nice and thick everywhere. Looks like they did a good job at the factory.

The odometer currently reads just over 6,000 miles. We couldn't be happier.
I'm thinking ours must have been built on a 'good day' at the factory....and that maybe we made the right decision when we bought this one.

It shows that the dealer service reputation is almost important as the price.
Don

Bordercollie wrote:
I have advised beginners to consider buying a 2-3 year old rig where the original owner took the big depreciation hit and went through the factory defect warranty hassles. Of course you need to be careful making sure everything works and getting parts and labor estimates for any fixes/upgrades needed.

Forget beginners, I can honestly say I would not recommend to anyone to buy new..... and that is sad.

I know many people that have bought new and all have had issues. Brother and sister in law bought a new unit (and sounds like it was expensive) and have had nothing but problems. The dealer has been very little help, manufacturer is no help and the repairs that have been done under warranty have been poorly done.

My last unit I bought for what I thought was a good price and kept a repair fund of enough to allow me to fix problems, still not a guarantee but like I told my wife better than spending six times that amount on a new unit and still having to fix it.

I have advised beginners to consider buying a 2-3 year old rig where the original owner took the big depreciation hit and went through the factory defect warranty hassles. Of course you need to be careful making sure everything works and getting parts and labor estimates for any fixes/upgrades needed.

I had my share of problems with a new RV and tried to get the dealer to repair them but after the first experience decided to handle the rest myself. The first problems were the mud guards infront of the rear tires were missing screws and when driving would be pushed into the tire. It ground both of them to dust and filled the genny compartment with black plastic. That repair took 3 visits to fix. The drawer latches broke and would not let the drawer close, the bathroom door will not stay shut when moving and any clothing on hangers will push the closet doors open. The trim under the cab over just in front of the wind-shield came loose on one end, there was no caulk around the kitchen fan vent which let water pour in when raining, the gas tube was crooked which prevented refuelling at anything over a trickle, the tether for the water tank cap was broken (in case you think thats a little thing you cant buy just the tether you have to replace the whole fill assembly), the porch light cover blew off on the drive home and it took 4 mos to get a replacement. They are mostly minor issues and except for the trim issue which I was told would require the cab over floor be removed because its fastened from the inside were easy fixes that should never have happened. I glued the trim back in place with 3M 5200 which is much stronger than their screws.

Desert Captain wrote:

Ford put a twist in the fuel fill hose when they built the chassis. Nexus pulled it, reinstalled properly and even ran 5 gallons of gas through it to be sure they had solved the problem. When I asked for the bill I was told "No charge, we should have caught it when we built the coach". Now considering I bought used, not from them and that the coach was 18 months out of warranty I was more than a little amazed.

that is really something to brag about - good on Nexus! so rare to find such pride in one's work these days.

Kinda getting the itch for another MH only this time with a walk around or at least half walk around bed.

Have been to a few RV places even the local CW and looked at a few.
It amazes me how thrashed a 2 - 3 year old MH can get.
These people buy these overpriced heaps for big bucks, trash them then ??? I don't know loose them or just don't care trade it in and get another one to trash? Have more money then brains???

Not sure how many of these RV dealers get MHs from auctions ? But I'm willing to bet a cold one its a large part of their inventories !

Every single used one we looked at , just doing a quick walk around and walk through I could make Snowman's list look like about a 3 beer afternoon.

I guess the RV outfits figure let the buyer find out what's wrong with it and needs fixed then they will negotiate up the price from there and gambling people miss a lot of stuff ! Kinda like how the ol used car lots do...

I've only bought two MH's both used and several years old.
Right off the bat I cleaned them from top to bottom found out real quick what needed repaired ,adjusted or replaced. Then replaced tires, shocks, full service all fluids, filters,belt and hoses.
Then did a full strip wash (heavy on the Dawn Soap) , buff and polish then wax job.
First one was 12 years old drove it to Washington DC and back Not one bit of problems. Sold it made $4,500.
Bought the second one,it was 9 years old, did the same to it as the first one.
We drove to Florida and back , once again Not one bit of problems with it.

Like Steve ( Desert Captain ) said normal maintenance loose screws here and there is all I have really ever had to deal with..

Snowman9000 wrote:
Bordercollie, that's a good summary. Yes, the system is broken. As my wife keeps saying, imagine if I was not handy with these things. Most of the repairs were just work, not parts. When I weighed the hassle of taking it back again or doing it myself, properly, I felt better about doing it myself.

I don't know if this is an argument for buying used. Well, if the first owner is conscientious, then yes, it probably is. The second owner gets the benefit of all the bugs being fixed. But what if the first owner just lives with all the flaws, and they get worse, etc.?

I came down on the side of buy it new but cheap, expect to fix things, have a good rig in the end. I think that's how it worked out.

I understand your dilemma,especially if the dealer is farther away, BUT, by fixing it yourself, you've just relieved them of any responsibility to fix it, now or later.
Perhaps a letter to the MFG & the Better Business Bureau might be a better idea.

Snowman, that is quite a list. When we did the show and tell of our two rigs a couple of years ago I don't think most of theses problems had surfaced. We both use our coaches more than most but so far our nexus 23P has been nearly trouble free. For the record I have made the following repairs over the last 3 years and 32,000+ miles:



Had a constant problem fueling. The hose would keep burping off. Sometimes it would take 20 minutes to add 25 gallons, a serious PITA. When we stopped at Nexus in Elkhart I put them on the clock and told them to fix it, not particularly caring what it would cost. Suspected a kinked vent hose but noooo.

Ford put a twist in the fuel fill hose when they built the chassis. Nexus pulled it, reinstalled properly and even ran 5 gallons of gas through it to be sure they had solved the problem. When I asked for the bill I was told "No charge, we should have caught it when we built the coach". Now considering I bought used, not from them and that the coach was 18 months out of warranty I was more than a little amazed.

Also hired them to install a custom spare tire mount under the rear of the coach and add an additional seat belt to the dinette. Their labor rate was $75 an hour and we stayed a couple of nights with hook ups for free at their factory. Great customer service!

Replaced the screws that were used to secure the cabover to the cab. Why they used screws instead of bolts and lock nuts I will never understand. :h
Over time, miles and having hit most of the pot holes between Tucson and Maine they loosened up and we were getting movement between the cab and cabover. I replaced them with 10/32" X 2" machine screws, flat washers and lock nuts. A bit of PITA but the connection is now rock solid with zero, zip, nada, none whatsoever movement, squeak or rattle.

Replaced the original toilet after 4.5 years.

The ignighter on the 3 burner stove/oven died, and frankly Scarlet.... bought a long necked lighter for $2.

Have tightened a number of screws and draw slides, seems to be an annual maintenance item.

The stainless extension that {cosmetically only}, covers the engine exhaust sheared off the screw that secured it to the exhaust pipe. Drilled two new holes and used machine screws and lock nuts to re secure.

The vertical rod on the leading edge of the shower curtain pulled loose. Drilled and secured it with {you guessed it}, another machine screw and lock nut.

Almost forgot, I had to replace the vent lid/cover over the bathroom and the vent at the front of the coach. After 4.5 years in the Arizona sun they cracked but were easy to replace.

As Porky Pig used to say.... "That's all folks!"

Will you folks be headed back to Arizona again this winter? If so hope we can get together for a couple more campfires, beverages and a few tall tales from the road. Keep us posted on your travels.

Steve, Jeanne but sadly no more Millie as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge last March.