2010 Winnebago 40L. . .from Hell !

[jetartessales]

We just purchased a new (off showroom) 2010 Winnebago 40L from RV World in Nokomis, Florida. This purchase transferred to us on July 22, 2011.

Our shake down (understatement) trip of 3000 miles was a shocker. We turned the coach into RV. World service department with a total of 46 serious complaints. The pride of ownership fell from its graces almost at the snap of a finger. Here is the short list which includes the most serious.
1. Jacks will not work on manual. . .In "auto" the system raises the rear to the point of rear "4" being off the ground, then struggles to level front. . .without success. When raising jacks, the rear hang up until they cannot support the weight further, then "BANG" and the coach drops to the ground. In manual mode, the rear drop until they touch the ground then stop. Pushing front or left, only serves to run the pump
2. Both forward slides failed, the left during extension and the right during retraction.
3. Placing the AC blower on High, closes all the roof vents throughout!
4. MCD shades 3 failed . . .MCD says it is Winnebago install issue
5. We were locked inside our coach twice. Handing the keys through the window to a person outside to manually unlock the entry door freed us.
6. Every inch of the shoe molding at the base of the walls throughout came loose and worked away from the wall.
7. Foot rests (both) on Winnebago's mfg. pride and joy electric sofa BROKE and could not be used.
8. Shower surround (one piece shower enclosure) came loose from the coach bathroom walls and "oil cans" when you step into the shower. Shower floor is supported by a block of foam. . .you guessed it, the foam began colapsing as use progressed

A call to my dealer while enroute brought a call from "Steve" who is Winne's eastern Service manager. I offered to bring the coach to the factory at my expense. . .he said NO, due to the backlog of factory appointments thru the end of September. Steve set up a "bandaid" appointment with Tom Schaeffer's RV in Hamburg, PA. A call to the President remains unanswered.

I can go on and on with many other failures. I sit now, "coachless" while my dealer works through the list of problems.

Advice anyone ?

Thanks,
Eric & Anita Clapp
North Port, Florida

BTW, we just sold our 08 Fleetwood Discovery 40X which gave us 30K of virtually trouble free use. Our error !

[workhardplayha1]

Good to hear Eric.

[Jim]

Thanks for the follow up...

[jetartessales]

I sit here in front of my trusted HP pc as I write. It has been many months since I posted any follow up regarding our "coach from Hell venture."

We just picked up our Journey from LaMesa RV (assigned dealer) who after many weeks of research, conversation with W'bago, Power Gear etc; we may have reached the top of our Mt Everest Journey with our 2010 Journey 40L.
Too many conversations to post. . .too many "Let's try this to post. . .too many months without our motor home leaves us with what we believe to be "all problems solved." Lies from the previous servicing two dealers left our "patience bucket empty." However, the refreshing approach of Gary Herzog, Cheryl Polly and the techs at LaMesa RV has us smiling. The jack issues were ongoing due to a faulty Power Gear system computer, a leafy substance wrapped around the hydraulic float inside the reservoir and the need for the addition of a strap/support bracing the LR to RR Jacks. THEY WORK ! ! ! NO JACKS DOWN ALARMS! ! !
Slide issues were traced to improper programming/resetting of the system by a tech from a previous dealer. Go Figure. Now the slides work well with no fault codes and flashing red lights. And. . .they taught me which panel to remove and which button to press, hold for 5 seconds should we encounter the problems again !

Readers, I could go on and on however, I am left with this to say. Winnebago's Eric (in service), Dean (in Technical) never lost patience with us. They build a fine product. The glaring weakness is the dealer service or lack of. Tech's who lack in the knowledge and experience to service these RV's will bite you in the A$$ each and every time. LaMesa RV in Ft. Myers, Florida made the difference.
If they don't know, they get the answer. My patience to let them work through each issue was invaluable.

We leave the 3rd of July for a month long trip taking us from Florida to Kentucky then up to Canada.

Report to follow. . . .

Eric & Anita Clapp

[RFCN2]

ButchPhi - great comment. When I went to pick up my used Country Coach from the consignment dealer three years ago I spent the night in it and tested every system and read the very large manuals before taking delivery. The next morning I had my list and handed it to them. I told them to call me when everything was fixed and I would fly back and get it.

Did that solve all the issues. No. The PO was a liar and a cheat. He did what he absolutely had to do and patched the rest. But at least it was $2,000 better than when I first went to see it.

You are also right that unless you are a bit mechanical maybe complex motor home ownership is not for you.

[BUTCHPHI]

I've read this post from start to finish and was not going to comment, but after reading this and many others like it I can't resist. Going back to the original post (the very first list) two things jump out. First is that the jacks don't work properly. From what I read they must not have ever worked properly from day one and I would make the same comment about the slides. At the very least those two systems must have / should have been run through their paces at least a few times before the sale. If that is true why on earth did you ever take delivery of this piece of junk? As I read this thread and ones like it I have the same observations. I am not saying you ( and others in a similar situation) don't have a lemon but what responsibility do you (and others like you in a similar situation) have for buying it. Now if you bought a new rig and everything was in fine shape (after being thouroughly tested by you) and then things start going bad after delivery (although I have never seen that situation, but I'm sure it has happened on occasion) then I have sympathy. This post is probably not welcome but I believe people need to take some responsibilty for their bad decisions and just get on with getting it corrected or get rid of it and take it as a lesson learned. I also believe that there are some people who should not own a complex piece of equipment such as a motorhome.

[RayChez]

Most of these things can be adjusted with minimal mechanical knowledge. If you crawl under the coach and look at your levelers you will see that there is a switch that will tell you when the leveler is up. Since the coach is new it might be that the switch is not adjusted properly.

I agree that these adjustments should all be taken care off before they leave the plant, but they are not always. These modern houses on wheels just have too many things that can go wrong or need adjustments.

There are many RVers that have no knowledge on how thing work. You have to be a lucky person to get the perfect coach. I guess I can say I am one of those lucky persons with minimal problems. Most of the problems I have been able to take care off.

All I can say is welcome to RVing and hope that your problems eventually will be taken care off.

[dan23]

Best of luck to you and I see your view perfectly. Or I would with your background. 😉

[jetartessales]

Dan:

A more perfectly written post will not be found. I agree whole heartedly with each point you make. However, I am in the manufacturing business of turbine engines. If I treated my customers with the approach that Winnebago has toward me, I would most likely be out of business.
I am a systems person, commercially rated pilot with over 5000 hours of flight time in many types of aircraft. I mention this as I have to know systems. . .if not, I could be in serious trouble if a major porblem occurs. My major issue is the lack of quality control, poorly written manuals as well as tech's who have their qualifications posted on the RV servicecenter wall who do not know squat about my coach. Should I not rightfully expect a new coach to be QC'd properly, punch list items fixed and re tested prior to being ok'd before it leaves the factory? BTW, this is our third coach. The two previous units were for the most part a pleasure to own, drive and show off. This is our first Winne. . .

Our third trip begins tomorrow. The Jack warning systme sounded twice during the 5.7 mile trip from the storage center to my home. Why should I have to accept "we do not know what is wrong with it" from the servicing dealer. . .and the manufacturer telling me to see the service center for resolve? BTW, ever try to contact PowerGear ?

Enough said, my polished and detailed motor home awaits me. . .I leave North Port tomorrow with crossed fingers.

Eric & Anita Clapp
North Port, Florida

[dan23]

The more complicated a motor home is, the smarter the owner has to be to own it successfully. That's why I own a 30 foot home that I level with pieces of oak plank.

I talked to a guy yesterday with a three year old, 40 or so foot Tiffin who said he could not walk three feet in any direction around his unit without being next to something that had gone wrong... over 100 things he estimated. I don't think he's ever ranted on the internet about any of them, though. He simply deals with them by figuring out how the system involved works and either fixing it himself or at least being able to zero in on the problem to the RV tech.

I've read lots of stories on the internet of products gone wrong from motorcycles to trucks to cars to motor homes and all the stories seem to share a common element that I cannot quite put my finger on to express in a polite way. But in talking to the above Tiffin owner and other RVers we all agree that most of the stories share that common element. Some people may not be suited to RV ownership or would be much happier owning less complicated units.

That said, the RV industry does at times seem to over-promise and under-deliver. I hope you are able to resolve your issues with your home on wheels. Keep in mind that as RV owners we probably have selected one of the most complicated products on the market-- a house with all the same things our stationary homes have to live off the grid, and also the ability to live independent of the grid... all of which we demand to carry us down the deteriorated US highway system, over mountains... and do so at a competitive price!! It is little wonder we encounter problems.

We expect to hand over a check and drive merrily off into the sunset. That is seldom the case.

[RFCN2]

My father passed on a very good piece of advice to me, "never sell a good running vehicle."

[bowlturner]

I would go to the WIN factory and drive THRU whoops, brakes don't work either !!!!

[Jeannemarie]

We bought a 2010 Journey. In six major trips out, we have never had a trouble free vacation. Jacks, slides, engine sensors, you name it, we've been stranded at a campground while we had to pay a mobile tech to come in and fix 'Jinxie' as she is now known. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we were getting ready to go out west in two weeks, and my son noticed the sides popping away from the roof. Winnebago got a 'brittle' batch of screws. Only good news is, our dealer is one of the best in the country.

[2inAlabama]

I like the idea of painting a big lemon on the side and parking it near a big Winnie dealer. Itemize all of the major unanswered issues on the side. I think you might get Winnie's attention.

[Maddawgs]

Hi jetartessales,
Sorry to hear of your troubles.I have read your saga from the beginning and it is truly a tragic story. You have gone thru a lot and still your RV has problems. It seems to me that you wound up with an RV with a bad case of "lot rot" (could have been on the lot for a year and a half by the time you bought it) that was also rushed out of the factory on a Friday afternoon. I know at this point this is of no use but after the first trip with all of the problems you found I would have brought it back to the selling dealer and given them just 3 choices 1) Fix it to your satisfaction and don't take it back or pay for it until it is (call the bank and explain what is going on), 2) Replace it, or 3) Give you your money back. IF it was truly a new never sold unit then all of these scenarios apply, if it was used then you can ask but it probably will do no good.
Last year my daughter bought a new car. When driving on the highway it shut off. She had it towed back to the dealer, the said they fixed it and 2 weeks later it did it again. She had it towed back to the dealer and gave them the 3 conditions. They could not repeat the problem and did not want to give her the money back. After a call to an attorney and the corporate office of the manufacturer her car was replaceed.
Again, I know this is of no help to you now and I think what is happening with you and your RV is terrible. I hope it all works out for you. I learned a long time ago that time is not your friend, the longer you wait the less chance you have of an acceptable resolution. Be persistent to the point of being a pain in the butt (call every day if you have to), and if needed call an atorney.
Todd