Any Winnebago factory workers lurking?

[cameronpatentla]

I just had an interesting dialogue with one of my blog followers (era70x.com) concerning their recently ordered 2016 Winnebago ERA 70X. You can read it in the comments at:

http://era70x.com/2015/07/28/warranty-work-all-done-almost-maybe/

So, based on this non-scientific sample, I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that Winnebago needs to seriously improve its Quality Control processes. Are there any Winnebago factory lurkers on these forums who can anonymously enlighten us on what is going on in the Forest City factory such that the Winnebago units appear to have minimal or no QC?

What is the attitude of the Winnebago factory workers? Do they care about their work product? Does Winnebago management realize that there is a problem here? Do they care?

I am not looking for the marketing speak from corporate ("we strive to provide the highest quality, blah blah, blah...) Just the straight scoop on why these expensive coaches seem to have so many issues. I am not looking to bash a company just for the sport of it--I would really like to see Winnebago create a high quality, zero defect product (Winnebago as the Toyota of the RV industry).

Cheers, Mike
era70x.com

[cameronpatentla]

I also agree with the Toyota analogy--and price does not necessarily correlate to quality. A 2015 Toyota Corolla costs $15,000 and a 2015 Dodge Dart costs $16,000. Guess which one will still be running at 125,000 miles?

[cameronpatentla]

Thanks for the insight. I guess one of the more famous (infamous?) dissatisfied Winnebago customers was winnebagoera.com. I read his horror story with his ERA (on the Dodge Sprinter chassis) and still bought our 2016 ERA 70X. David, who posted above yours, mentions that Winnebago workers are the best workers in America. Maybe so, but perhaps the Winnebago systems are not what they should be. There appears to be little concern with the fit and finish of the Winnebago products. Seems to me that an automated saw could cut out most of the wood and trim pieces, but if you look at a new Winnebago, they seem to be each cut separately by someone who is not skilled with power tools (ragged edges, misaligned joints, etc.) Don't get me wrong, we are fond of our new RV. But Winnebago needs to put more focus on quality. I'm tired of the excuse "you get what you paid for". I hear that a lot when commenters are replying to posts by consumers of other RVs, MH, TT, etc. As RV consumers, I'm not sure why we seem resigned to the status quo of mediocre build quality. I am lucky in that McClain's has done right by me with my warranty issues. Anyway, complaining sure makes for good forum content.

[avanti]

401nailhead wrote:
Yes, no offense to anyone, but I wouldn't use Toyota as an example in 2015. I'm not bashing Toyota either, but just speaking about realistic expectations. Toyota had a reputation at one time for that type of top-of-the-line workmanship, but that was partially a backlash against mediocre U.S. products at that time (and needing an automotive hero). I never really ever saw it to the degree people talked about it (envisioned it). And further at that time, if you kept the Toyota long enough, the bubble burst a little later on,as on average people were not so pleased at all about the paint and rust out (usually still pleased about most of the mechanical though).

No offense back at you. But, have you ever actually owned a Toyota? I have owned quite a few of them (and many other marques as well). I can honestly say that the Toyota experience is in a whole higher league than any other brand I have ever owned. My 2005 Sienna with almost 140,000 miles absolutely refuses to give me an excuse to replace it. Last month, I needed to replace a small section of exhaust pipe. This was literally the first dollars (beyond routine maintenance) I have EVER spent on this vehicle. This is typical of every Toyota-built vehicle I have ever owned. Unless my next car turns out to be a Tesla, I'm not sure I will even bother to shop beyond Toyota models. I sure wish they would start selling their Sprinter-equivalent in the US. Now, THAT would be a B-van!

Back to RVs: I have a lot of respect for Winnebago as the "value" brand. Obviously not top of the line, and, yes, you are giving things up for the sake of price-point. But, IMO, they are the most cost-effective of all the major brands. For someone on a budget, I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

[401nailhead]

Yes, no offense to anyone, but I wouldn't use Toyota as an example in 2015. I'm not bashing Toyota either, but just speaking about realistic expectations. Toyota had a reputation at one time for that type of top-of-the-line workmanship, but that was partially a backlash against mediocre U.S. products at that time (and needing an automotive hero). I never really ever saw it to the degree people talked about it (envisioned it). And further at that time, if you kept the Toyota long enough, the bubble burst a little later on,as on average people were not so pleased at all about the paint and rust out (usually still pleased about most of the mechanical though). I'd be more than happy to wish Winnebago as the Dodge of the RV trade (low price for the every-man, great warranties, hungry dealers, and very decent customer satisfaction). But that is just little Dodge-fanboy old me, in the minority once again.

So anyway, back to RVs, I don't know enough about the specific issues and certainly the paint problem on a brand new example sounds significant. I am very interested to read on, as this thread becomes fuller. We'll see where the posts and conversations go, but once in a while stuff does happen on vehicles and orders. A delayed special order delivery date is not all that unusual for autos. I'm not meaning to take away anything from the very valid customer complaint that is described, but give it a little time to be discussed to see what the full picture. I'm guessing the article is alluding to past issues as well? I am interested to read more, since I would have a future eye on the Travato.

[Davydd]

Winnebago creates a Class B RV that beats everyone in price. There may be a reason for that and you get what you pay for. That's the trade off. As for the workers, Forest City is probably located in ground zero for the best American factory workers. I suspect they care very much. They are better educated than most all states and grew up in a positive and ethical work environment.

[Bumpyroad]

toyota just extended warranty coverage on a small defect on my Highlander.
bumpy