Flying microwave!

[getgoin]

Hi All,
We did our second journey in 'Wanda the wandering Winnebago'this past weekend. All was fine, enjoyed nature had fun with the DW and the fuzzy kids. Nothing could go wrong.....that is until that right turn, near home, into the gas station....CRASH! The microwave jumped to its death....yes, it hit the floor, the door was separated. Well we filled up for the next 'adventure'. And headed home. Upon my doing an 'autopsy' I find the self tapping screws had no purpose whatsoever, they were too short to reach the metal brackets and self tappers DO NOT hold in wood. Also the right under the sink door has a dent so deep that the inside is cracked. This is a 2016 26HE.....my retirement gift! I have found so many stripped self tappers due to rapid, agressive installation. We enjoy the rig very much but it seems I am always fixing something. Oh, I do know my hardware and proper construction methods....40+ years as a prototype, maintenance and repair machinist, (never production) built the house we live in. A bit disappointed.... maybe I should head to IA and teach?

Mike
Mikestatland@gmail.com

Edit...I apoligize moderator...big fingers + touch screen first post sent to 'vintage restore' oops

[getgoin]

Only 4 screws hold, held, the microwave in. The fact that bracketing is held by numerous screws directly to frame members in not relevant.....weakest link is what we are speaking of here.

Now Winnebago wants us to go to the warranty shop.....sure I want to let them have it for months, we are well aware of this nonsense, while the warranty evaporates. Not me! Replace the damaged parts and I will fix it in a way FAR SUPERIOR to your poor 'craftsmanship'.

WINNEBAGO,READ THIS AND KNOW YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO LEARN FROM MISTAKES RATHER THAN IGNORE CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS....ALSO, SEND A REPLACEMENT MICROWAVE AND DAMAGED DOOR....AFTER ALL IT IS YOUR LACKING THAT LED TO THIS.

MIKESTATLAND@GMAIL.COM

[J-Rooster]

Let us know what Winnebago has to say about this.

[msmith1199]

My RV is 12 years old now and luckily held together well for those years. But it's getting to the point where it's needing repairs and I'm doing them myself and I'm just amazed at how sloppy the original work was and how easy it would be for the manufacturers to have added a few little things to make things so much better. Self tapping screws are fine for putting up the paneling and other light stuff, but not for holding down appliances or in my case holding down the roof. The front end of my one piece fiberglass roof is now attached with long screws into sections of hardwood that I added, as opposed to the 1 inch self tapping screws they used that just went into the underlayment.

[Effy]

I'd be pretty PO'd at Winnie. That could have been deadly. I am not joking. If that were to fall on someone or your dogs it could have killed them. I have seen some poor quality but that's really bad. I hope you get it fixed and worked out to your satisfaction. Again with the lack of QC. Not discriminate to any brand.

[Hikerdogs]

Since you mentioned the model being a 26HE I'm guessing you have a Vista. I'm surprised the microwave was able to commit suicide unless it's mounted totally differently than the one in our 2013 Adventurer.

Our adventurer has a standard mounting plate affixed to the wall. 2 long screws pass through the microwave housing from the bottom at a 45* angle and anchor in the wall plate. There's also a bracket the width of the microwave screwed to the top about midway front to rear. This bracket has a vertical flange which is also screwed a structural member above the microwave. In total there are at least 6 screws holding the back plate to the wall and another 6 holding the bracket to the structural member above the microwave.

The screws holding the back plate to the wall are 3/4" long self tapping sheet metal screws. They are anchored to rectangular aluminum structural elements in the wall. The screws holding the top bracket in place are pan head wood screws anchored in the cabinet structure.

[Rwake901]

I hope you took it back to the dealer for warranty repair on that! Good Lord!

[Kayteg1]

Don't expect much of quality in RV assembly unless you wrote 7-digits check for it.
With your experience you will fix all weak points in next year or 2.
Also pay attention to holes that allow wind to go inside via plumbing and electrical holes.

[Harvard]

Did you know that "Wanda the Wandering Winnebago" may require some +caster. Too little +caster can result in "loose steering" (and wandering) at highway speeds. FYI