What has happened to Winnebago Quality?

[Jim_Stehn]

I am a dedicated and loyal Winnebago motor home owner. I purchased my third new Adventurer several months ago. My first a 2000 35U, my second a 2005 38R, and my latest a 2015 38Q. I purchase Winnebago products because of the superior workmanship, design, and engineering. But I am very disappointed in my 2015 38Q. It does not measure up to the high standards I have come to expect from Winnebago. In terms of workmanship, cabinet doors are warped and misaligned, latches improperly installed, switches miss wired, screws in the bathroom light fixture not seated & heads stripped, window casing damaged, the main door holder was not installed, and in one bathroom, the gas heat duct was not even connected. . Where was Quality in all this? And most distressing of all, in nearly every case, the installer knew the job was not done right and let it go. In terms of design and engineering, the thermostat remote temperature sensors are located above the gas heat floor vents, ignoring the most basic principle of HVAC design. In one bathroom, the light switches are mounted above the fan and pump switches. In the opposing bathroom, the light switches are mounted below the fan and pump switches. How unnecessarily confusing is that? The Ideal Rest bed is a poor substitute for the Sleep Number bed in terms of ease of use. The controls are hard to use and the corded control is an unnecessary nuisance. The galley faucet runs slow and I called Customer Relations to inquire about it. Not only did Winnebago not know the specification for flowrate but gave me the name of the manufacture which turned out to be the supplier not the manufacturer and a part number that no one recognized. A major disappointment in your Configuration Management system which I have so often lauded. This whole experience has severely eroded my loyalty.

[richard_123]

Winnebago has no quality assurance in there motor-homes. Bought 2009 adventure, new, junk. Only thing operating well is the Ford components. I have resolved with myself, following much discussion, and dealer service time; that they are not capable of satisfactorily correcting the concerns. I have taken upon myself that we are going to have to live with it. Learn how to fix what can and live with the rest. Wish there was a way out-----------paid for, no real valve on trade-in, or selling. It's more than a lemon. the only mistake was I bought it based on Winnebago past history--------stuck.

[Hank_MI]

egh33 wrote:
Yes, I too feel Winnebago sure has lost the quality along the way. My first coach was a 1995 Itasca Suncruiser no slides. Bought it used in 1997. It was a great MH, no rattles, very little money did I put into it. No major problems the entire time I Had it. Traded it for a brand new Winnebago in 2006. This coach has given us all types of trouble, Spark plug wires kept burning off, slides quit working, leak up on right hand corner, dash air needed repair, basement air just got repaired, had to repair shower leak, refrigerator had to be repaired, repaired drawer guide, Onan generator needs repaired. That's all I can think of right now. But only twice have we been on a trip that some thing didn't go wrong.

Not saying the quality is not what it use to be. But, many of the issues you mention are somewhat out of Winnebago's control. Spark plug wires, refrigerator, AC, generator. These all come from suppliers and often there is only one or two suppliers to choose from. Want a frig, Norcold or Dometic. Want a water heater, Atwood or Suburban. Want a chaiis, now the only option is Ford.

[ferndaleflyer]

I have a 97 Winnebago Luxor that was their high end model that year. This thing quality wise is 100% better than the new ones.....I wouldn't trade it for many new ones out today especially the entry level ones that sell really cheap. You know the ones I mean.

[tsetsaf]

Spoke to a Winnebago rep at Tampa RV Show... he did not even know what parts made up the unit!

[kjburns]

I went from a 2011 Winnebago Tour with few issues to a 2015 HR Vacationer that was a disaster. Like wine, I think there are certain vintages when things are good.

The QC disaster seems to be a product of the recovery from the recession. My 2011 Tour was built during the recession when people were working to keep their jobs. My 2015 HR was built after the recession when they were rushing junk out the door. I dumped it for a 2006 Tiffin...that actually works. It's refreshing. I need to replace the fan in the bathroom, but that's it.

[RayChez]

Well, you can get a bad coach on any brand. I have seen bad coaches on just about every brand including the highly publicized Country Coach. This is a coach company that gets a lot of good reviews, but I have seen some with the fiberglass micro cracks on several and even fibers sticking out of the outside walls. Seen a Newmar Dutch star that my friend bought that was a piece of junk, yet I have seen others that have come out pretty good. So my point is tell you Winnie owners that there are some bad coaches out there, but I have met many happy owners of Winnebago motorhomes.

[timmac]

RLS7201 wrote:
This whole thread only reinforces why I keep polishing my 95 Bounder.

Richard

Yes I agree with the Bounders before Fleetwood went bankrupt, I have a 08 Bounder pre bankrupt Fleetwood and its been great, yes a few thing here and there but nothing that needed to go to the dealer about..

Oh and mine has the full body paint, much easier to polish 😛

[dougrainer]

jerseyjim wrote:
So glad I'm using an KEEPING my 2001 Dolphin...by NationalRV. NationalRV was one of the first to "go down" due to the economy 10 years ago.
Someone said (true or not) that the hi-quality companies were the first to leave.

When I bought mine (new) I was impressed by (my perception of quality) assembly, and apparently I was right. During the early warranty period, I found around 12 small problems that were promptly fixed by my dealer. Otherwise the only "problems" I've had (really maintenance) were on the F-53 chassis. (Tranny, brakes, tires). But that's to be expected. I will keep this unit until it disintegrates. 52,000 miles so far.

Keep it clean...polished and change the oil regularly. Basically, that's it. And...btw...at age 73, this one is "it" anyway.

While National was a great RV maker, they did not go down because of the economy. They went under prior to 2008. Their demise was the fault of the Filon wall supplier. The supplier made defective filon walls and National was spending millions of their own dollars repairing the sidewalls, hoping the Filon wall maker would reimburse them. The filon maker filed bankruptcy and National did not have the credit and cash to continue after fixing all the walls at their expense. So, they went under. Doug

[Rodz]

2gypsies wrote:

Effy wrote:

Until a few manufacturers come along with a viable product and are happier with good profits and a good product instead of "it's all about the money" and a cheap product, that won't change. As consumers we have very few choices in a manufacturer. And they all play the same numbers game with relatively the same build process using the same cheap components. We need new players in the game. But as long as consumer pay top dollar for crap, why on earth would they change? That would be idiotic from a financial perspective. Apparently negative news doesn't seem to curb consumer spending. So why should they change?

Newmar has been around a long time and builds quality units. They are highly recommended.

I will disagree with you. Last year I bought a 2015 Canyon Star. Something major fell apart nearly every time out. I've owned several mh's over the last 40 plus years and I've never seen poor workmanship like this. I just sold it back to the dealer for a big loss. After 7000 miles we just couldn't take it any longer.
1st time out the jacks wouldn't retract.
2nd time the furnace quit and the house batteries were down to 9 volts after 3hrs of running.
When I dumped the rear black tank for the first time, the gate valve was glued in the open position. When I removed the cap, the whole tank unloaded on everything, me included.
The right side tail light assembly fell out going down the road, pulled about 5' of harness out and whipped around beating the rear body panel gouging up the paint.
Stopped to get gas and the steps wouldn't come in. Drove home with them half way out.
When I questioned Newmar about the batteries only lasting 3hrs with nothing on but the furnace.........Get ready..........He said I bought a coach, not a motorhome, Coaches are made to be driven, not used for dry camping. Canyon Star is their top of the line gasser. I won't even get into all the little things that fell apart or was assembled wrong. On a scale of 1-10? I think you can figure out where I put Newmar.

[Gonzo42]

Speaking from a manufacturing engineer's point of view, I see very little of the attention to serviceability in mind. There are thousands of us out there who would prefer to work on our own vehicles, but access, special tools, lack of manuals, etc. make difficulties.

[the_silverback]

I have had 2 adventures over the past 11 years. I have zero dollars on repairs that were Winnebago's fault!!!!! $335 total on repairs.

[Goldencrazy]

My new Winnebago's have had a few issues and all were resolved by dealer and Winnebago. You sometimes have to drive them to know if there is a problem. Overall still good coaches.

[NorthOrSouth]

AstroRig57 wrote:
Having worked in the RV industry.........

When a unit was sold, I (or an employee) again went over it, this time with an eye for proper system operations, and wrote up another batch of work orders if necessary. This was all free and there was none of this charging a customer for the PDI or walk-thru as is the case with some dealers today.

I said it then, and I say it today, if you get a unit that functions properly, with few if any defects, thank your dealer and not the manufacturer. If you get a unit with issues, you can be ticked off at both.

This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for your input from the 'inside'.

But it does beg the question if as a consumer group, we're just a bit too 'nice' as consumers to put up with this kind of delivery system. It's not like these are "cheap" econocars. Some of you are paying 250k and much more for a rig. At that price, I'd be LIVID if I had to put up with more than a couple of very minor issues.

Reminds me of the early 90s when my father was testing a new model Mazda that had 300 miles on it. Oddly, it was priced higher than the 0 mile units in the showroom so we heckled the salesman a bit. His reply, with half a grin was "but this one is more because it's had all the bugs worked out of it". He might have had a point.

[jerseyjim]

So glad I'm using an KEEPING my 2001 Dolphin...by NationalRV. NationalRV was one of the first to "go down" due to the economy 10 years ago.
Someone said (true or not) that the hi-quality companies were the first to leave.

When I bought mine (new) I was impressed by (my perception of quality) assembly, and apparently I was right. During the early warranty period, I found around 12 small problems that were promptly fixed by my dealer. Otherwise the only "problems" I've had (really maintenance) were on the F-53 chassis. (Tranny, brakes, tires). But that's to be expected. I will keep this unit until it disintegrates. 52,000 miles so far.

Keep it clean...polished and change the oil regularly. Basically, that's it. And...btw...at age 73, this one is "it" anyway.

[AstroRig57]

Having worked in the RV industry in what I refer to as my "past life" (pre-law enforcement career), I actually find this thread laughable.

Quality control has always been an issue for ALL "mass market" RV manufacturers including Winnebago. The only way a customer takes delivery on an RV with few flaws, both big and little, is if the dealer is conscientious enough to have repaired the factory flaws prior to delivering the unit to the customer.

When I worked in the industry, as an RV technician, Service Writer and Manager, and salesperson when called upon to do it, one of my jobs was to inspect each and every unit when it was delivered from the factory. I went over each unit with fine toothed comb. In some cases we utilized a checklist/delivery form that was provided by the manufacturer. In others it was our own forms and checklists. I then wrote service orders for repairs to be made to those units, at the manufacturers expense, in most cases before they even hit our sales lot. When repairs were completed, I submitted the warranty claims to the manufacturers for reimbursement.

Some manufacturers were, and are, quick to pay and offer reasonable reimbursement (labor) rates. Others not so much. Back in the day Winnebago was one of the good ones as far as paying repair claims but I can't speak for them now. You, as customer, are far more likely to take delivery on a unit with few defects and issues when it comes from a manufacturer that pays the dealer a reasonable rate to effect repairs.

I have seen, and repaired, everything from the little things like misaligned cabinet hinges, latches, and screws, to leaking plumbing, to poorly sealed roof caps, to gaps where you could see roadway between the sidewall or rear cap and floor of the coach. Believe me, I've seen it all and when you get back behind the cosmetics of some of these units you're left shaking your head and wondering what kind of a neanderthal built them. All of that said, and from what I've seen at RV shows, Winnebago still does better than most because they use more consistent, repetitive, assembly line techniques than most others.

When a unit was sold, I (or an employee) again went over it, this time with an eye for proper system operations, and wrote up another batch of work orders if necessary. This was all free and there was none of this charging a customer for the PDI or walk-thru as is the case with some dealers today.

I said it then, and I say it today, if you get a unit that functions properly, with few if any defects, thank your dealer and not the manufacturer. If you get a unit with issues, you can be ticked off at both.