When is a new RV not new?

[inkfishman]

Before taking delivery of a new Winnebago Via, my test drive revealed an abnormal noise when the accelerator was depressed, which went away immediately when I let up on the accelerator. Dealer sales staff and mechanics agreed it needed fixing and sent it to the local Winnebago dealer, who replaced the drive shaft first, and then the differential. While the problem is now fixed, I am wondering if this should still be viewed as a new vehicle. And would that view be different if the differential, for example, was a rebuilt unit. I'd appreciate hearing from any members who have been through similar situations, and what they did and why. I'm also wondering how this affects the warranty.

[Tntman]

This is the easiest question on RV.Net, the minute you sign the papers making it yours!!!!!!

[J-Rooster]

donn0128 wrote:
It becomes used the moment you drive off the lot after signing the contract.

X-2

[Leewhiz]

I'm not sure how it is called new at all, if the dealer you bought it from had to send it to another Winnebago Dealer for the fix. It sounds very fishy with a statement like that, which implies the original dealer may not have been an authorized dealer in the first place.

[tropical36]

inkfishman wrote:
Before taking delivery of a new Winnebago Via, my test drive revealed an abnormal noise when the accelerator was depressed, which went away immediately when I let up on the accelerator. Dealer sales staff and mechanics agreed it needed fixing and sent it to the local Winnebago dealer, who replaced the drive shaft first, and then the differential. While the problem is now fixed, I am wondering if this should still be viewed as a new vehicle. And would that view be different if the differential, for example, was a rebuilt unit. I'd appreciate hearing from any members who have been through similar situations, and what they did and why. I'm also wondering how this affects the warranty.

New or used is solely in the paperwork, so taking possession makes it a used unit with it's market worth, dropping considerably. So, in reality, the cost per mile of driving a new unit home, is astronomical at best. The good news is, that if you use it much and drive it long, it will become a worthwhile expenditure in about 20yrs or so.

[Bumpyroad]

Stefonius wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
It should be a new unit and they should not have used a rebuilt differential. I would not have accepted that. I'm buying new so I want new.

I'm not sure I can agree with that statement. "New" just means that it came from an assembly line where hundreds of other units were assembled from scratch and never tested. "Rebuilt" means that someone with mechanical expertise paid special attention to making sure that your otherwise "New" unit was working properly, including the replacement of any substandard existing parts with new parts. I think that having the individual attention of a qualified mechanic paid to the differential would tend to make me trust it far more than the random dice roll of "New". As anyone who has ever bought a "New" TT or MH knows, "New" units often have a myriad of problems built right in at the factory.

yep, a custom built and tested unit vs a roll of the dice.
bumpy

[Stefonius]

msmith1199 wrote:
It should be a new unit and they should not have used a rebuilt differential. I would not have accepted that. I'm buying new so I want new.

I'm not sure I can agree with that statement. "New" just means that it came from an assembly line where hundreds of other units were assembled from scratch and never tested. "Rebuilt" means that someone with mechanical expertise paid special attention to making sure that your otherwise "New" unit was working properly, including the replacement of any substandard existing parts with new parts. I think that having the individual attention of a qualified mechanic paid to the differential would tend to make me trust it far more than the random dice roll of "New". As anyone who has ever bought a "New" TT or MH knows, "New" units often have a myriad of problems built right in at the factory.

[ferndaleflyer]

Imagine this---I bought a NEW Ford truck in 1999 that was nothing but trouble from day one. At about 2 years old I pulled the instrument cluster out to replace some bulbs and stamped all over it was "remanufactured". And this was on a NEW truck-----Now was it new or not? I paid cash and the paper work was done at the dealer and I got a NEW title from the DMV----But was the truck NEW????

Also my NEW DP I bought in 1998 that was really a 97 became a 96 when I registered it because the Freightliner chassis was manufactured in Dec of 96-----try that for getting OLD quick.

[frankdamp]

When I was working at NASA-Langley as a contractor, one of the other engineers in our group had worked for Open Road, based down somewhere near Disney World. The chassis they put their coaches on were driven from the Detroit area down to Florida from the auto plant. After the coach body was installed, they were test driven for a couple of hundred miles to find any manufacturing issues that driving them might uncover. After that they were driven to the dealer's location. My colleague drove several trips to the west coast while at Open Road

If the dealer was in Washington or northern Oregon, the rig could have had 5000 miles on it by the time the buyer saw it. It was my understanding that the chassis transportation and the trip to the dealer were done with the dashboard speedometer disconnected and a slave speedometer hooked to the cable, so that the one the customer saw had just a couple of hundred miles on it from the "works test driving".

I don't know if this still goes on, but, if I were buying new (fat chance!) I'd arrange to pick it up at the factory. At least then you know it only has the chassis delivery miles on it. Of course, if your Sprinter is really a Mercedes version, it could have the mileage from Stuttgart to wherever it went to be shipped to the US and from its port of entry to the RV manufacturer. More likely, it 's a Dodge-built or Freightliner-built chassis.

[BillJ999]

I can understand your concern ... it just doesn't seem quite as new, as untouched, as you thought it would be, especially considering the $$ you must have paid. Having said that, the only reason you're aware of this is because you're the one who noticed the problem. You could insist on getting another unit without knowing that they repaired a bunch of things before you even test drove it.
If it had been in a crash, that would concern me, even if it was repaired by MB. I think if it were me, I would make sure the differential is new and then move on to having fun with my new toy.

[cjoseph]

Good to hear that MB is doing the repairs. Maybe the unit sat for a long time? Hard to say why the problem exists. It might be that the chassis just sat in a yard waiting to be born into an RV.

I wouldn't worry about a repair made by the MB dealer. Get to know them while they are working on it. You may need them for future warranty, recalls and/or service. It sure wouldn't hurt to stop by or call and ask them how the repair went or if there is anything to look for in the future.

Good luck

[msmith1199]

inkfishman wrote:
Thanks for all the input. Regarding the last comment, I erred in explaining an important point - the troubleshooting and work is being done by a Mercedes dealer, not a Winnebago dealer. I apologize. I will check when I can about the differential being rebuilt or factory fresh. I am more worried than anything at this point, as I have not yet taken delivery of the unit.

I'm no mechanic, but I have a feeling with something like a differential that a rebuilt one is just as good as a brand new one. But I still wouldn't like it. I'd insist on OEM parts for a brand new vehicle like that.

[Bob___Ann]

Well if you have not taken delivery you don't own it. If you are concerned about it why not pass on it due to the known problems and take the next one that comes in?

[inkfishman]

Thanks for all the input. Regarding the last comment, I erred in explaining an important point - the troubleshooting and work is being done by a Mercedes dealer, not a Winnebago dealer. I apologize. I will check when I can about the differential being rebuilt or factory fresh. I am more worried than anything at this point, as I have not yet taken delivery of the unit.

[dougrainer]

crasster wrote:
It is used to me when one of the following are completed.

1) Over 250 miles
2) Bed has been slept in
3) Toilet has been used

Absolutely if they stuck a used part ANYWHERE on the coach, it would be a USED coach. I would not accept used parts being thrown into a new coach at all.

What do you base this on?????? A titled type vehicle is USED the minute it is registered, usage has nothing to do with it. Once the MSO is submitted for a title, it is USED. You cannot undo a MSO to a title. Once the Title is issued, it is used. Doug