Brakes on new RV weak.

[huffaz]

Bought a new Winnebago 5th wheel a couple weeks ago out of state and drove it home. Noticed brakes seemed rather weak. Tried adjusting controller with no change. By the time I realized an issue the dealer was closed and I was already on the way home.

Update:Appears to be a problem with the brakes/axle. Awaiting word back from axle manufacture. Very frustrating to not be able to use our new trailer!!

[Hybridhunter]

MichDoc wrote:
I would have my attorney send Winnebago a letter, putting them on notice of the huge civil suit that will be forthcoming, if and when an accident occurs......especially since they admit being aware of the issue, but didn't make arrangements for the dealer to do the fix BEFORE you found the problem yourself! A copy to the attorney general and NTSB would probably be a nice touch as well.

Can't sue if you've been made aware of the safety issue, and you choose to go crash. This is one reason many other parts of the world look on Americans as , um , overly litigious.
Same as a recall, the fix isn't instant, but you must stop using it.

[Hybridhunter]

Ours had a flawed axle that leaked grease repeatedly onto the brake shoes. Ended up dragging out past warranty. New axle fixed it.

[DiskDoctr]

huffaz wrote:
Update: Appears to be some sort of problems with the brakes/axles themselves. Winnebago is awaiting word from axle manufacture as to how to fix. Meanwhile I have not used my trailer a single day since buying it. Have a vacation trip planned over labor day weekend and sure hope I don't have to cancel!

Do you have trailer inspections (stickers) in AZ? If it were here in PA, I'd be asking who and how it passed inspection when the brakes are performing so obviously inadequately.

In addition, as another poster mentioned, a NEW trailer being delivered with defective brakes would be of great *interest* to NTSB.

Want to find a way to have a stop order put on the delivery of ALL your production line trailers? Delivering them with malfunctioning brakes and then being STUPID enough to refuse to fix them quickly and quietly is a good step in that direction.

I expect that since Winnebago is responding to you directly now, at least one person over there realizes that...now 😉

IMO, mistakes don't always reflect as much on a company as the way they handle them. That shows the true character of a company. Hopefully you (and we) will be pleasantly surprised at their forthcoming responsiveness.

Good luck!

[huffaz]

Update: Appears to be some sort of problems with the brakes/axles themselves. Winnebago is awaiting word from axle manufacture as to how to fix. Meanwhile I have not used my trailer a single day since buying it. Have a vacation trip planned over labor day weekend and sure hope I don't have to cancel!

[B_O__Plenty]

huffaz wrote:
The $260 charge to adjust brakes is based on 1 hour labor per axle X 2 axles X $130/hr labor charge.

I've done mine several times in less than 45 minutes including dragging out the tools and putting them back. Sounds to me like they were taking advantage of you. Per the Dexter manual you also need to burnish the new brakes in. This means stopping about 40 times in a row to seat the new brake shoes. I did this, then readjusted my brakes. They work WAY better than when I first got it. You should also look for grease on the brake shoes. Mine were just covered because some idiot overgreased those crummy EZ Lube hubs when it was new. I replaced all the brakes to get rid of the grease..

B.O.

[MichDoc]

I would have my attorney send Winnebago a letter, putting them on notice of the huge civil suit that will be forthcoming, if and when an accident occurs......especially since they admit being aware of the issue, but didn't make arrangements for the dealer to do the fix BEFORE you found the problem yourself! A copy to the attorney general and NTSB would probably be a nice touch as well.

[huffaz]

Got a call directly from Winnebago. They are actively working to find out what the problem is. Hopefully this will be resolved and I have brakes!

[goducks10]

Dennis M M wrote:
This has always been an issue, and not just in the RV industry. Buy a car three towns away and try to get warranty work done at your local dealer - you'll be lucky if all they do is tell you they cannot get to it for a couple of weeks. Don't expect your local dealer to be your pal - or to offer you a special deal!

Not sayin' it's right, but that is the way is. Hope you saved a lot going out of state to purchase.

I've never had that problem. I bought my last car (03 Accord) 200 miles away, my truck 50 miles away and my 5'er 300 miles away. Never had a warranty claim denied. That might be old school thinking as dealers make good money doing warranty work. I think it's more of a problem with certain dealers being jerks than anything else. Unless you live in a small town with only one dealer per product then just find another dealer.

To the OP, $260 is a chunk of change for less than 1 hr's work. No way did it take them 2 hrs to adjust the brakes. They must've just used a book rate price like auto dealers use for repair work. Just a flat charge.

[stripit]

huffaz wrote:
The $260 charge to adjust brakes is based on 1 hour labor per axle X 2 axles X $130/hr labor charge.

I feel your pain, but back when I had a shop, and we did anything by the hour, it was a hours worth of work, not 1 hour per axle for a charge like your getting. If the tech started the job and was done in 45 minutes is was 1 hour min. After the first hour the remaining hours were in 15 minute sections. Sorry for the way they are treating you and I think your 100% correct in your being upset.

[huffaz]

The $260 charge to adjust brakes is based on 1 hour labor per axle X 2 axles X $130/hr labor charge.

[mayo30]

Like I said these things should be done by the seller,whom by the way has been paid to find during PDI.The manufacture has already paid him,he is supposed to correct PDI items and settle with manufacture.Customer should not pay again as PDI costs were included in original purchase.He listed no brake problem so manufacture treats it as a clear item,requiring adjustment.Nuff said,done go deal with seller.

[aruba5er]

A brand new trailer could have problems. That is why the maker gives a warrenty. $260 sounds like way too much to adjust brakes, so besides sticking in the adjusting tool what are they doing? Pulling hubs and visually inspecting? Maybe grease on linings or parts missing. Are they checking wiring with meter and brake magnets with meters? How could anyone figure brakes are bad in the dealers lot during a PDI? A pull test may be enough to say brakes work but maybe only 2 of 4 are really working and certinly not at speed. I guess I would pay to have it fixed to my satisfaction and then threaten legal action . Help line in Trailer Life always has articles about things like this. Write them, maybe they can help.

[westend]

Dick A wrote:

It seems to me Winnebago would be more customer friendly considering it was a new purchase and the repair is a nickle & dime issue to the factory.

Absolutely, why piss off a new customer for an hour's worth of labor?

[Dick_A]

We visited the Winnibago factory (for the second time) when we were looking for a new diesel class A back in 2008 - 2009. While I understand the market was rough during that time they just didn't give me the time of day and their front person could not even tell me what models were in current production. I also read considerable threads on this forum concerning poor factory service. We decided not to pursue them any further.

Tiffin never questioned any issue after purchase but rather just took care of things. They also took care of some issues after the warrantee time had ended. That is why I send anyone who asks my opinion to Tiffin.

It seems to me Winnebago would be more customer friendly considering it was a new purchase and the repair is a nickle & dime issue to the factory.