Considering a 2008 Winnebago Sightseer 35J...

[Steverino]

We've been looking at Class A's and like the Sightseer 35J's floorplan. Would be interested in feedback about this 2008+/- generation's construction / quality, and any common issues or complaints.

Also interested in opinions about the Ford vs. Workhorse chassis.

Obviously all the usual caveats when buying a used rig would apply...

Thanks in advance!

[Nickd]

2008 Winnebago is a solid coach. I thought they only came in the Ford f53 chassis, but I know they tried some workhorse chassis for a year or two. The big GM 8.1 has a bit of a reputation for failure. Broken crank shafts etc. so you will save up front. However, a new 8.1 engine in an RV is over 15k installed and a month or two in the shop.

The chassis is well engineered and Winnebago only has a few things to watch for. Cracked or leaking windshield is a big expense as the frames can be rotten. Check that the roof seals have been well maintained especially the sides where the cap tucks into the wall joint. Water damage here or at the sky lite in the bath can be expensive. I have repaired both and still enjoyed the coach albeit with a lighter wallet.

Everything else is just RV parts. They break, you fix. All coaches are the same on that. I’m pretty happy with the Winnebago brand ( bought 2 so far ) except for those 2 bugs. All coaches have issues somewhere. At least Winnebago only has a couple, and you can get parts. A good RV service tech will help keep you out of trouble. They know where all the skeletons are buried with all the brands.

[edgray]

Originally Posted by Steverino

We've been looking at Class A's and like the Sightseer 35J's floorplan. Would be interested in feedback about this 2008+/- generation's construction / quality, and any common issues or complaints.

Also interested in opinions about the Ford vs. Workhorse chassis.

Obviously all the usual caveats when buying a used rig would apply...

Thanks in advance!

I don't know if the Sightseer got roof top or "basement" AC, but my experience with a 2010 basement unit was terrible. Regarding the chassis makes, assuming there is no difference in GVWR, I would choose the Workhorse because of the GM V-8 and Allison tranny is much better than the Ford V-10 and "Ford" tranny, IMO. Ford chassis are the about the ONLY modern era class A RV chassis that don't have an Allison.

[Steverino]

Thanks to you both. From what I've seen so far, the majority are on the Ford chassis - so by sheer numbers its more likely to end up with a Ford. Good to know about the leak areas. I know from painful experience that water damage is one of the worst possible problems to have, so my radar will be on high alert.

I believe all of these units have dual rooftop AC units. Sorry to hear about basement troubles - I would think the basement would be so much quieter & better, but if it wasn't reliable...well...

[Steverino]

@edgray - we also ran across an Adventurer with basement A/C. Curious as to what your issues have been... Seems like basement air would be nicer - no rooftop units droning loudly overhead...

[tmw188]

I don’t think the basement air 2ton units are big enough. Should have been 2.5 ton minimum but there aren’t any.

[edgray]

Originally Posted by Steverino

@edgray - we also ran across an Adventurer with basement A/C. Curious as to what your issues have been... Seems like basement air would be nicer - no rooftop units droning loudly overhead...

There plenty of owners that will tell you they have never had a problem with their "basement" ACs. BUT, trying to keep my story as short as possible, I'll answer your question. 2010 Suncruiser 37F-full wall slide + 2 other slideouts = huge interior space and volumn of air. Within 2 months of delivery, AC stopped cooling. WBGO sent me to one of their better dealers in NC where we were traveling. They removed unit and "fixed" multiple pin holes that had allowed the freon to escape. WBGO's warranty paid the dealer. Almost exactly 1 year later, unit stopped cooling again. WBGO says "sorry, but our one year warranty is over" and they suggested I call RVP who made the unit because it had a 2 year warranty from them. RVP refused to do anything about the problem because they claimed the WBGO dealer was not one of THEIR approved service centers. It cost me ~ $900 bucks to have the unit removed and fixed AGAIN for the same problem-multiple pin hole leaks. It never did adaquately cool the coach if the sun was shining, and would only shut down after dark-it literally ran all day long. I believe the total cooling capacity just was not enough for the huge interior volumn of the coach. I finally resorted to having the WBGO dealer in Buda, TX put a 13.5 K roof top unit in place of the kitchen exhaust fan. That added cooling capacity allowed the basement AC to shut off occasionally, but was quite loud compared to the ducted basement unit. At least it made the coach usable in the summer heat.

In summary, my beef is that WBGO installed a unit too small for the floor plan and the component maker, RVP, refused to honor their warranty on a technicallity. WBGO would not intervene on my behalf, claiming they no longer had any "pull" with RVP because they had stopped buying the basement units beginning with the 2011 model year. I truly wish I had never bought that coach in the first place, and certainly will never knowingly have anything made by RVP.

[tmw188]

Ed, RVP who is that? Mine is a ‘05 with a Coleman basement unit is RVP another basement unit?

[edgray]

Originally Posted by tmw188

Ed, RVP who is that? Mine is a ‘05 with a Coleman basement unit is RVP another basement unit?

No. RVP is the maker of the "Coleman" branded basement AC units. I "think" RVP is short for Recreational Vehicle Products Company. That detail should be confirmed in owner manual/warranty booklet, if you have such. I believe mine was called the Coleman-Mach II, but it was definitely made by RVP in 2009. And, FWIW, I think they are making the replacement units that I've read about in other threads. I believe DriVer recently replaced his in his Adventurer.

[tmw188]

I see thanks. Too bad they couldn’t up the capacity some.

[Blastvalve]

We have a 2008 Sunova 35J, which is the “sibling” to the Sightseer and the same floorplan. We have had ours for going on 3 years and have been very happy with it. We are family of 4, my wife, myself and twin 8-year-old boys. Since purchasing we have been mainly on trips through New England, however last year we did do a 2-week trip down to Disney in FL, camping/boondocking on our way down and back.

Overall the floorplan is very well laid out and the designers seem to have put a good deal of thought into it. There are a couple things I would change if I built it myself, but mainly its little nitpicky things like location of a particular switch, I would definitely give the coach design a "A" for form and functionality.

Starting in the back, the bedroom is well laid out with a good amount of storage/drawers, and one of the few coaches in this vintage that you are going to find with a King Bed. (Note, the fresh water tank and spare tire lives under the bed, you cannot store items under it like some coaches) I'm not a fan of having the window right over our head, light seems to creep down between the blinds and the window straight onto you face 1st thing in the am, we actually have a thin foam air conditioning gasket we have cut to the correct length and stick in between the window and the blinds. If the coach has the original mattress, plan on getting a foam or other form of topper, the mattress is very thin and VERY firm. (I joke that Winnie wanted to make sure you felt like you were sleeping outdoors, ON THE GROUND! =) If the coach has the rear TV option, despite being a tube TV, it should be a hybrid and can tune both analog and digital signals, which means it still can get channels off the antenna without a converter box. Check the sliding pocket door to the master bedroom, it can get off its track and be a pain to move. Lastly, with the slide in, you cannot access the drawers in the wall at the foot of the bed, you need to pack accordingly if you might be Wally docking and can’t open the slide. The rest of the RV is accessible with the slides in, this is the only real area that you lose.

The bath area is functional. To get the bunks you get a reduced bath area, but there is enough room to use the sink/toilet and the shower is decently sized. (I'm 6'2 and can shower without needing to perform gymnastics to get clean). We usually slide the pocket door between the kitchen and the “back” area shut when showering as you can use the hallway for some extra space. We did upgrade the shower head from the manufacturer issued to a "Oxygenics" one that we felt has a LOT more pressure, something my wife wanted for her hair. Our hot water heater has the ability to run in both gas and electric at the same time, which for us means you can take a long shower if desired without running out of water. (I’ve done that on purpose a couple times to flush the grey tank with soapy water, I think 30 min and the hot water was still going strong)

The bunks are decent, kids are happy to have their own space. This is probably the biggest “win” on this layout, you can put the kids to bed and STILL have the front living area fully useable, helpful on those wet nights. I've never slept on them, but my brother in law has (5'11) and he said they were ok. Winnie does not include a ladder or railing of any type, keep this in mind depending on your kids age. We ended up making a rail our of PVC Pipe (lots of instructions online) and snagged an old bunk bed ladder from a friend. We have the DVD Players in the bunks which are REALLY handy when your son rises with the sun at 4:45 am and you want a little more sleep! There is a master power switch in the top bunk, make sure that is flipped on before you try either unit. Double check the remotes as well. If damaged or missing, the manufacturer is located in NYC and can replace at a reasonable cost. ($8 I think?) The bunks don't have their own venting and the air can get a little "stale" with the curtains pulled, I purchased 2 USB powered desktop clip on fans from Amazon and a USB Car power adaptor to plug them into the power port in each bunk (keeps the AC outlets free and works on battery when boondocking). This REALLY seems to keep the temps more reasonable in there and has the added bonus of a little white noise to help knock the kiddos out. The drawer under the bunk can EASILY hold 2 weeks of kid clothes, books, toys etc.

Kitchen/dining area is pretty standard. We cook most of our meals outside and only use when raining, which luckily for us hasn't been many times. The pantry holds a large amount of food, and the sliding drawers make it all accessible. The fridge is reasonable, however on longer trips it’s a game of moving in items (water, soda etc) to replenish items as you use them. We have found it will hold a weeks worth of food very well, beyond that you will be shuffling things most likely. Plan on getting the "Bars" that help keep things in the fridge when traveling! The oven can be a PAIN to get lit, but I think that is just the nature of the beast, lots of complaints about that across many of the brands. When I bought mine, the owner joked his wife would have to demo for me, he could never make the darn thing work. If your unit has the drawers under the dinettes, be careful loading up the "sliding trays", too much weight and they are going to come flying out in the 1st turn. There is storage under the dinette behind those drawers as well, (the drawers are only roughly half the space) but you need to pull the cushions to get to it.

The dinette is listed as another sleeping area. Unless they are a kid or a short adult, I’d say its not. This is a common item though on most class A’s, this model line isn’t unique here.

If the unit has the factory inverter, DEFINTELY try it out. Its located in the area under the kitchen sink, perfectly in line with the splash zone should you have any plumbing issues. Trust me on that. (why someone said "Lets put the power inverter right where the water flows" is BEYOND me)

The overhead cabinets on both sides will hold a fair amount of stuff, we actually "downsized" our cabinets this fall, we had stuff we hadn't touched since we bought the RV (glasses, plates etc) and thus it came out and stayed out.

Living room area is the common setup to most RV's. The seating is Comfy in my humble opinion and if the weather drives you inside, there is places to sit. I actually really like the drivers seat to recline and read a book, its really comfy. We have the leather option for the upholstery in our coach, it has held up REALLY well to kids. (we are the 3rd family to put a set of kids through the coach) The previous owner upgraded the TV, so I can't speak to the OEM TV.

If you have the sofa with the air mattress, know that the Sofa is an odd length and most aftermarket mattresses are a little too long and will hang out over the end of the couch and droop. Winnie charges a fortune for the OEM one so it’s a decision you will need to make when replacing. We have only had one person sleep on couch for one night, so it wasn’t a big deal.

We don't do a ton of boondocking, but in the limited use we have of dry-camping, you can go a few days on the water if people are reasonable. It always seems like we run out of black/grey storage before we run out of fresh water. Battery capacity is fair as well, and the genset is there to charge you up in a hurry.

The coach is a 30 amp service but has the 2 AC units. You will need to do some "juggling" in the summer to run both A/C's and the rest of the appliances in the coach, especially if you have the electric option for the water heater. Typically we switch off the bedroom AC unit when using the electric option on the heater, there just isn't enough juice to run all 3. The power management system does load shed to help with this, but it’s easier to just shut off the bedroom AC and not deal with it. The A/C ducting is all shared so air still goes through the whole coach, just not as "strong". Honestly, it took a weekend to get used to it and now is second nature, we haven't had an issue with it. You will find what works for you, but know that yes, you can run both A/C's at the same time, but you have to plan accordingly. (when I say same time, you have to start them one at a time, start em both right up and you are gonna have a dark coach when the breaker trips)

Outside Basement storage is decent, you can definitely haul some stuff. Only complaint here, the rear basement doors are under the bunk slide when extended, you ARE going to hit your head on the slide when extended, just plan on it.

This is a little subjective, but I like the drive on ours. It’s not a diesel by any means, but I have found it solid on the highway, and while an 8 hour drive is definitely going to wear you out, I'm not all beat up and exhausted when done. (Last years trip to FL was 3 10 hour days each day) We did have an issue with vibration, but that was solved with a new set of tires. The suspension seems fine, however every once in a while, you will hit a bump that sounds like the shocks will come through the floor, just the nature of the beast. Lots of people recommend upgrading the shocks to Koni if not happy here. We do not notice any issues with the RV excessively swaying when passed by trucks or other large vehicles, I see that complaint a lot in the forums across the brands. (We ran I-81 and I-77 going to FL which is a HEAVY Truck route)

LOTS of info on upgrading the Ford or Workhorse frames if desired. Ours is the Ford Platform. Parts are relatively cheap and easy to obtain at your local auto parts store or online. I’m not super handy, but I have changed the oil, air filters, fuels filters etc. Engine noise is reasonable, my wife and I can chat while on the highway and not feel like we are shouting. Know that the engine likes rev high to get its power, when that happens, you will hear it. Lots of info on the 5 Star Tune out there, I don’t have it so I can’t speak to it but lots of people say the engine is even better with it. BY the 2007 and on range, Ford has worked out most of the bugs, if it’s been maintained you should be ok.

Winnie has LOTS of info online, you can get design drawings and part #’s for everything. I had a slide issue a couple years ago and they were really a great help in trying to run the issue down.

Other items to look for:

* Check the windshield area for leaks. Units of this era have a windshield/frame design that can lead to leaks. (lots of posts out there if you google) Things to look for are water spots on dash/A pillar, or black "dust" on the dash, which is the paint peeling off the metal frame. This can be band-aided with caulking/other "goo", but eventually you are going to have an expensive problem.

* Check the jacks for leaks. The jacks have a seal at the bottom that can wear out over time leading to them to leak fluid. You will see the "foot pad" of the jack looking damp or “oily”. They do have grease points to help with this, however it can't always fix a shot seal.

* If the tires are more than 7 years old, no matter how good the tread looks, plan on replacing. (Lots of threads on this and the cost)

* Check the sway bars underneath the coach front and back. They have a rubber bushing that can wear out. Not a hard or expensive fix, but it could affect the handling. There are aftermarket ones that are popular to firm up the ride. (I replaced mine last year as 1 had completely disintegrated, honestly didn’t notice much of a difference but I’m still happy with the handling so………)

* Check for rust around the storage areas. Just my opinion, but my unit and lots I've seen online seem to get rust around those areas. I spent a week last summer scraping and painting with POR 15, not fun.

* If the unit has the side cameras, check the cameras for fogging. They come in a waterproof housing. The gaskets can fail leading to the cameras fogging when humid, this can't be easily fixed. New cameras run around $300 (ish)

* Even if warm, run the heater. I checked out my unit in the summer on a REALLY hot day. Learned in the fall that the motor had a bad bearing (I don’t think the previous owner ever used it) that made the whole coach shake, rattle and roll when the furnace spun up. You were NOT sleeping through that!

* Check the roof where it meets the sidewall. That whole area should be caulked in place, but the caulk will eventually wear out. Not a deal killer if some has, but you want to make sure the roof hasn’t popped out of the channel as that can lead to damage.

* Check the lights/lenses. The side, amber marker lights are no longer manufactured (Manu went bankrupt) and replacement lens covers go for a real pretty penny on ebay. ($25 for a $3 part)

* Test the slides. The slide design is pretty robust on these, but slide issues can get really expensive really fast. If you run a slide in or out and the LED on the controller starts flashing at the end, it’s trying to tell you something, google the # of flashes.

* Test the dash radio, it is your Radio and TV DVD player. The DVD has parts that will wear out over the years. Good news is the modern Jensen’s are an easy plug and play replacement, and lots of aftermarket out there as well.

* If the unit has full body paint, check the clearcoat for peeling, especially on the roof where it meets the walls. The paint manufacturer seemed to have a couple bad years and the roof where it curves to the walls seems to be where it manifests itself.

* If the plumbing "sings" when you run the water, one or both of the check valves on the water heater is giving up the ghost. Cheap part and in concept a easy replacement, but it can be a challenge getting to this area of the plumbing and years of heating may make the valves a real challenge to get out without a LONG breaker bar.

* Common to all RV's, check the A/C filters, they can plug up with dust quickly. These AC units will also drip water through the ceiling vent into the coach if their condensation tray gets plugged up. Both are easy to access and clean out.

I think that is about it off the top of my head while here at work. There are plenty of posts here on things to look at when buying a RV in general, but this hopefully gives you an idea of the model line. If I had to do it again, I would buy mine again in a heartbeat, and have actually dream shopped the “Vista LX 35B” which is the new version of ours with a VERY similar layout. Feel free to PM me if any other thoughts or questions, happy to help!

[Steverino]

@edgray - thanks for the background on your basement A/C issues. Sorry for your pain, but the education is helpful for those of us who might follow...

@Blastvalve - wow! Thank you for taking the time to give us such a thorough evaluation. I think your mind and mine are on the same wavelength, and your observations are exactly the sorts of things I'd want to know... As we get further into our considerations you may well get a PM or two from me...

[Blastvalve]

Anytime! Feel free to PM me, happy to help!

[Steverino]

Lots of thoughts rolling around in my head, but one of the surprises from @Blastvalve's post is that their rig has 30 amp electric.

I would have assumed (yes, I know what they say) that a coach with two A/C units would automatically be a 50 amp rig. I confess I don't have a broad base of experience, but the three units we've owned have all been single A/C and 30 amp, and at times it has been a challenge not to trip the 30 amp breaker. Sometimes switching to the 50 amp service (with adapter) has helped.

Is dual A/C on 30 amps common? I assume upgrading a 30 amp coach to 50 amp is possible but not necessarily simple (converter, wiring, ??)