Factory Visit

[wlf00]

We are heading to the factory in Forest City next week for some repairs that the dealer could never get right. They say that they may need the coach for the whole week. So we decided to keep our dog (13 year old pug) home for this trip.

Does anyone know of anything to see or do while in the Forest City area?

Thanks,

[smlranger]

More to see in nearby Mason City. Clear Lake is close by. There are a number of parks in the area. They will let you have the coach at the end of each day (depending on what is being done).

[Petro]

There is also a Winnebago Factory Tour that is very interesting. If you have never done that tour I would encourage you to do that. I have done that tour 3 times and learned something new every time.

Don

[skigramp]

Bill & Elaine ...

I am presently in Forest City

There is a nice golf course in Forest City ... there is a frisbee golf course as well

There is a small museum on main street ... we generally eat breakfast at Sally's restaurant on the morning that our coach goes in for service ... (only open for breakfast and lunch) ... and if we eat out in the evening it is generally at Shooters ...

there is a video store on main street with $1 rentals ...

there is a dump station and fresh water in the city park just off hwy 69 ... there are 30 amp hookups for about 12 coaches on the perimeter of the parking lot at the Winnebago service center ... and room for about 8 more at the Visitors Center across the street ...

Everyone here now has gotten their coach back at the end of each day ... leaving your dog behind is probably wise ... a schnauzer has been expressing his extreme displeasure in being tied to his tow car for about the last half hour ...

[rickandcheryl]

Where is the best place to stay while you visit the factory. Will be arriving with our motor home. Thanks, Rick

[rv rick]

We have been in Forest City for the past week and have found all kinds of things to do. We echo the suggestion of Sally's for breakfast, and can vouch for dinner at the Lodge. During the day, we have gone to Mason City (25 miles), Albert Lea (30 miles) and some others. Check out the Grotto of the Redemption (amazing!) in West Bend, IA (about 50 miles east, but worth it). You can also hit the POW museum in Algona POW museum (a large German POW camp was here in WWII) between West Bend and Forest City. The Winnie Factory Tour is excellent, as is a tour through Clear Lake, IA (you can see the last club Buddy Holly played at). Couple this to excellent service at the factory on our coach, and we have had a nice week.

[Boris and Natasha]

We spent a week in Forest City last Fall and had to be out of our coach. We stayed in Clear Lake and did some exploring. You have some good ideas here, and I'll add one. The Branding Iron in nearby Thompson, IA has very good food and is definitely worth the trip. They have nightly specials and we've enjoyed many of them! If you're staying in Forest City, The Branding Iron is about 15 minutes away. Have fun!

[Boris and Natasha]

To answer rickandcheryl's question, the cheapest place to stay is the WIT headquarters. (It's free for up to three nights, I think.) If you're having service done you can stay outside the customer service center (also "free"). Sometimes they have a row or two of the rally grounds open for service customers, too. But, the "best" place to stay in FC, IMHO, is Pammel Park. They have shady sites by the river, water and electric and a nice dump station (if dump stations can be "nice"). When we stayed there last summer it was $15 a night. Worth every penny.

[Cheryl Bisson]

There is also potable water at the end of some of the rows up on the rally grounds, and dump sites up there, too.

In Pilot Knob state park near Forest City is a trail up to a look out where there is a 360 degree view of the whole area.

Ditto on Sally's for breakfast!

[jdefant]

Bill,

Hope you are doing well! Remember all of the good places to visit and then tell me about them when you get back to the office! I may need to go one day!

[wlf00]

We are back home from our trip. It was 1500 miles and 3 days to get there, but they did fix the items that the dealer could not. They also performed many of the repairs under warranty even though it has been out of warranty for almost 2 years. They looked up the service history on the coach and took that into consideration. I am very appreciative of the service and the attention that we got while we were there.

We enjoyed breakfast at Sally's very much. They also make home made pies that are great. I haven't had rhubarb pie in many years. The only problem was that we had to wait until 10:00 to eat it. We had a couple of meals at the Lodge and it was reasonable.

The factory tour was very informative. I only wish that we were able to see more of the factory than what they allowed on the tour.

It was also interesting and informative to sit and talk to others that were there having service done.

[rjmohatt]

We were just at the Factory for sevice and some warranty work and they were great, we got back on the road faster than the set time they reserved for us. We were able to have our RV back each night and that saved on motel but there are motels in the area if you need one. Lots to do in Mason City and Clear Lake they are both very nice areas. There is a great resturant on the lake by the little town just west of Clear Lake and it has a great fish fry every night. You are also very close to the MN line and a lot to do going that way also. Factory tour is worth your time. Good luck and happy RVing.

[f14av8r]

I'm sitting in the Customer Service lot in Forest City tonight. Been here two days getting work done on the coach that dealers have struggled with for the last year. Here is my advice to any Winnebago owner:

YOU MUST TAKE YOUR COACH TO FOREST CITY FOR SERVICE

Now, I know that's impractical for many of us (I live in Florida) but I will absolutely try and include this place on my itinerary at least every other year. The people are amazing and the service is the best on the (Winnebago) planet. You would expect them to know their product here and you will not be disappointed. Like other commenters, I had nearly every repair and item taken care for free (they call it goodwill) even though we are a few months and a couple of thousand miles out of warranty. Some of it had service history, some of it did not.

I also really appreciated the parts department. They have or will get / make practically anything you could possibly want for your Winnie and their service is beyond reproach.

The service process is also good. You show up (preferably with an appointment) and, a few minutes after 7 AM you meet your tech and off goes the coach. No service advisor middle person. You talk right to the lead tech. Then, assuming they didn't get finished, around 3 PM, your coach comes back to you and you go back to one of the campground / overnight areas and start the process then next day.

My only piece of advice would be to make sure you pre-schedule as much of the service as possible. If you have an appointment, they will let you add on a maximum of three items. As we often don't discover problems until we put our Winne's on the road, that imposes a undesireable if understandable restraint. You can always stick around though and put your name on the "no appointments" list.

Most of the logistical information has already been covered in this thread. I'll add only one more piece. The electrical service at the customer service area (and I believe Pammel Park) is only 30 amps. But, there are multiple 30 amp outlets on each pedestal so if you have a cheater box (2 30 amp plugs to a 50 amp jack) you can get full power to the bigger coaches. It is working perfectly for me here in the mid-90 degree heat and high humidity. I'm glad I have both compressors online!

Quit screwing around with those dealers. Get your butt to Forest City!

[Clay L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wlf00 SNIP The factory tour was very informative. I only wish that we were able to see more of the factory than what they allowed on the tour. It was also interesting and informative to sit and talk to others that were there having service done.

If you can make it to one of the Grand National Rallies held every July, you can sign up for tours of all of the areas (roto molding, aluminum extrusion, furniture, main factory, etc) and they take you right on the floor.
I really enjoyed those tours.