Who should pay for this?

[MutinyGuy]

2010 Winnebago View 24A. Dodge Sprinter Chassis. I was washing the MH the other day and decided to spray water under the chassis since we just came back from a weekend trip and had some salt and sand residue. I noticed a piece of rubber hanging down. Long story short...the leaf spring mount is damaged and the rubber dampner was hanging down. Well there was no way we could have damaged this...someone....who knows, Dodge, Winnebago, Dealer, must have run into something and damaged this part of the under carriage. Unfortunately when I took delivery in early November I did not crawl under the coach and examine the under carriage otherwise I would have discovered this...Dodge dealer says $1,000+ to repair and not under warranty due to it is damaged...so my question...who should pay for this? Winnebago? Dealer?

Jim

[Jim Stewart]

Sorry to hear about your problem, if you could prove someone else did the damage, they would be responsible. If you can't, the tab is on you. You may want to try to submit it to your insurance and see what they say, then you would only be out your deductible.

[MutinyGuy]

On me...yeah that is what I am afraid of...if that is the case I am going to be one unhappy RV owner...I think the dealer will come through for me.
So all in all...buyer beware....if I was to do this over again I would spend all day going through every part of the RV and take video or pictures...my first RV so I am learning.

Jim

[Bill Adams]

Good luck trying to get your dealer or one of the assembling/selling parties to take responsibility! How are you going to prove you didn't do it the day you pulled off the lot? If it's actually damage and not a manufacturing defect I suspect that you are indeed about to become one unhappy RV owner. Sorry.
Let us know if you do get any kind of a positive outcome and who came through.

[Getting Old]

I am on my 3rd Winnebago Product and have watched the decline in manufacturing responsibility. I am sure that John K Hansen spins in his grave in regards to his beloved company. I have always felt that I purchased a Winnebago, not Ford, Chevy, Freightliner and feel it is obscene when the companies start pointing at the other party. In your case Winnebago should look it over and if it is there problem, fix it.

Don, WIT 70041

[Izzyblueye]

These are my first thoughts, find out who is responsible. How did it happen? Things like this should not happen under normal usage. I would not rely completely on the selling dealer for unbiased opinion

[hamguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MutinyGuy On me...yeah that is what I am afraid of...if that is the case I am going to be one unhappy RV owner...I think the dealer will come through for me. So all in all...buyer beware....if I was to do this over again I would spend all day going through every part of the RV and take video or pictures...my first RV so I am learning. Jim

You are responsible for pre-acceptance inspection. That said, the dealer my be willing to split or even cover the damage in the name of good will.

[max49]

Do you have pictures of the damage? If you did'nt notice it til you climbed under it, how does it adversely affect it ? Poor handling?, lean to one side? dangerous? or just cosmetic for anyone under the rig?

[Superslif]

When you say

Quote:

I noticed a piece of rubber hanging down. Long story short...the leaf spring mount is damaged and the rubber dampner was hanging down.

could it have been hanging down since you bought your rig in Nov. and just not noticed it. You said Dodge said no, have you taken it to the selling RV dealer? Under close inspection does it look like it just happened? Unless you were driving on rough roads such as back country dirt roads or hit a large pothole there should be no reason for this to happen.....

[EngineerMike]

I'd have to see a picture, but this sounds like improper installation of the damper (bushing?).

[MrTransistor]

Hi Jim,

Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Leaf Spring Bushing ever coming out for any reason other than excessive ware and old age of the bushing on 50-year-old trucks used on country roads and it that case, the bushing just disintegrates. Check a junkyard to see if you find any bushings in the condition that yours is in, I’m betting you don’t. Are you sure it’s the bushing and not just a piece of rubber that has wedged itself in there while you were driving? Considering the physics of how they are installed, it seems to me this must be an improper installation. Therefore Ford should step up to the plate. Try to get good, well-focused, high resolution, digital picture from several angles and post them so we can see what’s going on. If you don’t have a camera that will do this, find someone where you are that can take them for you.

[TXiceman]

I would get some photos of this and contact Winnebago and the dealer at the same time. Be sure and state your case plainly and in detail.

Ken

[MutinyGuy]

Here are the pictures I sent to the Dodge dealer, again this is on a Dodge/MB Sprinter Chassis.
The coach handles fine, it drives fine. I drove back from Iowa in November and hit 40-50 mph gusts in Wyoming and didn't have any real problems.
I would say this is not unsafe but would probably result in a long-term problem.

Jim

[MutinyGuy]

A few more pics: