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Old 05-01-2016, 06:57 AM   #1
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Death Trap

The wife and I bought a new 2015 Bounder 34T gas at close out 3 months ago. It has been a nightmare. Its all over the road when you get to 55 or 60. Trucks passing almost pushes us off the road. The noise from the motor straining is horrible. We have had it out for 2 trips and have had a lot of water leaks they never fix right and the electric has a strange short somewhere that causes it to shut off occasionally. We wish we would of never bought it. Is there a lemon law for campers? This is not how we wanted to spend our retirement.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:14 AM   #2
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YIKES, really sorry to hear about the troubles...

I've read a few stories about coaches that come off the line with lots of gremlins.

I've heard stories of new coaches spending much of their first 6 months at the dealer being worked on.

I think that almost all new coaches have at least some problems present that need attending to after purchase. This is typically known as the "shakedown" period.

What we all really hope for you is that you have a great dealer! A good dealer can be very helpful.

I've also read lots of people say things like "hire a lawyer" and "lemon laws!!! arrrrgh", but I've never once read a single case where a coach was actually turned back in under any lemon law.

I'm certain that some fellow Fleetwood owners will chime in about any adjustments to the steering that could be made. I've read many posts on alignments needed after purchase.

Trucks passing... you might just have to get used to that one.

Engine noise, you'll have to get used to that too.

When you say "water leaks" are you talking "water from the outside", as in a window or roof leak? Or are you speaking of internal plumbing? In either case, your dealer should address these right away. Water = bad, always.

You're not alone, but don't give up. It's very easy to become frustrated after spending that much money. And possibly one day, after you've spent some more time learning what you love and hate about your unit, you may consider trading to another unit. This is fairly common.

And are you saying that the engine dies while you're driving it?

Also, consider go directly to Fleetwood for repairs. Lots of people go back to the manufacturer for repairs. This is a very common practice.

OH and one more thing, you might consider some aftermarket parts for the steering.

Essentially "steering stabilizers", such as the Safe-T Plus or the Roadmaster. These things REALLY work.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...%20stabilizers
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:17 AM   #3
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I assume you have a warranty with it,if so,take it back and keep complaining until they fix it or take it to a better dealer to be fixed.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:33 AM   #4
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lemon law depends on where you live. I would suggest that if you live close to one of the 3 Fleetwood service centers you take the coach there. There are a lot of things you can look at to help the drivability. Make sure the tire pressures are set to what the placard behind the drivers seat says. Those pressures can be fine tuned once the coach is weighed but those are good safe numbers. Is the steering wheel straight going down the road? If it isn't its the first indication an alignment may be necessary. How is the coach loaded try to keep the load balanced, too much weight in the rear can make for a squirrely ride. Please look in the Ford chassis section and read about the cheap handling fix it costs almost nothing and does improve drivability. The engine noise on a 15 can be greatly improved with the addition of a 5 Star tune. As purchased the Ford 5 speed transmission will not use 4th gear when the coach downshifts it goes from 5th to 3rd gear which is a really loud 5000 rpm wail. The 5 Star will add 4th gear back into the mix. Wind and side blast from passing vehicles will effect any RV some more than others. Unless there is something dramatically wrong with the chassis of your coach it is something you get used to. Now then you did buy the coach, your chances of getting lemon law relief are practically nil unless the coach is proven to mechanically be a " Death Trap" and then it's an uphill battle that will involve lawyers. A lot of what you have described are issues discussed on this forum regularly. There is no better tool to help you turn your RV experience around than spending a lot of time here at IRV2 and educating yourself about what you bought.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:35 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plasma800 View Post
OH and one more thing, you might consider some aftermarket parts for the steering.

Essentially "steering stabilizers", such as the Safe-T Plus or the Roadmaster. These things REALLY work.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...%20stabilizers

I have the Safe T Plus on my Dolphin I think handles well but it was on it when I purchased it so I can't make a good comparison but it does drive nice with it.


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Old 05-01-2016, 07:42 AM   #6
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plasma800 You might note that it is a Bounder and not made by Winnebago. Just thought I'd mention.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:42 AM   #7
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Winnie=Bounder???
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:45 AM   #8
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The handling and comfort are the main reasons we ditched our gasser. We were pushed and shoved all over the road by trucks and wind.

Gary did get better at anticipating the shove/suck of trucks but different loads produces different patterns of shove/suck. We also found that the air pressure of the tires made a difference so you might want to get your coach weighed and adjust the tire pressure accordingly. You may find you need to adjust your load so it's better distributed or even dump some if you're over loaded. We never got around to trying any of the stabilizing devices.

I'm sorry you're so dissatisfied and would for sure be the squeaky wheel at the dealers to get those leaks fixed. It never hurts to contact the factory directly if you can't get the results you want from the dealer.

Good luck and keep us posted.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:47 AM   #9
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If it is your first MH. Quit over correcting the steering.
A common cause of the "all over the road problems". Relax
Add a Safe-T Plus or Steer Safe.
A lot of short wheel base MH's needs those.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:51 AM   #10
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Death Trap

Death trap ?? I put 93,000 miles on two gas MH 's and had a totally different experience. They were a 2001 Winnebago Chieftain 35U ( took it to 49 States , all 10 Canadian Provinces and the Yukon Territory) and a 2009 Bounder 35E that revisited about 40 States.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:57 AM   #11
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We also found that the air pressure of the tires made a difference so you might want to get your coach weighed and adjust the tire pressure accordingly
Good luck and keep us posted.
I agree. I would bet the tires are inflated to the maximum posted on the side wall of the tire.
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Old 05-01-2016, 08:03 AM   #12
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Winnie=Bounder???
yeah my bad, it's early......
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Old 05-01-2016, 08:05 AM   #13
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I've written an article abut gas motorhome handling problems and solutions, including the propensity of new owners to oversteer and misjudge because they are accustomed to their car driving position and handling. It's in the IRV2 file library at http://www.irv2.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=81
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Old 05-01-2016, 08:08 AM   #14
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lemon law depends on where you live. I would suggest that if you live close to one of the 3 Fleetwood service centers you take the coach there. There are a lot of things you can look at to help the drivability. Make sure the tire pressures are set to what the placard behind the drivers seat says. Those pressures can be fine tuned once the coach is weighed but those are good safe numbers. Is the steering wheel straight going down the road? If it isn't its the first indication an alignment may be necessary. How is the coach loaded try to keep the load balanced, too much weight in the rear can make for a squirrely ride. Please look in the Ford chassis section and read about the cheap handling fix it costs almost nothing and does improve drivability. The engine noise on a 15 can be greatly improved with the addition of a 5 Star tune. As purchased the Ford 5 speed transmission will not use 4th gear when the coach downshifts it goes from 5th to 3rd gear which is a really loud 5000 rpm wail. The 5 Star will add 4th gear back into the mix. Wind and side blast from passing vehicles will effect any RV some more than others. Unless there is something dramatically wrong with the chassis of your coach it is something you get used to. Now then you did buy the coach, your chances of getting lemon law relief are practically nil unless the coach is proven to mechanically be a " Death Trap" and then it's an uphill battle that will involve lawyers. A lot of what you have described are issues discussed on this forum regularly. There is no better tool to help you turn your RV experience around than spending a lot of time here at IRV2 and educating yourself about what you bought.
X2 what he ^ said
Lemon laws in fl for rvs only cover the chassis not the house portion.
From what I read you don't have a lemon

Check the ford chassis forum on irv2. Look up "chf", "5 star tune", "rear track bar", "tire inflation", "safe t steer", "sway bar" and probably a bunch more.

As far as the house issues I'd recommend getting an appt at a FW service center. Mine has been in for warranty issues at lazy days in Tampa since March 1. If it's not back to me in a week or 2 I am pulling it out and getting me an appt at the service center too. FW was very accommodating. They say as long as all the items are documented they will fix them even if my warranty is up. Key is to document them and reach out to customer service.

Congrats on retiring!
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