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Old 01-25-2008, 08:51 AM   #1
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Well, we're out traveling for 2 months again, and as usual, every week something major breaks on this 2.5 year old Adventurer.

The trip started with a mishap which we caused, so I can't count that one, but it sure created a lot of stress to have to replace our towbar and baseplate!

The second time we set up, the HWH jacks (with 4 new solenoids and 4 new fuses) refused to fully deploy. Luckily, they did retract and we were on level ground. So, after retraction, we tried to extend our slide. The front slide went out about 2 inches and came to an abrubt halt. The pump seemed to be working, hydraulic fluid was full, but the slide wouldn't move in our out. And, of course it was Satuday afternoon, so HWH's vaunted customer service was unavailable.

When we reached them Monday, the tech knew immediately that the problem was a shot shuttle valve, which they would ship to us at no charge since it was under warranty. Of course, we needed it immediately, so we had to pay the overnight charges of $31.60, supposedly the difference between standard and overnight UPS for a 1# package.

Tony was able to replace the shuttle valve himself, but we both can't understand how such a basic part of the system could go bad in less than 3 years. His experience is that these things should last virtually forever unless they are defective to begin with. Anyway....

So, we get to our next RV park. And, the elevation reader on our Winegard satellite has an error message. We call Winegard who tell us how to reinitalize the system, but tell us it is probable that this process won't work. And, of course, it doesn't. A new reader is $80, and since the system is out of of warranty, we'll have to pay it ourselves.

We then deploy the automatic awning, and the wind sensor promptly begins to beep at us. So, we call Dometic. Oh, goody. The awning is under warranty, but the warranty in the 3rd year covers parts only. So, the new "kit" which we probably need is $235, but we won't have to pay that. Of course, we will have to find somebody who will work on the system and we will have to pay labor charges, because unlike other RV system manufacturers, Dometic won't provide techical advice by phone so we can diagnose and replace the required parts ourselves. And, again, we wonder--how does a non-defective wind sensor go bad in less than 3 years?

People on this forum are complimentary of the component manufacturers and the service they provide. But, by now, virtually every system on the MH has gone bad. We've had to get a whole new refrigerator installed. 3 windows and 4 day/night shades have gone bad. All of the shades which went bad were manufactured with burrs in the metal holes, which is why the shades failed.

We've replaced the Parallex converter, parts of the toilet, the shower nozzle, the toilet sprayer, a gas burner, 4 solenoids on the jacks, all on previous trips. Now we have these pending repairs.

And the manufacturers, alhough polite and sometimes helpful, seem to totally accept an extremely high level of failure.

Luckily Tony can do most of the work himself, but this gets old very quickly. Reading all the posts on this forum and others, it seems that owners take this level of failure for granted. Thank goodness for the Workhorse chassis which has functioned just as we expected all systems to function.
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Old 01-25-2008, 08:51 AM   #2
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Well, we're out traveling for 2 months again, and as usual, every week something major breaks on this 2.5 year old Adventurer.

The trip started with a mishap which we caused, so I can't count that one, but it sure created a lot of stress to have to replace our towbar and baseplate!

The second time we set up, the HWH jacks (with 4 new solenoids and 4 new fuses) refused to fully deploy. Luckily, they did retract and we were on level ground. So, after retraction, we tried to extend our slide. The front slide went out about 2 inches and came to an abrubt halt. The pump seemed to be working, hydraulic fluid was full, but the slide wouldn't move in our out. And, of course it was Satuday afternoon, so HWH's vaunted customer service was unavailable.

When we reached them Monday, the tech knew immediately that the problem was a shot shuttle valve, which they would ship to us at no charge since it was under warranty. Of course, we needed it immediately, so we had to pay the overnight charges of $31.60, supposedly the difference between standard and overnight UPS for a 1# package.

Tony was able to replace the shuttle valve himself, but we both can't understand how such a basic part of the system could go bad in less than 3 years. His experience is that these things should last virtually forever unless they are defective to begin with. Anyway....

So, we get to our next RV park. And, the elevation reader on our Winegard satellite has an error message. We call Winegard who tell us how to reinitalize the system, but tell us it is probable that this process won't work. And, of course, it doesn't. A new reader is $80, and since the system is out of of warranty, we'll have to pay it ourselves.

We then deploy the automatic awning, and the wind sensor promptly begins to beep at us. So, we call Dometic. Oh, goody. The awning is under warranty, but the warranty in the 3rd year covers parts only. So, the new "kit" which we probably need is $235, but we won't have to pay that. Of course, we will have to find somebody who will work on the system and we will have to pay labor charges, because unlike other RV system manufacturers, Dometic won't provide techical advice by phone so we can diagnose and replace the required parts ourselves. And, again, we wonder--how does a non-defective wind sensor go bad in less than 3 years?

People on this forum are complimentary of the component manufacturers and the service they provide. But, by now, virtually every system on the MH has gone bad. We've had to get a whole new refrigerator installed. 3 windows and 4 day/night shades have gone bad. All of the shades which went bad were manufactured with burrs in the metal holes, which is why the shades failed.

We've replaced the Parallex converter, parts of the toilet, the shower nozzle, the toilet sprayer, a gas burner, 4 solenoids on the jacks, all on previous trips. Now we have these pending repairs.

And the manufacturers, alhough polite and sometimes helpful, seem to totally accept an extremely high level of failure.

Luckily Tony can do most of the work himself, but this gets old very quickly. Reading all the posts on this forum and others, it seems that owners take this level of failure for granted. Thank goodness for the Workhorse chassis which has functioned just as we expected all systems to function.
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Old 01-26-2008, 04:50 AM   #3
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Your post is interesting. It needs to be read by every one. We as Rvers refuse to accept and acknowledge we are paying big prices for literally junk. I could name a dozen people including me, who have had this same experience. Until some foreign entity gets involved and improves every aspect of the building of the coach part, we are going to have this. We just do not make the manufacturers accountable. 1 year 15000 miles is a joke warranty wise for a vehicle costing 100's of thousands of dollars. The chassis builders do a pretty good job. Thank God for that, if we had that much problem with the chassis, we all would stay at motels. I am just as crazy as all the rest, I have been putting up with this for 40+ years.
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Old 01-26-2008, 05:09 AM   #4
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Most of us all go through this, some have more headaches and some much less. Seems as though no matter what we say or complain about things do not change and we still keep coming back for more. Its like politics we complain but we don't try to change things as a GROUP. I am a firm beleiver that big business does not care until their bottom line shrinks considerably.
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Old 01-26-2008, 05:30 AM   #5
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janjanjan;

I can certainly relate to all the problems you've had; I've had plenty myself. When I posted some of those problems and criticized the overall quality of RV's, most replies countered back about 'entry level', a 'complex rolling house on wheels', etc. that seemed to want to justify and accept the poor quality we get on these $100,000+ purchases. For example, I had major flooding from a .50 cent plastic elbow that went to the shower. Totally absurd that manufacturer uses such cheesy parts when the damage from failure results in such damage.

All the major RV manufacturers better hope that Honda, Toyota and Nissan never want to get in the RV business...
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Old 01-26-2008, 07:05 AM   #6
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I guess I'm lucky. I've had to replace 7 year old tires, the brake pads, and some of the basement door struts. Other than a slightly fogged drivers side vent window, everything is great
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Old 01-26-2008, 07:25 AM   #7
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Richard 34A: Another famous and worn out cliche' is; "if they charged for high quality the coach would be out of financial reach of most". The Japanese,& Koreans have proven this is not true, over and over. I am concerned that things are going to go down hill further. As sales decline, quality suffers even more. As sales decline, competition also goes. There was never a better time for a good foreign builder to prove it can be done, along with economy of operation. We all will have a learning curve to go through with our high horsepower demands along with high speeds.
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Old 01-26-2008, 07:44 AM   #8
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It took us three years to get all the bugs out of our 29r Itasca. The winnebago warrenty was a joke. I finnaly just paid to have it fixt. The Workhorse warrenty was great, I can't say enough good things about Worrkhorse. At this time everything is working on our Moterhome but as you all know that could change in a minute.
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Old 01-26-2008, 10:17 AM   #9
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I certainly share all the frustrations expressed here and am now nearing the end of my first year in our new coach and still have a list of wty items that need to be taken care of.

While I certainly don't defend the poor quality and design work, I am spending the winter at Outdoor Resorts in Indio, Ca. We are literally surrounded by mega-buck buses and coaches and have become friendly with many of their owners. It seems to be a common theme that, no matter how much one pays for a new coach, there will always be a year long de-bugging process. On the other hand, it's impressive to see the repair techs from Newel or Marathon show up here at the resort to fix their problems. I don't think they get the run around that the rest of us get when reporting a problem!
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Old 01-26-2008, 10:52 AM   #10
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I agree that the year warranty is way too short. In all of my dealings with Winnebago I have been happy with the help and professionalism they have displayed. While the quality has shortfalls, my biggest complaint is with the warranty service you get, or better said you do not get, that is my biggest complaint. The dealers are more than happy to sell you a coach but just take your purchase and go away seems to be the prevailing attitude. With the troubles I have had with my dealer(Crestview RV, Buda, TX), I would rather do the work myself. At least if something didn't come out as expected I could only blame myself. I was an equipment service manager for years and if I had run my shops like these dealers do, I would have been run off of the property. It is simple, you sold me the coach, get adequate maintenance facilities and technicians, train them proprely, and give them the tools and parts to do the job. Not brain surgery, just good business. Anyone can sell me a motorhome, what are your chances of selling me another one!
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Old 01-26-2008, 01:08 PM   #11
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ROMAD: I feel your pain when it comes to dealers service depts. I have always advocated that the manufacturer create zone repair stations, staffed with factory trained techs to service the product they make. Leave the selling up to the dealer, but the service should be the factories domain. The factory could tax every sale the dealers make to fund their zone service shops. The second thing I am betting on, this would encourage far more quality control in the factory itself. The incentive is there pure and simple. I know is my former life I would not have dared to treat the customer like RV companies do. We had far more competition and many more varied products than an RV Manf does. Our products were heavily used daily 24/7/365.
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Old 01-26-2008, 01:53 PM   #12
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Homer:
Richard 34A: Another famous and worn out cliche' is; "if they charged for high quality the coach would be out of financial reach of most". The Japanese,& Koreans have proven this is not true, over and over. I am concerned that things are going to go down hill further. As sales decline, quality suffers even more. As sales decline, competition also goes. There was never a better time for a good foreign builder to prove it can be done, along with economy of operation. We all will have a learning curve to go through with our high horsepower demands along with high speeds. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And as a good example, look at GM vs. Toyota, I mean Toyota vs. GM, since it looks like Toyota may now be number one...

I remember my dad selling Toyota Corollas and HiLux pick-up trucks in the early to mid 60's; most thought they were a joke and that the company would never survive the U.S. market. Well, 40+ years later, which company is losing millions and which company is making millions...
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Old 01-26-2008, 02:02 PM   #13
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MH ARE ABOUT THE ONLY PRODUCT I CAN THINK OF THAT YOU CAN SPEND MEGA BUCKS ON AND THE SELLING DEALER INSTRUCT YOU TO TAKE IT FOR THE WEEK END, AND THEN BRING IT BACK WITH YOUR LIST OF CONCERNS. WE ARE THERE QUALITY CONTROL.
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Old 01-26-2008, 03:02 PM   #14
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Buckaroo- you are right about that. The customer is the QA engineer. For me - with my 3rd RV - I have always bought used. I don't think the industry will change because they operate like they know the MH is not your primary homestead. My MH is more than 5 years old. The 1st owner kept great records - and a bunch of stuff was fixed the 1st 2 years. A 3 year warranty should the minimum. Can that be negoatiated with the dealier? Don't close the sale without an EW in the deal. It is unfortunate but the truth. BTW, my home dishwasher gave out - a GE - after 6 years. Trying a Bosch.
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Old 01-26-2008, 03:15 PM   #15
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I am like you --- bought used -- the original owner did keep good records. I am sure glad that I did not purchase it new -- he had a lot of problems fixed the first year and half. I did buy an extended warranty when I bought it (4 years, 40,000 miles - the dealer and I split the cost of the warranty) and the two items that I have had to have done due to "breakage" were covered and have recovered over half of my warranty cost.
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Old 01-26-2008, 03:39 PM   #16
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Just another note to first time buyers who decide to purchase new... NEGOTIATE the cost of the extended wty!

I thought I had done my homework on how to get to a good price from the MSRP on the coach but when the dust had settled, I paid list price for both the extended wty AND the clear coat protectant I had them put on the full body paint. In hindsight, I think I could have negotiated another $3k to $4K off the total I paid. Live and learn.
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Old 01-26-2008, 04:00 PM   #17
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This is an interesting and complex issue. I also bought used and the first owner worked through a short list of issues with the dealer. While I've had to fix some things in the 3 yrs. we've had the rig, I've not gotten so frustrated that I would discontinue the RV lifestyle. Winnebago folks have been helpful with questions and other assistance.

I also agree it seems better quality control is within the reach of these manufacturers without raising the cost such that many of us could no longer afford one of these rigs. I also think the complexity of the systems in these rigs raises the bar in terms of what it would take to improve quality and reduce failures. If we buyers could live with simpler designs, coaches could be engineered to be more easily assembled with fewer problems.

I don't think any manufacturer wants to build junk. I am sure the folks at Winnebago try to build a good product with the resources they have. It does seem all the manufacturers could/should spend more time inspecting the rigs and testing systems before they go out the door.
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Old 01-26-2008, 04:53 PM   #18
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Janet;
I also am feeling badly for all your problems. Like smlranger said, I believe Winnebago tries hard to build a good coach. A PDI would never find these problems as I am sure they were all working properly when it left the factory. I was making a mental note of the manufactures involved. HWH, Winegard, Dometic, and Parallax are all vendors who manufacture products for most all the Motor Home Manufactures and have a good reputation.

I sincerely hope you reach the end of your problems and can appreciate the quality of life these coaches give us. Please keep us advised.

Don
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Old 01-26-2008, 05:36 PM   #19
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Maybe as a Group and could agree, no RVers would buy a new unit for one year. See if one year with no sales would get someones attention about our complaints about shoddy merchandise. I know the RV manufacturers have to accept all the vendors merchandise whether it works or not, but they are the only ones who can put the pressure on these vendors to improve their quality.
My coach was only 4 months old when the HWH levelers quit leveling. When a shop diagnosed the problem as a fried control board and called HWH to ship a new one, the HWH technician told the shop this particular board design was faulty and they were surprised it lasted us 4 months. Now that kind of crap should never have happened, surely HWH knew this long before it was installed. They should have recalled it immediately, and that way it wouldn't have cost us 3 days vacation time 3 nights extra in a campground where we didn't want to be anyway.
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Old 01-27-2008, 04:22 AM   #20
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Quality control at the manufacturer is almost non existent. When you buy the new coach and the seats to the dinette aren't bolted to the bulkhead, water will not run through the shower head or the main sink faucet, the rear axle seal is leaking down the tire. The skylight over the shower was cracked. Some one at both the dealer and the manufacturer just doesn't care. Sure these were caught during my inspection of the coach before driving it off. That was just the beginning of many trips to the dealer.
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