Why do people like Winnebago?

[K0LCB]

In 1996 I bought a new Winnebago Vectra. I drove it for over 15 years, border to border and coast to coast. She had over 176,900 miles when I traded it. I never had structure problems. One air brake compressor and sine fittings for front heater was only repair other than tires and grease and oil

[cm2785]

Originally Posted by K0LCB

In 1996 I bought a new Winnebago Vectra. I drove it for over 15 years, border to border and coast to coast. She had over 176,900 miles when I traded it. I never had structure problems. One air brake compressor and sine fittings for front heater was only repair other than tires and grease and oil

I definitely think the older ones are built better in all brands… like the 90’s to 08’s

[fuelish]

Why Winnebago, it was one of the first manufactures to produce quality products. Some of their cache is left over from the early days.

Few manufactures have been able to maintain their standards and deliver a product that their customers can afford. The last few downturns have hit the industry hard, with all brands producing similar products with similar build quality.

When I started RVing a Gulfstream was not very good and a Monaco was stellar. Now days I'm not so sure the brand matters, at least the brands that I can afford.

There we come to the rub. We, RVers are part of the problem as we want a quality 40-45 footer with all the bells and whistles for $300, 400, maybe even $500,000 dollars, not sure that is possible.

Mike

[VentanaOdyssey]

Hey, some love this brand others hate that brand and on and on. No different than some like Ford, some like Chevy and some like Dodge. I look at it this way, if you have an RV and you like it, and it works as it should without major issues be happy and don't worry about what others think.

[cm2785]

I realize this, and I have a 2003 Bounder 35e with 31k miles and the original owners took great care of it. My mom and stepdad bought and own a 2008 Bounder 35h brand new. They paid around $150,000 and it’s a good unit… but personally I don’t think I would want a RV from 09-16 or so. I feel like with the 08 recession they made them so cheap… and as for Winnebago my real complaint is this… how much would it have cost to put a few aluminum pieces in the roof for structural support so the roof won’t cave in no matter what? Even if it cost a grand or so I don’t think anyone buying them wouldn’t want that for the extra amount…

Originally Posted by fuelish

Why Winnebago, it was one of the first manufactures to produce quality products. Some of their cache is left over from the early days.

Few manufactures have been able to maintain their standards and deliver a product that their customers can afford. The last few downturns have hit the industry hard, with all brands producing similar products with similar build quality.

When I started RVing a Gulfstream was not very good and a Monaco was stellar. Now days I'm not so sure the brand matters, at least the brands that I can afford.

There we come to the rub. We, RVers are part of the problem as we want a quality 40-45 footer with all the bells and whistles for $300, 400, maybe even $500,000 dollars, not sure that is possible.

Mike

[GunnerAZ]

Originally Posted by cm2785

I have always thought good things about Winnebago despite only owning one. However after owning a Fleetwood Bounder I have now had multiple. They are just built so well and so nice. But today I watched some videos from the YouTuber AZ Expert and he fixes multiple RV roofs and put it this way, I now see the reason they use rubber roofs… he is constantly doing Winnebago fiberglass roofs and there is nothing to them at all! They all leaked without anyone even knowing until it was too late and there is nothing to them! They are foam and like a 1/16 particle board. They didn’t even put metal down to hold the ladder and they had huge cut outs in the foam that weren’t even being used… to make it worse the roofs aren’t even being supported by the walls, so when this guy redoes them he overlaps them to the walls and they are much stronger… I just couldn’t believe the poor quality and it was things that just could have been avoided… they put a piece of metal up for a porch light but only one screw hit it the rest went nowhere… and he shows so many design flaws in how they put their coaches together… I looked at a Suncruiser the other day and found delam on the wall and the owner kept trying to deny it… now I see exactly why! Oh and these issues are on their diesel pushers too.. not just the cheap ones… I was so shocked!

I have always been impressed with the quality of the Winnebago product, the longevity of the brand, and the support that they provide to their customers. In my younger days just about everyone called RVs "Winnebagos", like facial tissues were "Kleenex" (I still call them Kleenex!). That is my short answer to the thread question.

Just like cars. airplanes, appliances, etc. (the list is endless) all manufacturers have different engineering approaches, principles and practices in what they manufacturer. When you think about it, the only common thing in most of these RVs are the chassis and appliances. If structure in the roof is important to you, find a manufacturer that builds a roof you can live with - they all leak if they are not maintained, and the fiberglass roofs on the Winnies require regular, annual I believe, maintenance. (I put an RVRoof on my Southwind to eliminate this issue).

I guess I am a Fleetwood man, having owned two Southwinds (1985 and my current 2003 36R, Workhorse class A gas). Both times I looked at the Winnebago, but liked the Fleetwood floorplan, build materials (the Winnebago always seem more utilitarian to me) and value (The Winnebagos were always higher priced). Their roof design works, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Winnebago in the future.

[dennis1717]

Originally Posted by chuckftboy

Hang on to that Bounder a while, you will soon feel differently.

I have a 1995 Bounder that is still fantastic and it is my 3d Bounder, I also own a 2000 Fleetwood Discovery DP. If I could choose only one unit to fix up and use in retirement it would be the Bounder. Absolutely solid construction. In 23 years I have only replaced the water heater, one faucet, and the cooling unit on the refrigerator. Still has the original roof that has only be recoated once.

[bross]

Originally Posted by ElCaminoManT

I love our 05 Vectra except for the roof. I wish I would have known more about it's construction and needs before we bought it. I do my own maintenance and am not a small person (6'5" 250lbs) so without any sort of structure in the roof, the super thin luan paneling under the filon sheet has become angry with me going up there for just trying to keep the roof washed/waxed and sealed twice a year. It has always been properly sealed but has started delaminating quite badly where there aren't even any openings cut through and I'm going to be looking at a total replacement before too long by AZ Expert or Cassones. I have a hard time recommending a Winnebago product because of it to anyone that asks me about ours, unfortunately.

Isn't life expectancy of an RV roof 10 years? So you've gotten 18 years of trouble free service out of yours and you have a hard time recommending it? It would seem to me a reasonable expectation to replace your roof after 18 years if everything else about the RV still works and you still enjoy using it. Amortize the cost of a new roof over those 18 years and it would appear you've made a good choice of rv and done your best to look after it.

[Prof_T]

Nothing wrong with Winnebago. Their roof construction, like all others, will de-laminate if water gets into it. My personal preference for an RV roof is fiberglass or aluminum. You still have to maintain the seals though and plywood will de-laminate under fiberglass or aluminum or anything else. We have a Wanderlodge that has an aluminum roof skinned under a stainless steel frame and plywood substructure. We've had leaks that were repaired. No rot or mold but leaks that required resealing of the roof at points of possible intrusion. My father owned 7 motor coaches in his lifetime, 4 gassers, 3 pushers. They were all good coaches. IMHO nothing wrong with any brand. They all have their good points and bad.

[Sullivanclan]

It comes down to regular inspection and maintenance. AZ Expert says that regularly. Ignore your Bounder maintenance and at some point you will have issues. My last motorhome had a rubber roof which was easily damaged and then patched from falling branches. Not so on my fiberglass roof.

[Jmac00]

I really don't care what the name on the side says.

ALL I WANT is a realistic , quality control program at every manufacturer, and a repair warranty process that isn't designed by a government agency and then voted on by congress

seriously, DO NOT put me in charge of quality control. Customers WILL HAVE a quality product, and a reliable product, a worry free product, delivered to a dealer at minimal cost.

[cm2785]

But you would be fired… how are all the executives going to have their yachts and mansions if you are going to give the customer a product that works?! Inflation today is so ridiculous…. If you run a big business you are a billionaire and your executive team are millionaires…

Originally Posted by Jmac00

I really don't care what the name on the side says.

ALL I WANT is a realistic , quality control program at every manufacturer, and a repair warranty process that isn't designed by a government agency and then voted on by congress

seriously, DO NOT put me in charge of quality control. Customers WILL HAVE a quality product, and a reliable product, a worry free product, delivered to a dealer at minimal cost.

[Jmac00]

Originally Posted by cm2785

But you would be fired… how are all the executives going to have their yachts and mansions if you are going to give the customer a product that works?! Inflation today is so ridiculous…. If you run a big business you are a billionaire and your executive team are millionaires…

LOL, sux to be them, LOL.

However, if you put out a quality product, even if you have to charge a couple hundred more, many more people will buy it. the better the product, the better sales, the more profit.

But you're right, The BOD will never figure that out

[Lakeman1]

Originally Posted by Mudfrog

Not sure why you are shocked. Sure there are some with problems, mainly because the recommended roof maintenance wasn't done. However, there are thousands of Winnebagos out there that have never had a problem with their roofs.

Ours is 20 years old, constructed the same way, and is very solid up there. Yes, I climb up at least twice a year to check things out and perform maintenance as needed.

I had a 1972 Winnebago that was built the exact same way. It's crazy they are still building them like that. Not very strong in an accident or with water intrusion. I own a 2004 Fleetwood Pace Arrow now and the build quality is top notch. Roof is solid as a rock and I like the interlocking heavy aluminum cage. I could not be more pleased with this motorhome.