Rust under compartment door

My 2006 Voyage is showing some signs of rust on all the compartment skirts under the compartment doors.  As I like this old rig, I removed the driver side rear piece and bead blasted, primered , then repainted. I noticed that the part was stamped out in a large press. It had a number on it. I was wondering if Winnebago could stamp the replacement panels out of stainless steal. I am sure they have a little extra time on there hands as sales are slow. They could sell us stainless steal kits of the panels with the door gaskets and sealer for each panel. We could get only the panels we want to replace. The price of steel is way down now. The one most sold would probably be the sewer bay one. The only real rust on my Voyage is in the skirt panels as the sides & top are glass. I can see these Rv still around in 20 years as they are made well. I may be incorrect, but if they sold the panels in stainless as an option I think they would sell. Any thoughts? Is Winnebago reading this? See photo.  Art

Art - exactly the same repair I had to do with the steel panel in my plumbing bay this year.  Wouldn't it be great if we could replace the steel with stainless steel!

Yes I would love to buy it in stainless. John you know someone at the factory, if we get enough response on this thread can you make sure Winnebago reads it. If there is a lot of interest they may listen. I would love to replace my sewer bay next! Thanks Art

Really, replace the sewer bay with what, a stainless steel box?  I kinda like having the plastic compartment, easier to wash out ect.

Sarge

Sarge
Not the plastic part, just the front face. I like the plastic compartment. The part you see rusted in the photo is what I am talking about.
  As John mentioned the face skirt is what he & I have been cleaning & painting . Not the white nylon or plastic. I am sorry I did not make that clear. On the passenger side where the lower lip bends 90 degrees on the bottom & goes into the rubber lip, the rust is so bad the rubber lip is expanding. Art

Stainless steel is hardly the answer to this problem! It's too heavy; it's too expensive; and it is NOT immune to rust!

Anecdote: The way I was introduced to the features of stainless steel, was when I took the rusted out stainless steel burner from my upper end home BBQ to the local appliance parts/repair depot for a replacement. We are really lucky to have one of these facilities in our neighborhood. Anyway . . . I carried with me the same kind of misinformation regarding stainless steel as mentioned in previous posts. When I queried the knowledgeable expert on this issue:

Q. Hey! This burner is supposed to be stainless steel!! How come it's all rusted out!??

A. [with a knowing grin] It's stainless!! It's not rustless!!  

And indeed: How many of us have had to replace a rusted out BBQ burner!  

There's absolutley nothing whatsover wrong with normal un-stainless steel; the kind that is used for the manufacture of every automobile on the planet; and it serves marvellously well in that regard!! When appropriately sealed against the elements, instead of being converted into rust (ferric oxide), it will last forever!!

Over the years, shoddy penny-saving efforts on the part of Winnebago has given rise to major big-dollar expenses on the part of their customers. Winnebago customers with pre-mid 90's rigs were plagued with rusted out compartment doors. Fifty cents for paint on the part of Winnebago, would have saved customers thousands of $$$ in replacing compartment doors with more of the same!!  :-\
         
As for the initial poster, the only reason you have experienced this kind of rust on such a late vintage vehicle, is because Winnebago chose to save a few cents by refraining from painting the effected parts.  :-[  Winnebago did the very same thing with their windshield mounting clips. While Winnebago might have saved a few pennies my not painting the windshield mounting clips; their customers, in consequence, have been faced with paying thousands of $$$ for replacement windshields fractured by accumulated rust build-up on the mounting clips!   And has Winnebago ever done anything about addressing that problem??

NB: Knowing about this particular Winnebago deficit, has enabled me to avoid the inevitable consequence by embedding these clips in a prophylactic sea of grease!! After ten years: still no cracked windshields.  8)

Stan Birch said:

Stainless steel is hardly the answer to this problem! It's too heavy; it's too expensive; and it is NOT immune to rust!

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Stan - depends on the series of the stainless steel.  400 series is ferrous and will rust.  300 series (I like 316) will not  rust.  It is expensive; I'm not sure about this, but I doubt it is heavier than the usual carbon steel.  Aluminum (6061-T6 alloy) would most likely be a great choice for this application.

I am a little miffed I had to deal with rust on a three year old unit (rust appeared last year.)  That should not happen.

I had the same problem on my 2003 Adventurer and it is just starting on my 2007 Journey.  I've cleaned, sanded and repainted around my wet bay with Rustolium.

John, I agree with you on the 316 SS.  That was the rating on all the nuts and bolts I used on the Coast Guard boats I sailed during my uniform days.  They were dull in finish, but they never corroded.

Best Regards!

Yes 316 would do nice in this area. As for the weight most of it is cut out for the compartment door hole. I already spent a LOT of time & money bead blasting & painting one piece! I would gladly pay the extra cost for one made of 316 stainless steel. I don't want to get into blaming Winnebago whether or not they could have prevented it. I just want to get them to stamp one out for me using 316 stainless steel so I can fix the problem once & for all. They would  make money doing it for me & I get what I want & we are both happy!

Old Snipe
I am Coast Guard Ret. also & have seen some great stainless steel & some not so good. Even bad stainless would hold up much longer than what I am dealing with now. Art

Art, is your Voyage parked on an island?  That is some serious rust.  Mine looks like it came off the showroom floor compared to yours! 

I remember John's post over there (pointing with my hand to the other side) about his rust issue.  I was thinking that Winnebago used some type of "electrocoated something or other" metal to avoid this rust?

Mark
My voyage is parked right beside my now 11 year old Jeep Wrangler that has been sitting out there in the elements (no garage) all these years (11) & you would need a magnifying glass to find any rust on the Jeep. It seems a little odd that the old Jeep has no rust but my 2006 Voyage has lots of it. I am 22 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico near the bay which is fed by 5 FRESH WATER rivers which means that even the water here in the river I am on is fresh water. Yes I am sure if I lived in the desert I may have less rust. But to get back to what I am trying to accomplish is to just get Winnebago to make available to us folks who want it, a part that is known to rust badly stamped out of stainless. If I just called them as only one person with this request I don't think I would get to far. That is why I am bringing it up here. Believe me by the way this paint is lifting off in big areas most of us who don't live in deserts or dry high mountain areas like Colorado will have the problem. Mark, they may have done a better paint job on yours or you are in a better climate for rust. I am glad for you. You will find that most of us are not so lucky. All I want is that part be made available for us folks who want it. I can understand you questioning the need for it if yours shows no problem. It reminds me of when I had a Casida trailer & read all the posts about tires blowing. I never had the problem so wondered what all the fuss was about. Then when I had a blowout on it with a BRAND new tire I quickly understood the problem! I am asking this Winnebago group for some support in my quest to just get Winnebago to place a 2 foot piece of stainless steel in that big press instead of the steel they now use, let that big press fall down on that die & out comes my piece. They make money, I get my part, we are all ecstatic!  Thanks for any support. Art

Well, Art, add me to the list of people who who buy stainless or aluminum replacement skirts for my coach (an '02 Horizon). I don't see us having much success with Winnebago, though. Although it seems simple enough for them to do, being a publicly-held company would probably complicate things for them to the point that they may not see it as worthwhile. But finding a machine shop with a computer-operated laser cutter or milling machine might work. I used to have such a shop as one of my clients, and he could (and would) have easily taken on the job. He could have cut 10 or more pieces at a time. Setup on his machine was all done on a computer screen. Whatever you could draw on the screen, the machine would cut from whatever material was clamped in place. Unfortunately, he has long since retired, and his sons ruined the business, and it is gone.

Can you tell us what bead-blasting nozzle you used; where (and what media you used), and where you got it? I have been planning to do the same project, and even bought a cheap blasting nozzle at Harbor Freight, but have not tried it. Your info could be helpful. Thanks.

The idea of stainless replacement parts sounds good in theory, but how many people would really be interested in paying the price differential.  In most cases stainless parts would run 2 1/2 times the cost of those made of mild steel.  Our coach is going on 9 years old and has never needed a replacement panel.  It would be hard to justify the difference in cost unless a panel failed within the first few years and you intended to keep the coach for 10 - 15 years. 

Art...I said the island comment in jest...I certainly didn't mean to insult you.  I had noticed your "boat" in your avitar, and wondered if you towed your motorhome to your island....KIDDING!    8)  I was just surprised at how much rust there was on your panel   

Yes, I agree, it's a very dry climate up here...even when it snows....the relative humidity typically is 50-60% during the heavy snows, and humidity in the teens anytime else.  I don't have hardly any rust on my unit at all, including the chassis.....even though I drive on the salty roads up here.  I use a product called Salt Terminator that I spray (with a garden hose) on my chassis when I return home from the salty areas. 

Just my opinion, if Winnie would offer stainless panels as an option, there might be a small demographic that would be willing to pay up, and probably would not be a big seller, as maybe the coastal owner would be willing to pay for this option.  I believe Winnebago would be best served to use galvanized steel panels and coat these things much better than they do now, as apparently there is a problem as you are the second person I have seen with rust problems on these panels.

PS.  I believe that if Winnie offered an upgraded "Insulation" package as an option, this would be a HUGE seller for them.  This is the option I would like!   ;D

CaptBill said:

Well, Art, add me to the list of people who who buy stainless or aluminum replacement skirts for my coach (an '02 Horizon). I don't see us having much success with Winnebago, though. Although it seems simple enough for them to do, being a publicly-held company would probably complicate things for them to the point that they may not see it as worthwhile. But finding a machine shop with a computer-operated laser cutter or milling machine might work. I used to have such a shop as one of my clients, and he could (and would) have easily taken on the job. He could have cut 10 or more pieces at a time. Setup on his machine was all done on a computer screen. Whatever you could draw on the screen, the machine would cut from whatever material was clamped in place. Unfortunately, he has long since retired, and his sons ruined the business, and it is gone.

Can you tell us what bead-blasting nozzle you used; where (and what media you used), and where you got it? I have been planning to do the same project, and even bought a cheap blasting nozzle at Harbor Freight, but have not tried it. Your info could be helpful. Thanks.

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A computer controlled plasma cutter can make extremely fine (and detailed) cuts - almost as good as a shear and is more affordable (probably) than laser.  The advantage is the ability to create intricate designs in stainless, mild steel, treated steel, aluminum, etc.  I played with a plasma cutter in a welding class and it is just amazing.  You can use a ruler to guide the plasma tip since the tip stays fairly cool.  A small plasma cutter can be bought for under a kilobuck.

When I redid my plumbing bay metal, I bead-blasted my metal with a medium nozzle and about 25 pounds of beads.  I immediately wiped the bare metal down with a solvent and sprayed on a couple of coats of an etching primer, then two coats of enamel.

Captbill
I used a friends bead blaster & I only did the last panel on the driver side as it fit in his bead blasting machine.

hikerdogs
Stainless steal is not gold!
I can buy a 4x8 sheet of stainless that gauge for 207 dollars, which would do the complete left side from behind the slide out to the rear & have some left. Winnebago can get a better price. The factory panels are only 24 inches wide. Cutting the 4x8 lengthwise would be 16 feet. I have spent more than that trying to get my panels off, paint, payed my friend for use of bead blaster then we tried to make a piece out of stainless.  The material cut out from the compartment holes could be used for the rear pieces. No waste. You hit the nail on the head when you said it would only be worth it if the problem came in the first few years. Well look at my photo again & see the rubber compartment seal can't even stay on my less than 3 year old Voyage.

John
I even had my local welder cut me a piece with his electric plasma cutter. I thought it was going to work until we put it in his metal brake to bend the 1/2 inch lip. He has a very big metal break. The brake makes a rounded edge, not like the square 90 degree edge required.  It takes a very heavy press with a die to make it right. Winnebago has this.

I am not trying to badmouth Winnebago for not using stainless in the first place. I am sure If we were willing to pay 200,000 for a Voyage it would come with stainless.  What I am trying to do is get help from people on this forum to convince Winnebago to make these pieces available for the folks that want them.

So I am asking all for you to do this, At exactly 5m (4m Eastern) tomorrow I want us all to go outside and all at once yell WINNEBAGO MAKE ARTS PART!  (3 times)  Thanks in advance, I will be listening out the front door. Art

Art In Mobile said:

So I am asking all for you to do this, At exactly 5m (4m Eastern) tomorrow I want us all to go outside and all at once yell WINNEBAGO MAKE ARTS PART!  (3 times)  Thanks in advance, I will be listening out the front door. Art

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And I thought yelling was not polite  ;D

John Canfield said:

When I redid my plumbing bay metal, I bead-blasted my metal with a medium nozzle and about 25 pounds of beads.  I immediately wiped the bare metal down with a solvent and sprayed on a couple of coats of an etching primer, then two coats of enamel.

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John, that's good info, but I wonder if you could share more. I have a decent compressor here at the brick & sticks; and plenty of room to work, but I have never done any sand/shells/bead blasting before. Can you point me to your source for that nozzle & beads (Harbor Freight?). And which etching primer did you use? And advice appreciated. BTW, I had intended to seal off the storage bays with plastic painters tarp, and do the blasting with the panels still in place. Any reason not to do this, other that the risk of beads hitting something I don't want them to hit?

CaptBill
I also thought of trying to blast them in  place also but the rust goes around back of the edges. If you try to remove the larger pieces they bend badly because of the adhesive holds so good you end up with a badly bent piece of steal. Bill If something works out for you let me know. I seemed to admit to the fact that if I am going to go to all the trouble to remove the larger panels I would sure want to replace them with stainless and be done with it. I hate to do all that work for nothing. Someone mentioned galvanized. I think galvanized is way over rated. If you look at some of the very rusted galvanized chain link fences they don't last to long. I have not yet contacted Winnebago as I wanted to test the waters here first. Thanks Art