Boris and Natasha
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2009
- Posts
- 46
When a bunch of us met at GNR I remember John introducing a couple of "marketing" types from Winnebago who said they read this board. Well, guys, don't miss this one.
We have joined the ranks of Winnie owners who are coming unglued (in more ways than one). Yesterday we went to check our coolant level. When we went to close the engine hood, the metal part of the hood separated from the fiberglass part and fell to the ground...scratching one of the vents on the way down. Upon inspection, we saw several glue points on the fiberglass. That's right, this big heavy piece of metal that bumps along on the back of our motorhome is GLUED to the fiberglass. And, yesterday our glue decided to fail. (Thankfully, we were parked. It would have been something had we been moving!)
I did a bit of research and discovered this is not a uncommon problem. All kinds of Winnie owners have experienced such failures with their engine hoods and genny hoods, too. Yet, when we called Winnebago they seemed completely unaware of the issue and were of precious little help. The technician did ask if the metal was painted. It is. Then he instructed us to tell whoever makes this repair to grind the paint off the metal. (Then, WHY was it painted in the first place?)
We have an appointment next month in Forest City to finish some warranty work that was started in July. So, we're adding this to the list. Meanwhile, the metal engine hood is stowed in the basement and we're hoping the fiberglass part stays on for the next 2,000 miles.
This is our second new Winnebago in as many years. One of the reasons we bought another Winnebago was the quality. We had few issues with our Voyage, and we thought that's how it is when you buy a Winnie. But, now we know we were just lucky with that one. We've had a long list of issues with our Tour. None of them earth shattering. But, when you put them all together it really makes us wonder, like SargeW, how well these things are put together. When we took the factory tour in Forest City, our guide pointed to a big building and said that was the "Quality Control Department". Honestly, we think our Tour skipped that step.
We know that every new motorhome has bugs to work out. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory. But, the longer we own a Winnebago we're starting to wonder if they just build these things to look pretty in the showroom, knowing full well that most of their customers will put the product to use for 30 nights in the first year - tops. For those of us who actually use these rigs we paid a pretty penny for, we have to deal with the lack of quality on a regular basis.
Yep. We're not happy. We really want to like Winnebago again. But, when your motorhome literally falls apart in your hands it can be hard.
But, to keep this from being just a total vent, I'll ask a question.
Anybody have any ideas for a temporary fix to keep the fiberglass part of the engine hood from flopping around? We don't think bungee cords will fit, and we're afraid zip ties will mess up the paint. All ideas are welcome.
Thanks for listening. And, thanks for your help.
We have joined the ranks of Winnie owners who are coming unglued (in more ways than one). Yesterday we went to check our coolant level. When we went to close the engine hood, the metal part of the hood separated from the fiberglass part and fell to the ground...scratching one of the vents on the way down. Upon inspection, we saw several glue points on the fiberglass. That's right, this big heavy piece of metal that bumps along on the back of our motorhome is GLUED to the fiberglass. And, yesterday our glue decided to fail. (Thankfully, we were parked. It would have been something had we been moving!)
I did a bit of research and discovered this is not a uncommon problem. All kinds of Winnie owners have experienced such failures with their engine hoods and genny hoods, too. Yet, when we called Winnebago they seemed completely unaware of the issue and were of precious little help. The technician did ask if the metal was painted. It is. Then he instructed us to tell whoever makes this repair to grind the paint off the metal. (Then, WHY was it painted in the first place?)
We have an appointment next month in Forest City to finish some warranty work that was started in July. So, we're adding this to the list. Meanwhile, the metal engine hood is stowed in the basement and we're hoping the fiberglass part stays on for the next 2,000 miles.
This is our second new Winnebago in as many years. One of the reasons we bought another Winnebago was the quality. We had few issues with our Voyage, and we thought that's how it is when you buy a Winnie. But, now we know we were just lucky with that one. We've had a long list of issues with our Tour. None of them earth shattering. But, when you put them all together it really makes us wonder, like SargeW, how well these things are put together. When we took the factory tour in Forest City, our guide pointed to a big building and said that was the "Quality Control Department". Honestly, we think our Tour skipped that step.
We know that every new motorhome has bugs to work out. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory. But, the longer we own a Winnebago we're starting to wonder if they just build these things to look pretty in the showroom, knowing full well that most of their customers will put the product to use for 30 nights in the first year - tops. For those of us who actually use these rigs we paid a pretty penny for, we have to deal with the lack of quality on a regular basis.
Yep. We're not happy. We really want to like Winnebago again. But, when your motorhome literally falls apart in your hands it can be hard.
But, to keep this from being just a total vent, I'll ask a question.
Anybody have any ideas for a temporary fix to keep the fiberglass part of the engine hood from flopping around? We don't think bungee cords will fit, and we're afraid zip ties will mess up the paint. All ideas are welcome.
Thanks for listening. And, thanks for your help.