2007 Winnebago 35J - new here

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readytorv

readytorv

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 21, 2013
Posts
73
Location
Northern California
Hi I'm new here. My husband and I are looking to put an offer in on a 2007 Winnebago 35J.  I've done quite a bit of research over the past month and we found a great coach with very low mileage.  A couple of concerns we had.. when the dealer went to start it, the batteries were dead.  He was able to charge them and everything started right up but it was a concern to us.  Should we ask for new batteries?  Secondly, the awnings appear to have some stains on them.  The fiberglass looks in very good condition and I would guess it was stored indoors but the staining on the awnings concerns me.  Is this a common occurrence with a 2007?  What would cause the staining?  We have been looking all over the US for a bunk model so were hopeful we can negotiate the right deal for this one.  Thanks in advance for any feedback!
 
Dead or very low batteries on a RV that has been sitting on a dealer lot is very common.  New or used. The coaches usually sit for a while with out being started, so the batteries will tend to lose charge after a while.  If you are serious about buying the rig, ask for new batteries. It's not a huge expense for the dealer. 

Awning stains can come from a variety of places and sources.  Most likely it was where it was parked under with the awnings extended. Then is something gets on top of the awning while it is extended, when you roll it up you roll the stain inside.  There are a variety of good products out there that do a remarkable job of cleaning off awning stains.  Ask the dealer to get the stains off, or you will want a new awing fabric.  That will inspire him to try his best!

BTW, welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome aboard!

Good advice from Marty.  The stains on the awnings sound like a cosmetic issue and if you don't like them, get the stains removed or the awnings replaced.  If the coach was sitting on the dealer's lot and not plugged into shore power, then the house and chassis batteries will discharge due to internal resistance (self-discharge) and parasitic loads, no worry there.  I really wouldn't make an issue of them with the dealer, but if you buy the rig, replace all of the batteries with high quality batteries of your choosing (I like Lifeline AGMs for the house batteries.)

Now - here's the biggie...

The tires on the unit, if original, are at or near the end of their service life.  The universal rule of thumb is 5-7 years for motorhome tires, push the limit and you are begging for a blowout on the highway.  Check the date code on each tire and if they fall in the 5-7 year old range you need to factor in tire replacement by you or the dealer.

If you can negotiate new tires, I far prefer Michelin XZA3s but there are lots of opinions about tires out there.

You probably already know this, but get any promises by the salesperson put in writing and signed by an authorized officer of the business (which is probably not the salesperson.)

Also, there are good pre-purchase checklists available in the forum library, be sure and check them out.

 
If these are the original batteries they are at the end of thier life span.  There should be some marks on the batteries indicating date of manufacture.  If they have gone totaly dead then that just speeds up the death cycle.  A good dealer would not argue about that.  Same with the tires.  You can argue the tires on a safety standpoint.  Point out to the dealer that if the tires are over 5 years old they are a safety hazard, especialy if you can see any side wall cracking.  The dealer does have some liabilities regarding selling units in an unsafe condition.  When we got ours the passenger side tires had sidewall cracks.  The tires were still less than 5 years old but the dealer replaced them.
 
kenb1023 said:
If these are the original batteries they are at the end of thier life span.  There should be some marks on the batteries indicating date of manufacture.  If they have gone totaly dead then that just speeds up the death cycle...
Click to expand...
Very true - good point.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback.  I am hoping we negotiate the replacement of the tires since they are about 6 years old now.  The tread looks okay and no cracking but based on everything I've read they should be replaced anyway.  The issue is this particular RV is a consignment and I'm guessing it's different when it's not owned outright by the dealer on his lot.  I will mention the batteries too and see what we can get him to come up with.  Right now we are still negotiating price and won't sign anything until we go back and do a test drive and another good look through.
 
If you have the time, get a price from a tire dealer, and a battery dealer for replacements.  Than go back to the dealer with the prices of new tires and battery's and have him take it off the selling price. 
 
readytorv said:
Thanks everyone for the feedback.  I am hoping we negotiate the replacement of the tires since they are about 6 years old now.  The tread looks okay and no cracking but based on everything I've read they should be replaced anyway.  The issue is this particular RV is a consignment and I'm guessing it's different when it's not owned outright by the dealer on his lot.  I will mention the batteries too and see what we can get him to come up with.  Right now we are still negotiating price and won't sign anything until we go back and do a test drive and another good look through.
Click to expand...

On offer you will need to make a offer based on needed tires and batteries.  New tires and batteries will run right close to $3200. 
 
See if you could be present when they put the tires on so you can check the dates before they get mounted.  I wish they would make it law that tires over 2 years old can't be sold as new but until that time we need to check the dates before they go on.
 
Thanks that is good to know.  The dealer seems very honest and he knew we were aware of the date codes and he saw me looking for them on the tires so hoping he wouldn't try to pull one over on us. 
 
readytorv said:
Hi I'm new here. My husband and I are looking to put an offer in on a 2007 Winnebago 35J.  I've done quite a bit of research over the past month and we found a great coach with very low mileage.  .........

.......Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Click to expand...

I was wondering what "very low mileage" is?

Are you on a Workhorse or Ford chassis?

If it is a WH, like mine, I can give you several tips on what you should be paying attention to and things you may consider checking out.

Enjoy your Oregon trip.  There are 5 Thousand Trails parks right on the Oregon coast & I love the Hwy 101 drive getting there.  Been up/down coast 3 times and been to them all, including many more in Wash state.

Good luck and many happy miles!
Bill
 
Congrats, we've had our 2007 35J since late 2006 and love it.  We've had no major issues with our rig at all.  Make sure you inspect the seams/seals at the front and rear, due to the nature of how Winnebago does their roofs the sealant cracks and needs to be redone. We made it about 5 years on our first factory sealant before I replaced it.

We've had to reset the factory leveling system 4-5 times over the years, instructions are in the manual.

As for the awning stains, this isn't unusual if the RV was used at all. I've used Simple Green mostly but if that won't work get a brush and some Clorox Clean-Up Spray, spray and let sit for only about 5 minutes, try scrubbing after the first couple of minutes.  Then rinse with lots of water, this removed all of the stains we had.  Make sure to rinse the seems as well you don't want to leave any sitting on the awning for long periods of time.

Enjoy your 35J! I know we have.
 
Bill no it's a Ford!  8700 miles on it. 

Steve so good to know you love yours!  We are still loading ours up and man I can't believe the amount of storage we have.  Thanks for the tips on the leveling system.  We used it tonight and I noticed it still wasn't quite level.  I think there is a way to manually level right?.. but we've just used the auto level feature so far.  I'll have my husband check this.  We need to download the manual. 
 
Charisse - after you get your coach loaded up with your stuff, top off the fuel, add about 20 gallons of fresh water and weigh at truck scales - this is a critically important step.  Once you have your actual traveling weight, then you know how much to inflate your tires.
 
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