2016 Vista rusting compartment hinges

[flapwing]

Hello forum.... On our 2016 Vista LX I have just noticed that all the storage compartment hinges (piano type) have started to "bleed" rusty stains with paint starting to flake. The coach is about a year out the factory door and although we are in a wetter than normal climatic region (British Columbia) it is far from the salt air coast. I would think this is a design issue not having used a more weather resistant option with the hinges. Does anyone know if I have recourse with Winnebago? I had no issues with our previous unit... 2012 Aspect.

[Ohio Snake]

We had the same exact issue on our 15 Vista. The vertical hinges were rusting, but the horizontals were not on ours. It was determined that the rod inside the hinges were rusting and discolored the hinges. Also, when the hinges were painted, the manufacturer will prepare (scuff) the black paint base coat, which breaks the protected shield.
what we opted:
Winnebago offered to replace the affected hinges at no cost. However we felt the rust will attack the new hinges over time. We elected to have Winnebago replace all the hinges on the rig without painting them.....in other words, leave them factory black. We are on our third year and zero rust. Plus I prefer the black hinge look on the champaign color.

[flapwing]

Originally Posted by Ohio Snake

We had the same exact issue on our 15 Vista. The vertical hinges were rusting, but the horizontals were not on ours. It was determined that the rod inside the hinges were rusting and discolored the hinges. Also, when the hinges were painted, the manufacturer will prepare (scuff) the black paint base coat, which breaks the protected shield.
what we opted:
Winnebago offered to replace the affected hinges at no cost. However we felt the rust will attack the new hinges over time. We elected to have Winnebago replace all the hinges on the rig without painting them.....in other words, leave them factory black. We are on our third year and zero rust. Plus I prefer the black hinge look on the champaign color.

Thanks for that! Did you do this through a Winnebago dealer or through Winnebago customer service direct?

[Ohio Snake]

Winnebago Dealer.

[Sue46]

We recently had a gray tank problem where Winnebago forgot to put in a piece of styrofoam under the gray tank(should be 2 pieces and we only had one). The entire tank shifted and smelly gray water kept leaking out. We were out of warranty and had it repaired by an independent.

We emailed Winnebago to see if we could get something back.

Since we were out of warranty we didn't bother getting a detailed invoice from the independent(our mistake) and he ignored all of Winnebago's request for more info.

In the end, took a few months, Winnebago came through and paid for the repair(around $500).

I would contact Winnebago directly as a start and try to have the hinges repaired by independent so your MH doesn't need to spend months, and the excuses, at a dealer. Send pictures.

[Ohio Snake]

Originally Posted by Sue46

We recently had a gray tank problem where Winnebago forgot to put in a piece of styrofoam under the gray tank(should be 2 pieces and we only had one). The entire tank shifted and smelly gray water kept leaking out. We were out of warranty and had it repaired by an independent.

We emailed Winnebago to see if we could get something back.

Since we were out of warranty we didn't bother getting a detailed invoice from the independent(our mistake) and he ignored all of Winnebago's request for more info.

In the end, took a few months, Winnebago came through and paid for the repair(around $500).

I would contact Winnebago directly as a start and try to have the hinges repaired by independent so your MH doesn't need to spend months, and the excuses, at a dealer. Send pictures.

Winnebago will require the certified dealer to take pictures of the affected hinges as verification of the defect. I would also suggest going over your rig from front to back for anything needing attention. Run all appliances, levelers, inverter, etc. to be on the safe side.
The hinges took about three weeks through the dealer from pictures taken to actual replacement. You want the dealer( choose one with a good reputation) to do the hinges (pop rivets) unless your near the factory.

[Sue46]

I don't think you need to go to a dealer for the pictures. They accepted my pictures with no question.

[Ohio Snake]

Originally Posted by Sue46

I don't think you need to go to a dealer for the pictures. They accepted my pictures with no question.

I thought I better add more exact detail since my reply may not be clear enough:

If you think you can do the hinges by yourself and your inclined to do so, then go straight to Winnebago. Our ( my) certified Winnebago dealer took care of the hinges from start to finish. Some rig owners may have a reputable certified dealer and others may not.

If your dealer is a good reputable dealer, you may choose to utilize their services to solve the issue you may be encountering with your rig. The OP is in British Columbia and may have a reputable dealer in the area.

Winnebago does not care where the pictures come from (yours or a dealer) as verification. We chose the use of a certified dealer since they knew who to contact at Winnebago. The dealer explained the timeframe involved which was spot on.

The hinges are quite tough to remove by an untrained professional.
The replacement process took an entire day to cut the rivet heads for each hinge and rivet the new ones in place. I would not recommend having an untrained tech do the conversion.

Our dealer noticed that a few bins had rubber weather stripping that did not set against the door correctly making them water tight. They ordered and replace the weather stripping under warranty as well. You may or may not experience this issue, but our dealer wanted to be sure we were happy.

Because of the service we received by our dealership and Winnebago, when we upgrade from a gas to a DP in few years, we will most likely purchase another Winnebago from our dealer.

[Sue46]

This all depends on where your dealer is. I have a 90 mile drive one way to my dealer and I will not drive to him just to take pictures and send them to Winnebago.

If I send the pictures to Winnebago and know they will do the repair, once the dealer has the parts I will take the MH to them.

[gmccash]

Originally Posted by Sue46

This all depends on where your dealer is. I have a 90 mile drive one way to my dealer and I will not drive to him just to take pictures and send them to Winnebago.

If I send the pictures to Winnebago and know they will do the repair, once the dealer has the parts I will take the MH to them.

I'm sure the OP will do what's best for them as I did.

[flapwing]

Went to my dealer (largest RV dealer in western Canada) where the Vista was purchased... the gal in service smugly said Winnebago does not cover rust... I told her that I was sure they did especially on a coach barely 5 months off the lot and 2500 miles on it, most of which were delivery miles. She asked me what I wanted to do... I said to take pictures and call Winnebago! Geeze! So standby...

[gmccash]

Excellent. Just press them to do so. Winnebago will want pics of the hinges. I can send you my after fix pics so you can see them. If the dealer balks, call Winnebago direct. I can assume your warranty would cover the same as US warranty.

[gmccash]

What floor plan?
Do you have any horizontal hinges? If so, are they rusting as well? The horizontal hinges on our 35F were not, and they were black from the factory. The horizontal bins were the outside TV and the Sewage bin.

[flapwing]

Originally Posted by gmccash

What floor plan?
Do you have any horizontal hinges? If so, are they rusting as well? The horizontal hinges on our 35F were not, and they were black from the factory. The horizontal bins were the outside TV and the Sewage bin.

Only the vertical ones are bleeding rust...

[Ohio Snake]

Your experiencing the exact same issue as we did. Once the rust sets in, its there permanent. Winnebago should cover that. The new hinges come with a black powder coat protective coating from the factory. The dealership will need to sand and paint to match if you would like them painted.
I ( and my dealership) think the painting process could re-create the possibility of the hinges rusting again. When the replacements cam in, we decided to not have them painted and installed "as is". Only the piano finger tube of the hinge shows as black and looks perfectly fine. This the third year on the hinges and no rust. The rig is stored outdoors and washed regularly. I do lubricate the the locks and hinges with WD40 yearly.

[flapwing]

I had gone to the closest (to me) US Winnebago dealer (NW Washington) after not being showed the love at my Canadian dealer... great service from the service manager there...he took pictures (without being asked) and said they would be submitted to Winnebago... I called customer service tech at Winnebago this morning... an excellent experience! His notes on my VIN showed that Winnebago had approved the hinge replacement as we are well within warranty. Also discussed was whether to paint over the vendor black powder coat... suggested to acid etch before a color match painting. Highly recommend calling them as they have excellent response!

[Ohio Snake]

Originally Posted by flapwing

I had gone to the closest (to me) US Winnebago dealer (NW Washington) after not being showed the love at my Canadian dealer... great service from the service manager there...he took pictures (without being asked) and said they would be submitted to Winnebago... I called customer service tech at Winnebago this morning... an excellent experience! His notes on my VIN showed that Winnebago had approved the hinge replacement as we are well within warranty. Also discussed was whether to paint over the vendor black powder coat... suggested to acid etch before a color match painting. Highly recommend calling them as they have excellent response!

Glad they are taking care of you and addressed the painting process. On our unit, the outside horizontal bin hinges that held the tv and sewage was black from the factory. Seeing that they were back prompted us to go all black. To this day, we are not sure if the factory missed painting those hinges or that was the way they were supposed to be. seeing them helped in our decision. Our rig color was "desert champaign".

[T00lman]

Ours is a 2018 and is now out of warranty. Do you think they will still authorize the replacement since it is obviously a Winnebago factory issue?

[BirchyBoy]

Originally Posted by T00lman

Ours is a 2018 and is now out of warranty. Do you think they will still authorize the replacement since it is obviously a Winnebago factory issue?

The best way to know is to email Winnebago with pictures.

[T00lman]

Contacted Winnebago today regarding the rusting compartment door hinges. They informed me that their warranty documents specify they do not cover rust. They recommended wire brushing and Rustoleum or WD-40. Does anyone have a solution for this issue? It appears I am not the only Winnebago owner with this problem. Thanks in advance.