Any thoughts on 2006 Sightseer 34A

[hohokam]

Getting ready to put a deposit on an '06 Sightseer. Everything except the backup monitor works fine. Needs 4 tires. Asking $37,000. Anything I should know?

[Johndale]

Do they have the books for it.

[hohokam]

All the manuals and last 5 years service records.

[Johndale]

I love my sightseer and have no regrets about buying it. Get a good pre buy on it. And happy trails.

[Mudfrog]

On our older 2003 Sunova (basically the same as Sightseer), i found the quality to be very good for the price. Most of the coach itself has been great with very little going wrong. The one thing i have had troubles with is the Workhorse chassis but i'd bet yours is Ford and as such, probably wouldn't have the same issues.

As mentioned above, i'd want the owner's portfolio case (has all the manuals and information for the coach and chassis) and a good bit of the maintenance and repair records.

[hohokam]

Originally Posted by Mudfrog

.... The one thing i have had troubles with is the Workhorse chassis but i'd bet yours is Ford.

Actually, it is the Workhorse chassis, so please elaborate.

[Yellowboat]

I owned a 2005 Sightseer 29R on a 2006 Ford chassis. We traded it for a 2016 Sightseer 33C a little over a year ago.

I tend to get problems if problems are to be had. A year after delivery of our 2016 and I'm still working through problems. The latest are cracked motor housing on both ends of the Power Gear kitchen slide and a Pioneer radio/ camera display that will not come on. Even though I'm out of warranty Winnebago is fixing the slide under good will and the dealer found a source that will replace the radio.

In comparison our 2005 Sightseer was fantastic with the exception of the 2006 Ford chassis. After 3.5 years, just past the three year warranty, our V10 engine failed. Ford would not help with any of the costs of a new engine. A new engine was installed but the crankshaft sensor on the inside of our new engine failed contaminating the newly replaced engine witk metal debris.

Ford said to replace the engine with a third engine. Since the second engine was under warranty Ford paid for the third engine. The third engine worked just fine.

Don't be afraid of the V10 engine as they are normally very durable. As I said, for me, if it can go bad it will.

While doing a walk through on our 2016 coach I mentioned that our engine failed in our previous coach. When we opened the hood and he was showing me the layout I mentioned that until the engine was replaced I had a mystery coolant leak. I couldn't find any source for the leak. It may sound stupid after the fact but that was when I realized that I had an internal leak. It was a very small leak using maybe 1.5 gallons in 3.5 years. But it was enough.

So with all of that said, with the exception of the engine, our 2005 Sightseer was pretty much problem-free.

I love the layout of our new 33C and I'm hoping when we work our way through our problems our new coach will be as reliable as our 2005 after engine replacement.

Safe travels. JD

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by hohokam

Actually, it is the Workhorse chassis, so please elaborate.

I've had problems with sticking brake calipers, spark plugs, and spark plug wires. These are known issues with many of the Workhorse chassis configurations. Having said that, some people have no problems at all. I've replaced calipers all the way around, spark plugs and wires twice since new in 2003. Nothing too serious but they have been pains in the rear.

Had the starter rebuilt a couple of years ago but i'm thinking that was my fault as i had tried to crank the engine with low battery voltage a few times too many. Of course, that low voltage was from slow discharge (something on the chassis) that i never did find. I remedied that with a battery disconnect switch.

Just replaced the rear calipers last month and hope that monthly driving of the rig keeps them from giving trouble from here on out. I also installed a 3 inch duct to direct air from the grill to the left side of the engine to help with spark plug/wire failure. Search these forums and you'll find other threads related to these problems.

Having said the above, the rig you're looking at may not be affected by these problems. It seems to depend on how the coach was constructed around the chassis.

[hohokam]

Thanks for the tips. Put my money down but at least now I know some things to watch out for.

[Dave & Jo's Winnie]

We have an '05 34A and are extremely happy with it. Have had it since new.


2005 34A Winnie Sightseer pushed by a 2013 Chevy Sonic.

[hohokam]

Originally Posted by Dave & Jo's Winnie

We have an '05 34A and are extremely happy with it. Have had it since new.


2005 34A Winnie Sightseer pushed by a 2013 Chevy Sonic.

Finally...no "buts". 😀

[Forza Tom]

We had a 2007 Sightseer 35J. We loved it!

Issues to watch for:

The anti corrosive coating was a known issue so check the coating around the basement doors. We had all of ours redone. This coating can also have issues where the windshield is mounted. If your windshield cracks without being hit make sure to have that issue addressed. All good things to ask the previous owner if possible.

Also the chassis during these years needs some tweaking to get the best ride out of the unit. Make sure it in alignment. Add a steering stabilizer if it doesn't already have one.

Also check all the small screws everywhere as Winnebago had issues with the heads popping off.

Other than thgat we had 9 trouble free years from ours!

[hohokam]

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

We had a 2007 Sightseer 35J. We loved it!

Issues to watch for:

The anti corrosive coating was a known issue so check the coating around the basement doors. We had all of ours redone. This coating can also have issues where the windshield is mounted. If your windshield cracks without being hit make sure to have that issue addressed. All good things to ask the previous owner if possible.

Also the chassis during these years needs some tweaking to get the best ride out of the unit. Make sure it in alignment. Add a steering stabilizer if it doesn't already have one.

Also check all the small screws everywhere as Winnebago had issues with the heads popping off.

Other than thgat we had 9 trouble free years from ours!

Please elaborate on the coating. There are some bare spots on the basement doors where the paint has worn off. No rust and assumed I would need to do some touch up. Is there something else?

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by hohokam

Please elaborate on the coating. There are some bare spots on the basement doors where the paint has worn off. No rust and assumed I would need to do some touch up. Is there something else?

For a couple of years the black coating that the cover all exposed parts and the chassis with (this includes the the area around the basement doors) just flaked off at just over the 1 year old mark. mine came off is large pieces. I did get rust so I had it all repairs and re coated.

My dealer told me that this was a common issue and they had done many repairs.

At about 4 years old I developed a crack in my windshield. It started from the top and was working its way down. I found out through my dealer this was also part of this coating issue. The coating on the metal that the windshield mounts against had gone bad allowing rust to develop and the imperfection in the flat surface the rust caused had cracked the windshield. I got to look at it before he repaired it.

Just make sure you inspect it good and just have it fixed when it develops.

[hohokam]

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

Just make sure you inspect it good and just have it fixed when it develops.

Thanks Tom. Not sure that mine has that problem but will definitely check and be on the lookout.