2020 View plumbing leaks

[Amazonica]

I have a new-to-me 2019 Micro Minnie 2108DS (towable) manufactured in 2018. I always use pressure regulators (even on the black tank flush) and had minor leaks where the braided nylon hose attaches to the PEX connector. Replaced with PEX hose and SharkBite where possible. Don't know if the Owner(s) before me let it freeze or not. My OEM crimp connector was so loose I could pull it off by hand - and I'm NOT handy!

[NYer]

The good news is that I have been in contact with Winnebago customer service and they have agreed to replace both the hot and cold water connections under my kitchen sink under warranty. Persistence pays off.

[lenore]

Every product will have issues (however my 2005 Trail lite trailer had none the entire 15 years of ownership). These leaks can be fixed, very little money envolved, I spent less than $30 total for pex brass fittings and clamps but yes it sucks on a new RV to even do this. The industry is overwhelmed with RV growth and the time to get your repairs done can be aggravating by the dealerships. Hey owning an RV has its maintenance issues. Winnebago should pony up and fix this problem. Me, I just want to be on the road with a Vita that is solid and maintenance free, that is why I fix it myself and move on. Those that cant do it, yes you need to push and have Winnebago fix it. Same end result, just two different paths.

[rprochnow]

Everyone within their warranty period should verify they don't have any leaks - leave the water pump on all night - check in the morning for any water underneath - or if the water pump periodically runs overnight (which means water is going somewhere).

It's very possible most of the RVs Winnebago is building with these fittings may never have any leaks. Otherwise we'd likely hear a lot more complaints on the forums and in the press - if every RV they are building with these fittings eventually has leaks and requires replacements for the fittings.

While the parts are relatively expensive, and should be available at the local hardware store - actually replacing the fittings can be challenging, since not all of the fittings are easily accessible...

[BadMed]

I had my leaks repaired, as well as prevented all future leaks, by having my RV Service guy replace ALL of the vinyl hose with PEX. He was able to do it without removing the shower. He had to remove the plate in the wet bay to access the majority of the "hose to PEX" connections. In some places it took some finesse and a lot of cussing to feed the PEX behind walls, but he got it done. Maybe a bit extreme, but now I can rest assured that I will not having anymore leaks from these substandard "hose on PEX fittings". Winnebago should be ashamed of this shoddy plumbing. Sadly, I think Winnebago is getting to big and just thinking of the bottom line. I'll think twice before I buy another Winnebago.

[Elkman]

I suspect that with the nearly 40% increase in sales that the people at Winnebago bought whatever connectors they could source so as to continue shipping RVs to customers.

The most reliable automobiles and trucks come from manufacturers that make few changes year to year and instead focus on improving quality control. With Winnebago making so many changes year to year and putting out new RVs like the Ekko it is not surprising that the factory people are sending out products with flawed designs and poor component choices.

PEX is not a real solution as mice love to chew on it and so it is more important to have easy access to the lines to fix problems. Unfortunately the more exposed the plumbing the more likely it will freeze if the system is not winterized in cold climes.

[Skip Stone]

This forum is great to assist the less "technical " members with advice. I had our 2020 D in twice to repair the water leaks by the shower. Frustrated - certainly, however I'm not opposed to performing repairs my myself to be certain the leak issue is completely resolved. I'm also scheduled to visit Lichtsinn in mid July.

Can anyone post pictures of the exact replacement areas, how to remove the metal connectors, and what was used to replace the hoses and clamps? I did remove the rectangular panel below to shower pan and the ability to gain access is very limited.

I understand we are driving our "homes" +60 mph down the highway and issues need to be addressed, however the frustration expressed by the owners is certainly valid. We are planning an 8 week trip in July. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Skip

[rprochnow]

The fittings are not a new problem created since the COVID RV rush - our View as built before the RV market went completely crazy - so WBO can't be excused for a parts shortage. They made a decision to use that type of fittings in View/Navion (and apparently other motorhomes).

Lichtsinn completed our first annual maintenance and reviewed the water lines where our earlier repairs were done - and everything looks OK several months later.

Hoping we have this issue behind us...

[ColoExplorer]

Our view is 2017, but we have a leak under the bathroom sink. Does your sink move? Have you figured out how to get to the white water lines located within an aluminum cylinder that supports the sink? There is an oval opening in the aluminum cylinder but the two white water lines are behind a drain pipe and we can’t figure how to reach it.

[Acap]

Every fitting connected at white hoses leak. Replaced all with hose clamps range 1/4”-5/8”. Also after cutting off crimped connectors, apply LOCTITE vinyl, fabric & plastic flexible adhesive to fittings first, then pop hose back on and used regular hose clamps. Has nothing to do with water pressure since I use pressure regulator and 99% of time is pressured from water pump. This should be a recall item especially since that cheap wood paneling Winnebago uses is now damaged. This is a 2020 Vita 24P

[WV Bum]

Just took possession of a 2021 view 24 D on a 2020 Mercedes chassis. How do I check for leaks before I have wood damage or other damage. Sounds like it may be had to tell if leaks are happening. Sure sounds like Winnebago is a second rate manufacturer. For the price it seems they could the plumbing right.

[rprochnow]

Originally Posted by WV Bum

Just took possession of a 2021 view 24 D on a 2020 Mercedes chassis. How do I check for leaks before I have wood damage or other damage. Sounds like it may be had to tell if leaks are happening. Sure sounds like Winnebago is a second rate manufacturer. For the price it seems they could the plumbing right.

An easy way to check for a leak on the pressurized lines is to turn off all of the faucets and keep the water pump on for several hours.

If there is a leak, you'll hear the water pump run periodically, and likely see water coming out underneath the coach.

If the water pump doesn't run, there probably aren't any leaks- and you should be OK as long as you avoid lines freezing or connecting to city water without a good pressure regulator.

[Rustyturn]

Easiest way to find plumbing leaks is to put some water in the fresh water tank, don't hook up to water, and turn on the camper water pump. Then wait. If there is a leak then the pump will occasionally run even though you don't have any water turned on inside the camper. The worst are the intermittent leaks. It might not leak now but will at some other time. We usually will hear the pump go off while we are in bed. I'll turn the pump off, run some water to reduce pressure and look for the leak in the morning. Window and other leaks require a hose running on the area outside and someone watching inside.

[WV Bum]

Shouldn’t the dealer have done that before I took delivery of it … wait I am dreaming to think that.!!!! I assume most all of the Winnebago will have this same problem. What a major error on a company that has been making Motor Homes for decades. It all about the Money as a company gets that big.

[rprochnow]

While some of us have had plumbing issues - it's very likely this is impacting only a small number of Winnebago customers - otherwise the forums would be seeing a much larger number of "me too" postings.

In our case, I suspect we had one fitting that wasn't fastened securely, and then when the technician started working on that fitting, it loosened up the other fittings near it - causing them to replace all of the fittings with ones that seem to be working better.

Forums are good places to find others who've also experienced the same issue - but usually not a good indicator as to how widespread an issue may be.

I'm more frustrated about the poor design of Mercedes Sprinter adaptive cruise control - which caused us to lose cruise control for part of the last 5 driving days on our most recent road trip. According to Sprinter service, this may be a design flaw caused either by uneven weight distribution (because Winnebago put a heavy RV on the back of the Sprinter) or because the system is designed to "time out" if it doesn't periodically see vehicles ahead when driving on country roads.

At least the water line fittings can be tightened or replaced - a design flaw in the cruise control may require Mercedes to do a recall to fix...

[WV Bum]

I see you point on the Mercedes. I don’t agree it is a easy fix on water line problems. It sure could run a two week vacation. I had a water line leak in a Winnebago class A several years back. I couldn’t get to the leak and we couldn’t get anyone that was interested in fixing it . We didn’t have the use of bathroom, shower, or any running water. You could at least could drive your vehicle. That is a luxury you can do without for a while. No running water sure is not pleasant for that long . After a month getting it repaired , we found that the line was cut to short and was barely on the T , clamp was half way on line and the T. Someone just to lazy to cut another section of pip a little longer. ��

[WV Bum]

Does anyone know how many of the flexible pipe joints need to be repaired . Thanks

[crah]

Originally Posted by WV Bum

Does anyone know how many of the flexible pipe joints need to be repaired . Thanks

On the 24D floor plan, the hot and cold under your bathroom sink, and the other end of the hot is under the closet floor (false panel). The hot and cold Behind the shower valve (winnebago may have fixed this) and under the shower pan there are many fittings. At the beginning of this thread, I have posted some pictures under the shower pan (many are accessible from the wet bay from below but quite a chore to fix properly). There wouldn't be any type of recall on this, it is not a safety issue. In my opinion the problem is not isolated and pretty widespread. I've ran into several people with the same problem in my travels. The good thing is that many of the leaks will be minor and most won't even know about it.

[rprochnow]

When we encountered the leak, we were on the beginning of a 2 week 3000 mile trip and were extremely fortunate to be driving by Kerrville RV on our way west from Houston and they were able to get us in immediately and get us back on our way, only losing a day of driving time.

Now that we know a leak is indicated by the pump running periodically for brief periods while the pump is on and the faucets are off - if we ever hear the pump run again for no reason, we'll immediately look for a leak - and not wait for water to show up on the floor or underneath the coach...

The repairs don't appear to be too difficult - but especially with the fittings around the shower, once you start, you probably have to replace all of the fittings - since working on one fitting will likely loosen the other nearby fittings - which is what happened at Kerrville RV - and they ended replacing all of those fittings before we could leave (one of the fittings is extremely difficult to reach, high up inside the wall).