This is where we started...


We bought our RV at CampingWorld...
She's a 2004 Winnebago Adventurer 33V.
We thought we'd end up with something around 27' to maybe 30' and we figured we'd go back to about 2010 or 2012 model-year. Then this rare sweetheart popped up.

Our Campimg World sales guy showed me the headlights because I was new to RVs. He tried hard, and got the good sale. I had reservations but I was highly encouraged by the fact that when this motorhome was built it was the flagship of the Winnebago line, and at the time (and generally still true), Winnebago was a premier manufacturer known for excellent world-class quality.

I popped my head in the door to begin my inspection. I hired Lemon Squad for a professional inspection. I was awaiting the Camping World 45-Point Inspection. The professional Inspection Report said nothing was wrong. The Camping World 45-Point Inspection was verbal and noted a broken door lock cylinder.

No hands! After I realized I could use The Force to drive the RV I knew this was the rig for us... Note the CB with the badly frayed cord. Replaced that even though I seem to be the only person in America that uses a CB radio...

The professional Inspection Report said nothing was wrong.... The Camping World 45-Point Inspection noticed the Door Lock had one bad cylinder, that's all...

The Control Panel registered Grey and Black tanks Full when I had been told they had just been dumped and flushed, Camping World said they fixed that. The light over the Galley sink was broke, Camping World took too long to fix it so I replaced it. The forward ceiling light was broke, Camping World fixed it.. One (of two) front door locks was broke, the other was sketchy, Camping World installed a new door lock replacing the broken cylinder with a new one and replacing the other new cylinder with the old sketchy cylinder. Yes, that really happened... (Probably going to replace this lock with a new wireless combo lock...) Something on the Water Heater was broke, don't know what it was, Camping World said they fixed it. Later that day the Water Pump wasn't working. I had someone else fix that. The next day the Water Heater wasn't working again. Someone had tried to repair a leak in the Water Pump with silicone sealer, which didn't work. Had the gasket replaced. Bled the Water Hearter, works now. (But I'm thinking about a Tankless Water Heater...) The AC filters were installed upside down, Camping World corrected it. The hydraulic fluid (for the Jacks and Slide-outs) was a quart low. I filled it. (The hydraulic fluid was low because there's a leak in the living room slide-out push arm, easily visible if you look under the slide-out. I'll get that fixed in a week or so.) The Generator oil was about a quart low (capacity is 2 quarts), and black. I was told it was recently changed. I changed it. The Engine oil was as black as a struck match. I was told it was recently changed. I changed it. My RV has the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer installed. (That's good news and should have been used as a selling point.) Had anyone gone under the chassis they would have seen this. No one mentioned this. Bad news: The U-bolts were so badly corroded they needed to be hacksawed off and replaced. The Front Tires are relatively new, the Rear Tires are over 10 years old and badly cracked, the Rear Inside Tires are showing a semi-serious fluid leak. Getting that fixed right now. (Differential fluid is flammable... The right rear tires are just about below the propane tank... New tires and leak fix and re-bolt the Safe-T-Plus are in the neighborhood of $3K.) The Spare Tire was the original spare tire, badly cracked and under-inflated. Completely unreliable as a spare tire. The Driver's Door Power Window weatherstriping had warped and was likely leaking. (A Winnebago parts supplier (winnebagoparts.com) sent me the wrong part, even after I sent them a photo of the actual part, Camping World confirmed it was the wrong part and when they reassembled the interior door panel the Driver's Door lock didn't work and the Driver's Door Power Window didn't work... The Driver's Door handle and lock were in need of serious lubrication. The Driver's Door Power Window motor was DOA. It took Camping World 3 weeks to say they were going to order that part. I checked with Winnebago, got the part number for Camping World and price (just under $500). 11/8/18: Finally got the motor replaced, was charged $600 for the motor, a couple of hundred for the labor. Words alone cannot express how happy I am to finally be done with Camping World. Never, NEVER, going back there... (Note: winnebagoparts.com has since redeemed themselves with outstanding parts service and customer support.)

Lemon Squad missed all of the above, Camping World missed most of the above and who knows what else?

And now we're here... Cement parking pad with ramps coming soon... Did that... I'm gonna need 50amp service too... Did that...

She needs a professional cleaning, some things need fixing up, then we have to junk it up with our stuff. Also, we need to work out decent WiFi for our iPhones and laptops as well as TV.

RVing is serious...

Professional cleaning crew went to work...

Not good enough for my wife so she cleaned it again...

Probably gonna recover the dinette cushions. Individual tastes being what they are we're not so sure this fabric and color scheme was ever attractive... The left sink cover had been broken and glued together, replacements no longer available, might get a local woodworker guy to make a replacement... One of the living room blinds was "completely destroyed," Replaced both living room blinds. Also need a better shower head according to every RV'er...

Clean?

Clean again!

Replaced blinds... I like blinds much more than shades or curtains... Tip: Raise these blinds when driving. The small accent lamp on the Dinette table is held in place with Velcro adhesive 'dots' on the feet of it.

These pics aren't the best. It's really much cleaner than the shadows would suggest. We still don't like the fabric-pattern all that much. Bailey is quite happy with the RV's cleanliness... If we don't spill something we're done cleaning. Time to fix a few little things, test a few things, and get out on the road... I haven't quite decided what I'm doing with the TV in the Cockpit. (I'm going to throw it away but don't know exactly how to replace it...) I used Velcro 'dots' to secure the accent lamps. The mirrors were just too much, I already know what I look like and don't need to see myself every 30 seconds, the application my wife did is beautiful we think. I'll put a TV in the bedroom if only to cover the huge ugly hole. (On our page "Our Upgrades" you can review most of the repairs and upgrades we did and do and how and why we did them.)

2004 Winnebago Adventurer 33V Floorplan

2004 Winnebago Adventurer Sales Brochure

2004 Winnebago Adventurer Owner's Manual

2004 Winnebago Adventurer Parts Manual

Winnebago 50-Years Parts Manual

Cummins Onan RV Generator Handbook

Sharp Carousel Convection Microwave Oven Manual

CAMCO RV Products Catalog

CAMCO Camping Essentials Catalog

The day we brought her home...

The day we said, "She's ready to roll..."

Your windows are sooo clean! Why aren't there any bugs on your windshield?

I don't usually plug products but... This stuff, Invisible Glass, is awesome! Remember how cool Rain-X was when it first came to market? Of course you do, everybody bought it, rain just slid right off! This stuff, Invisible Glass, is even better!

So, if you read all the above you figured out that we don't usually like to cheap-out, or cut corners, or half-ass anything. And you can guess that we roll with a lot of carefully selected gear...

What about our gear...? (click below)

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