I contacted two people and left a voice message with an important person citing a potential fire hazard but never received a response. Out of curiosity I contacted Winnebago’s Customer Service department and surprisingly the representative I spoke to was aware the FLX was not ducted into the enclosed underbelly but was unaware of the manufacturing / potential fire hazard issue. The trailer is currently sitting at a local dealer to be inspected for warranty purposes. My intent is simply to document the issue through he warranty department but I suspect I’ll be on my own for a proper solution. Lastly, I contacted Truma to inform them of the situation due to potential bad publicity created by improper installation. Their customer service department has been excellent, though I’m not confident they have the internal channels to relay the concern to senior departments. They did consult their engineering department and I’m told the installation specifications for the VarioHeat require a minimum of 80mm (8cm/~3.25”) from the outlet of the unit prior to any change in direction of the conduit.
@@GREYWOLFrv I think you’ll definitely be on your own for all issues. I addressed this with them 2 years ago but fell on deaf ears….. here is part of my email to them …. Despite this, I am still committed to helping people and have reached out to a unsatisfied customer as requested by you regarding their FLX camper. I have included suggested changes to the brochure to clarify the product's capabilities, as the customer was not aware of certain limitations as many aren't. It is also important for dealers to be properly trained in order to set realistic expectations for boondocking and FLX ownership. I have explained to the customer the realistic expectations for off-grid use and FLX systems, and am currently assisting her with configuring the necessary settings on the Go Power, Xantrex, Truma, and Lithionics apps. I have also shared with her the realistic expectations of power consumption on the FLX. It is imperative that the accompanying material for the FLX be comprehensive enough for customers to understand how to use the system. The following are some specifications and starting points: a 320 amp-hour lithium battery and 400 watts of solar, which can produce 200-240 amps of power when exposed to 8 hours of sunlight. Here is what you can run with the current setup for 5 days (This information is found nowhere on any FLX marketing material, videos etc I had to create this ) 8 Hours of Lights 30 Min of Water pumps 2 Hours of TV 5 Hours of ceiling fan 4 Hours of radio 7 Hours of Fridge Running 24 hours of propane alarm 15 min of Microwave 2 Hours of Cellphone charging 1 hours of laptop charging 5 min of hair dryer In terms of the Aventa AC unit included in the FLX, it can run for the following times based on speed: low speed for 3 hours, medium for 2 hours and 40 minutes, and high for 2 hours and 15 minutes. This is only running the AC nothing else It is important to note that the marketing materials and dealers are not fully aware of the FLX's capabilities, as solar technology is still relatively new. Therefore, it is essential that customers receive comprehensive information and dealers receive proper training. As mentioned many times before, I have a passion for this and that’s why I spend so much time helping out customers as there is no support out there.
I had been looking at RVs and this last couple of years nearly EVERY REVIEW out there shows that all new RVs are garbage and all dealers are crooks. They are there own worst enemy. I hope to see a class action lawsuit against the RV industry. Many of these manufacturers have no buisness making crap and passing it off to unsuspecting people.
I 100% understand what you’re saying, but I actually believe a lot of quality concerns predate the time period you suggested. From my experience and understanding, travel restrictions imposed during the height of the COVID pandemic shifted the consumer market into activities they could do within their own countries and thus caused an explosion in popularity of the RV market. With more eyes on the products has come more scrutiny. I do want to delineate between design and manufacturing. The problems I’ve encountered thus far all appear to be design related, not manufacturing. Line workers appear to be performing quality work but the design they are being asked to complete is the root cause. For what it’s worth, I believe design is the easier of the two to correct.
So what did Winnebago say?
I contacted two people and left a voice message with an important person citing a potential fire hazard but never received a response. Out of curiosity I contacted Winnebago’s Customer Service department and surprisingly the representative I spoke to was aware the FLX was not ducted into the enclosed underbelly but was unaware of the manufacturing / potential fire hazard issue. The trailer is currently sitting at a local dealer to be inspected for warranty purposes. My intent is simply to document the issue through he warranty department but I suspect I’ll be on my own for a proper solution.
Lastly, I contacted Truma to inform them of the situation due to potential bad publicity created by improper installation. Their customer service department has been excellent, though I’m not confident they have the internal channels to relay the concern to senior departments. They did consult their engineering department and I’m told the installation specifications for the VarioHeat require a minimum of 80mm (8cm/~3.25”) from the outlet of the unit prior to any change in direction of the conduit.
@@GREYWOLFrv I think you’ll definitely be on your own for all issues. I addressed this with them 2 years ago but fell on deaf ears….. here is part of my email to them …. Despite this, I am still committed to helping people and have reached out to a unsatisfied customer as requested by you regarding their FLX camper. I have included suggested changes to the brochure to clarify the product's capabilities, as the customer was not aware of certain limitations as many aren't. It is also important for dealers to be properly trained in order to set realistic expectations for boondocking and FLX ownership.
I have explained to the customer the realistic expectations for off-grid use and FLX systems, and am currently assisting her with configuring the necessary settings on the Go Power, Xantrex, Truma, and Lithionics apps. I have also shared with her the realistic expectations of power consumption on the FLX.
It is imperative that the accompanying material for the FLX be comprehensive enough for customers to understand how to use the system.
The following are some specifications and starting points:
a 320 amp-hour lithium battery and 400 watts of solar, which can produce 200-240 amps of power when exposed to 8 hours of sunlight.
Here is what you can run with the current setup for 5 days (This information is found nowhere on any FLX marketing material, videos etc I had to create this )
8 Hours of Lights
30 Min of Water pumps
2 Hours of TV
5 Hours of ceiling fan
4 Hours of radio
7 Hours of Fridge Running
24 hours of propane alarm
15 min of Microwave
2 Hours of Cellphone charging
1 hours of laptop charging
5 min of hair dryer
In terms of the Aventa AC unit included in the FLX, it can run for the following times based on speed:
low speed for 3 hours,
medium for 2 hours and 40 minutes, and
high for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
This is only running the AC nothing else
It is important to note that the marketing materials and dealers are not fully aware of the FLX's capabilities, as solar technology is still relatively new.
Therefore, it is essential that customers receive comprehensive information and dealers receive proper training.
As mentioned many times before, I have a passion for this and that’s why I spend so much time helping out customers as there is no support out there.
I had been looking at RVs and this last couple of years nearly EVERY REVIEW out there shows that all new RVs are garbage and all dealers are crooks. They are there own worst enemy. I hope to see a class action lawsuit against the RV industry. Many of these manufacturers have no buisness making crap and passing it off to unsuspecting people.
I 100% understand what you’re saying, but I actually believe a lot of quality concerns predate the time period you suggested. From my experience and understanding, travel restrictions imposed during the height of the COVID pandemic shifted the consumer market into activities they could do within their own countries and thus caused an explosion in popularity of the RV market. With more eyes on the products has come more scrutiny.
I do want to delineate between design and manufacturing. The problems I’ve encountered thus far all appear to be design related, not manufacturing. Line workers appear to be performing quality work but the design they are being asked to complete is the root cause. For what it’s worth, I believe design is the easier of the two to correct.