After the Maiden Voyage

[ramblek]

After two years or saving and researching, I took the plunge and bought a 2014 Winnebago ERA . My first trip was a 5 day adventure from Maine to Ohio.
I finished that trip totally discouraged. Why, you ask?

The noise in the van was so loud that you could not carry on a conversation with the passenger! The rattling, banging and bouncing left me exhausted and almost in tears. Do RV'ers cry?

By the end of trip, every piece of clothing that I had was duct-taped to any possible rattle area. No help.

Is it supposed to be like this?

Discouraged in Maine

 

[avanti]

Is it supposed to be like this?

Definitely not.

 

[Ron J. Moore]

Sorry for your first journey being so bad, but it will get better - you will get experienced on packing and how to avoid noises. If your carrying dishes, pots and pans....think about putting a piece of shelf liner on the bottom of the drawer and between pots and pans. You can pick up rolls of it in Walmart and places like that. You have a great B, and with a little help and info from others, you will be laughing instead of crying. Hang in, it will get better. Ron

 

[eric1514]

Check your tire air pressure and the age of the tires.

 

[ramblek]

Thanks for you reply. Part of my concern was that all I had in the rig at the time was clothes and some food in the refrigerator. No dishes or anything loose to shift and kick around.

 

[markopolo-ClassB]

The glass turntable plate in the microwave oven, the shower head hose & some window coverings are sources for noise.

Eric mentioned tire pressure - definitely check that. It can make a tremendous difference.

It is a cargo van so it won't be like a luxury sedan but the experience should still be pleasant. You'll get it sorted out :thumbup:

 

[Bud-ClassB]

Hi Discouraged in Maine,

I purchased my B 2 years old and was disappointed with the noise too. SO

I had Ellen drive while I found the causes. Obviously, it needs to be done safely enough since standing up and walking around in a moving van can result in ................ bad stuff.

We used an empty parking lot with bumps that once had a Walmart. There was essentially no reason that brakes or any radical steering would be needed, virtually zero chance.

Bud

 

[BBQ-ClassB]

.

You have dual rear wheels -- they contribute to a bumpy ride, which can shake everything inside.

WGO is not big on quality sound insulation, even for this top of the line ClassB.

>The rattling, banging and bouncing left me exhausted

You are carrying a whole house with you. They will rattle. That's just of the nature of things. You can put felt patches in door frames, etc., to minimize the contacts.

Bring lots of paper towels and jam them in every nooks and cranny.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Phoebe3]

There are some challenges that are specific to Winnebago such as the aluminum shower door and sliding cabinet doors (great for not hitting your head when the door is open, but perhaps a bit more noisy).

Since there are a lot of Winnebago owners but not everyone reads new member posts, I'd like to suggest that you start a post in the general discussion area and title it "How to reduce noise in Winnebago." You might get some specific Era tips.

I agree with previous posters - I'm confident that once you figure it out you will start to really enjoy your new toy!

 

[GBUSMCR]

I have a 2014 ERA. 2 major source of rattle noise: 1) Window screens, bought clips and greatly reduced noise. I can not find the info I used but I got it off a post on here. 2) Pull down shades, especially the one mounted on the sliding door. Used some paper towel to silence it. Thinking of getting a sun screen shields and just taking the pull down shades out. You can improve the noise and enjoy your ERA.

 

[gklugie]

Are the noises constant? .... even on a smooth highway?

 

[Phoebe3]

All,

Looks like Ramblek re-posted in the General Discussion. Will be helpful to put all the rattle-advice under one thread with a more descriptive title.

 

[E. Swenson]

Do what Bud said!