winnabego factory service center exterior
GoLife Staff May 2022
Education

Factory Service at GNR: What to Expect

Factory Service at GNR: What to Expect
Tips for making service appointments and ordering parts.
By: GoLife Staff

winnabego factory service center exterior

Every summer, Winnebago invites owners home to Forest City, Iowa, for a celebration like no other. The Winnebago Grand National Rally is an opportunity for owners to gather together to enjoy seminars and entertainment, check out vendor and product displays, and so much more! All while making new friends with fellow attendees and employees from Winnebago. 

Not only is GNR a great time to get all the fun stuff crossed off your list, it’s also a great time to cross off getting repairs done at the Winnebago Factory Service Center. July is one of the busiest months for our team at the Factory Service Center, and they continue to go above and beyond every year to ensure that Winnebago owners traveling from all over receive exemplary service, especially during GNR. 

If you plan on swinging by the Factory Service Center this summer, here’s what to know before you go! 

Making Service Appointments

During the week before, the week of, and the week after GNR, appointments at the Factory Service Center look a little different. Instead of scheduling an appointment, customers head over to the Factory Service Center to sign up for service. 

woman standing behind the winnabego factory service center front desk

For the 2022 Grand National Rally, customers can sign up for service starting at 6 a.m. every weekday morning between July 11-29 at the Service Center. 

When signing up for service, you’ll want to be as specific as possible when explaining what work you want to have done. This will help the parts analysts get you the correct parts needed for your repair, and it will help the technicians better understand what needs to be fixed.

Tip: You’ll want to know your serial number and have a cell phone number ready when signing up for service!

Service Lists are made by 5 p.m. each day and are posted at Friendship Hall, the Factory Service Center, and in the GNR Facebook group. 

Be sure to check at one of these locations after you sign up for service to find out your time for repairs. To keep things running smoothly, it’s important to show up with your unit on time. If you are on standby, it’s still important for you to show up on time since technicians will be sent to your unit once they are available. 

During service, you’re free to head back to GNR, or you can wait in the Factory Service lobby. The lobby even has a coffee bar for you to enjoy while you wait! Just be sure not to leave without talking to a technician and keep your phone on you at all times! 

coffee station

The Factory Service Center will also have a food truck in the parking lot during GNR this year starting Monday, July 18 to Thursday, July 21. They will be serving both breakfast and lunch options. If you’re receiving service any of those days, be sure to grab a bite to eat while you’re waiting for your coach to be done!

What Can I Get Service On?

When you sign up for service during GNR, you are limited to seven minor items. Major repairs can take longer, and with the heavy traffic that GNR brings in, it can be hard to get everyone's repairs taken care of if a limit were not in place. Examples of minor repair items are faucet leaks, window leaks, door adjustments, etc. 

Guests looking at getting major repairs done will need to come earlier before GNR and set up an appointment, or stay after and make an appointment. 

We will also have service techs on the rally grounds again this year doing small repairs. If you start your list and find that you have less than three items, our service advisors will evaluate your needs and make every effort possible to fix those items on the rally grounds depending on what you need done. 

Tip: During the three-week time period around GNR, please know that no service contracts or extended warranties are accepted at this time.

Ordering Parts

Some repairs and fixes are so simple you can do them yourself! If you decide you want to buy parts from the Winnebago Factory Service Center and take them with you, you have a few options. 

If you already know exactly what you need, you can stop in the Factory Service Center to shop and check out in the express lane. There will also be parts sold in Friendship Hall this year. The shelves will be stocked with the most commonly sold parts within the last year.

Tip: Please note that the team in Friendship Hall will not have the ability to look parts up for you.

The Take a Number system will be new to GNR this summer and is being implemented to help reduce long lines and congestion in the Factory Service Center. This option is great for those who need help finding parts and want to talk with a parts analyst. Simply take a number and relax in the lobby while you wait for the next available parts analyst to assist you and help you find the parts you need to buy.

winnabego factory service center express lane

Another option is to call ahead and order your parts to be available for pickup from the Factory Service Center. It is asked that you call and order your parts at least three weeks in advance before you intend to be in town to ensure the parts will have enough time to arrive at the Factory Service Center. 

If you know what parts you need and are interested in ordering parts to be available for pickup, please call the Winnebago Factory Service Center at (641) 585-6949. Our friendly staff is happy to assist you! 

And we can’t wait to welcome everyone to Forest City this summer for the 2022 Grand National Rally on July 17- 21. Pre-Rally parking will begin on July 13, with Forest City Puckerbrush Days to follow that weekend. This year, our theme will pay tribute to one of the most iconic highways in the country and all the stops along the way: Route 66. 

Register for GNR here, and cruise over to the GNR website to find out more event information!

2022 grand national rally logo

Comments

Comments on this post are moderated, so they will not appear instantly. All relevant questions and helpful notes are welcome! If you have a service inquiry or question related to your RV, please reach out to the customer care team directly using the phone numbers or contact form on this page .

User commented on November 12, 2021 8:49 AM
The cassette toilet is way better than than the "bucket with a seat" that was the height of luxury in the 60's when I started camping with my parents. The plus and minus of black tank v cassette comes, as you say, in the end to personal preference. For me the biggest plus is the variety of places you can dump.
User commented on November 12, 2021 5:57 PM
excellent article, very simply explained, and we agree with everything...!! We had a Solis, now have a EKKO...it's easy, ... the only thing I do, which my husband says is overkill, is put a little bleach in the tank and wash it out one last time....otherwise , we've used the powdered chemicals and the liquid....
User commented on November 12, 2021 9:36 PM
Chris & Noel - You guys are the greatest. We EKKO-owners, Waitabees, and Wannabees are ALL very interested in the how-to of the cassette. And we thank you for taking the time to elaborate on the the hows, whys, and wherefores of the cassette toilet by writing the fantastic course entitled: Introduction to Cassetting—aka Cassette 101. Our EKKO is still months away, but having spent most of our lives with boats, we know that experience in dealing with the "head," as a toilet on a boat is called, is followed by knowledge and confidence just as problems that need to be solved are followed by knowledge and confidence. Sooner or later, all RVers or boaters become experts out of necessity on everything having to do with using, treating, dumping, cleaning, repeat. And believe it or not, you will have countless conversations about this subject around the campfire with others who share your enthusiasm for traveling with a self-contained home. Will a cassette work for you? You won't know for sure til you've tried it. But I can tell you this: Although we haven't used a cassette toilet—yet—it seems to be a no-brainer that we'll like it. Why? Because it's the least complicated of all possible arrangements with the least number of things that can go wrong. Ask me how I know this. The only thing simpler would be a bucket. And lastly, think about this: If your cassette cracks and springs a leak, toss it and buy a new one—try doing that with a black tank! Yes, the cassette is probably the simplest way to go (pun intended!). — Ruth Jansson & Bette Conner & Rocinante, their eventual EKKO.
User commented on November 12, 2021 9:52 PM
It’s cute that they changed the time ordered “porta potti” to cassette toilet. How polite of them, and hysterical.
User commented on November 19, 2021 10:16 AM
The cassette toilet is easier to maintain in terms of maintenance. Simply discard the garbage when it's full, and the tank and toilet bowl will be cleaned at the same time. Simply fill the tank with water and your preferred cleaning solution. You can find more information here https://www.rvzone.com/cassette-toilet-vs-black-tank/
User commented on December 11, 2022 6:08 PM
Great info.... provoked a lot of thought. Not having dealt with it directly (yet) it looks awkward and heavy to manage (dumping/cleaning) for someone who may have back issues. I try to plan ahead NOT to create pain... so while there are many great benefits described here.... I still question the value for older, arthritic persons.???
User commented on May 20, 2023 12:29 PM
I feel 40 lbs of "waste" is a lot to lift out of a compartment. Putting it away probably alright. Also while you can dump many places, I try not to have to dump. I try to extend the time between dumps. So dumping more often is not good for me.