Community Forums

phototex · 06-17-2007, 11:19 AM

Pulled into Camp Newmar about an hour ago. Got one of the three full hookup places left in front of Customer Service. The others are now full, so we got here just in time. It's amazing, but our list of repair items has doubled just on the trip up here.

Dirk came right over and introduced himself. (We're parked three sites away from him.) He's leaving tomorrow for generator repair up in Elkhart, but we will see him again in Gillette. Thanks, Dirk, for the introduction to Camp Newmar and Nappanee.

phototex · 06-17-2007, 11:19 AM

Pulled into Camp Newmar about an hour ago. Got one of the three full hookup places left in front of Customer Service. The others are now full, so we got here just in time. It's amazing, but our list of repair items has doubled just on the trip up here.

Dirk came right over and introduced himself. (We're parked three sites away from him.) He's leaving tomorrow for generator repair up in Elkhart, but we will see him again in Gillette. Thanks, Dirk, for the introduction to Camp Newmar and Nappanee.

rebelsbeach · 06-17-2007, 11:51 AM

Atta boy Dirk!!

Bill, I'm glad you folks arrived safely in Nappanee and if you'll check the top of the Newmar Owner's Forum there are some helpful instructions such as where to do laundry or dry cleaning, grocery shopping and so forth...

The ability to overeat is something you'll be fighting during your entire stay!!

By the way, if you have an appointment already scheduled I would advise putting your name in the front window of your coach and of course be ready to be OUT of your coach for the day at 0600 on Monday.
If you have any questions, Louise is the greeter in the lounge...Ask her if her flowers are still pretty,it'll earn ya some points!

KenSherwin · 06-17-2007, 02:12 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The ability to overeat is something you'll be fighting during your entire stay!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're supposed to FIGHT it??

Route 66 · 06-17-2007, 03:48 PM

Bill and Betty already have directions to Carlyle's.

rebelsbeach · 06-18-2007, 04:19 AM

With Dirk leaving this morning for Cummins this morning, I wondered if there were any other iRV2 members arriving soon in Nappanee to keep them company?

phototex · 06-18-2007, 12:04 PM

What an amazing company! Newmar service got 12 of my 14 items fixed today! Of the remaining 2, they ordered a part, which is due to arrive here late today or early tomorrow, and one item they are still scratching their heads over.

The problematic issue? The windshield wipers. Same problem that Dirk has, and that he and I discussed while he was here. And while we were talking, another Dutch Star owner came over and said he was having the same problem, too. My service technician, Tom, said he and some other techs even went to the factory and tested the wipers on three different '08 Dutch Stars, and they did exactly the same thing that mine do. Namely, the driver's side wiper goes beyond the edge of the window, when it's raining, of course, and you're driving above 50 mph. This is a continuing problem, that I had hoped had been fixed at my dealer last February. I hope Tom can give me a good answer tomorrow.

If any other iRV2'ers are here, please come by and knock on the door. I'm in bay 19.

rebelsbeach · 06-18-2007, 12:45 PM

Bill, the wiper issue is not just confined to the DSDP, as I had the same issue when I was on the way to Newmar recently...The wiper blade on the driver side continued to camp below the glass and on the window molding...The techs made the adjustment and then waited a certain amount of time and retourqued.

phototex · 06-18-2007, 12:49 PM

...and I forgot to mention my two Spartan items. Both were fixed by Kent Baker (Spartan rep at Newmar) and his team. The noise I was hearing from the engine compartment turned out to be a loose clamp letting exhaust gasses escape. The gasses partially melted some nearby rubber hoses, which were replaced, and the clamp was replaced. And while they were under there looking, they found an electrical cable that had been incorrectly routed too near a hot part of the chassis. They moved it to a safe area.

My other issue about the air bags making a loud squealing noise sometimes when they are filling is not a safety problem, so they were left as-is.

Kent went to great lengths to explain all of this to me on the telephone, and, unfortunately, I probably only retained about 1/10th of it. He did call to my attention that the installer who hooked up my M&G brake controller for my pickup tied into the rear brake line of the motor home chassis and that Spartan really, really doesn't approve of that. Kent says that Spartan has a kit with appropriate check valves and air tanks that I need to have installed in Michigan. So I guess I'll be making a trip up there in a few months after my calendar clears.

phototex · 06-18-2007, 12:57 PM

Bob,

Yes, I've had several people explain to me about the torque and re-torque, and then re-torque again thing. But I think it's something more than that. Dirk told me that they adjusted something in the mechanical linkages that drive his wipers, and that helped some. I think there is some fundamental design issue at work here. If you look at the huge honkin' windshield on these motor homes, and then look at the dinky little light-weight wipers, well... something just doesn't look right. Tom was talking to a Newmar engineer tomorrow, and about maybe putting bigger, heavier-duty springs on the wiper. Dirk showed me a large spring-like device that Newmar gave him that sits on and clamps to the wiper arm to make it hug the windshield harder. But he says it was buggering up his wiper, and did not seem to be doing anything other than that.

rebelsbeach · 06-18-2007, 01:36 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Kent says that Spartan has a kit with appropriate check valves and air tanks that I need to have installed in Michigan. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bill, if you have a private tech you can trust, I believe Spartan would allow him to do this install if a trip to Charlotte,MI isn't in the cards...

I use a private tech when in VA who is authorized to do anything warranty except "Newmar" items...

phototex · 06-18-2007, 02:21 PM

Bob, that's a good idea. I wish I had someone I could really trust back home. Kent said that his crew could do it at Newmar, but that he would recommend taking it to the factory because they had the experience doing the install there.

Sorry if I came down a little strong on the wipers. I get a little up tight when it starts raining hard and my wipers go zonko.

(I can't wait to see your shiny new stainless-enhanced LADB!)

Route 66 · 06-18-2007, 04:07 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Dirk showed me a large spring-like device that Newmar gave him that sits on and clamps to the wiper arm to make it hug the windshield harder. But he says it was buggering up his wiper, and did not seem to be doing anything other than that.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The spring made no difference in 10 or 12 times it rained on the way to Iowa 80 truck stop, and you can't be too hard on the bad wiper design.

JavaJelly · 06-19-2007, 01:57 AM

Had this wiper problem identified last fall and when there in Winter. Newmar said the fix was to relocate the wiper further in. At the time, they said they would take care of all the paint work. I didn't have time so said if it was too much of a problem I would get it done next year.

I am wondering if the problem is bigger than they thought and the labor to relocate all those wipers is not something Newmar can handle.

Or, if the '08s are still having trouble, perhaps that wasn't the fix after all.