Are we the only ones having trouble?

[Stuart W]

Well we are on our 5th trip in our new 2016 Newmar Canyon Star 3710 and last night the kitchen sink brackets (this time two) came unglued from the countertop and water leaked into the cabinet. This is the second time that a bracket(s) has fallen down from the sink. In addition to this we have had a water leak at the ice maker line and ice maker drain do to it not being installed properly, one of the shades over the couch fell of. In our hands while closing it do to loose screws, a cabinet door with a large knot that was puttyied over (about the size of a quarter),a shower that has so little preasure that it's hard to wash your hair, our entrance step is so large and low that we can't park near anything like a curb and exit the motorhome. (The Newmar manual states that the switch can be turned off to hold the step in, but this is untrue) speaking of the manual it has so many inaccuracies in it , it's hard to discern what's actually correct (a Newmar rep acknowledged this and made the following statement to me "I'm not sure what you did for a living but I have found that pilots and engineers are usually the ones to point out all of the mistakes because they are the only ones that actually read the manual")
On my first call to Newmar customer service, the rep told me that he was sorry for the issues We were having and told me that Nemars demand for motorhomes was way up and they are seeing quality issues because of lack of training, this was honest but not what one wants to hear after purchasing a top of the line motorhome. We did our home work prior to purchase and are now shocked waiting for the next failure to happen. Sorry to be long winded and if I sound disappointed, it's because I'm writing this from the motorhome across from the kitchen sink that is falling down and not usable on our 5th trip out. In fact we haven't had a trip with out a water leak.
Happy New year to all, be safe

[PDR John]

Bummer to hear, I hope things smooth out for you soon.

Can you put some pressure on your dealer to get things fixed?

[Patti Brown]

It is frustrating indeed when things do not work as they should. Fully understand your frustration. Should it happen? No, of course not. Does it happen? Absolutely! I have yet to hear of a new MH that did not go through a lengthy punch list of fix-it items the first year. We bought a one year old coach and reading the service records for that year made us very glad we let the original owner deal with it.

That said, we still find a gremlin almost each time we go out in our coach. Last trip the kitchen light fixture died. We have decided it is just part of the joys of MH ownership, rather like owning a boat. Something is always going to break or misbehave.

[GaryKD]

Hi Stuart W,
A coach will break siting in storage not used for months. Sometimes a coach will have things break just by walking by it! No, I'm not exaggerating. Boat and coach owners have a lot in common on this point. Your coach will settle down, guaranteed. My coach is 11 years old and 100K miles. Every coach and environment is different. It took my coach and me about 3 years to get both of us to work together. Except for the usual maintenance and items that wear out, the last 8 years have been flawless. Tough to see now, but as the years and miles roll on you'll fall in love with the coach.

[Dutch Star Don]

I guess everyone looks at issues differently. First, on ANY coach, if you park it on the street next to a curb, most steps will hit the curb. If you've been around RV's long enough, you know that they are often heavily optioned with component manufacturers changing frequently.....consequently, there is no real way to make an owner's manual that is as precise as one issued by Honda.

It probably took longer to type this post than it would have taken to tighten the screws on the shade that fell. I'm guessing your refer water line was loose and needed tightening.

In my world, you had about fifteen minutes of repair, an issue with a sink that needed to be glued differently (complaint Newmar needs to fix) and a cabinet door they need to exchange because it doesn't meet your standards.

No offense, but your post comes off like the engine exploded and left you in the desert. It's a rolling earthquake......if you can't tighten a screw or make some small repairs, you're going to be in for years of aggravation.

[96 Wideglide]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

If you've been around RV's long enough, you know that they are often heavily optioned with component manufacturers changing frequently.....consequently, there is no real way to make an owner's manual that is as precise as one issued by Honda.

This is true Don, but what a rediculous statment by a Newmar rep !!

[PanJH]

Originally Posted by Stuart W

...speaking of the manual it has so many inaccuracies in it , it's hard to discern what's actually correct

On my first call to Newmar customer service, the rep told me that he was sorry for the issues We were having and told me that Nemars demand for motorhomes was way up and they are seeing quality issues because of lack of training, this was honest but not what one wants to hear after purchasing a top of the line motorhome.

I have to agree.... the manuals I received were very inaccurate ( that was in 2013) and the initial "quality" of the coach was not up to par. In the first year, the coach was in the dealers shop more than in our hands. 2 broken slides, 2 broken AC's , roof leaks, door alignment /installation issues,cracks in both the front and rear caps, 2 leaky hose reels, woodworking issues and the list goes on for pages. Not what I would have expected from Newmar. I have had several other brands and never experienced issues like this.
Now, almost 3 years later, it looks like we have worked out the problems between the dealer doing repairs and myself fixing many items. It's too bad that they are not spending extra few minutes or hours to deliver a quality product. Of course, things are going to break and require maintenance, but not to the extent I or others have had to endure during the initial period of ownership.
Another disappointment was in the midst of all the issues, I sent a letter (certified/return receipt) to Matt Miller... I NEVER received any response from him or a delegate. That's a very poor attitude and behavior from a principal that is having more that his share of customer issues due to quality problems.
I do have to say that the Freightliner chassis has performed great. Just wish we hadn't had the issues with the House.

[DMTTRANSPORT]

Most give an excuse for the MFG not doing their job, I call BS, these Coaches should not be released until they are COMPLETLY FINSHED, not just because all the workers checked the box that they did the job! Quality Control...

[Petersr58]

Same problem with water pressure on my 2015 CS3610. Remove the charcoal water filter element and replace with a 5 or 10 micron element. Fixed my problem.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

I guess everyone looks at issues differently. First, on ANY coach, if you park it on the street next to a curb, most steps will hit the curb. If you've been around RV's long enough, you know that they are often heavily optioned with component manufacturers changing frequently.....consequently, there is no real way to make an owner's manual that is as precise as one issued by Honda.

Let me just say that the mistakes I'm referring to are things like over stating the tow hitch by 5,000 pounds ( a gas MH with a 10,000 pound hitch would be something) or over stating the capacity of the garage model by 1,000 pounds, or the Newmar wired step control that states you can turn it off in the open or closed position, and the worst thing is they have had the same mistakes for several years,

No offense, but your post comes off like the engine exploded and left you in the desert. It's a rolling earthquake......if you can't tighten a screw or make some small repairs, you're going to be in for years of aggravation.

This is the aluminum channel that is glued to the bottom of the counter top to clamp the sink in place,one has already been re glued and now 4 more have fallen causing the sink to fall and water to leak into the new cabinet again.
I take no offense for I understand people that make uniformed comments.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by DMTTRANSPORT

Most give an excuse for the MFG not doing their job, I call BS, these Coaches should not be released until they are COMPLETLY FINSHED, not just because all the workers checked the box that they did the job! Quality Control...

Well said! Thank you

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Petersr58

Same problem with water pressure on my 2015 CS3610. Remove the charcoal water filter element and replace with a 5 or 10 micron element. Fixed my problem.

Thank you, it's worth a try. Where did you get the different filter?

[JFXG]

Stuart, I hope things smooth out for you-- and they will. A bit of advice: within a certain context, Dutch Star Don and others are right. While there's no acceptable excuse for your assembly / QC issues, there's also no upside for you to make a big repair issue out of loose screws or a loose ice maker water line. Just tighten them up and move forward. Fact is they may well vibrate loose again in a year or two. It happens.

As to the absolutely p!$$ poor manuals-- I used to get upset that my coach manual does not have the clarity, accuracy, or depth of the aircraft manuals I've become accustomed to. But the simple reality is this: Newmar is liable for any information that that put in the manual. The content and construction of the Owner's Manual is dictated by the legal department, and in the most litigious society in the world the manufacturer's legal department does not want you or any other amateur messing about with the coach in any way that could be interpreted as being approved or condoned by Newmar. They make the manual vague and unusable intentionally.

Over a surprisingly short time you will learn- through conversation, experience, and this forum- coaches in general and your coach in particular. Enjoy the ride!


John & Diane, fulltiming since '12
'02 DS, FL, 3126, '04 Element
NHSO RVM103

[Stuart W]

Another disappointment was in the midst of all the issues, I sent a letter (certified/return receipt) to Matt Miller... I NEVER received any response from him or a delegate. That's a very poor attitude and behavior from a principal that is having more that his share of customer issues due to quality problems.
I do have to say that the Freightliner chassis has performed great. Just wish we hadn't had the issues with the House.

Same here regarding Matt Miller, he has totally ignored me. It's funny when you watch their propaganda videos they seem like a family owned business that is so customer focused. Matt and his dad talk with such pride. I for one call BS! They go on to say that they know they are at the high end of cost but feel that they in turn give a "high quality" product in return. I have never had this much trouble with motorhome. The wife and I looked at this motor home as a 3 year purchase and planed to purchase a Newmar DP, not sure that will happen now.