Community Forums

jameshawk · 11-23-2014, 02:34 PM

Just picked up a used 2014 Dutch Star 3736 , the entry door needs a ferocious slamming to close the door, no amount of adjusting the striker will help, it only goes up & down. I open a window to alleviate interior pressure, no help, close the screen door first then a giant slam is the only thing that will work. So violent a slam that any thing in the passengers trim panel flies out! Any help?

palehorse89 · 11-23-2014, 02:41 PM

Leveled or just parked.......is in in a bind ? not allowing the door to close?

Dutch Star Don · 11-23-2014, 02:53 PM

I hate to say it, but it seems like a lot of the new Newmars, at least the new Dutch Stars have doors that are hard to close. When new, mine would close, but would be 3/8" from being flush with the door frame.

I questioned this situation and was told that the Newmars take about six months before they work like they should. I tried all kinds of things, but nothing helped.

In the first few months, when closing the door from the outside, I would pull the grab handle firmly away from the coach while I closed the door firmly. Timing this just right would get the door closed flush without slamming it as hard as I did in the past.

My bigger issue....if the door isn't closed flush, it will rattle while driving. Because I'm a big guy and the entry door area can be tough to bend over and close securely, I would sit down on the step, brace the door frame with my right hand and pull the door firmly closed with my left. I did this only when we we're going to be driving the coach.

I don't understand why these doors have been so problematic, other than a claim that the seals are really tight. We keep our coach at home and are often in and out of it. I know when my wife would go in and out, she never closed the door until it was flush. I started making sure that while the coach was just sitting at home, the door was closed flush (seating the seals). It took about 7-8 months for the door to finally start closing without slamming. ****Even tough you're not suppose to and it can get your clothes dirty, I have been lubing the latch and door bolt. This has helped considerably.

It is a little embarrassing to be slamming your door on your new coach in an RV park.

Lastly......after I finally got the door to start closing properly, I developed an occasional door rattle. Then a rattle, that sounded like a door knocker inside the door, started every so often on certain roads. Door noises make me CRAZY. I decided the noise was being caused by the door lock flexing on the locking door bolt....the one that floats.

I removed the door bolt and large flat washer and placed a plastic washer behind it. I made the washer from a white plastic lid to a storage container. I made the washer the same size as the flat washer. I reinstalled. The door bolt stilled moved as design, but not as easily. This has solved all of my door noises.

"007" · 11-23-2014, 04:29 PM

In QT's # 3 there is a section on "THINGS DO Break At Times" has a whole bunch of stuff on doors also.

danleininger · 11-23-2014, 05:04 PM

Same issue developed on our Essex. Had a factory appointment and after 2 days work the door is MUCH easier to close.

A close friend had the same issue on his DS and after 4 different dealers "worked" on the door he finally went to Nappanee and got it fixed.

Adjusting the door requires removing the inside trim around the door. There are wooden plugs covering the screws that have to be removed. This may not be a DYI job. Apparently few dealers are capable of doing this repair. However, Newmar may not fairly compensate dealers for this type of repair.

Additionally our entry door occasionally "clanked" when we hit bumps. Our tech at Newmar was able to lower the stricker and it solved that issue.

palehorse89 · 11-23-2014, 05:11 PM

Wow......this is starting to sound like a not so easy fix? Sounds like a trip to the factory?

LongDogRanch · 11-23-2014, 05:57 PM

Check the gasket around the door. We had an issue that required slamming but found that the gasket was getting bent backwards in spots and, as a result, was doubling its own thickness. Hard to explain how we fixed it but once we discovered the source of the problem and addressed it we haven't had the problem return. May not be the problem you're experiencing but it's worth checking. Good luck.

reubenray · 11-23-2014, 06:30 PM

Ugh!!!

I thought I would escape the Tiffin door issues by getting another brand!!

bwaller · 11-24-2014, 05:17 AM

Ah, the infamous door problem. Initially, we had a wind noise in addition to having to slam the door. After 4 months of this, we took it back to factory. They adjusted the screen and the door. We left factory and about 180 miles out, we now had a noise that was even worse than wind noise and slamming the door to get it to close. We videotaped with our phone and sent it to factory.

Drove it back to factory in September - we did find that if we lubed the latch very well, we could get the noise to lessen. The screen door never fit right either so they replaced the screen door, took all the trim off, adjusted the pin that fits into latch and it was great when we left Nappanee. About 180 miles out, the noise returned! I stopped, greased it again and it has been quiet for 500 miles.

We are going to Florida for the month of January so will see how it works then.

The service department team are the best at Newmar; not too sure about the engineers that design some of these "problems."

jameshawk · 11-24-2014, 06:31 AM

Bigger problems now, I arrived my destination this A.M. and went to leave and the door would not open. No amount of pulling and unlocking would budge it, I had to jump out the drivers side window then found out that the lock and latch were partially engaged by pushing the door closed from the outside and turning the keys. Being in the coach I figured this was the problem but no amount of what I could muster from inside would open it, scary!

zrobotman · 11-24-2014, 08:26 AM

Jameshawk. Is there any scrape marks on the edge of the door to show where the door is binding? Could the lock mechanism be locking up inside? Also check the hinge side to see if something has moved.

allynne · 11-24-2014, 11:12 AM

Jameshawk, What model and year is your coach?

bruceisla · 11-24-2014, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jameshawk

no amount of what I could muster from inside would open it, scary!

This is why you should keep plenty of beer in the reefer and a whole cabinet full of Scoops and salsa ...

allynne · 11-24-2014, 12:47 PM

Jameshawk, sorry I reread your original post. Do you by chance have a switch on your dash that locks the front door electrically?

On my Mt. Aire I had the same issue shortly after I got it and locked myself in and had to go out the window and manually unlock. Apparently I had hit the switch and electrically locked the door before going to bed. Could not see the small lock was locked due to bright morning sun in my eyes.

Al Sawyer
'05 Mt. Aire