Expert Advice Requested: New 2015 King Aire flooded with 50 gallons of water

[Late arrival]

Check with ins.co....but I would return directly to newmar....way too many variables for trouble down the road...and they are responsible

[Spinner]

Originally Posted by nforus

Hello Mike,



Sorry to hear about your experience, not making excuses for Newmar, but it's best not to have the water pump on while traveling for exactly that reason.

This is simply not true. Imagine how many gallons if you were hooked up to city water and had left the coach to go sightseeing.

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by Spinner

This is simply not true. Imagine how many gallons if you were hooked up to city water and had left the coach to go sightseeing.

Stop by the faucet/handles on the way out of the site and turn it off as well I find that a good rule to apply.

[HHIDan]

Originally Posted by JohnRR

Stop by the faucet/handles on the way out of the site and turn it off as well I find that a good rule to apply.

I hate to disagree but I don't shut the water off (or propane) (or electricity) every time I leave the coach. And I don't shut anything down at my house either. Plumbing should hold.

If I understand this case here, looks like there was no glue in the fitting or wrong fitting for the application, definitely a human error or bad judgment. As I see it, for now anyways, looks like manufacturer's fault entirely. IMHO, nothing to do with insurance.

And, from everything I know about Newmar, they will step-up and turn this around. The best outcome would be a replacement coach. The defective coach can then be repaired and re-sold, discount and disclosure applies...

[Farmer Steve]

I would like to add my support for your situation. It's all been said of course but I do want to stress that mold and electrical corrosion are my biggest concerns. It's possible that many insurance companies won't insure a flooded coach.

Your doing the right things it sounds like and reaching out to the IRV2 community will give you much support. Please keep the group informed about your progress as I have seen this group "go to bat" for many RV'ers.

Good Luck and since you only have 3 posts

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by HHIDan

And I don't shut anything down at my house either. Plumbing should hold.

My house does not shake, rattle, and roll going down the road but I shut the water off when I leave it for traveling.

You never know when the bus might decide one of it's water fittings may pass it's life cycle and decide to leak.

I like to feel better safe than sorry and to each their own.

[PDR John]

Very sorry to read about this issue.

I, too, am waiting to read the next chapter. I hope for the very best for you.

[nforus]

Originally Posted by Spinner

This is simply not true. Imagine how many gallons if you were hooked up to city water and had left the coach to go sightseeing.

I think it's pretty obvious that any water leak, is going to be a water leak?????

Why temp fate by running down our wonderful roads all pressured up. It's simply a matter of doing the things that you can to prevent problems. Thankfully with the monobloc system in his coach, he will be able to shut of the leaking plumbing run and still be able to use the rest of the plumbing runs in the coach. We too turn off the inside plumbing to our S & B and have ground level moisture sensors. We learned the hard way after an Ice maker line failed and flooded the basement. So much better to be safe than sorry.

[PanJH]

Originally Posted by HHIDan

I hate to disagree but I don't shut the water off (or propane) (or electricity) every time I leave the coach. And I don't shut anything down at my house either. Plumbing should hold.

If I understand this case here, looks like there was no glue in the fitting or wrong fitting for the application, definitely a human error or bad judgment. As I see it, for now anyways, looks like manufacturer's fault entirely. IMHO, nothing to do with insurance.

And, from everything I know about Newmar, they will step-up and turn this around. The best outcome would be a replacement coach. The defective coach can then be repaired and re-sold, discount and disclosure applies...

Several years ago, we left our campsite for the races at Daytona. We returned 12+ hours later. Walked into the coach and when we got by the bathroom, there was a slightly soggy carpet. Looked inside the bath and the shower pan was full and overflowing. The faucet in the bathroom decided to have a slight leak and over the course of the day, filled up the rest of gray tank and overflowed. No real damage, I went a n bought a floor fan and wet/dry vac and had it taken care of.
A month or 2 afterwards, we were at one of our Florida springs and when we were walking back to the RV, I noticed water POURING out the door of a nearby camper. Another person also saw it and ran over to the hose bib and shut it off before I got there. No one was home, but no doubt ruined their RV .
Yeah, it's a pain, but I always turn off the water at the bib when we leave for any significant length of time.
To ease that little bit of work, I recently bought a 121v motorized valve and have hooked up a RF remote activator to it. I'll be installing it in the wet bay after the hose reel. That way, it's a push of a button when I leave and another push when I return.

Anyway, to the original poster, I can understand to an extent the turmoil you are going through. Our issue was not as severe, the awning decided to deploy by itself as I was pulling into our storage building... the awning lost. The coach was a couple weeks old. I was devastated. I hope Newmar treats you properly without you having to call in lawyers,etc. and that they do their best to address this unfortunate situation. by building you a new coach .

[Clayobx]

I've read many articles where RV experts advocate turning off the hose bib when leaving the coach for an extended period. I never have but will from this point forward. However, this issue with the OP's King Aire in no way puts any onus upon him for fault. All Newmar. New King Aire, IMO!

[USMCRET]

I had never considered the possibility of a water leak like this while headed down the road. I need to change up a routine or two to address that.


This is going to have a good outcome. I'm sure of it.

[PBG]

From the point of view of someone who is a first time buyer and has the King Aire on the short list, I find this post disturbing. I'm a big fan of the King Aire, but this type of initial quality defect has me questioning whether I should continue to look at Newmar products. If this happened to me, I would settle for nothing less than a new replacement and a reimbursement for ALL related expenses.

But, what bothers me the most about this situation is the evident lack of quality control. This issue should have never happened in the first place and it tarnished what should have been a very happy and exciting experience for the buyer. Remember, this is not a pre-owned coach, this is a new model. It's also Newmar's flagship coach and it would seem that every installed component would be the best of its class and properly tested.

We all know the market is strong for the motorhome manufacturers right now and even the highest end models are selling faster than they can be made. Based on the experience of the OP as well as others who have spoken of multiple initial defects, it seems that Newmar has its work cut out for them in the quality control department.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with this post, I'm just being honest with my opinion. I'm sure that each and every manufacturer knows there's potential purchasers reading these forums and many times make purchasing decisions based on the experience of others. An initial defect of workmanship such as this one is just awful.

I can only hope that someone from Newmar chimes-in to provide a full explanation on what went wrong in the manufacturing process and what they are doing to eliminate the number of initial defects many new owners have reported.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by PBG

From the point of view of someone who is a first time buyer and has the King Aire on the short list, I find this post disturbing. I'm a big fan of the King Aire, but this type of initial quality defect has me questioning whether I should continue to look at Newmar products. If this happened to me, I would settle for nothing less than a new replacement and a reimbursement for ALL related expenses.

But, what bothers me the most about this situation is the evident lack of quality control. This issue should have never happened in the first place and it tarnished what should have been a very happy and exciting experience for the buyer. Remember, this is not a pre-owned coach, this is a new model. It's also Newmar's flagship coach and it would seem that every installed component would be the best of its class and properly tested.

We all know the market is strong for the motorhome manufacturers right now and even the highest end models are selling faster than they can be made. Based on the experience of the OP as well as others who have spoken of multiple initial defects, it seems that Newmar has its work cut out for them in the quality control department.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with this post, I'm just being honest with my opinion. I'm sure that each and every manufacturer knows there's potential purchasers reading these forums and many times make purchasing decisions based on the experience of others. An initial defect of workmanship such as this one is just awful.

I can only hope that someone from Newmar chimes-in to provide a full explanation on what went wrong in the manufacturing process and what they are doing to eliminate the number of initial defects many new owners have reported.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an explanation from Newmar. You are right to be alarmed at the lack of quality control, it's through out the RV industry.

RVs are very complicated units that also must move down the road. The workers are paid wages far below that of automobile assembly line workers.
You pay more for a new RV than it will ever be worth again. YOU are the real quality control monitor. You must find the defects and fight with the company to get them to fix it correctly. It would seem to me that buying a unit a year or two after it rolls out of the factory would be far more prudent than buying new. You won't take the new unit price hit and you've had someone else who did the quality control/repair cycle. This is how I buy cars, except when I'm impressed by the quality control and a proven track record of few defects. Some brands I would never buy new, but then I probably wouldn't buy that brand anyway. In RVs, there is no brand that I would trust to buy new. That's just my opinion, but It's supported by evidence like the OP's experience time after time by buyers of the very 'best' as well as the entry level RVs.

I see no advantage to driving with the water pump on or parked with the city water on when away from the RV. In my RV we have convenient switches located in the galley and the head, it's easy to flip it on when you need water pressure.

[NLOVNIT]

What happened to the OP is truly devastating & I, along with the rest of the iRV2 family posting here hopes Newmar makes it right.

This has been an interesting discussion about what to do regarding shutting off the water, whether it be the pump or shore water. I'm sure it's made a lot of us rethink our practices. Having also had a few close calls at our S&B & reading posts on water pouring out RV bays/under the entrance door, we're also in the camp of shutting off when we're not around home/RV for any length of time or on the road. Us having a gas coach, the engine noise completely drones out any chance of me hearing our pump running so that's why we turn ours off while driving.

Please keep us posted on your story. We all wish the best outcome for you.

Lori-