Fan Belts

[Steve and Desi Bang]

We have a 2006 Newmar Essex and we have replaced the fan belts (2 each) 4 times and now we have to have the turbo replaced. Is this a common problem with this engine (500 cummins) or are we the only ones experiencing this. Prior to buying this coach we had a Country Coach Inspire and we were tired of spending time in the shop. We did alot of research and talked to alot of people who owned various Newmar products. We heard nothing but good things about Newmar so we decided this was the way to go.....however we are not sure now....we have spend many hours broke down along side the freeway and we are getting very frustrated. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Other than the previously said problems we love the coach.

[Steve and Desi Bang]

We have a 2006 Newmar Essex and we have replaced the fan belts (2 each) 4 times and now we have to have the turbo replaced. Is this a common problem with this engine (500 cummins) or are we the only ones experiencing this. Prior to buying this coach we had a Country Coach Inspire and we were tired of spending time in the shop. We did alot of research and talked to alot of people who owned various Newmar products. We heard nothing but good things about Newmar so we decided this was the way to go.....however we are not sure now....we have spend many hours broke down along side the freeway and we are getting very frustrated. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Other than the previously said problems we love the coach.

[GaryKD]

Steve,
I feel your pain. Before buying my signature coach I also did extensive research, all over the web forums. Newmar seemed to be the best so we made the purchase. I know I am at the opposite end of the price range, from an Essex. Newmar's problems seem to be Brand wide. From what I can tell, the components Newmar installs in its' coaches fail way too often. From what I've read Newmar seems to build a good coach. Lamination, paint, leaks, cabinets, floors all seem to say Newmar is good at building the coach. Newmar also installs brand name components. These brand name components fail quite a bit. Personally, I had nothing but Winnebagos (only Brave models). Believe it or not, I never had a warranty claim on the Braves! With the Newmar (one year this month) I have had about 15 service calls with multiple claims on each call. These are trips to the dealer (110 miles one way). Dometic refer (1 claim), Dometic HVAC (3 claims with one still open), HWH jacks (2 claims), awnings (A&E 5 claims with one still open), Spartan chassis (2 claims and $5K of my money to close!), the list goes on and on, but you get the point.

In addition, I understand Newmar continues to build DSs with ISL recalled engines.

Am I disappointed in Newmar? I am very disappointed in Newmar.

[edgray]

STEVE and GARY: I "linked" your posts to the SPARTAN CHASSIS forum , so as to increase the exposure. Good luck with these issues. ED

[Cruzer]

I've heard of a Zephyr owner who had the same thing happen. It was the same K2 chassis with 500 ISM as the Essex. Spartan came right out and replaced the fan clutch. The Spartan service rep stated that they had a number of bad clutches. The clutches start to seize up and smoke the belts. Eventually your fan clutch will squeal and die too. Once they put a good one on you should be all set.