Interesting Response from Newmar CS.

[Sky_Boss]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

Newmar did the right thing. Unfortunate it had to be disputed in order for them to step up to the plate.

Sheeesh...

They did what is fairly standard and try to get the supplier to do warrantee work. That didn't go as planned so they followed up and corrected the issue. As long as this didn't draw the situation out beyond reason what's the problem? Do you expect every RV company to roll over without trying to reasonably get "the other guy" to do the right thing first?

[Tony Lee]

Basic principal is that warranty period begins at the moment of the first RETAIL sale. How could it be otherwise.

Some truly enlightened countries mandate that the company who made that first retail sale is fully responsible for any warranty claims. Buy an appliance from a department store and if it fails, take it back to that store. None of this "you will have to send it back to the manufacturer sir" nonsense.

Even more consumer protection in some countries is that as a general principle, a consumer is often entitled to choose which one of the three "r"s he prefers - refund, repair or replace.

Next step is to mandate that any item considered expensive and which should be able to give many years of service, cannot be limited to a 12-month warranty. As an example, I had a dishwasher replaced with a brand new model 5 years after I bought it even though it only had a 12-month warranty.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by Sky_Boss

Sheeesh...

They did what is fairly standard and try to get the supplier to do warranty work. That didn't go as planned so they followed up and corrected the issue. As long as this didn't draw the situation out beyond reason what's the problem? Do you expect every RV company to roll over without trying to reasonably get "the other guy" to do the right thing first?

I guess I do expect the final manufacturer to step up, make it right and then go after their supplier. If the OP had not pursued it neither the OEM or Newmar would have stepped up to the plate.

If I have an issue with my Ford I take it to my dealer. If it is under warranty, he will fix it and do whatever he has to do without inconveniencing me. If it is a battery he will replace it, or spark plugs or tires or ???

We had an issue with the Lippert jacks on our coach. Our dealer Lichtsinn identified the problem, organized the necessary approvals, ordered the parts and installed them.

Winnebago did not have the parts in the parts warehouse so took the parts out of production.

Now they could have sent us to Lippert for warranty work but there was no attempt to duck responsibility to the other guy. We were down less than a day.

Right now I have two points of contact for my coach. Lichtsinn and Freightliner. I know and agree with the limits of their experience and skills to fix any issues with my coach and I accept that. I have worked with both and have had great experiences.

In my mind it somehow denotes a less than stellar operator who takes your money and then tries to foist you off to do their work for them.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

Basic principal is that warranty period begins at the moment of the first RETAIL sale. How could it be otherwise.

Some truly enlightened countries mandate that the company who made that first retail sale is fully responsible for any warranty claims. Buy an appliance from a department store and if it fails, take it back to that store. None of this "you will have to send it back to the manufacturer sir" nonsense.

Even more consumer protection in some countries is that as a general principle, a consumer is often entitled to choose which one of the three "r"s he prefers - refund, repair or replace.

Next step is to mandate that any item considered expensive and which should be able to give many years of service, cannot be limited to a 12-month warranty. As an example, I had a dishwasher replaced with a brand new model 5 years after I bought it even though it only had a 12-month warranty.

Exactly.

Years ago my SIL bought a bread machine from a national department store. Within the warranty period the machine failed. She took the machine back and they gave her a new one along with a refund because the machine had gone down in price.

The replacement machine came with a new warranty. This one failed as well within the new warranty period so she it back. They gave her a replacement along with another small refund because the price had been further reduced.

In either case there was no effort made by the company to have her send it back to the OEM. I make a point to patronize the company because of their great customer service.

[palehorse89]

The OP's battery problem with Newmar/dealer had upset him to the point that he had to post his problem on here, he should of never had to do that! Maybe Newmar does read these forums as other manufacture's do??
"The guy that called yesterday with the left over new Coach that has battery problems has posted on IRV2............over 30 posts! people not happy! GIVE HIM SOME NEW BATTERIES NOW! "
Instead , it should of been a "Fire story" when camping and sitting around a fire, and he could tell of how his battery problem was taken care of with one phone call..........
Actually , the dealer is the one that should of correct this problem, I believe that all Newmar Coach's are ordered by customer's or dealers and sold to them. None on consignment?
Hats off to Newmar for stepping up!

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

I guess I do expect the final manufacturer to step up, make it right and then go after their supplier. If the OP had not pursued it neither the OEM or Newmar would have stepped up to the plate.

If I have an issue with my Ford I take it to my dealer. If it is under warranty, he will fix it and do whatever he has to do without inconveniencing me. If it is a battery he will replace it, or spark plugs or tires or ???

We had an issue with the Lippert jacks on our coach. Our dealer Lichtsinn identified the problem, organized the necessary approvals, ordered the parts and installed them.

Winnebago did not have the parts in the parts warehouse so took the parts out of production.

Now they could have sent us to Lippert for warranty work but there was no attempt to duck responsibility to the other guy. We were down less than a day.

Right now I have two points of contact for my coach. Lichtsinn and Freightliner. I know and agree with the limits of their experience and skills to fix any issues with my coach and I accept that. I have worked with both and have had great experiences.

In my mind it somehow denotes a less than stellar operator who takes your money and then tries to foist you off to do their work for them.

Gordon, you must have a better Ford dealership than I have! When I purchased a brand new Ford F-350, I ran into problems with the tires being our of round and bouncing down the road. The dealership rebalanced them twice then told me it was a Continental problem, talk to them. I told them I had purchased a complete package from Ford, I didn't choose the tires, they wouldn't budge even after I talked to the Service Manager and Owner of the dealership. I parked it in front of their service bay, locked it up and left with the keys. They called me and as I was on the way home to move my truck. I told them that I would call them back. I called them back about a half hour later, gave them the case/complaint number and point of contact at the KY State Attorney General's Office, and they could keep the truck until 1) they put new tires on it, 2) the Attorney Generals office investigated and made a decision, or 3) they got tired of it blocking their bay and had it towed. Either way they were going to pay my insurance and cost of a rental car until it was resolved. I got a call later that day asking me to drop off the keys so they could move it into a bay to replace the tires. All 4 . . . then two more two weeks later when two of those were proven bad too. . . Oh, by the way, most of those Conti-trac tires were later recalled due to defects.

Bottom line, DO assert your rights, DO make a pain of yourself, DON'T go away and just eat it.

Glad this worked out in the OP's favor, too bad he had to take time out of his life to force the issue. IMHO, the dealer should have made it right without it having to be escalated to Newmar.

[BPoland]

OK guys, I am the OP. The problem was/is the selling dealer (North Trail) is in Fort Myers FL. I live South of Baltimore, MD. It's a 1,200 mile run each way to North Trail in FL. My closest Newmar Dealer is Beckleys, in I beleive Thurmont, MD. It is quite the hike. I would probably burn 1/2 - 3/4 tank of gas, to get there and back. Plus, I would have to leave the coach with them so they could "fit it in".

If North Trail was closer, they would have handled it completely. I caused part of the problem by not taking the coach back to a Newmar dealership. They (Newmar) suggested that I take the batteries to Interstate for testing and replacement.

I will bring the coach home from storage, pull the batteries and take them to Interstate for replacement. I could take the coach to Interstate, but I would rather be the one to remove and install the batteries. Not that I don't trust them to do the job, but.....

["007"]

Pull fuses for slides, than remove ground cable then your positive cables, new batteries reconnect the positive cables than the ground cables re-plug in fuses.

[newmarpusher]

Originally Posted by BPoland

Not to but, how many people do you know that pay attention to the build date when they buy their coach? I didn't even know what the build date was until I logged on to Newmar's web site. That being said, I first complained about the batteries in November 2014. The selling dealer was North Trail and they are 1,200 miles from me. I'm hoping we can work something out. We'll see.

I think most experienced buyers would pay attention to the build date of the coach and how long it's been sitting on a dealers lot.

As has been mentioned in this thread, deep cycle batteries have a finite life even when cared for properly. Sitting on a dealer lot, having the slides opened and closed for demos, improper (or no) charging, improper water level maintenance, etc. would be the norm for most coaches that have sat. Unless a coach is fresh from the factory, new batteries should ALWAYS be part of my deal IHMO

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

Gordon, you must have a better Ford dealership than I have! When I purchased a brand new Ford F-350, I ran into problems with the tires being our of round and bouncing down the road. The dealership rebalanced them twice then told me it was a Continental problem, talk to them. I told them I had purchased a complete package from Ford, I didn't choose the tires, they wouldn't budge even after I talked to the Service Manager and Owner of the dealership. I parked it in front of their service bay, locked it up and left with the keys. They called me and as I was on the way home to move my truck. I told them that I would call them back. I called them back about a half hour later, gave them the case/complaint number and point of contact at the KY State Attorney General's Office, and they could keep the truck until 1) they put new tires on it, 2) the Attorney Generals office investigated and made a decision, or 3) they got tired of it blocking their bay and had it towed. Either way they were going to pay my insurance and cost of a rental car until it was resolved. I got a call later that day asking me to drop off the keys so they could move it into a bay to replace the tires. All 4 . . . then two more two weeks later when two of those were proven bad too. . . Oh, by the way, most of those Conti-trac tires were later recalled due to defects.

Bottom line, DO assert your rights, DO make a pain of yourself, DON'T go away and just eat it.

Glad this worked out in the OP's favor, too bad he had to take time out of his life to force the issue. IMHO, the dealer should have made it right without it having to be escalated to Newmar.

Scot - I guess I have been fortunate in purchasing from the right dealer or having problems that they will address. I purchase and have service done on a regular basis so they may want to keep me coming back. I have no issues with sitting down with a manager and telling them that my patronage of their business is conditional in taking care of me. It is our dollars that make them successful not the other way around.

I applaud your take charge attitude and actions. If more of us did that dealers and manufacturers would likely be more responsive to taking care of their customers. We should not have to assert our rights to be treated properly.

[bamaboy473]

Batteries have a life span that begins the minute they're charged. Whether they sit in a coach that's sold, or not, doesn't matter to them; nor should it matter to the battery maker. They did their job.

How could a manufacturer warrant an item that is perishable? Maybe the OP has a chance with the selling dealer who may not have charged the coach batteries regularly, but certainly not with Interstate or Newmar.

[BPoland]

Originally Posted by bamaboy473

Batteries have a life span that begins the minute they're charged. Whether they sit in a coach that's sold, or not, doesn't matter to them; nor should it matter to the battery maker. They did their job.

How could a manufacturer warrant an item that is perishable? Maybe the OP has a chance with the selling dealer who may not have charged the coach batteries regularly, but certainly not with Interstate or Newmar.

Read post #23

It pays to deal with Newmar!

[BPoland]

Originally Posted by "007"

Pull fuses for slides, than remove ground cable then your positive cables, new batteries reconnect the positive cables than the ground cables re-plug in fuses.

I totally agree with the disconnect order of ground first, then positive, and reverse the order for connectiong. I really don't think you need to pull the fuses for the slides. I have mechanical cut offs installed on both (-) battery terminals, and throwing the disconnect, has not caused a problem with the slides.

I will tell you that when I removed the batteries the first time (last week), I zip tied each set of (+) wires together, and then applied electrical tape to completely cover the conductive ends. Was it over kill? YUP. I remember you mentioning about when you had your batteries replaced, both slide modules went out. I'm not sure what could have caused that, unless they mistakenly hooked the patteries up in series creating a 24 volt feed.

[newmarpusher]

Originally Posted by BPoland

I totally agree with the disconnect order of ground first, then positive, and reverse the order for connectiong. I really don't think you need to pull the fuses for the slides. I have mechanical cut offs installed on both (-) battery terminals, and throwing the disconnect, has not caused a problem with the slides.

I will tell you that when I removed the batteries the first time (last week), I zip tied each set of (+) wires together, and then applied electrical tape to completely cover the conductive ends. Was it over kill? YUP. I remember you mentioning about when you had your batteries replaced, both slide modules went out. I'm not sure what could have caused that, unless they mistakenly hooked the patteries up in series creating a 24 volt feed.

Agreed, I can't see why you would need to pull the fuses on the slides, although it wouldn't hurt anything to do so. I've replaced many house batteries, many car batteries. All I did was disconnect the cables (negative first) and reconnect them. Be VERY carful not to touch pos to negative at any point in the procedure. Be careful with that wrench!!