Newmar comes through...again

[harleychief]

I'm having a problem with my HWH leveling system, so last week I called them to speak to a tech and see if we could figure out what needs to be repaired. Over the weekend it got so bad that one of the rear fenders broke off the bolt that holds it to the frame. So I called HWH again yesterday and they told me that it would be a few weeks before the techs would be able to call me back. I thought that was unacceptable so I called Newmar to see if they might have some answers. Well, long story short, they called HWH (I guess they have some pull) and after about an hour I get a call back from Newmar with an HWH on the other line, so we had a 3 way call. After HWH hung up the Newmar rep made sure that everything on my end was good and said that if I had any more problems to call them back. I still haven't gotten the jacks working right, but now I have a ticket with HWH and a tech to talk to, all thanks to Newmar.
That's customer service with a capital S. If it wasn't for them I would've either started replacing parts hoping that I got the right one or had to call in a mobile service company that would have cost a fortune. Once again, THANKS NEWMAR!!

[Sky_Boss]

FIRST! Good for you and NEWMAR!

THREAD HIJACK ALERT!!!



What the heck is happening with HWH!?

Does HWH take advantage of that fact that they have a captive client? It is absolutely unimaginable that tech support should take more than 3 days (over a weekend!) let alone 3 weeks!

I'm lost for words that you have to jump on Newmar's shoulders to get enough leverage to get HWH off of there ars. It took me a week for HWH to call me back with a simple parts number but 1 day to charge my credit card for an order. I know...apples and oranges but it fits my ranting mood.

[smlranger]

When we got our first DP with HWH slides and leveling jacks (2005) their tech support was excellent. You generally got a call back in less than one hour and they would stay with you trouble shooting.

That changed when the economy tanked and the RV industry took a nose dive, or at least that is what folks have suggested.

Now that the RV industry seems to have rebounded well and HWH is still a major provider of slide and leveling systems for the industry, it would seem they would beef up their tech support.

Good for Newmar that they intervened for the customer.

[Kulgpa]

I hope you have better luck with the HWH tech calling back again. I called in mid June and was told to leave a message and they would call back according to my queue placement. After calling every other week and being reassured that I was still in the queue, I finally received a call in mid Aug. Yep two months later. According to the tech they are very busy during the summer. Doing what I do not know other than not returning calls in a timely manner.

["007"]

Here is a tour of HWH FACTORY PLANT that the 2013 irv2 rally had with a visit.

More pic's

[redbaron73]

Originally Posted by Sky_Boss

FIRST! Good for you and NEWMAR!

THREAD HIJACK ALERT!!!



What the heck is happening with HWH!?

Does HWH take advantage of that fact that they have a captive client? It is absolutely unimaginable that tech support should take more than 3 days (over a weekend!) let alone 3 weeks!

I'm lost for words that you have to jump on Newmar's shoulders to get enough leverage to get HWH off of there ars. It took me a week for HWH to call me back with a simple parts number but 1 day to charge my credit card for an order. I know...apples and oranges but it fits my ranting mood.

I agree! That is the worst thing they could be doing to their customer base. I am very concerned and hope that the person that answered the phone was just plain wrong. I cannot believe that Paul would allow his company to give that as a response.

If you are needing help getting through to them send me a pm.

[CBQ]

I had to replace both HWH rear jacks on my 1997 Damon Daybreak three years ago, because they stopped retracting and had to be pushed up with a hydraulic car jack.

I just replaced both rear jacks on my 2012 Newmar with the same problem. One jack failed at 13 months...one month out of warranty, and the next a couple of months later. I have an extended service agreement, so I'm not paying for them...but having replaced 4 jacks in 3 years I am naturally wondering if this is a common HWH problem and I should plan on replacing them every couple of years, or did I just have bad luck? I carry around a hydraulic jack in the RV that is much too small to try lifting the RV - it's there just to push stubborn jacks back.

(In both cases the dealer verified all the valves were working correctly, fluids were at the right levels, etc. It was the jack itself that was bad.)

[Mr_Mechanica]

Are they still using HWH on 2014 coaches?

[DCTENT]

My 2014 Essex has HWH standard

[lostintime]

Originally Posted by CBQ

I had to replace both HWH rear jacks on my 1997 Damon Daybreak three years ago, because they stopped retracting and had to be pushed up with a hydraulic car jack.

I just replaced both rear jacks on my 2012 Newmar with the same problem. One jack failed at 13 months...one month out of warranty, and the next a couple of months later. I have an extended service agreement, so I'm not paying for them...but having replaced 4 jacks in 3 years I am naturally wondering if this is a common HWH problem and I should plan on replacing them every couple of years, or did I just have bad luck? I carry around a hydraulic jack in the RV that is much too small to try lifting the RV - it's there just to push stubborn jacks back.

(In both cases the dealer verified all the valves were working correctly, fluids were at the right levels, etc. It was the jack itself that was bad.)

I have the same problem right now with mine but I take a tire iron and wedge it underneath and just help push them up. Did they say it was because the jack is bent? I looked and mine doesn`t look bent.

[Sky_Boss]

Originally Posted by lostintime

I have the same problem right now with mine but I take a tire iron and wedge it underneath and just help push them up. Did they say it was because the jack is bent? I looked and mine doesn`t look bent.

I think your system has the springs that pulls the jacks back into the stored position. My understanding is that particularly the rear ones were a bit weak to start with and get worse with time. I have newer, stronger springs to replace my rear ones but need to get them installed. As it is, my rear jack retract very slowly but do so.

[CBQ]

Originally Posted by Sky_Boss

I think your system has the springs that pulls the jacks back into the stored position. My understanding is that particularly the rear ones were a bit weak to start with and get worse with time. I have newer, stronger springs to replace my rear ones but need to get them installed. As it is, my rear jack retract very slowly but do so.

It has springs. On my older Damon, I replaced the springs with new ones, but it didn't help. On the 2012 Newmar (delivered in April 2012), it also uses the same spring system. The rear jacks were fine at first...then went to taking 10 minutes to retract...and then eventually didn't retract at all without some external "help". The one jack that has been replaced now works fine - wondering how long that will be the case. The spring concept might work fine on shorter coaches, but I am not convinced it's a good design for a 40' chassis.

["007"]

The problems maybe the solenoids on fluid storage tank the needle valves have to be cleaned or replaced.
I still have 10 year old springs on all jacks my problem with two front jacks have been binding of seals on jack pistons and leaking cylinder housing allowing the fluid to escape.
Just replaced passenger side $400. The jacks are now shipped with a metal shim the has to be mounted on top two jack bolts before slipping jack into housing frame.
HWH jacks are allot better than the new electric's that were installed on some of the Newmar coach's.

[CBQ]

Originally Posted by "007"

The problems maybe the solenoids on fluid storage tank the needle valves have to be cleaned or replaced.

The techs did check the values first, and determined it was the jacks themselves.

Originally Posted by "007"

HWH jacks are allot better than the new electric's that were installed on some of the Newmar coach's.

Probably true.