Newmar Frustrated

[mikena]

Wow, I have never had problems when talking to Newmar. In fact they have bent over backwards to accommodate us. Remember Freightliner covers the chassis to include the steering. If you don’t want to call them or you don’t want to wait until there is a scheduled opening well,, that’s not a Newmar problem. I did get paint, right from Newmar. Not sure why you are having a problem. Newgle has worked well when I needed it. Not sure why you are having an issue. You can call the parts folks directly too. You may disagree with the price of your replacement pump. You had a couple of choices. Don’t buy it, buy it or look for a used one. Welcome to the RV world. If it was being installed on a boat it would have probably been over $400. I agree the lights should be replaced.

[Sck1950]

I agree with strutch, over the years Newmar has installed some poor systems and walked away from them leaving the owners stuck, let's see cracking gel coat panels, no relief. Precision temp hot water system that wasn't large enough for the coach with many defects, atwood electric levelers that are no longer available, replacement cost of $6700. Incidentally they have washed their hands of all these issues. In the course of building motorhomes I believe they used inferior products to maintain their costs and profit
Oh by the way this is on a coach that's just 10 years old. Don't tell me they keep parts for 20years and their customer service is great. It's not true

[NH Dave]

As far as our coach goes, unfortunately, we don't live near a Newmar Service Center/Dealer at all. So, I have found it easier to just do many repairs on coach things myself. However, I have found Newmar customer service/support/parts ordering to be excellent, and as far as Freightliner, they have been ok to deal with when I have gone to them for service.

I've been able to purchase most things (replacement items) through Newmar, and some I've had to phone order parts through Newmar dealers in other states for.

I've also found SilverLeaf excellent to deal with. Those are my experiences anyway...just my 2 cents.

In our '15 LA the paint codes etc. are on a sticker inside the cabinet door above the kitchen sink.

Good luck!

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by stutch

Let me take another whack at this. I read all your responses and I believe you are missing the point. In fact, I think some of you have become "accepting" to the way things are.

When I buy a car (bad example but it is the only one I have) I expect the manufacturer to support my purchase till it is in the junkyard. Support being 1) easy access to parts 2) responsible for vendor manufacturing defects (at least to guide me to a reasonable solution) 3) provide me with superior customer experience.

This is where Newmar seems to fall down. Since I have only owned a Newmar, I cannot compare other manufacturers, but that is besides the point.

Given a very large purchase $400K, I expect Newmar to stand behind their name and quality by standing behind their vendor choices. Example.... It is not a secret that ITC lights were defective and ITC admits it. Where is Newmar in being my advocate in working with ITC to find a solution? Afterall, the name on the vehicle is NEWMAR and they should be concerned about the quality of the parts they install in their MHs. Don't you think the ITC/NEWMAR master agreement should have some sort of warranty (not to be confused with a vehicle warranty) that the parts they sell and advertise lives up to their agreement? LED lights advertise 50,000 hours, more or less, but when my lights give out after 50 hours of use, Newmar should be all over this!

Why isn't there a owners posting in Newgle that says "Known issues with vendor parts not performing as expected and this is what you do if you experience these issues?"

Remember NEWMAR's name is on the rig and they should NOT send a customer to one of their parts suppliers to fend for themselves IF IF IF the part is a known systematic problem.

Again, I am not talking about warranty work and do not expect a warranty to last forever BUT I would think it is in Newmar's best interest to guarantee the stated quality of their vendors. After all, the quality of their vendors reflects on the quality of their overall product.

I mentioned my steering.... Didn't someone at Newmar notice this when they were performing QA on their MH when it came out of the factory? OR, did their corporate culture say "This is a Freightliner issue."

Bottom line.... In a time where social media is front and center in how corporations are viewed to their clients, one would think that Newmar should have people that CARE about what people like me think about their support.

That said, I'll offer a solution.... Newmar listen up!!!! Invest in Newgle. Put in an online catalog so people like me can order paint. Listing paint codes is not a solution unless you are a body shop. Get rid our that brochure you call an operating manual and list technical manuals for every part in the MH. I should not have to turn to GOOGLE to get parts information. (I had to BEG ITC to send me specs on their lights so I can purchase replacements. Newmar didn't know.)

I read "Why don't you go to Freightliner school?" WHAT? Newmar, list in Newgle the fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, Oasis Heat Transfer fluid, maintenance specs, etc... that people like me can perform without having to spend a week in Gaffney.

SO... when I call Newmar's support, I never want to hear "Call XYZ and talk to them about your problem. You are out of warranty."

For what it's worth, I love my MH and believe Newmar is better that the rest. My issue is with their lack of customer experience concerns. Not a winning strategy!!

I read your first post and now this one.

My first question is where is your dealer in all of this? They made as much from you as Newmar has. No paint, misaligned steering wheel, overhead lights all fall under dealer care or failure to care with a poor PDI.

Playing with Comfort Drive by adjusting the steering wheel can cause problems. The correct way is for the front of the coach to be off of the ground. The wheels, not steering wheel, the front wheels are straight. Turn on the ignition key to run, do not start. Go to the back of the bus and open the chassis battery compartment, turn the main 12 V disconnect off. Whistle Dixie three times and wait two to three minutes. With the key still in the on position go back to the disconnect and turn it back on. Put the front back on the ground. Go back into the coach and start the engine. All will be well with Comfort Steer. Now if the steering wheel is not correct it will have to be moved.

I had a 2015 DS and Newmar fixed the lighting problem for me and many others by replacing all of the interior overhead lights. All Newmars come with touch up paint, you might look in the cabinets on the passenger side of the coach. I have never had a problem with Customer service. Yes some who answer the phone there are better than others but but for the most part they all will help if the customer is reasonable.

BTW as for automobiles try taking you BMW, GM, Ford, Fiat or Jetta back to the factory for any kind of service. Not happening, yet you can take that 2015 back to Nappanee and have anything you want to have worked on done on it. There are only two companies that build units in this price range of motor home that will do that. BTW we all know what these coach's cost we all have one so we don't need to be reminded. The cost is not relevant.

[Kountry_star]

Guess I'm lucky or a slightly more mature coach. We have had wonderful support from Neumar. There is no Neumar dealer within 400 miles but they have worked closely with our local dealer with the few problems / parts we have needed. If you ask Neumar parts they will either send you a kit with the touch up paints or a list of the codes (our choice) that you can take to NAPA or any place that sell auto type paints. Granted I'm not saying Neumar is anywhere near perfect, our coach proves that not to be so from time to time. Compared to our previous 3 MHs they have been by far the best support. Hope your luck improves so you can enjoy your coach as you should.

[Anakalia]

In some things I agree with you. My 2004 has its share of problems, and Newmar has been so/so in helping. The paint however was solved by calling their customer support and giving them the paint code numbers that are on the inside of my cabinet door. For $25 they sent me all 4 colors in a touch up bottle. One of them was mixed wrong and they replaced it at no charge. It was sent from a third party vendor, but it worked for me.

[stutch]

WOW!!! Thank you all for your responses.

First of all, my message was focussing on POST warranty issues. But, what came to light was that most of you believe that owning a MH is a DIY HOBBY. As a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in a prior life and a master at DIY, and owing 3 homes besides the MH, I find my time or desire for a DIY hobby was not the plan. In fact, if the MH industry marketed to DIY guys they would go broke. I know this as I have met loads of clueless people on the road that do not know the business end of a screwdriver, never mind the ability to Google solutions.

As I believe Newmar has great support during warranty, no one could accuse them of being a great ombudsman to the vendors that they pick when the MH is out of warranty.

I am bewildered by comments that the Newmar facility is always welcoming in Nappanee . Really? I have to go to Nappaneee when something needs to be fixed? Maybe I am unique, but I bought a MH to tour the Country and enjoy leisure time, not to spend time fixing defective products. Which is another point that somehow got lost. I was talking about sub-standard or manufacturer defects in their installed components.

I did not pick the washer, dryer, refrigerator, heating system, etc. As many of you pointed out, buying a MH is like buying a new house. Sorry, it certainly is not. I built 5 homes in my life and I picked out every appliance and had the builder install them. The biggest difference is that the builder is not interested in me calling them a few years later to upgrade to a new home. Another point lost! Newmar should have a vested interest in marketing their products with hopes that I go back and upgrade into a newer model.

BTW, I have paint, just need to refresh and the codes are useless and not meant for the consumer. So, as a lot of you are DIYers, maybe you like to spend your time searching for paint using the codes. Not me!

As time goes on, more and more purchasers of these vehicles will fall on the millennials and they are online savvy. Newmar must evolve or dissolve, which is my last point. As an affluent "regular guy" I am exactly what Newmar targets their products toward. They need to stand behind their MH as a complete package, represent owners to their choice in vendor components and manage these vendor's claims of quality. Like I said, Newmar's name is all over the MH.

In response to someone's comment, "Maybe you shouldn't own a MH!" Is that a joke? LOL!!

Thanks all....

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by stutch

WOW!!! Thank you all for your responses.

First of all, my message was focussing on POST warranty issues. But, what came to light was that most of you believe that owning a MH is a DIY HOBBY. As a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in a prior life and a master at DIY, and owing 3 homes besides the MH, I find my time or desire for a DIY hobby was not the plan. In fact, if the MH industry marketed to DIY guys they would go broke. I know this as I have met loads of clueless people on the road that do not know the business end of a screwdriver, never mind the ability to Google solutions.

...

In response to someone's comment, "Maybe you shouldn't own a MH!" Is that a joke? LOL!!

Thanks all....

I'll just focus on the two points above.

To the second, no, it's not a joke. It's unfortunate, but you fall into the same category of most dissapointed MH owners, who didn't do his research and thought buying a MH was like buying a car. It isn't, from Newmar or elsewhere, and that's easily discoverable with less than an hour of research on the internet.

So, you went into this endeavor uninformed and with unrealistic expectations, based on the reality of motorhomes being produced today.

We may not like it, but it's a reality and it wouldn't have taken much research, such as basic research to see which manufacturers are the most reliable, that quickly reveals what owning a motorhome entails and what realistic expectations are.

As to the first paragraph, leaving the snarkyness aside, again, you are naive in this regard. If you own a motorhome, you have three choices:

1. Be willing to fix the small things yourself whenever possible
2. Be prepared to have it spend a fair amount of time (depending on your dealer, weeks or months) waiting for repairs
3. Be prepared to drive it back to the factory (if the factory does repair work) on a fairly regular basis

That's the reality of owning a motorhome. It's not like owning a car. These things aren't put together like cars, and they aren't comparable to a house, as they are built like a house, but go down bumpy roads at 65 MPH like a car. Then to add to the problem, the manufacturers are churning them out as fast as they can, and QC has suffered for a very long time, and that's left to owners to find, and dealers to fix, which then puts a great strain on dealer service departments, which is why many won't even work on coaches (especially under warranty) that weren't bought from them.

That's reality. It's fine to complain about reality, but that won't change it. It's much better to be informed and then decide if the "reality" of MH ownership is something you want in your life.

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by stutch

In response to someone's comment, "Maybe you shouldn't own a MH!" Is that a joke? LOL!!

Thanks all....

I didn't say that but no it's not a joke. BTW don't get a boat either because it is way worse.

I'm not sure what you wanted in Paint Codes. But that is the way it is with all paint codes. PPG, Sherwin Williams don't make the codes for consumers they make it for them.

[TJ]

Looks like we have reached a point in this thread where we need to agree to disagree...and, move on. No epiphanies are likely to occur here.

TJ

[NWIP]

Originally Posted by Tranquil Jim

Looks like we have reached a point in this thread where we need to agree to disagree...and, move on. No epiphanies are likely to occur here.

TJ

Amen 🙏

[FLJOE]

Originally Posted by stutch

WOW!!! Thank you all for your responses.

First of all, my message was focussing on POST warranty issues. But, what came to light was that most of you believe that owning a MH is a DIY HOBBY. As a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in a prior life and a master at DIY, and owing 3 homes besides the MH, I find my time or desire for a DIY hobby was not the plan. In fact, if the MH industry marketed to DIY guys they would go broke. I know this as I have met loads of clueless people on the road that do not know the business end of a screwdriver, never mind the ability to Google solutions.

As I believe Newmar has great support during warranty, no one could accuse them of being a great ombudsman to the vendors that they pick when the MH is out of warranty.

I am bewildered by comments that the Newmar facility is always welcoming in Nappanee . Really? I have to go to Nappaneee when something needs to be fixed? Maybe I am unique, but I bought a MH to tour the Country and enjoy leisure time, not to spend time fixing defective products. Which is another point that somehow got lost. I was talking about sub-standard or manufacturer defects in their installed components.

I did not pick the washer, dryer, refrigerator, heating system, etc. As many of you pointed out, buying a MH is like buying a new house. Sorry, it certainly is not. I built 5 homes in my life and I picked out every appliance and had the builder install them. The biggest difference is that the builder is not interested in me calling them a few years later to upgrade to a new home. Another point lost! Newmar should have a vested interest in marketing their products with hopes that I go back and upgrade into a newer model.

BTW, I have paint, just need to refresh and the codes are useless and not meant for the consumer. So, as a lot of you are DIYers, maybe you like to spend your time searching for paint using the codes. Not me!

As time goes on, more and more purchasers of these vehicles will fall on the millennials and they are online savvy. Newmar must evolve or dissolve, which is my last point. As an affluent "regular guy" I am exactly what Newmar targets their products toward. They need to stand behind their MH as a complete package, represent owners to their choice in vendor components and manage these vendor's claims of quality. Like I said, Newmar's name is all over the MH.

In response to someone's comment, "Maybe you shouldn't own a MH!" Is that a joke? LOL!!

Thanks all....

You are obviously not happy with not only Newmar but I suspect not happy with owning a large Class A coach in general.

Even though none of what a dumba@%% like me has to say would ever change you mind, I'll say it anyway. I have owned more than one brand of RV. I find that Newmar has very good customer support (even after warranty) and is a higher quality RV product than most. We full time and tow 10,000 pounds so we are putting our coach though the paces so to speak.

My sincere suggestion to you is to sell that junky old Newmar and try a Prevost or similar brand. I think there are a few new EleMMent Palazzo's available in Austria for around 3.1M. Didn't you say you were "affluent"?

[hohenwald48]

stutch,
Some of your points I agree with and some I don't. None of that matters. The RV industry is what the RV industry is. They build to varying levels of quality, using various quality components, engineered and assembled to varying levels of reliability.

Most of us don't like that fact but we know it's a fact regardless. You can beat your head against the wall trying to change the entire industry, accept the situation and try to make the best of it or you can find another hobby. No disrespect intended but that's just the facts. We all make our purchases based on what we are able to discern from one manufacturer or another. I don't pay a lot of attention to their marketing departments.

When I purchased a new RV (Newmar) last August, I had no illusion it would be defect free and need no repairs. Heck, when I drove it off the lot it had defects that I was aware of. I just took them in stride, repaired them and moved on to the next project. I don't expect this situation to change in my lifetime and I've found that Prevost based coaches seem to have just as many problems as other manufacturers.

I won't go so far as to say you shouldn't own an RV. That's a decision you will have to make. However, I will say that if having to DIY repair problems and deal with issues is going to cause you stress then you will simply have to get used to being stressed. Good luck and I hope things work out for you. As for me, I like my DIY hobby.

[RKins]

Let's look at this from outside the RV industry: If I buy a tool from Harbor Freight (HF) for $5 I really don't expect much longevity from this product - if it breaks I might take it back or toss it. If I take it back HF will stand behind it within their warranty period. If I spend 5-10 times that amount on a Snap-on version of the tool my expectations are higher now and I expect the tool to function and I expect Snap-on to stand behind that tool (which they do).
If I buy an inexpensive car for say $15k (in some people's eyes, this might be an expensive car) I expect this thing to last through the warranty period and that the vendor will stand behind it, which most do. You can look at the problems Chrysler had with the Jeeps lately and how they tried to shirk responsibility - so some are not great at standing behind their product.

So the more I spend on a product, the higher my expectations are. Imagine spending $450-500K on a 2019 Rolls Royce Phantom - what should my expectations be now? Oh you bet.

But you say that if I spend the same amount on a motorhome, my expectations should be less, just because "that's the way it is"? I say BS. This industry needs to change or when the bubble bursts again, like it did in 2008, people will remember how they were treated when they decide to part with their money again. I agree that Newmar (whom I like) needs to do a better job of keeping their customers and you do that by meeting their expectations, whatever it takes. The more you meet their expectations the more loyal they'll be to your brand. Remember the definition of insanity - it may only take a customer one time to boycott you versus the repeat buyers who are expecting to not have the same problems as before yet have the same problems again. It's much easier for a company to "set expectations" versus meeting a customers perceived expectations based on the cost of what they purchased. Whether you buy a Bay Star or a King Aire - none of these are a $5 tool from HF and people's expectations are proportional to the cost, and should be.