Community Forums

tqqest · 08-03-2019, 01:26 PM

Hi everyone,

I am selling my 2014 Tiffin and looking at possibly buying a 2020 Ventana or Dutch Star instead of another Allegro Bus. I am just wondering if any Newmar owners have had any problems with water leaks and then wet or soaked insulation? I ask because I have had a couple of hard to find roof and slide leaks in my Tiffin Allegro Bus over the years. One that took almost a year to find even using the high pressure air blower system to pressurize the whole coach.

With the laminated wall and ceilings, there was no fiberglass insulation to get soaked and then moldy. The styrofoam on the Tiffin doesn't hold water so we just stopped the leak and then dried the wall and ceiling out. I worry about how bad it would have been with the hung wall and ceiling on a Newmar. Do you tear out the ceiling or inside wallboard to remove wet insulation? Is it a potential problem with the hung wall/fiberglass bat insulation method? Have any of you here had any leak issues?

Thanks,
Tad

TheRod · 08-03-2019, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tqqest

Hi everyone,

I am selling my 2014 Tiffin and looking at possibly buying a 2020 Ventana or Dutch Star instead of another Allegro Bus. I am just wondering if any Newmar owners have had any problems with water leaks and then wet or soaked insulation? I ask because I have had a couple of hard to find roof and slide leaks in my Tiffin Allegro Bus over the years. One that took almost a year to find even using the high pressure air blower system to pressurize the whole coach.

With the laminated wall and ceilings, there was no fiberglass insulation to get soaked and then moldy. The styrofoam on the Tiffin doesn't hold water so we just stopped the leak and then dried the wall and ceiling out. I worry about how bad it would have been with the hung wall and ceiling on a Newmar. Do you tear out the ceiling or inside wallboard to remove wet insulation? Is it a potential problem with the hung wall/fiberglass bat insulation method? Have any of you here had any leak issues?

Thanks,
Tad

Not sure the intent of the question. However, been told by Tiffin owner friend of mine who has owned both recently that the Newmar is a quieter coach.

tqqest · 08-03-2019, 02:23 PM

Hi TheRod,

My intent is to address my fear that a Newmar with a water leak like I had in my Tiffin might have led to a wet moldy fiberglass mess. In looking at a new coach to buy, I really like most of what I see in the Newmar. I am just trying to find out how often water leaks occur, and what the result has been for Newmar owners.

Last year I had a water pipe fitting burst in my ceiling at home and the need to replace all the sopping wet fiberglass wall and ceiling insulation was expensive and messy. I am trying to be thorough in my investigation of the hung wall construction that Newmar uses, based on my experiences with prior coaches.

There is no doubt that the Newmar is quieter and better insulated.

Regards,
Tad

Breezy2006 · 08-03-2019, 03:49 PM

Owned a Newmar for 13 years and been an active reader of boards like this the whole time. I do t recall any such issue. Inspect your roof every year. Reseal on those rare cases where you see some cracking of the sealant around things attached to your roof. Pretty easy.

Breezy2006 · 08-03-2019, 03:50 PM

I do not recall any such issue.

twogypsies · 08-03-2019, 04:31 PM

We had a fiberglass roof on our '04 Dutch Star. No leaks in the 8 years we had it for full-timing. We did inspect it regularly and do any necessary maintenance and kept it clean.

Ricci · 08-03-2019, 06:53 PM

Hi - You might find this interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpxOdMmuerg

We have owned an Allegro Bus and now about to go into our second Dutch Star. If you do normal routine inspections you should not have any leaks however if I owned a coach where the walls could delaminate I'd worry about that a lot more.

Tom

tqqest · 08-03-2019, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricci

Hi - You might find this interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpxOdMmuerg

We have owned an Allegro Bus and now about to go into our second Dutch Star. If you do normal routine inspections you should not have any leaks however if I owned a coach where the walls could delaminate I'd worry about that a lot more.

Tom

Thanks Tom,

I have seen that video before and I understand about delamination. I have never heard of a Tiffin with a delamination problem. I don't believe that they use plywood under the fiberglass exterior. I just know that wet fiberglass could be a problem if it occurred, and am curious about if it is an issue or not. Doesn't seem to be so far from the responses.

On my own rig, the entire roof and all gutters etc. were checked every year by myself and the dealer. It took over a year to track down the one leak. Couldn't find it even with a full SealTech pressure test. Other leaks were the usual front clearance light issues, and at the rear ladder roof attachment.

I still like many things about the new 2020 Allegro Bus. But I really would to try something different like the 2020 DS4369. I would miss the Valid air leveling I have now and the Spyder control system would nice to have. But the more floor and the overall build quality of the Newmar is calling my name.

Regards,
Tad

Ricci · 08-04-2019, 06:21 AM

Hi Tad - I do miss the Valid air leveling but don't miss the Spyder system. Overall fit and finish and engineering quality is better on the Dutch Star. We had 4 Tiffin coaches and find the DS we have now to be superior in most every way. We pick up the 2020 in a couple of weeks and are hoping that it follows the same trend. Get whatever you like the most as it is you who will be driving it. Both companies try to make a good product. If you go Dutch Star do get the Spartan chassis, it's even better than the Powerglide.

Tom

10 fan · 08-04-2019, 07:13 AM

Before starting my solar I used Eternabond on every seam. It was 2 PIA days and about $200. I don't think it will ever leak. Well worth my time and money. Used 2 cans of cleaner, 1 can of primer, 2 rolls of 4" X 50', 1 roll of 6' X 50'

tqqest · 08-04-2019, 12:42 PM

Thanks guys,

I appreciate the responses!
Looks like it is not much of an issue with Newmar.
Just a worry we had after our home and other motorhome experiences.

TJ · 08-04-2019, 02:32 PM

Trying to apply hypothetical problems to one brand of motorhome based on actual problems with another brand (and year/model) is silly. It presumes that you'll have all the same problems with both coaches.

The fact is that whatever problems you may encounter with a coach will need to be dealt with. Going through "what-if" scenarios is simply unproductive.

For the record, we have not had a water leak issue with either of the two Newmar coaches we've owned. That doesn't mean that we won't experience one tomorrow, but that thought certainly doesn't keep me awake at night.

TJ

Tigerfan1 · 08-04-2019, 03:13 PM

A friend with a 2014 DS had an improperly tightened a/c unit in his bedroom which caused the a/c gasket to leak causing wet fiberglass in his ceiling. Once the leak was fixed, he removed some ceiling lights and put a couple small fans above the ceiling to dry everything out and didn’t get mold.

Kaiykah · 08-05-2019, 04:32 PM

My 2000 Newmar Kountry Star has a slow leak under neath kitchen sink. Son in law has removed the fiberglass and can see where water is leaking but he can't get his head in to see what he needs to do to fix the leak. I am elderly recently widowed and now living full time in my 5th wheel. Any help on what we need to do would be greatly appreciated.