2015 Dutch Star 4313 on order!

[Italjim]

DW and I just ordered our FIRST coach ever at the Hershey show! The forums here have been so invaluable for research and advice, can't thank everyone enough. Would love you all to give this a once over and make any suggestions...delivery is next spring and we'll be part timing at first and then hopefully full timing with our 3 little ones (5 and under) as soon as possible!

Ordered:
-2015 Newmar Dutch Star 4313
-Bon Bon exterior/Noka interior/Carmel Cherry Cabinets
-3-15M Penguin Heat Pump AC, EMS, 10k Gen
-Heated floors
-All Electric, Maytag fridge, induction cooktop
-Washer & dryer
-Dishwasher
-Dash radio with GPS and Sirius
-Winegard automatic dome satellite dish
-Power TV antenna lift
-Extend Flex dinette
-Power water and electric cord rewind reels
-Recessed docking lights
-Solar prep wiring
-Storage trays - both
-Power window shades
-Safe and shoe storage
-Heat pads for holding tanks
-Shower assist handle
-Power door and baggage locks, Keyless entry
-Additional Girard side awning
-Dometic awning over door
-Driver power window

A few things we're considering/reconsidering:

-Add Factory delivery. Consensus here seems to be "Worth It. DO IT!"
-Add under mount solid surface sink. DW wants dual basin sink especially.
-Swap out King for Queen bed - more space and nightstands might be nice
-Delete GPS and use aftermarket or iPad version for RVs

And now for the "Specials"...here's our potential wish list. When should we start discussing with Newmar team? We spoke about the bunks already at Hershey but little else.

-Add a third bunk
-Headboard - swap for London Aire tufted headboard or Ventana style
-Extra 110 outlets - storage bays, bedroom, etc
-Extra 12v outlets - driver and passenger side
-Auxiliary radio input - is radio Bluetooth compatible?
-Surge protection - I'm unclear if EMS negates need for this.
-Swap floor tile and some fabrics, wall coverings to Ventana Phantom collection
-Extra pantry pullout shelves 3-4?
-Extra drawers in hall wardrobe for kids clothes
-GE Advantium microwave - Is this needed with new Whirlpool model?
-AGM batteries?
-Extenda dinette - do we need to request extra table leaves and the support leg? Saw a post saying table doesn't extend, which seems silly since the seating does!
-Kitchen soap dispenser and maybe bathroom too?
-Aqua jet water pump - not sure if this is needed?
-RV Sanicon - haven't researched this enough.

All input is welcome...thank you in advance. We're thrilled to join the Newmar owners family.

"The waiting is the hardest part."
- Tom Petty

[nforus]

Congrats!!!

you have done a great job of adding the best options and most of your custom work will probably get done.

Absolutely YES on the factory delivery especially since you're new to coaching, the techs will take their time with you and you will leave the factory knowing your coach better than you would if taking delivery at most dealerships.

We find the basement freezer to be a real handy option.


It's going to be a long Winter of waiting for you

[TwoCorners]

Originally Posted by Italjim

DW and I just ordered our FIRST coach ever at the Hershey show! The forums here have been so invaluable for research and advice, can't thank everyone enough. Would love you all to give this a once over and make any suggestions...delivery is next spring and we'll be part timing at first and then hopefully full timing with our 3 little ones (5 and under) as soon as possible!

Ordered:
-2015 Newmar Dutch Star 4313
-Bon Bon exterior/Noka interior/Carmel Cherry Cabinets
-3-15M Penguin Heat Pump AC, EMS, 10k Gen
-Heated floors
-All Electric, Maytag fridge, induction cooktop
-Washer & dryer
-Dishwasher
-Dash radio with GPS and Sirius
-Winegard automatic dome satellite dish
-Power TV antenna lift
-Extend Flex dinette
-Power water and electric cord rewind reels
-Recessed docking lights
-Solar prep wiring
-Storage trays - both
-Power window shades
-Safe and shoe storage
-Heat pads for holding tanks
-Shower assist handle
-Power door and baggage locks, Keyless entry
-Additional Girard side awning
-Dometic awning over door
-Driver power window

A few things we're considering/reconsidering:

-Add Factory delivery. Consensus here seems to be "Worth It. DO IT!"
-Add under mount solid surface sink. DW wants dual basin sink especially.
-Swap out King for Queen bed - more space and nightstands might be nice
-Delete GPS and use aftermarket or iPad version for RVs

And now for the "Specials"...here's our potential wish list. When should we start discussing with Newmar team? We spoke about the bunks already at Hershey but little else.

-Add a third bunk
-Headboard - swap for London Aire tufted headboard or Ventana style
-Extra 110 outlets - storage bays, bedroom, etc
-Extra 12v outlets - driver and passenger side
-Auxiliary radio input - is radio Bluetooth compatible?
-Surge protection - I'm unclear if EMS negates need for this.
-Swap floor tile and some fabrics, wall coverings to Ventana Phantom collection
-Extra pantry pullout shelves 3-4?
-Extra drawers in hall wardrobe for kids clothes
-GE Advantium microwave - Is this needed with new Whirlpool model?
-AGM batteries?
-Extenda dinette - do we need to request extra table leaves and the support leg? Saw a post saying table doesn't extend, which seems silly since the seating does!
-Kitchen soap dispenser and maybe bathroom too?
-Aqua jet water pump - not sure if this is needed?
-RV Sanicon - haven't researched this enough.

All input is welcome...thank you in advance. We're thrilled to join the Newmar owners family.

"The waiting is the hardest part."
- Tom Petty

Congratulations and welcome to the Newmar and irv2 families! You have done a wonderful job in specking out your coach.

I would recommend just a few options from your list. The extra space with the queen bed is nice...but, if little ones still like to climb up and snuggle early in the morning, that may be a factor.
As far as the in dash GPS, I have a strong preference for after market units with free and frequent updates. We use a Garmin, connect our phones via the built in Bluetooth, which the coach doesn't have.
The surge protector is a must, do not skip this one. And I added one extra 12v outlet on the drivers side. Now with two on the dash, plus an auxiliary USB plug for the radio ( old iPod plugged in), I use my 12v's for the Garmin and a TPMS.

We upgraded to the GE Adventium and love it. As far as the AGM's, I'll wait until the day I need to replace the originals and then decide. I buy 3paks at Walmart of Soft Soap in pump bottles and that works well. Toss them in the sink when you head down the road. As far as the rest of your list, personal preference and other posters opinions will help.

Welcome again to two great families!

[Tom-NC]

Sounds good but too much electronics to go bad such as electric compartment latches. There are other options I would have done without but that is me and not you.

Have you ever driven a Rv that size and what do you know about Diesel pushers and air brakes.

[Dutch Star Don]

Sounds like the coach we would order, if we ordered one. I added the SaniCon after we purchased ours, so I would eliminate the exterior door for the sewer hose. We also cut our bed down from the king to the queen and dumped the air bed for a pillow top.

My suggestions....go with the open face Winegard HD dish, no dome. The domes won't get HD with DirecTV and may be slow getting HD with Dish.

Lastly.....I believe Newmar's Masterpiece Paint really doesn't start until the Mountain Air level. I like my coach, but it doesn't have much clear. You can feel all of the graphics. I heard you can request a higher level of paint finish.

[srrobe]

congrats on your new coach! Like you we also ordered at the show. It looks like you have spec'd a great coach! I have have heard from several newmar owners that the tank heat pads are not necessary. We deleted it from our order. Hopefully you had a lot of opportunity to interact with the factory folks at the show. RV one did a nice job representing the Newmar line but were a little lacking in product knowledge.
If you haven't already, I would suggest a trip to the factory to work with designers to finalize your order. X2 on the waiting. Not one of my strong points!

[96 Wideglide]

I really like my Sanicon. Would'nt want to go back to handling the stinky slinky!

[andyh]

Our 2015 Dutch Star is on order and will be built in November.
We ordered the AGM batteries on our new coach again. They will eliminate corrosion in the battery compartment and they are maintenance free.
I am transferring the Sanicon from my previous coach. You may want to check the price of dealer vs factory installation.
The EMS dos not negate the need for a good power monitor such as the Progressive Industries 50A, but Newmar will not install it as a custom option, only during the factory delivery.
We got the Advantium in our previous coach and bought it again.
Factory delivery is great and we purchased it. Just be aware that it can add significant time to the delivery. In our case it is about 4 weeks before we can start our buy off at Newmar.

[Algoma]

Hope you have better luck than we are having trying to add "specials" to our Ventana order. If it's not on the options list they don't seem too interested. And yes we have been to the factory to discuss the issues. But finding someone with the authority to make the changes we want is not easy.

We were able to replace the batteries with AGM (can't believe they are not standard) but only if we ordered the all electric option.
On the dinette side we are going with the roll away option K132.
We did play around with the decor and ended up with a combination from different schemes and you really need to go to the factory to do this so you can touch the actual samples.

[andyh]

We worked with our dealer and with Michelle Howard at Newmar on custom options. Michelle is terrific to work with. You will find that they will say no to some requests, will have conditions on others and no problems with some.
Some items are "standard" options on higher priced coaches and when you order them as a custom on a DS or Vantana, they come with the same restrictions. The AGM battery option requires an all electric coach. If that does not work for you, you may find that the dealer will swap them out for you. Some options they consider model discriminators and will not install on a lower coach.
Over all Newmar will do more customization then any other RV manufacturer in the same price range.

[Algoma]

We met with Michelle and spent 2 hours going through our list and selecting decor options etc. She is a lovely person and a pleasure to be with but does not have the say in what can and cannot be done. I am the only person to have ordered the new 4311 handicap model and I have issues with some of the design. It seems they took the Canyon Star and just made it bigger. I am hoping that we can get the attention of the engineering team and with our requested changes can make this a coach that other handicap people would want to buy.

[Mr_D]

We ordered the Advantium in our 2002 DSDP, well worth the cost. Also had them delete two walls and two doors, added a bath vanity from another model, upgraded to MA countertops.
May do more of the same when we go to order the next DSDP.

[FRasco]

Grants!

[DieselTech39]

Glad you're aboard. Congrats on the order for the new rig. Enjoy your adventures and be safe.