Community Forums

willipaul · 02-04-2019, 06:22 AM

a somewhat long story with background....

so, sometime late in the second 6 months of ownership, i developed a leak in the driver's cockpit area. i got water dripping down the inside of the fixed front window, the one up next to the windshield, some water dripping where the shades and wooden valence is to the left of the driver, up over the power drivers window, and sometimes coming down the A pillar.....was not alot of water, but it was a leak....

where the water came in depended on exactly how the coach was parked....and if the coach was nose high, it did not come in.....

given the documented issues with the front gutter pex tubing being kinked in some instances, i suspected that was what it was...i felt that gutter, plus the front passengers side one, were not functioning properly......during heavy rains, with the coach nose low or close to level, i would get water overflowing the gutter system and running down the outside of the driver's window area......the other front gutter would also overflow at times....but would generally function better than the drivers side....i did some troubleshooting with regulated compressed air from the bottom, and other tests, and thought that they were not perfect...

my coach was planned to be at the factory in OCT 2018 for other warranty work, and fixing this leak was on the list. my team leader said they found it and fixed it....that it was the cup where the pex tubing connects, that it was not sealed properly....they re-sealed, and they tested the gutter, and there was no kink in the pex line.....they also checked the passengers side front gutter system, and found it working properly....leak was fixed, they said....

so i get the coach home, and a month later, water again, in all the same spots....a call to newmar received an apology for not getting it fixed, and the authorization to bring it to a local repair shop to get it fixed....the local repair shop is not a dealer, he is a certified tech, and has done alot of newmar work, both warranty and non warranty, over the years. he does some major trouble shooting and finds that there is alot of trapped water up there.....many interior components are semi saturated with water, both cabinets up front and interior roof panels...he thinks water is also in the wall up front, in the drivers window area....insulation and materials there compromised...he used a video scope and moisture spectrum testing equipment.....he talked to newmar and said it's better for it to go back to the factory, because if he did it, it would be a very expensive repair.....and he thinks there are potential multiple entry points for water that he can't see....based on where the materials are wet, the gutter area is forward and below that...so he can't figure out how the water is getting there.....factory agrees....get it back here ASAP....

so, back to the factory it goes.....the good news is that newmar is stepping up and owning this issue.....i cannot get her back to the factory....i just don't have the time in my schedule.....newmar agreed to drive it back there, with a driver that is delivering a coach out to the lone CT dealership returning with my coach...he is picking it up tomorrow....i will fly out and inspect the repairs and pick it up when it's done...i am very happy with this outcome......

i post this for two reasons....first, i would like detailed pictures of the inside, when it's opened up, and the repairs that are done along the way....is it too much to ask for this ? i want to see what the pex tubing looks like for those gutters....i want to see where the compromised materials are....i want to see how much they open it up.....i trust newmar to fix it correctly this time....but i want to verify....i am sure they are not happy, but still, i kills me that i can't be there to see it fixed.....i am that type of person.....

and second, has anyone else here had an issue like this ? leaks in this area ?

thanks for taking the time to read this novella !

GaryKD · 02-04-2019, 06:54 AM

Asking Newmar for pictures is okay and not unreasonable.

Luv2go · 02-04-2019, 07:50 AM

When Newmar did our coach re-skin in 2014, I asked for pictures to be taken on several of the critical steps and they happily complied. I do not see anything unreasonable in your requests, they should be able to take them. I would make sure the requests are documented in an e-mail and remind your service lead (don't remember exactly his title but he was the one who called/e-mailed me periodically during the repair process) as the work is started. The service lead e-mailed me my photos the afternoon they were taken, so I received them as the work was being done.

DrPhil · 02-06-2019, 03:33 AM

I’ll bet Newmar would take them, and I’d also bet several here on the forum would benefit from them eventually being posted here too. Always good to have some ‘under the skin’ photos to guide should problems occur.

lostinfla · 02-06-2019, 04:53 AM

I had a leak that showed up running down the drivers side window and puddled on the corner of the dash at the A pillar. This would only happen if the coach was slightly nose low. I too assumed it was the drain tube. The Newmar techs at the International in Gillette found it was the sealing tape at the corner of the front cap joint near the drain. You could feel the water under the tape move around when you pushed on it. They cut the tape away, resealed, then installed new tape over. No leaks since.

Stuart W · 02-06-2019, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostinfla

I had a leak that showed up running down the drivers side window and puddled on the corner of the dash at the A pillar. This would only happen if the coach was slightly nose low. I too assumed it was the drain tube. The Newmar techs at the International in Gillette found it was the sealing tape at the corner of the front cap joint near the drain. You could feel the water under the tape move around when you pushed on it. They cut the tape away, resealed, then installed new tape over. No leaks since.

While reading the OP’s post this is exactly what came to my mind, I park inside and live in California so mine hasn’t been as tested as many, recently while adding a satellite radio antenna above the drivers area I noticed that two screw heads had pocked holes in the tape that covers the seam between the front cap and roof, I covered them with self leveling sealant while sealing the new antenna. Given the circumstances of the leak I would be tempted to remove that tape, inspect, seal and replace the tape.
At this point going back to the factory is Important so that the water damage doesn’t turn into a mold situation.
Sorry one more thought;
The roof drains could easy be blocked off for testing, water runs down the side of the motorhome when they are plugged. The drains actually get water from the side of their wells, not the bottom.
Good luck, pictures would be very helpful to all of us, thanks Stuart

willipaul · 02-07-2019, 04:46 AM

thanks for the replies guys....

i have requested, verbally and in writing, photographic documentation of the process...

coach arrived back to the factory yesterday.....waiting to hear what team it has been assigned to and then i will reach out to the team/group leader....the actual service apt is set to start monday FEB 18th.

while the coach was with my local tech, newmar gave him several procedures to run to troubleshoot. capping the gutter drain tubes from the bottom and filling the gutters was one of them, along with removing that sealing tape, plus removing the wifi ranger and a couple of other things....results were all inconclusive, which really frustrated my tech. he suspects micro cracks in the fiberglass roof; he just can't figure out how the water is getting in where the roof materials are wet.....he is betting on a roof replacement.....

we shall see what newmar comes up with......

Stuart W · 02-07-2019, 05:44 AM

Definitely want to hear what they find, good luck

willipaul · 02-20-2019, 06:22 PM

well, i've heard back from newmar on this issue....talked to the team leader today....

first off, i'm pretty disappointed that they did not take any pictures. i asked the customer service rep twice, and emailed him twice, all before the work start date. but, the team leader told me they never let him know. they started working on it late last week, and it's all put back together now. so, that part, i'm not happy about....the cynic in my says they never wanted to take the pictures from the start, and just didn't want to tell me "no" up front......

as far as what they discovered....here is what i was told....they pulled down all the front cabinets/TV, and the front most ceiling panel. removed all insulation, so they could see the underside of the roof, the front cap, and the front downspout plumbing. they pitched the coach nose low, pugged the two front downspouts from the bottom, and flooded the roof. they discovered water coming in on the drivers side, from the fitting that is in the drain cup, that the pex downspout is attached to. for those that don't already know, the cup is a part of the front cap, it is moulded into the fiberglass; they drill a hole in it, to install the fitting, seal it, and attach the downspout pex to it. upon removal of the sealant and the fitting, the hole was found to be drilled in a sloppy fashion, with chips in the fiberglass being present, that kept a good seal from being created. i was told they were able to install a new fitting, seal it properly, and put the downspout back in place. they did this for the passengers side as well, to make sure it was ok. they then flood tested it, and it did not leak. so they put everything back together again, using some new components: a new ceiling panel, a couple of new lights, obviously new insulation, and some other components that were affected by the water intrusion.....they emailed me a service write up of all this.....

so, it is apparently all fixed....

i have a couple of other items that i am having them check as well....i can't get out there to inspect the work and pick it up until after march 10th....

i just wish i could have seen the extent of the damage, and the status of the downspout pex and fitting area.....as long as it's fixed, that is all that matters....but that is not how my brain works....

Dutch Star Don · 02-20-2019, 09:04 PM

Hopefully, all is well.

Stuart W · 02-21-2019, 10:13 AM

🤞🏻hoping that you are taken care of and all is well.

Fanukalum · 02-21-2019, 04:04 PM

willipaul
please keep updating if the fix is truly a fix. I have a similar issue with a leak that was discovered on my first shakedown run. Return to dealer described the leak and was told not to park nose down??? not happy with that solution returned to have it check further a few months later. water was accumulating on the roof and run down the outside of the drivers window. ask them to check the roof drain to see if they were crimped. they test the drains flooded the roof and said the leak was fixed, but I haven't had it exposed to rain since. I am not convinced the leak is fixed and was concerned to hear of your problem. hope I don't have to get Newmar involved but glad to hear they are standing behind there promises!