Community Forums

SoCal_Mike · 01-26-2022, 03:28 PM

The drivers seat in our otherwise pretty terrific BayStar is an absolute bear to swivel to face the living area. The seat is mounted too close to the steering wheel, and the armrest mounted too high to pass underneath (yes, I have tried moving the seat all around). One can, with enough umph, force the armrest under the steering wheel but it places a strain on the armrest and I’m sure is not the customer experience Newmar intended. Not sure if it was a growing pain using the new Ford chassis, or a different seat than what the design called for.

I contacted Steve at Newmar about this last April and was told it was a known issue and that a “fix” was being developed. Nothing heard since.

I would appreciate hearing from other 2021 BayStar owners who may likewise have this issue, and if so, has anyone gotten the factory “fix”?

Thanks.

Mike

Bslemons · 01-31-2022, 02:01 PM

We have the same problem with our Baystar 3014.

Lab00Rat · 01-31-2022, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal_Mike

The drivers seat in our otherwise pretty terrific BayStar is an absolute bear to swivel to face the living area. The seat is mounted too close to the steering wheel, and the armrest mounted too high to pass underneath (yes, I have tried moving the seat all around). One can, with enough umph, force the armrest under the steering wheel but it places a strain on the armrest and I’m sure is not the customer experience Newmar intended. Not sure if it was a growing pain using the new Ford chassis, or a different seat than what the design called for.

I contacted Steve at Newmar about this last April and was told it was a known issue and that a “fix” was being developed. Nothing heard since.

I would appreciate hearing from other 2021 BayStar owners who may likewise have this issue, and if so, has anyone gotten the factory “fix”?

Thanks.

Mike

Is there any steering wheel adjustment to allow better clearance?
We are expecting a new 3014 in a couple of weeks, and I do want to know about these issues.

Winemaker2 · 01-31-2022, 05:44 PM

I'm not familiar with the BayStar but I had an issue with d t iver seat in our Ventana not centered on wheel. Result was an u b comfortable reach to the accelerator pedal. When I had seat off for recovering I redrilled the 4 holes in the powered mechanism under the seat and it made a big difference.
My wheel tilts & extends and helps ease swivel.
An adapter plate customized for the seat & pedestal might be possible but hard to confirm long distance.

Jacjetlag · 01-31-2022, 06:30 PM

We've had our '21 since last April. Same thing. You have to jimmy-jack arm rests and up/down, forward and back...eventually it will pivot around. I'm just not certain that little release lever is made to last. Also, check your screen door corners for gaps, they went through a lot of poor fitting ones.

#1 on the slide retract checklist is to always position driver seat for slide clearance.

It's a terrific little 1 B/R rolling condo you'll be proud to own. You're gonna love it.

COWolverine · 01-31-2022, 09:41 PM

Took delivery of our 2021 Bay Star 3014 in April '21 and have the exact same problem, too! I will be very interested in hearing some insight from Newmar.

SoCal_Mike · 02-01-2022, 08:27 AM

Hi Lab00Rat,

I think it’s the limited range of adjustment in the steering column that may be part of the problem. I don’t have an earlier F53 chassis to compare to, but the steering column on the current chassis has maybe 3-4 inches of up/down adjustment range. If it went higher, the armrest would slide under more easily.

You may wish to bring this up in your pre-delivery inspection and see if it’s an issue...perhaps it’s been corrected in new builds.

Two other things you check as part of pre-delivery:

Make sure the screen door fits the entryway all the way around. A number of the ‘21 models were fitted with screen doors cut too small for the entryway. Hopefully corrected now.

Run the VIN through the NHTSA recall finder just to make sure it’s not a ‘20 chassis subject to the rear axle oil fill recall. Again, hopefully a non-issue on new builds, but definitely not something you want to go through the time/money/hassle of getting fixed post-delivery.

And as others have said, enjoy this great rig!

Mike

SoCal_Mike · 02-01-2022, 08:31 AM

Thank you everyone for the feedback. Good to know that I am not alone.

My next step will be an email to Newmar Customer Service following up on the verbal that I received that a factory “fix” would be forthcoming. I respectfully suggest that any other owners with this issue do likewise so it becomes more of a priority.

Cheers!

Mike

Lab00Rat · 03-19-2022, 05:25 PM

I cannot even find the level to allow swivel on either driver or passenger seat.
Wondering if it got eliminated in the shortage. pitty if it did.

GeoNan44 · 04-03-2022, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lab00Rat

I cannot even find the level to allow swivel on either driver or passenger seat.
Wondering if it got eliminated in the shortage. pitty if it did.

We found the lever on the passenger seat but can't find it on the driver's seat on our 2022 Bay Star 3014.
Also very disappointed that there is no foot rest on the passenger seat. It reclines but sadly, no footrest.
For those who are able to turn the driver's seat around: Is there a lever or some "trick" to turning it around? Or does it simply just not turn around at all?
TIA for any help you can provide!

Jabber Jaw · 04-04-2022, 04:47 AM

Try this:
Slide seat rearward......pull swivel release.....rotate 9- degrees to the right......slide seat all the way forward and tilt seat back forward.......raise tilt wheel to highest point......slowly rotate seat additional 90 degrees.

The armrest should just barely pass under the steering wheel.

Once rotated, tilt seat back to a comfortable position, until ready to rotate back forward!

This is what works for me! A bit of a pain in the butt, but it works!

GeoNan44 · 04-04-2022, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jabber Jaw

Try this:
Slide seat rearward......pull swivel release.....rotate 9- degrees to the right......slide seat all the way forward and tilt seat back forward.......raise tilt wheel to highest point......slowly rotate seat additional 90 degrees.

The armrest should just barely pass under the steering wheel.

Once rotated, tilt seat back to a comfortable position, until ready to rotate back forward!

This is what works for me! A bit of a pain in the butt, but it works!

Where is the swivel release on the driver's seat? We can't find anything that looks like the lever that is on the passenger seat.

Perhaps we have different furniture? I know the supply issues were crazy when our coach was being built (it's a 2022) so maybe....

And does your passenger seat have a footrest?

Thanks for your help in this---really appreciate it!

SoCal_Mike · 04-04-2022, 01:08 PM

On our 3014, the swivel release for the drivers chair is a plastic pull tab mounted on the left outside of the chair. Instead of the external plastic pull tab, the passenger seat has a steel rod underneath the right side of the seat toward the top of the chair base. You have to feel around under the skirt to find it, then pull it back to unlock the swivel. Good luck!

Lab00Rat · 04-04-2022, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal_Mike

On our 3014, the swivel release for the drivers chair is a plastic pull tab mounted on the left outside of the chair. Instead of the external plastic pull tab, the passenger seat has a steel rod underneath the right side of the seat toward the top of the chair base. You have to feel around under the skirt to find it, then pull it back to unlock the swivel. Good luck!

Does the passenger side have an extendable footrest?