Dutch star 4333

[seabee13]

Just ordered a 2010 Dutch Star 4333 going into production early April. What to I need to look for during final phase of production at the plant and PDI at dealer??? Seabee

[soricobob]

Congratulations on your purchase. I found the walk thru so overwhelming I was glad my wife brought the video camera.

[DandS]

As one who was lucky enough to be able to watch my coach being built, I can highly recommend a plant visit at that time if you can manage it. The knowledge gained from seeing a bare bones structure coming together can prove very useful down the road and will reinforce your expectations of a quality construction process. During the PDI, I would concentrate on any obvious flaws, but pay more attention to how things work. Small bugs will show up later if at all and will be taken care of under warranty.

Congratulations on your new Newmar and enjoy!

[Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43']

There are several lists on this forum for PDI. As mentioned above check the obvious. Do not rush...plan on at least 1 whole day...stay at an RV park near your dealer for a couple of days trying out and understanding how everything works including dry camping using your generator and inverter. I wish I had been more careful in checking the wall paper bonding at cabinet interface for pulls and wrinkles, nail hole puddy not matching cabinet finish, pull down front shade binding as it is being retracted, micro wave vent rattle when driving. Outside check the release mechanism for the generator compartment, walk around and check for any loose wheel well fiberglass, check alignment of engine compartment door and check patio awning for any sag in the middle.
Mosy of all take your time and understand how all the electronic/entertainment stuff works.

[Luv2go]

I agree, spend as many days as you can watching the coach being built. When I went they allowed you to stay as long as you liked after the tour. They did allow photography (they asked me to ask permission before taking pictures that include the workers, as some workers, Amish in particular, do not like to be photographed). This way you can get a really good idea of where framing, wiring, etc is located.

For my coach, wall framing was complete on day one. I do not know about timing of other steps as I was there only for the first day of the build.

For the PDI, I was able to stay in the coach on the dealer's lot for a couple of days (with full hookups) using the PDI lists I found on the internet to help me look for issues. Fixing the issues took another couple of days.

I did not take a video camera for the walk-through but that is an excellent idea.

To Ronnie's list, I'd add checking:

• Heater and A/C vent flow, especially ones that are not the main vents.
• Thermostat calibration, I'd suggest bringing a digital thermometer (our front zone is 3 degrees lower than the actual temperature). It's a lot easier to insist on replacement before you sign the papers.
• Undercoating (for missed areas, especially around the fender wells) - If you are at the factory late in the build process I'd suggest looking at it there.
• Molding fit and finish (especially the small (3/4 to 1") trim, it was not nailed well in our case.
• Paint issues, we had our coach delivered in the winter and the bay doors all had scratches on them. We documented all the finish problems with photos at PDI and later a local paint shop fixed them and had no problem getting reimbursed by Newmar.
• Run the furnace and water heater on gas at the same time and make sure the regulator does not freeze. I suspect we have a broken dip tube as the regulator still freezes up while running the water heater or the furnace for over 10 minutes.

Most of all, enjoy your visit to the factory (I brought my 8 year old son who enjoyed a big snowstorm while we were there) and your PDI, and don't worry if you miss some stuff, it can be taken care of during the warranty period.

Congratulations and good luck!
Stewart

["007"]

Congratulations seebee13 on your new DS. Here is some PDI lists if you have not found them already. While these are general lists for motor homes it will give you some idea what to look for with all everyone else's suggestions.
Good luck and welcome to Newmar family.

[JVR]

If possible I would suggest you take delivery at the factory and pay the extra, from my observations while at Napanee it is well worth the $ and the detail the factory performed to a King Aire and an Essex while I was there was absolutely incredible. Not to mention that each day a factory tech went out with the new owners and after returning they camped on site and practices all facets of driving and camping.
I doubt any dealership can deliver even a small percentage of the knowledge gained at a Newmar PDI.