Kitchen window fell out

[mvintx]

Walked past my coach the other day and found one of the windows laying on the ground next to it. The rivet holding the plastic roller that engages the track on the bottom of the window broke off. Good thing the coach was parked on gravel but the window frame and glass got pretty nicked up. Glad it didn't fall out on my road trip. My wife is becoming less and less impressed with Newmar.

[Golfer Guy]

I would call Newmar 1st thing. To me that kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable.

Some think the QC is OK and just the nature of the RV industry. I doubt you or your wife feel that way when you are picking pieces of your coach up of the ground.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/newm...ts-453933.html

[TJ]

Of course the OP should call Newmar! And, I'll bet they will step up and fix it.

Golfer Guy's comment on QC is a bit off the mark, IMO. Quality Control (QC) can only go so far; it can't eliminate all future problems. I'll bet when QC looked over the window install and operation, it found everything in order AT THAT POINT. No one is clairvoyant enough to spot future problems unless there is some visible indication of impending failure.

When you build hundreds...or thousands...of coaches a year and use a whole bunch of component suppliers, there will be some level of failure. When the inevitable failures occur, the best the coach manufacturer can do is step up and provide top-notch customer service to affect repairs. My experience with Newmar says that's exactly what it does.

We all see the periodic complaints on the forum of some kind of problem occurring. What we can't see is the percentage of such issues compared to the number of units produced. Rarely does anyone post to the forum saying, "I didn't have any problems with my Newmar today." Seeing only the posts regarding issues can easily skew the perception that quality control is lacking.

Just my $.02 after owning two Newmar coaches over the past 5 years.

TJ

[Filthy-Beast]

Exactly what TJ said!



The rivet installer looked at, QC looked at, The dealer should have looked, and the purchaser should have looked at it during PDI. So either four separate inspections missed a prominent issue, or it looked good and just broke.


Not every part of every subsystem is x-rayed to make sure it has no structural issues. Not every bolt, screw, rivet and seam is inspected multiple times after being driven for 100 miles on bumpy roads.


QC is a balancing act; at some point, you reach diminishing returns on the investments of time and costs vs. problems found.



What makes a great company is how they address issues.

[Johninar]

I've had two windows fall out. The plastic rollers on the end of the actuator arms broke allowing the window to flap in the wind. First time it happened the glass flew off and shattered. Luckily it didn't hit anyone. Not sure if it's the cheap plastic or something during assembly that caused it. Newmar told me 6 weeks to get a new window.

[winniman]

You gotta wonder how waterproof a window is that can just fall out. No signs of leaking I guess?

[davidceder]

The AC industry uses thousands of suppliers. How would you like putting your family on a plane built by the RV industry? Push em out the door let the customer and dealer worry about it and by the way let's not pay our dealers too much or too quickly for warranty work. In fact let's not pay them at all for diagnosis. OH another. If I buy a MH today and sell it tomorrow it has no warranty. What a RIP.

I know I don't have to buy one.......

[mvintx]

Originally Posted by Johninar

I've had two windows fall out. The plastic rollers on the end of the actuator arms broke allowing the window to flap in the wind. First time it happened the glass flew off and shattered. Luckily it didn't hit anyone. Not sure if it's the cheap plastic or something during assembly that caused it. Newmar told me 6 weeks to get a new window.

Yep, that's the part that failed on mine. Like you said, lucky it didn't hit someone, or me as I was looking for something in the basement.

I understand it is a supplier problem. Aircraft makers use suppliers too but we're talking about a different level of quality control...not to mention liability. I don't expect any product to be 100% reliable and as someone else mentioned, the test is how Newmar responds to the problem. I have no doubt that any issues will be corrected to my satisfaction.

My wife's frustration is that we paid more for this coach than we did our first three houses. Instead of us being able to use the coach, it's going to have to sit on NIRV's lot for who knows how long and they are not the one's making the payment. We are. They can't get us in before October and we want to make another beach trip before the weather cools off. That means I've got to cover the window somehow, mess with the door latch that locked us out of the coach for over an hour and try to find the water leak that dripped all over my wife's toes and quilt that she worked on as we drove. For her, the window falling out was the breaking point. Personally, I am still convinced purchasing a Newmar was the right choice. But it's certainly hard to defend them to the wife.

Let me finish by adding that NIRV has been very accomodating about our concerns. The reason they are so busy is because so many folks like their customer care.

[Woo10-210]

Hopefully, they replace the entire window and not just repair it as the glass needs to be replaced. Any nicks or scratches in tempered glass cut into the "temper" which is an area about .030" deep that is in high compression. The inner area is in high tension. Nicked, scratched, or chipped tempered glass is prone to breakage, even just by thermal changes.

[Rev. Roy]

I haven't figured out who is at fault. Is it something that Newmar made or part of the window mechanism which would likely make it a supplier issue? I know the windows come in assembled and Newmar simply installs them. In that case, QC would only be checking their part of the build, the installation. I know of no dealership that checks every window mechanism as part of their PDI.

[09 harley]

Sounds like cheap parts that don’t have a short life span. If these types of issues were addressed it might cost 10-20 bucks. Too high for the companies. Sad state of affairs.

[photobob]

We are full-timers (third year) in our 2011 Baystar that we purchased from a dealer, used, in 2016 and there is always something that needs attention.
As full timers, after the first year we generally chase weather in the western states .
At least once a month I go through things and there is always something that needs attention but usually its minor.
Last month I tightened virtually every screw in the cabinetry.
The more you dig the more you find areas that are not done properly .
Since we are second owners , we cant be sure weather the issues were because of poor assembly, poor quality components or just from driving.
Overall this coach has less issues than many of our friends have and the few Items I purchased from Newmar ( storage bay, Draw catches ) were quite reasonable with good customer service.
We paid less than half the price of a new coach so I don't get upset with the minor issues. Had we purchased this thing new …….. another story.

[Rude Dog]

Hmmm... went to pickup our new 2019 Ventana at the dealer. Noticed condensation between the glass on the rear bath (Egress) window. They acknowledged it. At home the window separated into 2 pieces and so was flapping. We had to duct tape the 2 glass panels back together for the trip. The dealer has since replaced it, but wow.. Brand new window. Hope it was a fluke..?

[joes2901]

Newmar must have gotten a bargain price on windows that were seconds or returns from other coach mfgrs.