Newmar Man meeting with President of Newmar

[PaulTNaples]

We are on our third Newmar. Bay Star, Ventana and now Dutch Star. We have enjoyed each coach. The interior is what jumped out to us. As we moved up the line each Coach had a familiar feel. The finishes elevated as you moved up. The structural integrity stood out to us. As we are users and put miles on our coach, we can attest to the solid build.
What can be done different? Repeatable wire runs through conduit. That way electrical issues or needed additions can be handled easily. Streamline the production models. Too many models that are similar.
Example, Essex. Not a functional coach for travel. Great for going from Florida to up north and dropping the “hook” at each end. Partner with Garmin and get a better gps system. Put more usb ports and 12v ports at strategic points on the dash for dash cameras, phones(using mounts) iPads. Partner with Magna Shade for factory option. It is worth the cost. Have the Newmar marketing and research teams reach out to customers for direct feedback on what works, what doesn’t and why and what could be improved.

[Guidol]

Fix the wheel well leaks in to the storage bay.

[Wiscampsin1]

Newmar should consider including the exterior (basement) storage capacity in their specs. We're looking for something less than 37' so this # would be helpful when comparing other manufacturers that do include this spec. I asked a salesperson and said they would find out and get back to me. After waiting 2 weeks with no response from the dealer I tried the 'Contact Us' link on Newmars site. Another 2 weeks without any answer. Oh well. But I must commend Newmar for including their R values.

[Stuart W]

The Newmar customer service people should have better knowledge of the product, especially new features when the models are released not learn on the job over the next several months consequently providing wrong or incomplete information to new owners experiencing issues.

3 new Newmar’s in 6 years

[TomandGloria]

Tom, thanks for carrying our concerns forward to Casey. We hope he will be able to institute positive change.

We are also on our third new Newmar motorhome. We have found this one to have more quality issues than the last two combined. Our dealer NIRVC has been super to work with and continues to adjust, repair and fix our on going issues.

We’ve had camera issues since day one, along with full wall slide issues. Hopefully they will be resolved in the near future. Otherwise, we really enjoy this motorhome.

[Capt. Bill]

Tom C - Newmar Man- thanks for asking for our imput for your meeting.

I have owned 3 Newmar coaches over the past 24 years and been very happy & satisfied with them & the factory service. Here are my current points that need improvement :
1. Service response time & lack of follow up- I have E-mailed customer service & waited 5-8 days for a reply and on one occasion they never replied. This sends a very negative message to us owners- "we don't care about you" 4 years ago you would hear back the same day or worst case the next day. What has happen?? Make it a policy that all service calls & E-mails must be answered within 24 hrs. of receipt>
2. Service appointment lead times- I recently called in early April of this year seeking a service appointment in early Sept. 2023 & was told that they were booking early December 2023 !!! Are you kidding me- 7 months out on service??[B][/This is totally unacceptable from an owners perspective!! Years ago it was 3-4 months leadtime & they would try to work you in earlier if it was a serious issue. Service should be their highest gross margin work center & most important customer relationship & retention tool. Why would they let that deteriorate so badly?? Max out the first shift manning & start a second shift where they can work on dropped off units. Get their leadtime for service down to 3-4 months.

I guess I'll be going to Entergra for my next coach!

Happy Trails

[Rev. Roy]

My do better list is 1, their wiring looks like a rats nest. When we looked at a new King Aire, there was a wire mess hanging down from the underside of the bedroom night stand. For a RV well over a million dollars, this is unacceptable. Put the wires in looms. (Raised by an electrician) 2 The slide bolt issue should have been corrected long ago. Go with an upgrade that holds. 3. Upgrade the solar panel option to more than 100 watts. I can get a better system for less money going elsewhere. On the plus side, the quality of materials are superior to most and we've had no complaints about warranty work.

[rlott2k]

Thanks for this…
Reasons to buy…
Build quality and design.
Quality throughout the lineup.
Best dang paint!
Request to upgrade…
Monitor subpar dealers. My last visit cost me my ownership and respect for the dealer. Never again.
Penalize dealers who won’t work on/ repair their own sales

[RandDescape]

Lots of good input here so far.

Things they could make optional and I’d pay more for:
- better headlights
- better shocks
- a handle and lock on the outside of the emergency door as a backup if the front door cannot be opened for any reason

- Richard

[Bigceasar]

I was under the impression he is having lunch with the CEO as a reward for being a long time loyal customer who has purchased multiple Newmars. Whenever I rewarded customers the last thing I expected or wanted was to spend that lunch or dinner hearing complaints and being told how everything should be done differently..

[Dennis C.]

I think the comments above have pretty well covered it. I generally agree with what has already been said, particularly about electronics.

My only addition is that I’d like to see the New Aire line expanded. The current 35 foot offerings would be nicely augmented with something in the 37 - 39 foot range. I love the idea of a luxury coach under 40 feet in length, but I’d like something a little bit bigger than a 35 foot coach. I spent quite a bit of time looking at the Foretravel Realm FS405. It’s a true luxury coach at 38 feet in length. Newmar doesn’t offer a coach that compares with it. The closest thing is a 37 foot Dutch Star.

EDIT: I have one more thing to add. It would be very helpful if the owner’s manuals (whether in print or online) had more detailed information about the specifics of each coach. The current manuals are generalized to cover a variety of coaches and options and they often lack the specific information that is needed.

[spuds]

Originally Posted by Dennis C.

My only addition is that I’d like to see the New Aire line expanded. The current 35 foot offerings would be nicely augmented with something in the 37 - 39 foot range. I love the idea of a luxury coach under 40 feet in length, but I’d like something a little bit bigger than a 35 foot coach. I spent quite a bit of time looking at the Foretravel Realm FS405. It’s a true luxury coach at 38 feet in length. Newmar doesn’t offer a coach that compares with it. The closest thing is a 37 foot Dutch Star.

I don't know if it's still the case since MHSRV/RV One/Blue Compass dictates/specs Foretravel design these days, but FT for many years covered a couple of the concerns expressed in this thread - complete owner's manuals, including major schematics, and availability of specific schematic/CAD pages for subsystems. The owner's manual included a numbered wire list (that showed color and I think wire gauge), and every wire in the coach was labeled from end to end with that number (including the 2 runs of spare wires, one for interior/house and 1 for chassis).

[NCC-1701A]

Originally Posted by Bigceasar

I was under the impression he is having lunch with the CEO as a reward for being a long time loyal customer who has purchased multiple Newmars. Whenever I rewarded customers the last thing I expected or wanted was to spend that lunch or dinner hearing complaints and being told how everything should be done differently..

We are providing exactly what was asked of us.

The OP has good relationships with Newmar leaders and I, for one, trust he will use this meeting in a manner that provides value both to Newmar and its clients. In my opinion, the one being "rewarded" is the Newmar VP! What could be a better way for an exec to spend a little time than direct feedback from a key client based, in part, on feedback from other multi-purchase clients?

Frankly, if an exec just wants sunshine blown at them, then they are missing a tremendous opportunity to learn and consequently grow their business through greater customer sat and loyalty.

[bluefin]

A second factory service location near the west coast would be great. Factory appointments are extremely disappointing.