Newmar Upholstery Rant

[hohenwald48]

I have a 2 year old Newmar motorhome with peeling furniture fabric that I will likely have to replace in the coming months. It seems that Newmar won't step up and do the right thing and Flexsteel has decided to simply abandon the RV market altogether.

Newmar should be ashamed of themselves for using such cheap upholstery in their supposed upscale motorhomes.

I know they claim it's not their fault. That's an unacceptable excuse. When you purchase a high end motorhome and pay a high end price you have every right to expect high end components from an honest and reputable manufacturer. Newmar's decision to specify cheap fabrics is Newmar's decision and they should own it.

Anybody considering the purchase of a new Newmar unit should consider Newmar's conscious decision to cheap out and cut corners and wonder where else they may have decided to specify cheap components.

[Rolano]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

I have a 2 year old Newmar motorhome with peeling furniture fabric that I will likely have to replace in the coming months. It seems that Newmar won't step up and do the right thing and Flexsteel has decided to simply abandon the RV market altogether.

Newmar should be ashamed of themselves for using such cheap upholstery in their supposed upscale motorhomes.

I know they claim it's not their fault. That's an unacceptable excuse. When you purchase a high end motorhome and pay a high end price you have every right to expect high end components from an honest and reputable manufacturer. Newmar's decision to specify cheap fabrics is Newmar's decision and they should own it.

Anybody considering the purchase of a new Newmar unit should consider Newmar's conscious decision to cheap out and cut corners and wonder where else they may have decided to specify cheap components.

I agree 100%. As I have previously stated, I just spent over $6,000 to reupholster my two chairs and two sofas.

[Roy-c]

There is no excuse. Our 1987 Wanderlodge has the original upholstery and it is in perfect shape. Newmar specified what they wanted from the supplier ( flex steel in this case ) and they should stand by what they put in their coaches. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Winemaker2]

As a conflicted Newmar owner... disappointed with slide motor bolt issue and serious furniture issues while very satisfied with other aspects of our MH...
i would suggest and support a campaign where every Newmar owner that feels the same would write a letter to Newmar.
I don't kid myself that it will make any difference to any of us but I do think it important that they get the message.
Does Good Sams still have the issue resolution assist?
FMCA.?
How many of us would buy another of the same brand auto if the seats peeled after 2-3 yrs no matter what the warranty period was?

[DRM901]

I've seen Tiffins in the same age range with the same issue. It is a Flexsteel issue, but the ultimate manufacturer (Newmar, Tiffin) should be the one to force Flexsteel to fix. Too bad they won't do so.

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by DRM901

I've seen Tiffins in the same age range with the same issue. It is a Flexsteel issue, but the ultimate manufacturer (Newmar, Tiffin) should be the one to force Flexsteel to fix. Too bad they won't do so.

Sir, It is not a Flexsteel issue. Flexsteel, Villa, Lambright all build the frames of various furniture. The motor home manufacturer, Newmar in this case, decides on the quality of the fabric. Thus a King Aire could have the same couch or recliner but not the same look and material as a Bay Star. $200k vs $900k. Or so the reasoning has been. But it seems that ship has sailed as well in Newmars case. This is true across the industry.

As far as letter writing goes my thought would be to mount a campaign addressed to Mahlon Miller. Maybe a 100 letters or one signed by 100 owners. He may not own it anymore but he still has a lot of pride in what is thought of the product. My guess he can still get things done.

BTW this same thing happened at Tiffin when Bob gave the company to his sons. As I understand it he is on his second retaking over of Tiffin to save it from total destruction.

[Canuck53]

So if this flaking happened to you would you go after NEWMAR to redo the furniture?

Would you then offer to pay the material up charge for the best Ultra Leather available?

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by Canuck53

So if this flaking happened to you would you go after NEWMAR to redo the furniture?

Would you then offer to pay the material up charge for the best Ultra Leather available?

I would be happy to pay 100% of the material cost, not only the upcharge - if Newmar owned up to paying for the labor for a recover... and yes I would go with what I consider the best available one of the premium UltraLeather's. I have read that some actually place it ahead of real leather, at least for durability.

[Canuck53]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

I would be happy to pay 100% of the material cost, not only the upcharge - if Newmar owned up to paying for the labor for a recover... and yes I would go with what I consider the best available one of the premium UltraLeather's. I have read that some actually place it ahead of real leather, at least for durability.

[PanJH]

I agree that Newmar cheaped out and is really alienating customers. The other furniture thread is several pages long with many people expressing similar frustration. Really sad that they compromised on quality... it will come to bite them.

[hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by Canuck53

So if this flaking happened to you would you go after NEWMAR to redo the furniture?

Would you then offer to pay the material up charge for the best Ultra Leather available?

Without a doubt I'd pay the up charge for the best covering available. In fact that's what I thought I did when I bought a Newmar in the first place.

If I knew I was buying bottom of the barrel components I would have bought from a bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

I suspect, if you haven't already, you'll soon find out all about the flaking upholstery issue.

[Rev. Roy]

I know people whose coaches are from another manufacturer with flex steel furniture with the same complaint. It makes me wonder if that is not the real reason they got out of the RV furniture business. I suspect it is. BTW, there is a difference between an upscale and a top end.

[hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by Rev. Roy

I know people whose coaches are from another manufacturer with flex steel furniture with the same complaint. It makes me wonder if that is not the real reason they got out of the RV furniture business. I suspect it is. BTW, there is a difference between an upscale and a top end.

No doubt other manufacturers can have the same issue. That doesn't relieve Newmar of their responsibility.

Besides, we bought a Newmar so that's the only one that matters to me.

[Canuck53]

Is Ultra Leather a brand name or a type of material. Do we know where Flexsteel obtained there material from? Any idea if the new suppliers are using the same material?