Spartan Factory Service Recommendation

[BBorgo]

I have had 3 occasions to visit the Spartan factory over the past few years. Once for their factory training course and twice for service. Each time I go there I am more impressed with the level of customer service they provide. From the office to the techs, all are knowledgeable, polite, make an effort to understand, best of all, do a great job.
I highly recommend Spartan factory service.

Bob

[alan1]

X2

[Boomer]

X2

[Calpop45]

As always, there is another side to the coin. We visited Spartan this last year for chassis service and a handful of warranty issues after purchasing a new DSDP on a Spartan chassis. To our dismay, our concerns were dismissed and the upsell was constant. One concern addressed the dash a/c system, which had not worked from the first month of ownership. Newmar diagnosed a problem in the chassis, but Spartan dismissed that and simply refilled the system with refrigerant, which promptly leaked out. Really? You didn’t bother to find out why the refrigerant leaked out initially? We also requested a complete wheel alignment. The procedure was completed late on a Friday afternoon, so we didn’t notice until we left the next day that the coach drove as if it was riding on ball bearings and that the steering wheel was turned 20 degrees away from straight! Spartan re-aligned the coach a week later, but a 200 mile return trip should not have been necessary for a $750 procedure.
The moral? Trust but verify. Don’t let hype cloud your best judgement.

[zzotte]

I had Spartan perform our service last April and it was great, looking forward to next spring, I hoping one of this days to attend a class offered at the factory.

Zzotte

[crockdar]

X2

[yblaw]

Originally Posted by zzotte

I had Spartan perform our service last April and it was great, looking forward to next spring, I hoping one of this days to attend a class offered at the factory.

Zzotte

Today, we completed the week-long Spartan Academy training course in Charlotte, Michigan, coupled with our first year annual service. It was an outstanding experience.....We have owned and operated a series of motorhomes for nearly 40 years, but this is our first diesel pusher. When we signed up for the course, I thought the price was a tad high (about $1,700), but considering the scope of materials presented, wealth of knowledge imparted to the attendees (8 owners) by the presenters, the included inspection of each coach, the weighing of all four axles, behind the wheel driving/parking lessons for all the wives, a walk-around and walk-under inspection of your coach with an experienced tech, the awesome catered meals, etc., it was worth every penny!

Spartan rolled into the conference room a ready-to-ship complete K3 chassis. They set up a display table with the entire air system for a DP, including all color-coded air lines that made it easy to see and understand how the brakes and all other air-powered components work--and--how they can be repaired if necessary.

The written program materials are impressive. They include every system/portion of the chassis, provide numerous tips how to make emergency repairs, contain detailed information on your coach, including various specs and part numbers, etc.

The speakers/presenters were VERY knowledgeable about their subjects. The factory tour that was included was also instructive.

It became obvious very quickly that Spartan is all about customer service. It was just as obvious that the employees like their jobs. The management person in charge of the Academy training program, Greg Rinehart, assured the attendees that "even if your coach is 10 years old or older and outside of the warranty period, we're here to help--call us for support."

If for no other reason, being entertained for four and a half days by the main presenter, "Big Mike" O'Neil, was worth the price of admission. Big Mike (he's 6'8" or, as he puts it, 5'20") knows his stuff--and just about everything about Spartan's chassis and its components. He's worked both for Spartan and for Cummins, and, it shows.

I joined this forum about a year ago, but don't contribute much since most of you know a lot more about DPs than do I, but if you have a Spartan chassis DP, I urge you to sign up for Spartan Academy training. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[danleininger]

Originally Posted by zzotte

I had Spartan perform our service last April and it was great, looking forward to next spring, I hoping one of this days to attend a class offered at the factory.

Zzotte

Through the years I have made several appointments at Spartan, with mostly great results (except for Wheel Alignments.). My only recent disappointment with Spartan is trying to get an appointment. I called about 3 months in advance of our September trip to Newmar but was told they were booking almost 6 months out. Is that still the case? If so, that sure makes it hard for those of us living far away.

[Slandy]

Is that something that anybody can go or do you have to be a Spartan chassis mechanic? Steve new owner of a 2006 mountain air

[Essex-Spensive]

Originally Posted by danleininger

Through the years I have made several appointments at Spartan, with mostly great results (except for Wheel Alignments.). My only recent disappointment with Spartan is trying to get an appointment. I called about 3 months in advance of our September trip to Newmar but was told they were booking almost 6 months out. Is that still the case? If so, that sure makes it hard for those of us living far away.

I am on my third Spartan Chassis, my 2nd K3. I have never gotten an appointment closer than 6 months out and have never been able to keep any due to health and weather problems. I will not drive in snow or salted roads. I now have Issues with recalls and can't get in again. I would think that a chassis under warranty with recalls should get pushed ahead of the line. Also NO Spartan dealers near me. closest is 300 miles. JUST say'n

[yblaw]

Originally Posted by Essex-Spensive

I am on my third Spartan Chassis, my 2nd K3. I have never gotten an appointment closer than 6 months out and have never been able to keep any due to health and weather problems. I will not drive in snow or salted roads. I now have Issues with recalls and can't get in again. I would think that a chassis under warranty with recalls should get pushed ahead of the line. Also NO Spartan dealers near me. closest is 300 miles. JUST say'n

When we were at Spartan training last week, the management fellow who was in charge of the training (Greg Rinehart) advised that all Cummins Coach Care shops are Spartan authorized repair facilities. I checked online and it appears that the Cummins Coach Care shop in West Chester, Ohio is about 115 miles from New Stanton. Couldn't hurt to call Greg Rinehart at Spartan and ask for some assistance. He seemed very sincere and willing to go outside the box to help Spartan chassis owners.

[yblaw]

Originally Posted by Slandy

Is that something that anybody can go or do you have to be a Spartan chassis mechanic? Steve new owner of a 2006 mountain air

Anybody can perform chassis service, especially if your coach is beyond the warranty period. You may want to contact Spartan about attending its "Spartan Academy" training to learn all about your chassis, how to maintain it, and how to work on it. It is very informative.