What about service when you buy from an individual?

[calasiter]

I would appreciate any advice from those of you who have bought from an individual rather than a dealership. Are you pretty happy with the maintenance and service you get on your Newmar? Is it speedy? Or do you have to wait for days, weeks, to get service since you didn't buy from a dealership? I bet some of you bought from a dealership, and then from an individual later on. What's the main differences? Thanks for any advice.

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by calasiter

I would appreciate any advice from those of you who have bought from an individual rather than a dealership. Are you pretty happy with the maintenance and service you get on your Newmar? Is it speedy? Or do you have to wait for days, weeks, to get service since you didn't buy from a dealership? I bet some of you bought from a dealership, and then from an individual later on. What's the main differences? Thanks for any advice.

I bought mine private. Have never had a problem with getting service in a timely manner although I do most of my own service but when I require work that I feel is too heavy for this 71+ frame, I send it somewhere.
Between Newmar and Spartan, I have had Excellent Service for any and all contact for parts or information. I am fortunate to have a very service oriented Newmar dealer less than a hour away. No mater where you bought it or what make, they are always ready to help. For which they charge a fair price......

[Algoma]

You are right that some dealers give priority to owners that bought from them and some may even refuse service if you did not buy from them. If you are out of warranty some non Newmar dealers are Newmar service centers and will be happy to work on your coach. Any Freightliner Custom Chassis center will work on the chassis so you will have no problems there. Call around and check the situation in your area.

[vsheetz]

Most of your post Newmar warranty service needs will not need a Newmar dealership, or a dealership at all for that matter. Engine/chassis, appliances, slides, electrics, etc. Are serviceable by cummins/frieghtliner, appliance repair services, independent RV service only shops, etc. We bought our Tiffin used from a private party and it's never been to a Tiffin dealer. Probably never will.

["007"]

Welcome to the forum.
If you have owned a MH before you may have some knowledge of doing some of your maintenance and you have this forum with many other owners to help you out.
For starters about a Newmar and systems you may encounter the links below in my signature will have many links to problem solving by owners on this forum.
Enjoy the forum and good luck and safe travels in your to be coach.

[2003Mountain]

We are on our second purchase from an individual. We had some major trouble with our first one and found a good Truck Service Center that does great work. Since we bought our Newmar gas Mountainaire 6 years ago, I have continued with them and have only had one failure on the road since we used them. That was a starter motor that burned out at a rest area stop, after 13 years of northern salty roads. They do all of the chassis work including the generator. Most of the interior I am able to do myself however, there are some things I know not to get into, so I have been using a local RV dealer for them. Let's face the facts, most RV equipment is generic between most makers. Even the dealer handling low end RV's is capable and certified to make the repairs.

In our area the nearest Newmar dealer is about 100 miles away and we don't go in that direction very often.

Also, when in Naples, Florida at our park we seldom see North Trails in the park servicing equipment. However, there are many smaller non- affiliated repair men around that are certified for repair and warranty work that are more than eager to help you out and take your money.

Don't be afraid of using other than Newmar shops for service. Just find some reliable one.

TOM