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LiveCam at
Zion National Park . Utah
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Towers of the Virgin
About This Camera
LiveCam at
Zion National Park . Utah
Jan
28
Newmar motor homes are considered high quality products in the RV business. Many full time RVers choose this brand for it’s quality build and design, after all, it’s US made in Indiana and the interior woodwork is crafted by the Amish. At the time my Dutch Star motor home was manufactured (2002) there was a three year warranty on the coach. But, like everything, mistakes happen. It turns out during the build years of 2002 through 2005 Newmar used faulty fiberglass sidewalls on many of their motor homes. Symptoms of these defective sheets would show up as the painted exteriors aged and expanded and contracted under the heat and cold of daily weather. As time passes the paint starts to show little cracks that look, at first, very much like fabric lint left from wiping down the coach with a towel. These cracks get more noticeable as time passes. How much time? That’s the question. Newmar apparently knew about this early enough to offer complete replacement of the sidewalls under warranty for no cost to the buyer. This is no longer the case because what is happening now is many owners, myself included, are finding these small cracks showing up outside the warranty period.
Now what? This is where it gets ugly. With one RV manufacturer after another going bankrupt and closing down, Newmar finds itself in the position of having to deal with customers who are just noticing the effects of the defective siding. Newmar states it’s not a structural problem so the motor home itself is not at risk for leaks but what is at risk is the appearance of the motor home and it’s overall value, also of course Newmar’s stellar reputation for taking care of it’s customers. So, Newmar is offering “cosmetic surgery” at the cost of $12000. per unit to be paid by the current owner. The sidewalls will be ripped off and replaced with C-Tek siding and new paint will be applied. Of course, the cost of travelling to Indiana, finding housing during the 4 week process and the overall inconvenience of securing everything in the coach or moving it to a storage facility is not included. The overall cost will approach $16000.00. This is no small amount of cash and lots of us are going to have to deal with it on our own since Newmar will not pay for this defect. 
Here are pictures I’ve received from other motor home owners suffering from the same problem.This is the substandard fiberglass breaking through the surface of the paint and lifting the clear coat. It will get worse with age and unfortunately for us owners it means our coaches loose much of their resale value.This is not only a tragedy for us but for the reputation of the motor home manufacturer in the midst of tough times.
