OUR NEWMAR TRIP FOR "CPU"
I'll start by saying that Mare & I were total rookies to the RV world. We had explored it a bit by buying a 2004 Newmar Mountain Aire 3778 back in November of 2018. It was a fantastic coach & in fabulous condition, as it had been garage kept since new. Upon seeing it when I brought it home, Marilyn fell in love with it, & I knew then that we had a future in the RV world. When returning home from our second outing, we began discussing her upcoming retirement and some of the potential travel plans for the future. During the conversation, Marilyn mentioned that if we were going to travel quite a bit, that it would be nice if we had a new coach with factory warranty, in case there were problems. I never mentioned that these things always require attention, and things will break or fail. BUT, since she started that conversation, it was all I needed to agree, & pursue looking into a new coach. I knew then it would be a Newmar.
So after exploring models, floor plans, options, and prices; I settled on a Newmar Canyon Star 3710. I then got an order form from a Dealer, and built the coach, added a couple of "specials", and then sent it to a number of Dealers across the country for a price quote. Prices varied by as much as $12,000 for the same coach. Having read and spoken with a few owners, I decided that the Newmar "CPU' was the only way I'd get a new coach. So, on July 10th, I wrote the "deposit" check & signed the order. We were going to be new Newmar owners!
After getting home, and following the excitement of having ordered it, that night in bed, the proverbial "Did we do the right thing"? "Should we opt to spend this much money"? "Would we truly be happy with it"? "Would we really enjoy the RV life & ownership"? After "sleeping" on it, and talking to Mare again; we were 100% committed!
There were a couple of emails from folks at Newmar, Michele Howard, Natalie Miller ,Jonas, and the Service Director. I asked Natalie about the possibility of pictures during production, & she gladly agreed, and as the build process moved forward, we got pictures. And I'm so appreciative that this was done.
We then get an "off-line" date, of September 16th, oddly enough, the day of the announcement that Newmar was being acquired by Winnebago! I won't even get into the thoughts that went through my mind, but I was happy the coach was finished prior to the announcement! Read into that statement whatever you wish!
Then we get our "CPU" date, October 14th! Excitement truly sets in, and was topped off by Natalie sending us pictures of our "Completed" coach! The original date was set back a week, due to the "International Rally" in Syracuse. This was okay with me, as I figured it would also be an additional week for the "QC", pre-delivery inspection, to take place.
Since we would be towing our 2017 GMC Terrain, I had already gotten the complete Blue Ox tow bar setup to include the baseplate, & it the RVI3 brake system, & the charger had all been installed.
Now it's a matter of loading everything that I had bought for the new coach. I had already made up my mind that I was going to do a number of suspension modifications; based on input from others, as well as reading & absorbing all I could from iRV2 forum. And the experience with suspension improvements on the Mountain Aire. So, there is the Blue Ox setup, new Koni shocks, A Saf-T-Plus steering stabilizer, and an Ultra-Trac rear trac bar. Water hose, black tank clean-out hose, Stinky Slinky, the support for it, the surge protector, water pressure regulator, inline water filter, sheets, blankets pillows, coffee pot, coffee, bottled water, a myriad of other things I can't remember; Oh, and clothes, toiletries, etc, for us! Needless to say, the Terrain was loaded to the roof, & seat to tail-gate!
The big day has finally arrived, so on Saturday, October 12th, we depart Virginia for the long drive to Napanee. We spent Saturday night at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg W.Va. A beautiful "period" remodeled & exquisite old Hotel! Sunday morning, off we go, up I-77,with a stop at the Warther Knife Co., outside of Canton Ohio, to pick up a knife Mare was missing from her set. From there , we trekked west on Rt.30 across Ohio, into Indiana. We finally arrive in Napanee! Even before checking in to our hotel, Country Side Inn, a nice simple, but clean place; I had to explore the area, riding all around the huge Newmar facility, seeing the old "camp ground area, etc, then on to find the new Service Facility! I had seen pictures, but WOW, what a beautiful sight to see in person! Then on to the hotel for some much needed rest, & supper!
WOW! The big day had finally come! Monday, October 14th, I'm up by 5:00 am, stumble to the lobby for COFFEE! Our appointment to meet Jonas was at 8:00am. We get ready, check-out, have breakfast, and at 7:50, full of excitement & anticipation, we pull into the parking lot. We walk in & are met by Sue, a real sweetheart & asset to Newmar! She gets Jonas, he comes out and we meet. He asks, "Are you ready"!!
So we walk through the door, look to our left, & OMG, there's our BEAUTIFUL NEW BABY! (to us anyway)! I just stand there & gawk, smiling; I look at Mare, tears are streaming down her cheeks (with joy)! It seemed like forever, but we stood there just looking, took a couple of pictures, met Doug, our "tech" for the week; and finally ventured forth to the door! Up the steps, & WOW, again! All the lights are on, slides open, new, clean, shiny, & Beautiful!
We immediately check out the theater seats, & ask Doug to turn on the fireplace! This would become our favorite part of the coach! We look around, gradually walking from front to rear, all the while, thinking how lucky we are to be able to own such a fabulous coach! I'm sure each & everyone of you felt the same when seeing your new coach for the very first time!
Now, it was time to explore the exterior, again standing back & admiring the "special paint" colors that we had requested! The maroon color was selected to be a match to the Terrain, as well as the 2017 Colorado ZR-2! Turned out "perfect"! We look at each compartment, check each bay door, etc, and gave it a pretty thorough inspection. There was one bay door that needed adjustment! And then, Doug reaches in and pulls out a box, low & behold, a pair of matching "Newmar" folding chairs, a Newmar Mat, a water hose, and a slinky too! That was an unexpected surprise gift from Newmar, & much appreciated!
We spent the rest of Day 1, going over the operation of all the interior components, electronics, etc. SO MUCH to digest! Marilyn made extensive notes in her "Newmar Notebook" which she created for just this reason! And then Doug took the two DISH Wally's & installed them.
About 2:00 pm, we ride with Doug as he takes the coach outside and across the street to our Newmar "CPU" designated parking area for the week! He helps us set up everything, opens the slides, hooks up water, sewer, & electricity! His day is done, ours not so much! I get the satellite set up, then contact DISH, and they help get both Wally's operational. Wow, we have TV! We relax in the theater seats, turn on the fireplace, enjoy a glass of wine, & watch our new TV! Then we must unpack our "Stuff" from the Terrain and move it into our new home, for the week! After that, it's off to dinner, then back, much needed and enjoyed showers, relax a bit, then off to bed for our first night on our new mattress, which was extremely comfortable! The alarm id set for 5:00 am! ZZZZZZZZZZZ, much needed SLEEP!!
Day 2! Alarm goes off, up I get to make always much needed, morning coffee! Marilyn gets up, primps, gets dressed; me too, & start getting coach ready for Doug to pick up. We had agreed earlier, for him to come get the coach a bit before 7:00. He shows up, closes the coach & across the street she goes! While Doug worked to make a couple of adjustments, we go get breakfast! After we return, more "teaching" by Doug about all the operational aspects of the coach. It took all day too. We did find a couple minor paint flaws which needed buffing & polishing, and a couple more adjustments that needed to be done! About 2:00PM, we repeat the process of Day 1, and back across the street we go, and get hooked up & opened up for the evening. The Service Facility had about 35 coaches there on Monday, a couple left, & a couple pulled in. Got to meet several folks, and they were all very complimentary about the exterior colors, & how nice the coach looked! Almost to the person, asked if it were "special " paint! I wondered, "does it stand out that much"? But in looking around, most coaches were blends of black, silver, gray, various gold's, tan's, brown's, white, etc, with various accent colors of maroon, blues, tans, etc. So yes, though Gold was the base color, the maroon stands out, so it was probably & is, brighter than most! But it's what we like! Off to dinner, at Matt Miller's brother's Coffee Shop; Main Street Roaster's! Great food, coffee, and awesome deserts! Back to the coach, relax, etc, off to bed!
Day 3! Again, alarm at 5:00, make coffee, get ready, and start getting coach ready. Doug arrives, and across to Service we go! Oh, we found that Marilyn's feet won't touch the floor while in passenger seat; so Doug makes her a special "foot rest" box; complete with upholstery, and she's happy. So today is the "Test Drive"! Doug drives her out of the shop, stops, & I take the wheel. This has been long awaited, because I've not driven a Ford F-53 chassis coach before! So, off we go, heading West on Rt. 6, through town, & they have a one lane road set up, with those big bulky cones; so I get an immediate test of my ability to fit the coach through a very narrow lane, which is about 10 blocks long. I get up to speed in the 45 MPH zone; coach feels pretty good to me, then to the 55MPH zone. Pass a few oncoming 18 wheelers, no issues, some crown in the road; which I can feel. Overall, good first impression. We get to Rt.331, go up the ramp, I accelerate up to 60MPH, merge, and think that was pretty decent acceleration. Rt. 331 is a divided, limited access road. It had expansion joints, bridge approaches, dips and a few bumps. It handles all well, with the exception of the "bridge transitions", which create a substantial noise upon impact, as it makes a lot of things rattle. But, overall impression thus far, pretty good! Grade, give it a "C"! We then get off, and head east on Rt.20, another 4 lane divided highway. Doug says, now they've ground this round & you will feel some front to rear porpoise. All coaches do it on this road. Don't know, because I've not driven another coach on this road. I do know he was correct. There was some front to rear porpoise movement. After a stretch of a few miles, the grinding ended, as did the porpoise movement. I drive a bit further East, then we get off on Rt.19, a two lane state road. The coach drove great, as I was getting used to handling it, by now! Back to Rt.6, negotiate the cones again, & back to Service. My overall grade of the F-53, a "C+" to a "B"! BUT, this is why I brought the various suspension items to have added to the coach! So, a good initial test. I bring this part up, as I believe most of you have diesel coaches. And they have air ride, etc. Not having driven one, I am not able to make a fair comparison, but will abide by what most say, the diesel will provide a better ride. After returning, Doug had some other things to do to the coach, and we had signed up for the "NEWGLE" class at, I think it was, 1:00pm. Christie did a great job, & I can see NEWGLE becoming a better & better tool for us to use; especially as they transition more & more information to it. The new site is improved, and a bit easier to negotiate. A side note: When in NEWGLE, you can do a search for your coach. Example: ours is a Canyon Star, search "CSCA", or Mountain Aire, "MADP"; & it brings up more information for that particular model! After the Newgle Class; back to see Doug, & he was getting her ready to go back to our site! We get there, get hooked up, & Day 3 comes to an end! A little wine, dinner, a bit of TV, then off to bed we go; to Face Day 4!
DAY 4! Basically a repeat of previous mornings, up ,make much needed coffee, get ready; Doug comes over, we close the coach & across the street to Service. Today, Doug will make a couple of minor fixes, adjust a slide ramp angle; the paint guy is coming to take care of the minor paint flaws (scuffs & a bit of trash, which buffed out), then to do a 4 corner weight on the scales, tire pressure adjustment, & more review of the coach! In the meantime, we have an appointment to do the Newmar production assembly tour. A 3 1/2 hour tour. We meet at the appointed time, go over the rules & regs of the tour, load up the bus, & off we go! This was phenomenal to see. Each step, from bringing the bare chassis in the house, to the sub-frame, Star frame assembly, and follow each step along the entire production process! I will say this, these employees waste no time. Seems every move or step has a purpose Each portion of the assembly process is quite interesting, in and of itself!. The prep for the paint process is something to watch; the taping of the graphics; poetry in motion! And the finished product coming out of the paint facility; we ALL know how wonderful the finished product is to see, feel, & touch! This is a must see for each and every Newmar owner! The last portion of the tour was the Service Facility where we had been all week; so we skipped that to get back to our coach. This was to be our last day with Doug, as he was departing for an out-of-state wedding Friday. That said, Doug asked about any questions, we had a few, he answered them, a few we couldn't remember. Then we went over weighing the coach, he gave me the information, the adjusted tire pressures, and covered a few last minute things. We then return the coach to our spot, Doug helps me hook everything up! We shake hands, give a big hug, & give him a "Thank You" gift, wish him well; and off he goes, headed to the wedding! So now, we take out the tow-bar, the cables, etc, the iRV3 brake unit, and proceed to hook everything up for the "first time ever"!! Well, we got it done, had a fellow Newmarian stop by & help a bit, and we will be ready to "TOW", when the time comes! Dinner, wine, relax, TV, off to bed to face another exciting day in Napanee!
DAY5! Remember, I mentioned earlier about bringing along all the suspension components. So, today we have an appointment at 8:00am with Bremen Ford to install the Saf-T-Plus steering stabilizer, the new Koni shocks, the Ultra-Trac rear trac bar, & they are also installing Sumo front springs! We drop off the coach for the work, then off to visit Newmar Kountry Klub. We pick up a couple of items, and then over to Newmar Corporate, to meet Natalie Miller! What a sweet, personable, outgoing, attractive, young lady! And very helpful too. From there, off to South Bend to see the Notre Dame campus! A nice drive, & what a site to see! A very impressive campus! After that we stop by the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart! An interesting place to see, especially if one has any interest in the history of travel trailers, motor homes, etc. Some of the "originals" were a sight to see! Afterwards we headed back, & got a call from Bremen Ford, the coach was ready! So we get back there, pay the bill, & I must say, those were some of the nicest folks I've ever met at an automobile/truck Dealership! This coming from a man that spent 40 years in the automobile industry! If anyone has a Ford RV chassis, & needs work, this is the place to take it, as they do a lot of work on these chassis'. So now, I head back to Napanee to the Service Center. Just pulling out of the lot, there is a noticeable difference, very little lean. As I drive back along Rt. 6, the expansion joints and minor bumps are hardly even noticeable! I'm already impressed! I get back to the Service Center and pull into our spot, for our last night at Newmar! We set up the coach, and then go to dinner. While there we discuss the week, how exciting it has been, all that we've learned. We enjoy dinner at Rt.6 Diner, a local spot, close to the Service Center, & great home cooked food as well! We chat a bit about all the Amish folks living in the area, the horse drawn buggy's, their hard work ethic, & the changes that have come about with the younger Amish folk. We saw some with "Smart Phones", houses powered by "Solar power", and decided there is a slow evolvement about, in their religion. And also about how hard the Amish workers were in the assembly plant, and what craftsmen some of them are! Very impressive folks! Back to the coach, to pack up and be ready for the return trip home with our new coach. The first time ever towing, and an overall uncertainty about the trip! Will it go well? Will there be issues? What about the potential for weather? And there was some. Oh well, finish packing & off to bed!
DAY 6! We wake up about 5:30, though there is no alarm set. I fix coffee, and relax for a bit & enjoy the coffee. Marilyn gets up, gets ready & we run to McDonald's for breakfast. I know, but at least it was quick! Back to the coach, empty the tanks, flush them out twice (both black water tanks), treat them, add a bit of water, & empty the gray water tank. There's about 30 gallons in freshwater tank, to travel with. We button everything up, close the slides, then have to hook up the tow bar. Well, practice paid off, as we got it hooked up without a hitch! Time to pull out & say "Good Bye" to Napanee! Now on the road, we are headed back East. We finally get on Rt. 30, then across and catch Rt. 33, to take us to the camp ground where we plan to spend the night. About 400 miles we traveled the first day, up and down hills & mountains, over smooth roads and rough ones too. I'm overall impressed with how the coach performed, & rode too. We had to drive about 150 miles in some rain, though it wasn't pouring, just steady, then a drizzle. We get to the campground, "Let's Dock", in Syracuse Ohio, on the banks of the Ohio River. A family oriented campground , and they were having a "Trick or Treat" Halloween Party! Bon fires, Halloween lights up everywhere, kind of nice to see! We get supper, enjoy the scenery, and early to bed!
DAY7! Up by 6:00, fix coffee, and get ready to roll. We follow Rt. 33 to Ravenswood W.Va., then on to I-77, through the mountains to Charleston and then on to I-64. Some of this road was quite a challenge; with construction, narrow lanes, & significant traffic! I liked the performance in the mountains; even the longest ones, the coach never fell below 42-43 MPH. And on the downhill, the transmission brake, downshifting was excellent in helping control speed and braking! That V-10 was "zinging" a few times! I-64 to I-81 was a fairly pleasurable drive, even though through the mountains, there was not a lot of traffic! I-81 North to I-64 East, now that was rough 20 something miles, as traffic was bumper to bumper, speed up, slow down, cut you off type driving, & some rain to boot! UGH! Was I ever glad to get on I-64 East toward Charlottesville, & wouldn't you know it; Afton Mountain was covered in fog! Maybe not a bad thing in retrospect, as traffic was moving along slowly & safely. Once across the mountain, a fairly nice drive home to good 'ol Rockville Va.! Got home about 5:45, a long day, but had to unhook the Terrain in order to get down the driveway! Once in front of the garage, that's where she stayed until Monday morning! Another 300 + plus mile drive! 775 miles to get back home!
In summary; if you ever buy a NEWMAR, and can afford to do so, the Factory "CPU" is worth every penny. It is an experience that you will never forget! Also a great way to insure you get a quality control checked coach, front to rear top to bottom, which will have fewer issues during your warranty period! A learning experience about your new coach, life, others, enjoying the beauty of this country, & a time to enjoy life with your wife, girl friend, or significant other! The performance of the Ford F-53 chassis was better than I expected, the suspension changes made a definite difference in drivability, and ride characteristics too! No folks, it will never be a "DP", but this ol man is more than satisfied, and I imagine it will do all I ever expect it to do, for as long as I am able to drive, travel and enjoy the RV LIFE!
See ya'll in Tampa! Thanks for reading, though I can get a bit long winded! Neal mentioned writing about the experience, so I gave ya'll the whole Encilada!
