Rad22
RVF Supporter
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2021
- Messages
- 13
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
- RV Year
- 2021
- RV Make
- Newmar
- RV Model
- New Aire
- RV Length
- 35’
- TOW/TOAD
- 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
- Fulltimer
- No
I thought I would share with the forum our experience several days ago while driving from Charlotte, NC to Sevierville, TN to take our grandson to Dollywood. We left Charlotte late morning August 17 in our brand new 2021 New Aire 3543 and drove in cloudy, drizzly weather until just west of Asheville, NC on I-40. At that point, we ran into a deluge. We drove ahead in very heavy rain for about an hour. As we were approaching Canton, NC, the "water in fuel" warning light illuminated. The engine was running just fine, but we had filled with diesel at a Pilot truck stop only about 75 miles back. So I did begin to wonder about contaminated fuel. As luck would have it, we were just passing the exit for the Western Carolina Freightliner Center in Canton.
After doing a U-turn at the next exit, we drove into the center in a heavy rain storm. I spoke to the service manager about the issue and he instructed me to bring the coach back at 7 AM sharp the next morning and they would try to get to it that day. We picked the West Asheville KOA Campground as a location for the night. Fortunately, it was on high ground and we settled in for an evening of continuous heavy rain and thunderstorms. In short, I have never seen it rain like that in my 67 years.
On the advice of several forum entries, I checked the bowl under the fuel water separator and there was no water therein. I disconnected the lead to the sensor at the base of the bowl and dried out the connection with a hairdryer. This was to no avail. The light on the dash remained illuminated.
Awaking to a beautiful and fair morning sky, we had the coach at Freightliner at 7 o'clock the next morning and the service manager related that more than half of his employees were stranded by flooded roads and washed out bridges. Initially, he was skeptical about getting the work done that day or even possibly the next. When he went out to the coach to get the mileage and VIN number, he noted my wife and grandson curled up on the couch reading a book. When he came out of the coach he looked at me and said "I will put the first technician who shows up on your coach and we will get you out of here today."
Canton was a disaster area. Virtually every street and road in town were covered in mud and debris. Only the area directly around I 40 and our exit were drivable. Most other businesses, restaurants, etc. were essentially closed or at a standstill secondary to the water system being shut down. That Freightliner remained open was a blessing. I received a call at about 1 PM that the coach was ready. There was apparently a portion of the wiring harness leading to the back of the coach that was not properly routed in a safe position up in the frame rail and was hanging down within 8 inches of the road. The connectors for this harness were completely soaked, although we experienced no other problem than the water in fuel warning. The harness was removed, dried and reinstalled and the computer was cleared of all faults. The repair was done under warranty at no charge. We have since taken another trip in the coach totaling over 500 miles since the incident with no further problems.
I can only say that Western Carolina Freightliner provided the best service I could have asked for under the most challenging circumstances imaginable. They have my eternal gratitude for getting us back on the road quickly and ultimately providing for the completion of a wonderful trip to Dollywood and the area for our grandson and us. I might add that we stayed at Two Rivers RV Resort in Sevierville. As has been previously mentioned on this forum, it was an outstanding facility/location.
If anyone is interested in reading the nitty-gritty, I have attached a copy of the service report for the repair...
After doing a U-turn at the next exit, we drove into the center in a heavy rain storm. I spoke to the service manager about the issue and he instructed me to bring the coach back at 7 AM sharp the next morning and they would try to get to it that day. We picked the West Asheville KOA Campground as a location for the night. Fortunately, it was on high ground and we settled in for an evening of continuous heavy rain and thunderstorms. In short, I have never seen it rain like that in my 67 years.
On the advice of several forum entries, I checked the bowl under the fuel water separator and there was no water therein. I disconnected the lead to the sensor at the base of the bowl and dried out the connection with a hairdryer. This was to no avail. The light on the dash remained illuminated.
Awaking to a beautiful and fair morning sky, we had the coach at Freightliner at 7 o'clock the next morning and the service manager related that more than half of his employees were stranded by flooded roads and washed out bridges. Initially, he was skeptical about getting the work done that day or even possibly the next. When he went out to the coach to get the mileage and VIN number, he noted my wife and grandson curled up on the couch reading a book. When he came out of the coach he looked at me and said "I will put the first technician who shows up on your coach and we will get you out of here today."
Canton was a disaster area. Virtually every street and road in town were covered in mud and debris. Only the area directly around I 40 and our exit were drivable. Most other businesses, restaurants, etc. were essentially closed or at a standstill secondary to the water system being shut down. That Freightliner remained open was a blessing. I received a call at about 1 PM that the coach was ready. There was apparently a portion of the wiring harness leading to the back of the coach that was not properly routed in a safe position up in the frame rail and was hanging down within 8 inches of the road. The connectors for this harness were completely soaked, although we experienced no other problem than the water in fuel warning. The harness was removed, dried and reinstalled and the computer was cleared of all faults. The repair was done under warranty at no charge. We have since taken another trip in the coach totaling over 500 miles since the incident with no further problems.
I can only say that Western Carolina Freightliner provided the best service I could have asked for under the most challenging circumstances imaginable. They have my eternal gratitude for getting us back on the road quickly and ultimately providing for the completion of a wonderful trip to Dollywood and the area for our grandson and us. I might add that we stayed at Two Rivers RV Resort in Sevierville. As has been previously mentioned on this forum, it was an outstanding facility/location.
If anyone is interested in reading the nitty-gritty, I have attached a copy of the service report for the repair...
