Back to Newmar Factory

During the week of August 6th, 2007, I was in Nappanee, Indiana at the Newmar factory getting several dozen last minute warranty items taken care of. One of the items was that the front living room carpet would "bulge up" a bit when bringing in the passenger-side front slideout. This was a minor deal but I thought it needed to be addressed. The technicians stretched the front carpet and, in the process, created a 4-6 inch tear in front of the sofa which they patched. The tech told me about it and said that he would make a note in the computer and that if I had later issues with the patch, to bring it back in the winter time when the work volume was lower and that Newmar would replace the carpet.

Since then, the patch has gotten frayed and is clearly showing despite the low amount of foot traffic there. Last week, I contacted the service manager at Newmar who said yes, bring the coach to the factory and, in fact, they would replace the front carpet. This would normally be a $2,100 job that I would get for free!

Now, our coach, as it came from the factory, has ceramic tile in the entry area, kitchen area, hallway and bath. Ever since the 2006 - 2007 coaches came out with the "full tile in the living area" option, MA & I have thought that we wished we had full tile, rather than carpet in the living room area. The cost to retrofit the carpet to full tile was over $4,000.

I asked Newmar about offsetting the cost of the retrofit to tile with the cost of replacing the front carpet. Bottom line, we are getting full tile in the living area for under $2,000. That is why I am writing this blog entry from the hotel room at Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana. I left Greenville, SC Saturday morning and drove the 700 miles to Nappanee (near Elkhart in northern Indiana), stopping for the night in Lexington, Kentucky. The coach floor is all torn up and there are four technicians working feverishly to rip up the old carpet and entry tile (required because the seams from the existing kitchen tile would not align with the seams of the existing entry tile) and laying the new flooring required for tile. During this time, of course, I cannot stay overnight in the coach. Therefore, I am quartered at the Amish Acres Inn and Newmar is picking up the tab! They HOPE to be finished Thursday (they don't work Fridays in the winter). Otherwise, I will be spending the week-end here. I REALLY want to get back to Greenville for granddaughter, Camryn's 4th birthday party midday Saturday. There is also a weather complication - snow. And single digit temps coming.