Six Months

We purchased the coach in October of 2015 so it has been a bit longer than six months. We took delivery of the Castaway in June of 2016.

She currently sits in a climate controlled storage facility not too far from home. We miss her. But, before we know it, April will soon be here and we will be back on the road with the Castaway.

Our experience with our Newmar Dutch Star has been terrific. Not surprisingly, I gave Newmar excellent ratings.

Were there some areas for improvement?

Our warranty issues have been very minor. We actually expected more issues with a new coach. And perhaps more will come next year. So far, so good.

The misses are listed here just to remind me that there is always something to deal with when travelling and living out of a motorhome.

Engine firmware update

This one should have been caught prior to delivery. I should have asked the dealer if the engine firmware was current. It would have saved us some time and money. We found out about the firmware issue only after an engine warning light came roughly 1,500 kilometers from home. We had to lengthen our stay and find a dealer where the update could be applied. Nothing too serious but I had developed a comprehensive checklist for delivery and I did not even think about the firmware level on the Cummins engine.

Michelin tire warranty

The cheque is in the mail. Or so I have been told. We have been waiting since August to be compensated for a brand new tire that failed after a few thousand kilometers. Michelin may make a decent tire but they are not very good with their warranty program.

Potential fire hazard

Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I will post on this particular issue in more detail later this week. There are some Newmar Dutch Star coaches that are at possible risk of an engine compartment fire. We have been in contact with our dealer and with Newmar over a recall notice that will be coming out sometime in January of 2017. I keep very current on all things related to our coach and I found out about the potential recall notice before the dealer and before the Canadian Newmar rep. We will wait to see if our coach is impacted. We may not be. The point being that it is very important for us to regularly check-in on the Technical Service Bulletins and other safety notices related to our coach.

Locked in

We were locked in our coach when we stopped to refuel. We never thought that the sequence of unlocking the entry door mattered. However, we found out that if you attempt to open the door while it is still locked, well, you could find yourself stuck in your coach.

Our interactions with Newmar have been terrific. Their customer service has been outstanding. It has been over a year since we ordered the coach and six months since we took delivery.

We love the Castaway. We are thrilled with our motorhome and with the company that made it.