[Dmatz]

Do these coaches really flex that much? If they flex would delimitation begin to occur? I did lots of off road dry camping with the Prevost never had or heard of any issues due to flexing? Perhaps that's why the stainless panels begun to delaminate

[Fulltiming]

Newells do not experience abnormal amounts of flex but there is some flex in all motorhomes. Popped rivets is typically a result of flex. Certainly popped windshields are an example of flex. I have only had a couple of popped rivets near the rear cap and have never experienced a popped windshield but they do occur. I have dragged my rear skid bars a number of times and I have hit high center. Both of these experiences will definitely result in some coach flex, whether it is a Newell, a Prevost or any other vehicle.

[Flick]

I would like to hear more about how a couple from Holland begin traveling to the US twice a year for three months and how they settled on a Newell. How do they plan their ventures? They sound very interesting.

[HoosierDaddy]

Doug,
I'm not sure of what you mean when you mention delaminating. Delamination is an issue on fiberglass slab-sided RV's. The outer layer of fiberglass loses adhesion with the plywood etc. that it was originally bonded to. This usually results from moisture finding it's way to the inner core of the wall panel.

[whatsnewell]

I would like to hear more about how a couple from Holland begin traveling to the US twice a year for three months and how they settled on a Newell. How do they plan their ventures? They sound very interesting.

Todd, I didn't get a chance to delve that deeply into how they do it. He did say they have been doing this for over a decade. They are very interesting and I look forward to meeting up with them again.

[Dmatz]

The delamination I am referring to is not on plastic coaches. Prevost has an issue with XLII coaches that were after 2000 and rivetless. It is not on all of them and there does not seem to be any particular thing that makes some have it and others not. It has to do with the stainless skin adhesion to the frame. The fix is to rivit the skin to the frame and they have caps that go over the repair. Between the repair work and paint and polish of the same, it was north of 40k to fix on my 2010 coach and Prevost did cover in warranty. There have also been some H models with composit pannels doing the same.

It is my understanding that Newell uses a similar process of adhesion of the skin to the frame which is why I asked about the flexing perhaps being a cause of this issue.

[HoosierDaddy]

I understand.
Newell uses a 3m Mastic. On my 1993 it looks as though the aluminum is riveted on the perimeter. With 127,000 miles (mostly highway I think) all rivets appear to be tight.The mastic was used on the field of the panels to eliminate the rivets. My 1978 Newell was all riveted. There were a few that popped over the years, mostly around the midsection near the bay doors etc.

[larryweikartsr]

Another cause of de-lamination, especially on earlier plastic coaches, was the color of the exterior. During my days in the RV industry we would refuse to offer coaches in darker colors as those area were always the first to come apart. The darker the color the more the suns heat penetrated, while lighter colors tended to reflect the heat. That could also relate to stainless or polished aluminum.

[Keep on Rollin]

Clarke, thanks for introducing us on this forum. We really did enjoy meeting you and Elaine at that gorgeous spot in Goosenecks SP. You convinced me to join and contribute to this forum.
I’ve been scrolling thru older posts on this and previous Newell Classic forum when we were in the buying process years ago.

I’ve been traveling to and in North America for 35 years and the last 25 with Lydia typically in class A motorhomes. Mostly for one months at a time, but also traveled this great continent for a full year. A few years ago we decided to become extended travelers.
I’ve been following the RV industry, especially the class A segment, for 20 years now. And heard about Newell coaches for the first time in a test article in MotorHome magazine back in 1992.

Radiator CAC issues
We’re on 4th CAC and 3rd radiator now and the radiator drips again where the core meets the vertical header. I’m puzzled and Newell is too.
Two of the CAC’s and one radiator were rebuilt units, the last two sets were brand new from Atlas. Two CAC failures can possibly traced back to poor installation (not at Newell). The last two radiators and one CAC were leak free for only 1 week or 700-1,000 miles of highway driving and no dragging of the rear end.
The last set is mounted differently. The radiator is now sitting on 4 shock absorber type fasteners also used under generators. There’s rubber between the CAC and radiator -as in the new coaches- and the CAC bolts are set in rubber. So, the whole set-up can flex a bit. Unfortunately, to no avail. The radiator lasted a week or 700 miles before dripping again. I now loose about 1 gallon of coolant every 1,000 miles. The last few weeks I also see less maximum turbo boost, however that can be because of warmer ambient temperatures.

What is causing this is still guessing, but I have three theories:
1. Quality issues at Atlas;
2. Too much stress in the rear end of our coach (our 42’6’’ 2 slide weights less than most coaches, although the rear end is the same. So, there’s a different leverage effect than in 45’ coaches);
3. A combination of the two.

I also agree, as some of you suggested, that a more suspended or ‘floating’ mounting is better. I’ve been looking into how other brands mount their radiators and CAC’s. I’ve seen radiators sitting directly on the frame and I’ve seen the more ‘floating’ type. I haven’t had the opportunity to look into the mounting of heavier coaches like Prevost, Setra and VanHool. Maybe some of you know or even better have pictures.

Finally, on two occasions when having work done while on the road. We were advised to switch over to Dura-Lite. I know they make a great CAC, I haven’t heard feed-back on their brass/copper core radiators.

All of the above is discussed with Newell Coach and they have all under review and ‘re doing their best to get this issue solved.

In two 2 weeks we leave the coach at the factory for three months and hopefully when we start our next trip this issue is history.
Thanks for all your suggestions.

[Fulltiming]

Welcome Edwin and Lydia. Thanks for the update.