We purchased our Newmar Bay Star 3014 a little over 3 years ago. How time flies!
In that time we have driven close to 30,000 miles and camped more than 300 nights in our Big Blue Box (BBB)!
We have traveled up to Washington and down the coast of Oregon, vacationed as far east as Mount Rushmore, and enjoyed traveling in Utah and Arizona. And, of course, we’ve been up and down the California coast!
Let’s just say we’ve put our Bay Star through a lot in that time.
I posted a very detailed 1-year review a couple years ago here…
Here…
And here.
So I won’t go over our initial experiences in the Big Blue Box. This will focus on the following years.
SUMMARY FIRST!
Rather than keep you in suspense, after our initial “new motorhome” issues were worked out, we’ve had a mostly trouble-free experience. However, we have had a couple issues. I’ll discuss what has worked best, what could be improved, and what had to be repaired.
Would we do it again? Without a doubt! The Newmar Bay Star has proven to be a comfortable and reliable motorhome for our travels.
WHAT HAS WORKED THE BEST?
Comfort Indoors While Camping
The Bay Star is a very comfortable motorhome to live in. In bad weather, whether too hot or cold, the added insulation helps the 2 roof mounted AC/Heat Pumps maintain a comfortable feeling indoors. We’ve traveled in temperatures as low as 25 degrees and as high a 100 degrees and it has performed well. Our last RV could never keep a comfortable temperature and would cycle between too hot and too cold. Having 2 units on the roof is probably overkill for a 30 foot motorhome, but we are glad they are there when needed. It also allows us to run only the front unit at night so the bedroom stays really quiet.
Comfort On The Road
The Ford F53 chassis is not known for a smooth ride and good handling. However, a week after our purchase we added Liquid Spring (LS) Smart Suspension. While it was a big expense, I would never own another gas motorhome without it. With LS, the motorhome is a pleasure to drive, and takes potholes, freeway overpasses, and gas station curbs without a problem. It has also been rock-solid. We had a couple issues with our Liquid Springs after being an early adopter of the Tru-Earth Leveling System Upgrade. However, once this was ironed out, we have had no issues. It is so nice to arrive at our RV park without feeling tired from the drive, and then to smoothly level the coach with the press of a button. In fact, I Have yet to use my leveling jacks since upgrading the system. Note that LS will move slightly as the temperature changes, so if you are a perfectionist you may want to stick with jacks, but there is nothing better than LS Tru-Earth Leveling for me. Here’s a link to our Liquid Spring Suspension and Tru-Earth Leveling Upgrade.
Power to spare!
The Solar and Battery upgrade we made the first year has also worked flawlessly. There is more than enough power to dry camp for 3 days without using the generator. I still use my generator each day when dry camping, but only to top off and usually for under an hour. If I had to do it over, I would have added more solar, but what we have works well. Here’s a link to our solar and battery install.
Great Floorpan And Slides Add A Lot Of Room
The thing that attracted us to the Bay Star 3014 was the floor plan, a thing that very hard to change after a purchase! It has worked really well for us. We like the large living space, the large shower, and are happy with the Queen bed. If you need a King, the 3016 or 3114 are probably right for you. It feels just as roomy as the 36 foot RV we had before we purchased the Bay Star. In our case, we gave up a lot of storage space we never used.
Beautiful To Look At!
The paint job that Newmar provides on the Bay Star is amazing. They use high quality paint and take extra time to make the finish shine for years. We added a ceramic coating which also hardened the finish and helps keep the motorhome looking brand new. I strongly suggest that you look into buying ceramic coating as the road can be rough, and it’s only getting worse out there. Ceramic coating not only looks great but also makes it much easier to keep the RV clean. I tend to wash it less often and it goes quicker when I do.
Fuel Efficiency
Our Bay Star has averaged 8.2 mpg since we bought it. Our last RV, the 36 footer with a V10, weighed 300 pounds LESS and only averaged 7.5 mpg. That’s a 10% improvement! The new V8 has really improved gas mileage.
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?
Mountain Driving
I don’t mind driving slow up mountain passes, but going down long steep grades in the Bay Star can get interesting. While we’ve never had an issue, the engine braking on the V8 does not provide as much slowing power as the V10 did. I live in California, and there are many long and steep mountain grades any direction you drive.
It would be great to be able to tackle these grades with the same confidence as a diesel pusher with stronger engine and/or exhaust braking. Whether going north down the Grapevine out of LA, or north down the Siskiyou as you enter Oregon, you will cycle many times between letting the RPM rev to about 4,000 in 4th, then firmly pressing the brake pedal to lower the RPM to 2500-3000, then repeating this all the way down the mountain. Adding a tow vehicle only adds to the “excitement”. The added quality of Newmar components (insulation, structure, slides, etc.) come at a price in weight. Even though my Bay Star is 6 feet shorter than my last RV, it weighs 300 pounds more!
This is not really a problem to solve as much as it is to be aware of. It would be better if Ford addressed the issue on the F53 Chassis, such as adding the option for a Telma Retarder, like school buses use. Here’s a link to a YouTube video explaining how an electromagnetic retarder works.
Slide Rollers Dent The Flooring
The large slide on the drivers side really opens up the floor plan, but the heaviness of the slide leaves its mark on the vinyl tiles. You can visibly see where they rest when traveling down the road. Most Newmar owners just ignore this, but it would be better if Newmar consistently adjusted the slides at the factory to avoid this in the first place.
Carefree Awning
The Carefree awning has been a pain to deal with since the beginning. It works well, except for the wind sensor. The battery is at the top of the awning, exposed to the elements and out of reach without a ladder. Because of this it often fails, and it runs through batteries too soon. When the battery is low or the connection is lost, we hear a constant beep every 30 seconds. Most Newmar Owners deal with this by turning off the awning after extending or retracting it. Unfortunately, that makes the remote and app useless until you manually turn on the awning again. It would be better if Carefree (note the irony in the name 🙂 fixed this, or if Newmar chose a different supplier for their awnings.
Solar Shade In Cab
A solar and blackout shade is provided for every window in the RV….except in the cab. This becomes by far the largest source of heat loss (or gain) in the Bay Star and works against the otherwise great insulation. The Bay Star already does a great job regulating temperature, so imagine how much better it would be if there was solar shading in the cab area too. Most Newmar owners deal with this by purchasing a Magne Shade cover for the front windshield. It would be better if Newmar offered a solar shade, windshield coating, or even a Magne Shade as a factory option.
LED Control Panel Prevents Upgrades
One last complaint has to do with the inability to upgrade RV systems that are integrated into the central LED control panel. Since 2023, the Bay Star has included a Control Panel for the holding tanks, AGS (automatic generator system), HVAC, and lighting. However, this is instead of the controls provided by the manufacturer. This prevents upgrading the systems in the future. Need to replace your AC unit? You will have to replace with the same unit instead of upgrading to better technology. Want to add bluetooth or wifi capabilities offered by the manufacturer? There is no way to do that since most manufacturers implement this through their own control panels. I’m not sure what Newmar was thinking about this, but they have not been very helpful in discussing alternatives or work-arounds. It would have been better if they supported manufacturer controls in addition to the central LED control panel.
WHAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED?
Chassis
The ford chassis has been around a long time and it’s pretty dependable and affordable to work on. I take the Bay Star in every 6 months for scheduled maintenance….oil and filter change, chassis lube, and multi-point inspection. Only 2 things have cropped up under warranty in 30,000 miles. A couple spark plug wires were replaced, and the chassis “maintenance free” battery was replaced. We hope to get many, many more trouble-free miles of driving.
Exterior
Reseal skylight
The skylight had a very thin layer of sealant applied by the factory, and it started to crack shortly after the first year, even though my RV is in covered storage at least two thirds of the time. I thoroughly cleaned the existing sealant and then added more of the same kind. It has held up well since then. I normally wouldn’t even mention sealants, since they have to be inspected and replaced as needed. However, the thin layer applied at the factory is not adequate. Note that Newmar uses a special skylight sealant and says that using a lap sealant on the skylight may cause it to crack.
Rear basement door
The metal exterior started pulling away from the drivers side rear compartment door. One repair shop said it would cost over $4,000 to repair it. Yikes! Fortunately, NIRVC in Phoenix suggested I clean the area and use SikaFlex (the same product Newmar Used) to glue it back on. It has held tight since then and I appreciate NIRVC for saving me $4,000, less $20 for the tube of SikaFlex they sold me. 🙂
Interior
Corian counter strip,
There is a small strip of Corian applied to the kitchen counter to keep water from dripping off the side. It started coming unglued and finally came off completely. My friend (Thanks Phil!) said I could clean the area and glue it back with 3M E6000. I did and it worked great! The seal is stronger than when it came from the factory and will likely never separate again.
Kitchen sink drain
Shortly into the second year, the drain pipe under the sink separated at a joint. Unfortunately, the way it was constructed, you would need to replace most of the drain piping under the sink. However, using flex seal tape I was able to rejoin the piece and added extra tape to secure it well. I thought of it as a temporary fix, but it has worked so well I still haven’t replace it!
Pantry Door
All Newmar owners understand that you may need to fix a cabinet door screw using the toothpick and Elmers wood glue method. That’s worked well in a few places. However, our pantry door was very different. Newmar used the wrong hardware for the job. As you can see, the hardware has 4 holes for the screws, but the thickness of the stile only allowed the use of the front holes. This meant that every time the door opened the hardware would flex a little. Over time the metal fatigued and broke in two. My solution was to add wood to the inside of the cabinet stile so that all 4 holes in the cabinet hardware could be used. My friend (thanks again Phil!) helped me with the project and it came out great. The door is finally very sturdy and will last as long as the RV.
As you can see, we’ve had a few minor issues since our first year, but nothing that has kept us from enjoying the RV. I gripe at Newmar because I think in some cases they could have prevented some of these issues. Anytime something comes up, I can count on Debbie saying “for what we paid for this RV, we shouldn’t be having these problems!” Fair enough, but every RV is hand made, in a sense. Overall, Newmar has done a fine job at delivering a solid, reliable luxury gas motorhome. They are a quality company that stands behind their product. My minor gripes, aside, we are very happy with our Newmar and would purchase it again without hesitation.
In fact, we are very likely to do just that, though we hope to be enjoying this one for several more years!
Happy travels to you!
Al & Deb
MobileMosers.com 