Keyless entry

[greatriver]

Does anyone know when keyless entry started. I think it was in 2000 but not sure. Also is this tied into the air operated entry door or did that come later.

[afrench45]

I believe 2000. My 02 has a manual door and had keyless, but I had it taken out. So to answer you question, manual doors can have the keyless option.

[tuga]

Larry,

My 99 Newell has keyless entry, but l had it removed also. I was afraid that it would malfunction and leave me locked out. Mine is not the keypad that is mounted on the body of the coach. It is the one that has AA batteries and is housed on the entrance door of the coach.

I wish my coach had the air entry door; they are really cool!

[greatriver]

Tuga:

I agree, the air operated doors are great but I'm not sure when they were first used. When were were at the plant last March I think the oldest model we looked at was #659 a beautiful '03 and that had an air door if I remember correctly. My guess is that they started in '03 or perhaps late '02.

[afrench45]

Larry, Newell started using the air doors in 2001. I know of a few 2000 that have them. When my coach was ordered, they ordered it without the airdoor. I'm not sure why, but many of the race coaches didn't order the air door.

[tuga]

The air doors are really nice, but I wonder if there is a way to get the door open if you lose air, i.e. air line bursts, or you forget to leave the auxillary air pump on. I turn mine off from time to time (don't ask me why - my wife always asks me why I turn it off). It's a guy thing!

Does anyone know how to open an air door if the air fails?

[afrench45]

I'm not sure how to open it of it's out of air, but one time when I was at Newell, I opened a door of a coach on the front line and it didn't even have air to shut. I pushed it shut and hit the button and it had enough air to air the seal. However I know there is a wag to open them. As far as the compressors go, I've always left mine on until recently I've started to turn them off. I didn't realized that they kept up all the air on the coach: I had no breaks, toilets wouldn't flush, doors wouldn't move, and air seat wouldn't move. As soon as I turned on the pumps though, I was in business.

[folivier]

I usually check my coach every couple days. Went out one afternoon and had a split air hose in the front compartment with the air compressor. Well the compressor had been running continually for quite a while and was very hot. Shut it off, repaired hose, let it cool off a couple hours. Turned it back on and it has been fine since. I think while it was running it was getting enough cooling air to keep from shutting down. But once I turned it off it got real hot.

[fulltiming]

By coach 598 in 2001 most, but not all Newell's were ordered with the Bode Air Door. As usual, some owners preferred to wait it out or just preferred the standard door. Frequently Newell builds one coach with a new item to test it out before making it a 'standard' item. A 2000, coach number 539 claimed to have had an air door but that is the only 2000 that I have seen advertised that appeared to have an air door.

[Mikeh]

Tuga,In the air compressor compartment on the drivers side there is a release mechanism that releases the door. Pull it open with your hand. If that is too much trouble you can crank the coach from inside the engine compartment and build up the air. If that is too much trouble stay outside or get a hammer. LOL Mike Haddox

[encantotom]

the air door on mine has a release valve in the bay immediately to the left of the door as you face it from the outside.

tom

[lbrachfe]

There is also a release inside the cabinet to the left of the interior entry door.

[encantotom]

you are right. mine has it too. good thing, i am too big to crawl out a window....

ha

tom

[smagown]

My 97 has the keyless entry. It is disabled and Newell had installed a deadbolt before I got it.

Thanks,

[RussWhite]

My '99 has keyless that is functional. For a time the cover wanted to come off when the door was slammed, but I have got it taped on so it stays now. There was a thread about a member who replaced his with a new one from Home Depot I think. Mine has key hole as well. If I could not override it with a key I don't think I would trust it. What if the batteries failed while it was locked?

[Derek Knight]

Has anyone actually gotten locked out with the key less entry? Or was having them taken out and changed over to deadbolts just a precaution so it wouldn't happen? Because a lot of you had it removed I guess it would be safe to say there was no manual override with a key? I guess I don't understand why they would offer key less entry if so many are worried about getting locked out? I thought the idea of key less entry might be kind of nice.