New Northern-Lite 8'11" QCSE
Took delivery of my new unit yesterday after dropping the old one of last Sunday at the dealership. As most of you know, I had an issue with my 2016 NL QCSE delaminating and the repair attempt did not resolve the issue, so Keith built me a new unit. Since the replacement has the same VIN as the unit we sent back to NL, it is still a 2016 model, but it has all of the latest upgrades currently offered on the NL. Here is a list of changes that I noticed from the unit I took delivery of in April 2015, to the one I took delivery of a year later yesterday.
- New Rear Entry Door - The new door is made by Atwood and is better all around. It has a shock absorber installed on the bottom of the door, which allows it to swing open and closed in a more controlled fashion. No more swinging wide open when you come out the rear door. The lower bubble window is also larger, so the field of view is better now.
- LED Lights in Rear Power Awning - It was an upgrade last year, but the LED lights in the rear power awning are now standard in the Special Edition units.
- Exterior Compartment Upgrades - Most of the hinges on the boxes are now protected what appears to be a solid rolled section of aluminum. The doors also have a larger knob that appears to be polished stainless
- Rear Removable Step at Basement Access - This piece of the 2016 unit had a thumb screw that had to be threaded into the bracket on the rear of the unit. While it wasn't necessarily a big deal to do it, you had to align it perfectly in order to secure the step to the bracket. The threads on the bracket have been discontinued and the thumb screw simply bottoms out into the bracket itself in order to hold the step on with just the friction created at these two locations.
- Bathroom - Single LED dome light is now a double. In addition, the position of the sink is now more ergonomically correct for anyone simply needing to wash their hands. It's now positioned at something closer to a 45 degree angle instead of a 90 degree angle. The medicine cabinet has a magnet holding it closed instead of the clip. Time will tell on this one, but it seems strong.
- Stereo - I wondered last year why a top of the line TC didn't come with Jensen's Bluetooth stereo since the price was fairly close, but that is no longer an issue because the Bluetooth stereo is now standard equipment on the SE.
- Monitors/Pump Switch - This was all part of the hood vent on the 2016, but the new units have a different hood vent installed and the monitor and pump switch are now located in a stand alone unit to the left of the thermostat.
- Headliner - The headliner is a little darker and blends in a lot better with the interior colors of the unit.
- Cab Window - Not sure how much bigger it is, but it's definitely taller than the last unit. This makes my view to the rear of the TC much better.
I'm sure there may be other things that I am missing, but I've only had it home for a little more than a day. Letting it air out is the current focus because these things are stinky when they're new.
With respect to my experience over the past several months, I can't say enough good things about Northern-Lite and the way they handled my warranty claim. In my opinion, Keith is a top-notch guy running a top-notch operation that truly is committed to customer satisfaction.
- New Rear Entry Door - The new door is made by Atwood and is better all around. It has a shock absorber installed on the bottom of the door, which allows it to swing open and closed in a more controlled fashion. No more swinging wide open when you come out the rear door. The lower bubble window is also larger, so the field of view is better now.
- LED Lights in Rear Power Awning - It was an upgrade last year, but the LED lights in the rear power awning are now standard in the Special Edition units.
- Exterior Compartment Upgrades - Most of the hinges on the boxes are now protected what appears to be a solid rolled section of aluminum. The doors also have a larger knob that appears to be polished stainless
- Rear Removable Step at Basement Access - This piece of the 2016 unit had a thumb screw that had to be threaded into the bracket on the rear of the unit. While it wasn't necessarily a big deal to do it, you had to align it perfectly in order to secure the step to the bracket. The threads on the bracket have been discontinued and the thumb screw simply bottoms out into the bracket itself in order to hold the step on with just the friction created at these two locations.
- Bathroom - Single LED dome light is now a double. In addition, the position of the sink is now more ergonomically correct for anyone simply needing to wash their hands. It's now positioned at something closer to a 45 degree angle instead of a 90 degree angle. The medicine cabinet has a magnet holding it closed instead of the clip. Time will tell on this one, but it seems strong.
- Stereo - I wondered last year why a top of the line TC didn't come with Jensen's Bluetooth stereo since the price was fairly close, but that is no longer an issue because the Bluetooth stereo is now standard equipment on the SE.
- Monitors/Pump Switch - This was all part of the hood vent on the 2016, but the new units have a different hood vent installed and the monitor and pump switch are now located in a stand alone unit to the left of the thermostat.
- Headliner - The headliner is a little darker and blends in a lot better with the interior colors of the unit.
- Cab Window - Not sure how much bigger it is, but it's definitely taller than the last unit. This makes my view to the rear of the TC much better.
I'm sure there may be other things that I am missing, but I've only had it home for a little more than a day. Letting it air out is the current focus because these things are stinky when they're new.
With respect to my experience over the past several months, I can't say enough good things about Northern-Lite and the way they handled my warranty claim. In my opinion, Keith is a top-notch guy running a top-notch operation that truly is committed to customer satisfaction.
