[Archived]

Hello,

Please consider getting a Pro to give you a detailed inspection of the coach. There are so many things that could have been not be done. At least if you know before you buy then you can negotiate the price or pass on the deal. They include brakes, front end, air bags, norgren valves, shocks and on and on.

Regarding yearly budget this is mine. Tires $10000 per year, Batteries (coach and house) $800 per year. ( could be less depending on the amount of batteries). Oil service $1000. per year. I do a DMI each year $6500. Trans, diffy coolant $500 per year.

Keep in mind most of the above are just what I keep in an account. Things like tires and batteries, coolant, trans, diffy come up 3 to 6 years. I find it best to just sock that money in a savings account and when i need it, I have it.

There is always something to address…I budget $5k per year for the Chassis. 3K for house items. Last year my microwave died, I replaced Washer and Dryer.

If you do the mechanics your self, this will be alot less. Parts seem to be the least of the expense, labor is the lions share.

Total for me is about 12 K per year.

Thanks

[Ronald]

+1 on independent inspection.

My rough rule of thumb is about $2/mile including fuel. Obviously, this figure becomes less accurate if you drive low or high mileage. I’m doing about 10-15K/year.

[Bill]

AZ, The numbers above are good, but there are so many variances some based on you and how involved you will be, some are based on how and where you use your coach and store it, and some are based on your proximity to qualified technicians.

Accept the fact that miles of use, years of age, and the environment all impact your answers. By experience I have set my own standards for routine service and it is based on the fact I would rather throw away perfectly good parts than be inconvenienced while using the coach. So for example I replace batteries, tires, air bags, Norgren valves, etc based on years, not condition.

Since I have to lube my coach more often than any other service, I opt to do things like change oil every time I am under the coach to do a lube. I use 5000 mile intervals because it is easier to track than the 6200 mile interval suggested by Prevost.

My costs to maintain my coach are basically for parts because I do all my own work. If you do not do your own work obviously your costs will differ from mine, but I believe you need to learn what has to be done, when it has to be done, and how it has to be done so the local technician knows clearly what has to be done and how you expect it to be done. There are a lot of posts on the forum that will help you with the nuances, such as draining air tanks in sequence, not only to check for water, but to verify the various check and protection valves are working correctly. Or making sure the grease monkey is not over greasing and potentially damaging dust boots.

Maintaining fluids cannot be over done. Failure to maintain coolant can damage an engine for example.

Your most economical way to maintain your coach is to learn it. Learn where the gauges read under normal conditions and be alert to even small changes. Learn how to do a DOT brake check and do it routinely. Decide how to maximize the benefit for the money you spend maintaining your coach. For example the fastest way to empty your wallet is to turn the coach over to a technician and tell him to fix all air leaks. Develop a means of prioritizing needs and recognize that some maintenance is best done in concert with other tasks as opposed to it being an isolated task. I would chase air leaks when I changed air bags and Norgren valves and switched from push in fittings to compression. That way a lot of leak detection efforts are just eliminated.

Make extensive use of the forum to ask questions. There is a lot of collected experience here and we all are willing to try to answer your questions, offer advice and help you spend your money. Sometimes the answers and advice even turn out to be correct.

[robert]

6500 miles is not a Prevost recommended interval for oil changes or any other fluid that I am aware of. The mileage recommendation are substantially higher.

[Ronald]

Thanks for all of your responses. This is good information.

[Art]

I did not say any fluids are due at 6200 miles, but Prevost calls for lubing all fittings at that interval. It is my choice to change oil at that time. All other fluids are changed according to or prior to the schedule.

Very few owners lube the fittings at the suggested interval.