[Eric]

I had a 94 XL CC, the ECC cabinet was the most daunting thing that I dealt with. Miles Circo has the expertise to fix any cards that may fail and has spare cards, he was with CC. The CC version of OTR air worked well on mine until the compressor clutch locked up, the clutch was obsolete so a new compressor was called for.

[Clint]

I have a 95 CC. There is circuit board in the front left compartment that needed repaired many years ago. Miles Circo graciously fixed it for me. When I first bought the coach in 2013, I repaired the OTR CC air conditioning. When it quit shortly after fixing it, I decided to simply run the roof airs with the generator when needed. I have never had a problem repairing or replacing anything else. I’m sure the biggest difficulty would be fixing the ECC that controls the electrical systems, but so far I’ve never had an issue.

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Clint & Tammy Summers
2000 XL 45 Country Coach (rivets)
1977 FC31 Bluebird Wanderlodge (more rivets)
Vonore TN

[Deleted User]

Using the ECC as an example, would a shop like ETLC be able to assist with a repair or is that usually up to the owner to source and sort on their own?

[Bill]

Jeff was very knowledgeable about the ECC whenever I had a question. Others? Not sure.

[Clint]

My new to me 1998 CC apparently has a bad card related to the Websato heat system. Jeff at ETLC was able to diagnose it but said the card would need to be sent out for repairs. I am not sure who or where but Jeff should be a good place to start.

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Clint & Tammy Summers
2000 XL 45 Country Coach (rivets)
1977 FC31 Bluebird Wanderlodge (more rivets)
Vonore TN

[Dan]

Good to know. My bus barn is right around the corner from Jeff in Lenior City.

[TJ]

Sorry for the long answer – but thought you might find helpful. And selfishly, if Jon critiques my post I am sure to learn even more!!!

I bought my 92 CC over 10 years ago as a 1st-time owner of any RV. I was honestly naive. I bought it from its second owner, a commercial pilot and instructor who kept it in a hangar. Its appearance was that of a time capsule – immaculate paint and interior and that made a big impression. The owner and I did what Jon recommends – he took me through every switch and dial in the coach and told me what worked and what didn’t. I took a huge risk and did not have the drive train inspected – 40K on a million mile system and I would not have known who to ask at that time. In the end I have zero regrets and believe I bought a solid bus – in many ways defying its age. The more DIY I do (or by watching the pros) the more confident I get in a 30-year old coach not letting me down. In terms of the “Country Coach unique” risk….

As an engineer, I look at my bus as several distinct and mostly (hopefully?) isolated subsystems:

Prevost shell, drive train, and DDEC: So far, my experience has been that at birth, one could sit on an egg crate and drive the bus as a shell from the Prevost factory to the CC factory – and that if all the stuff CC added failed (say the control boards over the driver) I could still drive the bus with the organic DDEC and do OK. Be interested in understanding if there are scenarios where loss of a CC add-on would prevent that. My only initial issue was finding folks who remember how to / enjoy working on an 8V92 – but they are out there. Major maintenance investments were air bags, shocks, tires, and batteries. Unplanned/popup investments were new radiator and new coolant O-rings in the heads. Chasing air leaks seems to be Prevost’s way to make sure you bring your bus in every year for service J

CC Interior. The interior sold me. Solid walnut cabinets, Corian, European faucets, etc. I am a woodworker and am extremely impressed with the craftsmanship, quality, and assembly of the interior. It is rock, rock, solid and nothing moves or squeaks and you can disassemble many things to perform repairs or remodel. My single maintenance issue was DIY replacing the original Dometic 3-way fridge with ice maker (not made anymore) with a newer model. That took only minor tweaking – much less work than I expected. Original washer/dryer combo still humming along. Other than “style/craftsmanship” there is absolutely nothing CC proprietary.

Plumbing: Only issue in 10 years was replacing the water pump. That was also easy DIY. There are two areas where I hold my breath. CC installed a series of powered low-point drains. Given age and dis-use (prior owners down south probably never used them) I was paranoid one of these would get “stuck open” if I used them – and be in an impossible to reach area (most are) so I follow Jon’s advice and just keep everything full and use a tiny cube heater in the bay over the winter. Second is the two yacht-style water heaters – I pray they stay solid as they look like an ordeal to replace. Valve on my propane bottle started leaking – but fortunately my plumber was able to replace in-situ with fortunately no need to remove the bottle. I have no practical experience if it is risky that the gas bottle has not been “recertified” and fresh date branded on. The plumbing itself is RV standard – the proprietary thing here are the drawings that show the routing of the plumbing to make repair easier.

Electrical. Prior owner paid a shop to upgrade the old manual transfer switch and separate charger and inverter to a modern Freedom all-in-one system – but got some things wrong causing issues. Got help from a former CC employee and straightened it out. Otherwise, very solid modern electrical system. No “OMG the dark ages” in my mind. Again – wiring diagrams and wiring number lists are the key documents to have.

CC Automation: IMHO this is the area where CC going bust hurts. While I am super happy that things like lighting are old-school manual, the CC computer board does provide valuable things like monitoring all the holding tanks. Coincidentally, I have been musing lately “what bad thing happens if that computer breaks?” I don’t have a batwing antenna anymore so who cares about “caution antenna extended” and I was getting annoying “caution shore power is connected” as I drove at 62mph down the highway – so I grounded that pin. The black water fills before the grey water fills or the fresh tank empties – so I guess I could just watch the black level as I flush without a computer – and I know there are modern aftermarket wireless replacements…I don’t know if the “Level/Dump” switch over the door or “Level Low” switch by the driver seat go through the CC computer or the Prevost system. I know the CC computer monitors temp/pressure (I got a CC “warning, high coolant temp” warning climbing a huge hill to Asheville – hence the new radiator) but I thought I read that the DDEC display would have given me those same warnings – so the CC audio is redundant.

Net-Net: Given my experience so far is that everything is reasonably maintainable….Is there anything CC proprietary that would leave one stranded by interfering with the rock solid Prevost core?

[TJ]

That’s a no-brainer. Many folks drive half way across the country to get to Jeff. You are just around the corner. Jeff is by far your best option for help. He can do just about anything you need.

[Greg]

@Liam, thanks for that detailed write up, very helpful. Much appreciated.

I’m not new to bus ownership, have owned 3 Wanderlodges – 2 of which I currently own – although one is for sale. 2 of the 3 were S60 powered coaches and one with a HWH slide. So I’m pretty comfortable with complicated non-supported systems.

Having said that, my quest for a Prevost is simply for better ride/drive quality and support. I’m fortunate that I have a bus barn with a pit and can do much of the servicing myself, but as I get older I would like to have the option to drive it the 20 minutes to Jeff’s and let the professionals do it.