[Loc]

Speedometer problems are not uncommon for the XL’s, but a speedometer change out should have documentation. A Pro Driver or computer check will show actual mileage as you found out. Anyone purchasing a Prevost should verify mileage. The Title history will probably show exempt on the mileage.

Were you misled at purchase or was it just an unknown mistake, that’s the question. Will an extra 75K in mileage affect the value of your bus, probably not, but it could depending on the next buyer and his/her understanding of Prevost coach mileage, less is not always good.

[Archived]

Relative to this problem are two things that have been discussed and suggested on this forum.

First, never buy a bus without a pre-purchase inspection that includes having Detroit / Allison run the codes and history. That not only will tell of events that might be of concern, such as unaddressed codes or faults, an overheating event, and verification the software and campaigns are up to date, but it will show mileage.

XL and H3 coaches of certain vintages had issues with bad speedometers or odometers and Prevost even has a kit to replace the original speedometer with a more durable one. If a coach does not have maintenance logs or documentation on service or repairs a coach with a speedometer that has been replaced is not going to necessarily show true coach mileage.

But the question of mileage that is under reported is one for discussion. There are a lot of nuances relating to the impact of mileage on a coach. For example, a 20 year old coach with a low mileage such as 60,000 miles can be suspect as to its condition. It will certainly be touted as being more valuable because of the low mileage but far too many owners of coaches with low mileage purchases find they are experiencing a lot of issues because the coach and its systems weren’t exercised and that lack of use is showing up as a long list of minor and not so minor unexpected issues cropping up. Or the low mileage can be because of a speedometer change. Regardless of whether it is true mileage or not a more detailed look at the situation is needed.

If we ignore mileage as a benchmark for determining the coach value, the question of what mileage means to an owner boils down to a simple fact. Based on average RV owner usage of a coach none of us are going to outlive our coaches. We just cannot wear out a well maintained Prevost chassis or Detroit Diesel engine. If we average 10,000 miles annually it would take 100 years just to get to the mileage that wears out the engine. Double that for the chassis.

The hard part to get past is a buyer’s prejudice against a coach with some mileage.

[George]

Jon, i think it goes beyond mileage . There is wear and tear on everything . You are shaking a house for more miles than one that sits still at a campground or resort . Then you are hitting every pot hole in the nation along with maybe adding some salt to the mix . And lets not forget about every bushing there is .

For me a guy who has averaged 35k miles a year the past 6 years , I would much rather have a Garage Queen and work through her issues than a coach with 200k plus on her clock . Then again if you only drive 10k a year why not buy a high mileage coach on the cheap .

Maybe it is just me but if I buy a high mileage coach I want it cheap cause she will need the same money as the garage queen, so why not buy a girl with less miles on her 🙂

[Archived]

I would call the authorities in your state or wherever you bought it from. In most states they would be prosecuted.

[Jimmy]

The seller may not of known the actual mileage…For the majority of coaches, especially newer ones could be easily on the 5-10th owner…who knows when the speedo was changed….200k is not high mileage

[Archived]

Al, we will have to agree to disagree. First, even 250,000 miles is not high mileage on a chassis good for a couple of million and an engine that is going to a million. So using a coach on the road in terms of the chassis is not a big deal.

There are two ways to look at coach use. If it is a low mileage coach because it has spent a lot of its life parked in a resort, used as a second home, the interior is getting used a lot. But when I think of my interior systems I can’t see how anything is going to suffer from use.

Vibrating the crap out of the interiors is a different story, but I have run two coaches to about 250,000 before selling them and because they were used and driven whatever suffered because of the miles also got fixed. There may be items that were damaged by road miles, but right now for the life of me I cannot think of anything I had to repair because it got shook except for periodically tightening cabinet hinges.

My entire perspective however is a Prevost conversion. From what I have seen of conventional RVs I will agree with you that driving them can shake them apart because they aren’t built as well as our coaches.

[Roscoeapproved]

I understand more about the PDI now. When I bought the coach I was buying from a luxury coach dealer and they said they did a full PDI and fixed all the issues. I should have done my own PDI also.

Even with the mileage difference I still enjoy it and wouldn’t change the decision to buy it.

---

Jeff and Lindsay

91 Marathon XL

[Archived]

There are certain words and phrases I hate to hear, especially because in almost every case they are little more than fertilizer. When someone is selling a coach, private sale or through a dealer or converter there is always the phrase “well maintained” but unless that is accompanied by service records it means nothing.

The same applies to “serviced by Prevost” or “serviced by converter” neither of which can possibly deal with the entire coach.

The buyer has the sole responsibility to confirm all service has been done to the required standard and it involves a substantial effort. It is actually easier to do a deal when proof is lacking because then the buyer just mentally adds up the cost of zeroing out the coach to his standards, and then deducting that from what he will pay the seller.

A pre-buy inspection requires a reading of the engine and transmission codes. It requires an under coach inspection ranging from evaluating the condition of everything from brakes and friction material thicknesses, grease fittings, the air system, checking for leaks, determining the condition or age of air bags and Norgrens, tires, batteries, hoses, corrosion, and a myriad of other details that have to be evaluated.

All of the items listed above are going to be a strong indicator of mileage, and reading the ECM is going to be a true indication unless it has been replaced.

The inspection has to include the operation of every single device or system, house and chassis. Simple things like looking at house A/C filters or signs of unusual wear or abuse will tell a lot about the coach. It will take two days if the inspection (which also becomes the training) is comprehensive. In that time the leans will be revealed as will the tightness of the air systems.

Speaking personally I am far less concerned about miles on a coach than I am about it having evidence of good continued maintenance. Despite having the best pre-purchase inspection there are a couple of things that are almost impossible to verify and they are a big deal. Coolant protects the engine from problems related to cavitation and the lack of coolant changes when required can leave an engine with porosity and a potential engine failure. The other concern is hidden damage from an overloaded hitch. That is where knowing previous owners or a coach’s history will help but mostly a buyer does assume a risk.

[Jim]

The last coach I purchased had a pdi performed by the dealer from whom I purchased it. Upon pick-up the road air was inop and within 90 days I had spent almost $15,000 on necessary repairs.

They took care of the repairs since I had a short warranty and, oddly enough, my experiences with them since have been excellent but….