-
PRE BUYER INSPECTION
Does anyone out there know of someone in the Phoenix area who can do an independent inspection on a coach we are interested in purchasing? We’ve seen the coach but since we are completely new to this, would feel better having a professional do an inspection before we make an offer. Thanks
TJ
-
34 Replies
-
I am not familiar with who possesses expertise in that area, but I would urge that you be an active participant in the process. Obviously you want to see the inspection and be comfortable with the detail, but if you are an active participant you should insure that you have pressed every button, turned every knob and whatever they were supposed to do did in fact happen.
At the very least plan on a day, maybe more. There is so much detail and so much potential for you getting a very expensive surprise you need to make sure everything works, you need to review the maintenance documentation to verify continuing scheduled maintenance and you need to include having Detroit / Allison dealer running the codes and history.
You want to know the date codes of the tires and batteries. You need to drive the coach and pay close attention to the gauges.
It is a real value if you know exactly what you are buying and what services or repairs you or the seller are going to be faced with.
-
TJ&Bryan, I would contact Steve Bennett from Premium Coach Group in Gilbert Az. Geo.
-
Jon, thanks for your help. We’ll definitely be a part of the inspection. We’ve already looked over service records. And date codes. Where do I need to go to have Detroit run the history? Thanks
-
Corey and George,
Premium is who has the coach we’re looking at. Steve is our sales person. Thank you.
-
I would say you are in good hands with Steve.
-
Steve is one of the good guys and a straight shooter. Geo.
-
Steve is very experienced with Prevost coaches, knows them well, and is a straight shooter. You are in good hands.
A Detroit Diesel shop can run the codes unless the dealer has already had them run for you.
-
Get a bound notebook and take copious notes as each system is inspected. That is especially true if you happen to be of an advanced age. Run the engine up to temperature, look into the engine bay for any “drips” or “floppy” belts. Of course the quotation marks denote technical terms!
Run the hydronic heating system to make certain it brings the coach to the set temperature; play the TV’s and radio loud enough to detect any problems with the speakers. Flush the toilet to make sure it empties as well as fills to shut off point, raise and lower the bathroom vent/fan, run the generator with the big engine shut down to make certain everything works as they should, turn on every light switch to make sure the switches and lights all work. This does not include everything you should check. If you have a question as to what a certain knob controls, turn it on to make certain the answer given is correct. In summary, check EVERYTHING and yes that may well take more than a day. Don’t accept any “puffing,” another technical term for what most vehicle sales people use to seal the deal. Don’t forget to look closely at all windows for any cracks or chips (“stars”) as those windows will ultimately need replacement.
-
Jon,
would the “codes” for Detroit Disel be the vin # or an actual code on the engine itself?
-
Tj
highly suggest Taylor tours. They will check it over and provide a full detailed report. They will test and check everything chassis and house systems
bill
-
We bought our coach from Steve. He was very good at the details and spent the day going over everything. He is very experienced with Prevost. He will have a source for inspection of the bus side and all repair items should be taken care of. Ours had had recent services performed at Mira Loma Prevost and Steve took it to ABC in Costa Mesa (before he moved to Phoenix) just before we took possesion. I would buy from him again.
Doug
-
“Codes” in the context of an inspection is the Detroit / Allison dealer plugs their reader (computer) into the coach and they can see if there are any active faults, and in some cases a history, such as an over temp condition in the past.
They are looking at the health of the engine and transmission.
In the case of the transmission, depending on vintage a report can be generated that can even provide an indication of the wear on the clutches.
-
TJ,
When we first bought our coach, I had the shop print a page of the engine parameters. It tells you max RPM attained by the engine, total hours, idle hours, mileage, and a slew of other info over the life of the engine.
May we ask which coach you are looking at?
-
Thanks everybody. We are in negotiations at the moment. Keeping my fingers crossed. Per, it’s a 2006 Liberty XLII.
-
TJ,
Crossing fingers for you. As you work thru the process…. this additional feedback might help.
when we purchased our 2007 Marathon. We requested the following from the broker dealer we purchased thru:
Full PDI (Chassis and House) from taylor tours in phoenix
Oil and Coolant Analysis on drive engine
Dyno on drive engine
All issues on PDI were addressed and corrected by Taylor. Oil, coolandand Dyno all checked out and so far so good.
Best of luck!
Bill
Log in to reply.