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Services
Getting your coach serviced at many shops or truck stops can end up being expensive. I had a coach come in for a transmission service. Once on the lift you could see a leak around the filter bolt area. Upon removing the filter it was found the bolts had been overtorqued at some point, and were now stripped. Now after having to order bolts, gasket kit and the proper tooling, and about 8 hours labor the bolt holes now have inserts and are better than new.
On this coach the owner had never had the transmission serviced as the coach was new to him. Just a example of things to watch for when purchasing a coach.
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8 Replies
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Without trying to scare everyone, Jeff has alerted to a problem that lately seems to be growing.
When we as owners want to get service, but save some money we seem to assume just because a person is a mechanic, or a person has some expertise in a specific area that they can translate those skills into caring for our coaches. So far based on feedback that is not always the case.
A recent situation in Texas with a “mechanic” that apparently could tell a good story had disastrous results for two of our members. I have knowledge of the sitiuation posted by Jeff and this was an example of someone unaware os something as simple as a torque spec on the transmission and that error is going to be very expensive to fix.
I worked on a coach owned by good friends and found a highly touted shop that was not a Prevost or converter shop had failed to not only properly grease a coach it had been responsible for for years, but that the coach had a very serious omission on the part of that shop that could have caused axle separation from the coach.
I fully agree with Jeff whoi is not posting his remarks to drum up business, but to alert us that when we buy a coach there is a lot to inspect, but he is also sending us a message that whoever services our coaches needs to have a great track record and the certifications and training to work on our coaches.
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Thanks for posting Jeff, it is a problem for the unsuspecting owner.
A few years back I had service done at a facility who services Prevosts. The front brake calipers were over greased causing the caliper to not release fully and ended up in Nashville with a 2,0000 bill. The same shop also screwed up the transmission drain plug and that needed repaired.
Be careful about who works on your Bus.
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“A recent situation in Texas with a “mechanic” that apparently could tell a good story had disastrous results for two of our members.”
The above quote from Jon’s post is referring to a nightmare ordeal we had with a low life, dishonest “mechanic” in Nacogdoches. Not one item he touched was done correctly and he lied about using OEM parts. We are in the process of having his numerous mistakes fixed.
It saddens me greatly to hear that another PC member has fallen prey to this monster….only wish we could have warned them.
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I think those of us who have had coaches for a long time can all share horror stories. I think Tom and I probably get to hear of a lot of them, but we are not in a position to use a public site to name names.
Since all of us have been newbies at one time or another we have been tempted to use or have used service people who may be cheap, who may talk the talk, and who may have a history of working on our coaches. But the bottom line is we as owners have an obligation to ourselves to verify the work has been done, and it has been done right. Does it pass the sniff test? Did the work really get done? Was it done to the required quality level? Is it consistent with what the service manual says? If in doubt, take the coach to people whose expertise and background is unquestionable. Take the chassis to Prevost for service and repairs. The engine goes to Volvo or Detroit Diesel. The transmission to Allison and the house portion to the converter.
As an owner when you get more knowlegible about the coach and its systems take it to people whose knowledge is unquestioned.
If you are buying a coach be a doubting Thomas. Question everything and verify everything. Do not hesitate to take a coach to experts for inspection. And don’t be afraid of your own instincts. I cannot tell you how often I have seen ads that say serviced at Prevost or the converter. If a seller makes claims like that, ask to see the records. Read them. Make sure they reflect service was done on schedule and the service work was what was called for. But if the coach conveys to your senses it needs work and the seller says”that is an easy fix” ask why if the fix is so easy why wasn’t it done. Ask about wet spots. As about everything. And verify the answers.
None of us can find every problem during an inspection, but if the inspection and training takes place over a couple of days most issues will be revealed. And if lucky the only issues will be what is found.
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What shop is this in Texas?
Later
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I’m in Texas also and would like to know. Administration, would this type of information be better on the private forum?
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Yes, you could put in on PUP, but there is little action there.
I suggest you guys in Texas unblock your e-mail address and communicate between yourselves. Jon and Diane can also share the name off site via e-mail.
To change your e-mail to open, go to Profile and make the change.
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George & Becky,
You can email me and I will tell you his name… sadly enough I am the one that told Wayne & Jill about this sorry guy… he redid our RVAC and did a great job and I told them about him… unfortunately they had a lot of other work done there that wasn’t done correctly… anytime our bus was in his shop I spent most of my time there so I never really just left the bus in his hands…. so we were luckier than they were.
I feel very badly for them and have apologized numerous times for ever mentioning his name… I thought they were just getting the AC done and would wait on the bus , but that isn’t how it worked out for them.
Diane
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