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Update ““THE COST OF PREVOST OWNERSHIPâ€
I was going over Jon’s “THE COST OF PREVOST OWNERSHIP” dated 6-21-2012 and wanted to see how you feel these number would change today?
Numbers based on parts and labor.
8 New Michelin tires $6,000.00
8 Batteries $2,500.00
Norgren Valves $1,500.00
Brake Chambers $1,500.00
Oil Change, filters etc $ 750.00
Air bags $2,000.00
Any “parts and labor” you feel should be added to the cost of things would be most appreciated.
Thanks guys,
HJ
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31 Replies
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Those prices have all been impacted by inflation and design changes.
As an example when all coaches had the more common brake chambers that used the diaphragm type combo units with the long threaded push rod you could get all the brake chambers for the coach at the local truck parts store pretty cheap and be out the door with the entre set for about $600 to $750, plus pay the labor for about 4 or 5 hours to get them installed for a total well under the $2700 I recently spent just for the brake chambers for my current coach.
The vintage of coach and other variables such as number of batteries, tire size, etc is going to greatly influence the prices so check for the costs for your specific coach.
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I agree with Jon,
Based on doing all that in Nov/Dec. ’15, multiple your numbers by 1.5 and you’re close.
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8 Lifeline 8D batteries to your door are going to cost you $5600.
Their cost are $600 ea + shipping + tax = $700 ea. If you have a shop order and install them the cost goes up some more.
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I really don’t think you can nickel and dime annual maintenance or initial cost. After extensive renovation by Prevost last year, we just spent $2,500 on replacing the OTR suction valve. Some items will not show up until you have had the coach for a while. Unless you buy a coach like Peter’s and some others that have had meticulous care and (I assume) the documentation to prove it, plan on spending $25-50k initially, and another $20k over the next year. Radiators, CACs may leak, tie rods wear out etc. There will always be something that needs fixing beyond oil changes.
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I checked tire prices (Michelin National Acct) this morning for 315 and 365 and your tire price looks about right.
It costs about $350 to do a full PM on a truck & trailer right now. I’m not sure how much more involved the Prevost will be, but our Wanderlodge was about the same cost as our trucks. We serviced it once per year. Most of our trucks are serviced at 25k miles now although many fleets are going longer (35-50k) with the newer oils etc. I’m not sure why it would be necessary to do it more than every 10k miles or annually whichever comes first. Oil and grease are cheap prevention though.
Our brake components last for more than 5 years unless a shoe cracks and we routinely weigh 110k pounds.
We generally have no airbag issues before 10 years. I wonder if some of the early issues with a bus are do to lack of use.Our local diesel shop did our engine, tire and brake service on the lodge. We plan to have them do basic service on the Prevost as well.
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Its interesting to read your comments. Its “stay away unless you’re very rich” to “the un-rich can have fun too”! Don’t get me wrong, I understand what you’re say and I’m having a littler fun here. Stuff happens and I need to be aware of it and I thank you for that! I also understand from other conversations here on the forum that plastic coaches have similar costly issues!Thats why I’m looking for a coach in about as good of condition as is reasonably possible for the $130,0000 budget I set for myself. That way if the worst happens I have the cash to cover it. Knowing what things cost is a part of the process and I thank you all for helping me with that!
And lets face it, loving what you drive is major!!!
HJ
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By the time a shop pays for the oil, filters, and labor to lube and inspect the chassis the cost is going to be a lot more than $360 I think. Using 10 gallons at a cost of $12 (thats pretty cheap) it only leaves $240 to buy a pair of oil filters, a pair or more of fuel filters, and maybe an air filter depending on condition. I would guess it is going to take an hour to properly grease it because you have to be under it and in the steer bay and at once a year the greasing is way over due.
By the time the tech checks all fluid levels, power steering, hubs, gear box, differential, coolant, etc. and hopefully drains all air tanks to verify the lack of moisture as well as the proper operation of the protection and check valves he has a couple of hours invested it he is very good and very fast. Then if he continues and checks tie rod ends and rag links for play, belts, the condition of hoses, he looks for air bag condition, checks tire pressures and gives the coach a revue to see if any other services (differential fluid change, transmission fluid change, coolant change, etc. are due he probably has invested a bare minimum of 3 hours.
My point is if the coach only gets serviced annually it to me seems pretty important for a tech to do a detailed inspection because letting some things go for more than a year without checking or looking at theim seems to have a greater prospect of missing something.
But if all you want or need is to drain the oil and lube the fittings $360 is far more than adequate.
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Is it relatively easy to find a good place to get your coach serviced and worked on? General service I’d have done at the same place because I’d like them to know me and my coach. But if I’m not around home base I believe I heard you say before there are many places that will work on a bus?HJ
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It would actually be cheaper but we pay extra for Cat filters and we have 2 more axles to lube and inspect (they include 5 in the package).
It does not include air filters, but does include:
-oil (10 gallons in our case)
-oil filters
-fuel filters
-grease
-check fluid levels in all gear boxes
-coolant level
-freeze point
-SCA/ELC levels
-pushrod stroke (drum brakes)
-inspect hoses, belts, shoes & tires
-check air filter restriction
-windshield washer fluid & check wipers
-gauge and inflate tires (we have 26)I don’t recommend truck stop chains because they tend to have entry level technicians, but my local shop does a good job. Our truck is custom built and self contained with RV amenities, we are careful who works on it.
Link is for pricing and services only…
I do see that there isn’t much room for profit, I can only assume there is much more competition in OTR truck service than in bus maintenance. Years ago it wasn’t unusual to see buses getting minor issues taken care of at truck stops.
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The huge difference is access. A bus has to be over a pit or up in the air. Then just the simple task of checking hub levels means a lot of time is spent just getting the hub caps off and worse, lining up the screws to get them back on after checking levels. On a truck you have two and usually they are visible, or have the baby moon caps you can just pop off the wheel.
Something simple like draining the air tanks in succession takes time. Unless I do something while the air is coming out of the tank I am just standing there and that is 5 minutes shot. The coolant hoses are not exclusively at the engine. They are everywhere because the typical coach uses coolant for several heating purposes. Even with the coach over a pit there are some coolant hoses in the bays as well as near the Websto or Aquahot.
Checking things like tie rod ends takes time. You have to raise the wheel then get a big bar to see if you have any king pin, ball joint or bearing issues. the get under the coach and try to move the wheel side to side and look for play at the tie rods. The drag link is a hard one to check but it has to be done both from beneath and from the steer compartment. I bet I spend 45 minutes with all the screwing around that takes.
I wish Jeff would jump in, but I believe the $360 is a gift. I take about 5 hours to do a routine service. From a pit and I know exactly what tools I need and they are with me so once I get in the pit I don’t have to be running up and down for anything. Someone not used to a bus is going to waste a lot of time just getting the right tools.
I used to have to do the brake check, but for at least 15 years we have had the Knorr=Bremse brakes on the coaches and there is nothing you can check or adjust except to inspect the pad thickness and check the discs for cracks.
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I don’t disagree. I was curious of the differences.
We are on a pit as well because our trailer is only 6″ off the ground. We have taken our full covers off of all of the axles and switched to the kind that can be popped off for easier checking.
Our coolant lines for in transit heat and the hot water heater would be overlooked at most shops as well because they are not normal on OTR tractors.A simple oil change service is about the same, but a thorough inspection of the bus is a much more complicated affair that will be best completed by someone familiar with its components.
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8 Lifeline 8DL’ s purchased from me to your door will be about 49500 depending on zip code and no tax.
590.12…..
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The service Tom provides can’t be beat either.
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^^^^^ditto^^^^^
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And the Lifelines are good for 5 years?
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