-
Used Prevost RV – Annual Maintenenance
Well-researched Newb here in the early assessment stage hunting used Prevost RVs (XL ~1997-2004 range) and realize this is still the “fun” stage. I’ve been to RV shows and talked to various types of people about Prevost chassis and every non-Prevost-owning person, from the slick “sticks&staples” sales folks to show attendees, cringed when I told them I was looking at used Prevost RVs.
The only real deflection the sales reps could give me (to buying their shiny new fiberglass-on-ladder-frame RVs) is that “Used Prevost RVs are just too complicated and extremely expensive to maintain”. Honestly, I do not see exactly how a Prevost could be THAT much more expensive to maintain than other tag axle Class A RVs or even a stout Freightliner chassis Super-C and nobody could provide examples. Attendees who owned other brands just shrugged and said “Prevost is just too expensive to own” again without referring to anything specific. The Prevost chassis seems to be built to enable maintenance compared to non-Prevost Class A RVs.
Air bags, Norgren valves, air fittings, brakes, bearings, bearing seals, fluid changes…are these not ALL part of prudent RV maintenance? Sure the semi tires cost more but it’s not that big a deal. Buying used I figured on adding maybe $30,000 to zero one out if need be.
What am I missing though about the comments people gave that Prevost maintenance is some kind of nightmare? My thought is they drank some bad koolaid but figured I’d join this group to extend my knowledge and, hopefully in the next 2-3yrs, contribute as an owner.
Thanks in advance if you folks can shed some light my way on this.
-
19 Replies
-
I’m sure you’ll have other folks chime in pretty soon, but have you been in a nice well maintained older Prevost yet? Have you driven one? That will tell you a lot. The ride and drive is like nothing else and the build quality is just in another class.
As for maintenance, it’s a commercial bus chassis that is engineered to be safe, reliable, and maintainable. The biggest customers are seated coach fleets and entertainer fleets. They’re not making any money if they’re not on the road, comfortable, and safe.
Think about this, if you’re in the middle of nowhere and pull into some big semi-truck repair shop and a guy in a Entegra pulls in at the same time. They got one open bay, you both have a similar suspension issue – which of you will get that bay first? Answer, the guy they know they can get a part for and know the rig is built to be serviceable (which doesn’t describe an RV). The shop is all about volume, they can’t afford to have something in there they can’t get the part for or can’t figure out the repair. And you can bet they’ve worked on a Prevost before and know it’s built to be serviceable.
I have a 25 year old Prevost, last week I went online using Prevost Parts Assist and ordered all new Norgrens, tie-rods, shock bushings, and sway bar bushings. I had the parts within 24 hrs – and that was standard shipping.
Your hardest decision will not be a Prevost or non-Prevost, it will be which Prevost converter (due to systems, floor plan …etc.) and finding one in the condition you want. And CONDITION IS EVERYTHING. You can’t order a 25 year old bus in the colors you want. If you find one in great condition, especially paint – I would work hard to make the floor plan work.
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
BWB:
I have a 2000 H3-45, now 25 years old. As Clint noted, I can call Prevost and get repair/replacement parts usually within 24 Hrs and if the order $ is over $100 shipping is free. There are pneumatic drawings, electrical drawings, & detailed parts drawings/lists online. Any part purchase from Prevost is warranted for 1 year, if Prevost installs it the part and their installation is warranted for 2 years, not to mention you can usually get a service appointment with in days of calling and they start working on it when you arrive for your appointment, not put it in the back lot for another month before starting.
Would suggest increasing your budget for zeroing out even if your doing your own work. I purchased my coach for $180,000 knowing the maintenance was not kept up but the cosmetics were good. I have spent over $100,000 in the first 4 years of ownership replacing the front end parts with full body alignment, new tires, new batteries (house & chassis), new air bags, new Norgens, new air bags (body, belts,& generator air bags) replaced 3 fogging windows, rebuilt hydraulic slide rams, replaced electric/pneumatic for slide doors/steps,& rear camera, plus a long list of other small things I can’t remember.
In summary, you will spend more than you planned, but will end up having a very safe, comfortable and reliable coach that will out live any fiberglass coach for many years. As for cost of ownership, Prevost labor rates are equivalent to the fiberglass shops and they have factory trained technicians using factory parts and little to no waiting times. You will need to consider the lack of return on monies spent. I have $280,000 plus in mine and know I will not see that returned upon resale, but I have a rock solid, safe, & reliable coach that still has many miles and years left on it.
Chuck
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Assuming you have pinpointed the specific year range and converter, and established your budget you are more than halfway to making an informed purchase.
If you are bouncing around about model year, model and converter you will never be able to accumulate the knowledge required to make the best decision. Focus is critical.
When you do begin the search be prepared to not believe anything a seller is telling you. If the seller does not tell you outright lies, you will often get “I don’t know” as an answer to your questions. Start with making sure you like the coach. Forget colors, forget the decor, but concentrate on floor plan and features. You have to live in it and it has to be able to provide you with the features that suit your life style.
Once you have identified the coach you want, YOU are responsible for inspecting it. Nobody will care as much as you do. NOBODY. Start by asking to see the maintenance records. If they are not available the maintenance was not done. If they are available, and are detailed you just won the lottery.
Use a sharp pencil and track all the work needed to bring the maintenance to zero. Coolant, oil changes, all other fluids, filters, air bags, Norgren valves, brake chambers, tires, batteries, air leaks, etc. are all routine maintenance needs and some are critical. If the coach is an XLII 2000 or newer make certain Prevost has done a skin inspection or repair. If you can get a Detroit dealer to pull up all the engine and transmission codes and give you a history.
Keep in mind a low mileage coach may be ideal if a continuing maintenance history can be proven, including things that age like air bags or Norgren valves, but if not you may be buying a very expensive repair cost because items with rubber age out, especially if they are not exercised.
Once you get past the paperwork inspection then start at a given point like the driver’s seat and operate every switch, knob and dial so you understand their function and verify they work as intended. Move methodically through the coach in both the house and underside and the chassis.
A person selling a well maintained coach will welcome such a detailed inspection because it validates his representation it is a good coach. Someone selling a less than good coach will not.
Don’t even consider a sticks and staples RV as comparing to a Prevost. That is like comparing a Peterbuilt to a Dodge pickup.
-
BWB:
Last fall I posted a thread here at PC titled “Our Total Prevost Cost$ for Last 10+ Years”, here is the linK:
/threaddetails.asp?Category=General%20Discussions&ThreadID=15528
I have further broken down our ownership mx experience and can email you the word processing file if you like?
-
Folks, thank you for the feedback. I’m pretty set on a Prevost but the common “it costs soooo much to maintain” is what puzzled me given the commercial-based chassis. The $100,000 of maintenance in roughly a decade mentioned would be a show stopper unless all that was 100% done by service centers and even then that seems steep. I have ZERO interest in non-Prevost RV, to be perfectly clear, but looked at them to judge size/space/layout since there are no Prevost near me to look at in person (I’m in the greater Chicagoland area..until I retire in just a few years).
I did get to drive a Prevost in ~1994, a 40ft or 45ft Liberty owned by a pilot family I met while at Oshkosh’ (b’gosh) AirVenture. They parked near my tent campsite and we cooked out and traded beers for the week. When talking RVs, they gave me the grand tour. When we all left we agreed to meet up south of Oshkosh where the owner graciously planned to give me some time at the wheel before they headed home somewhere west. I was hooked on some day “doing the RV thing.”
Present day, I’m avoiding the XLII due to the delam issues or potential issues just like avoiding the Grumman AA-5 in the aviation realm (glued wing panels). As I said, I’m sticking with an XL pre-egr. I’m not opposed to an 8v92 except that I’ve “heard” parts are unobtanium. The maintenance history is number one and as for coach builders I prefer Liberty, Marathon, and Royale as their house systems seem straightforward from what I saw in pics/specs and they have a very good rep.
I was planning to find good late 1990s units in the $150,000-$180,000 range that were well cared for and NOT “stored” for years which I did find, but they were sold before I could travel to inspect in person. Mileage doesn’t scare me if the maintenance is provable and it’s been in regular use, like 8000-10,000 miles/yr average. Just like airplanes, a machine sitting too long starts to rot.
All that said, I still do not see the maintenance nightmare since the stick/staple/fibercrappola RVs still need maintenance and they really are not built for easy maintenance…a Prevost is a huge plus in that regard. (except that $100,000 repair/maint history)
-
BWB
When I noted spending around $100,000 above the purchase price it was bringing a coach I knew was ill maintained back to par and doing things like a complete rebuild on the HVAC basement AC unit and the two Cruisair’s, plus replacing aged interior mirrors etc to bring the coach up to a mechanical and cosmetic level acceptable to us.
As Jon notes; finding a coach with maintenance records is priceless because you have a much better understanding of what you are purchasing and what you need to replace now and what can be replaced down the road. I took the calculated risk of buying a coach without records of maintenance and knowing I was buying a hole I had to dig out of. Just ended up the hole was a little deeper than I expected. After 6 years of ownership I have a in-depth knowledge of my coach (perhaps more than I expected) and a now dependable coach to enjoy for many years to come.
Chuck
Clint & Tammy Summers
2000 XL 45 Country Coach (rivets)
1977 FC31 Bluebird Wanderlodge (more rivets)
Vonore TN -
BWB
Condition, condition, condition – with verifiable service.
I just sold a 2000 Royale for a 2000 Country Coach. The Royale was a very nice bus and very simple.
Over the last 5 years I went through what you’re going through. Feel free to reach out to me. jcs zero zero 1 zero zero 5 @gmail.com
-
BWB that’s your first mistake taking counsel about Prevost from a Sticks and Staples salesman. All the information you need is right her, use the search function and ask questions.
-
Were are you located out of. Looking for the right bus is a big deal and the only time to get a good deal is when your purchasing it. Also being as informed about what your buying and the differences between conversions. Everyone has a opinion. Just call us at East Tennessee Luxury Coach, as long as im not too busy ill give you as much free advise as i can
-
The cost of high level maintenance depends heavily on if you do your own work or if you have a shop do all the work. Some items that have to be done such as air bags, brake chambers, tires, batteries, etc eventually have to be done and you can regulate the cost by your personal philosophy regarding their replacement.
You can set a projected life of those items and change them before they fail or wear out, or you can wait until there is an issue. I change my air bags every ten years, but I could wait until one of them starts leaking before changing them. That likely could cut my annual air bag cost in half.
Since I do my own repairs and maintenance for the most part I reduce my annual costs also by a fairly large amount. That is not why I do my own work because I consider caring for my coach as a hobby.
Keep in mind one thing: Whether it is a 45 foot sticks and staples or a 45 foot Prevost the systems are going to be similar. Diesel engine, air bag suspension, tires, batteries, etc so either choice maintained to the same level is going to have the same cost.
My Liberty coaches, and I assume coaches by other converters have robust house systems. The amount of money I spend to fix or maintain my house systems is an incredibly small amount because of the build quality and high quality materials and design.
-
BWB
i have a garage kept 1991 Liberty Coach, 40MH, powered by a great running, factory 500hp 8V92 that could be yours. Nice coach, but not perfect,you would need to purchase Jon’s bus to have perfect! Lol. Anyway, if interested, email me for info and pics.
Jim -
After years of shopping, we finally settled on a 2000 Country Coach for some of your same concerns; primarily pre-EGR and no slides. While overall condition was important, we didn’t mind spending money after the purchase on deferred maintenance and upgrades. Floor plan and bones were our primary concern. We’re 2 years in and slowly making improvements.
I recently called a service provider and was quoted $5,000 for an “annual maintenance” service. Best of my recollection, that was servicing the engine and transmission, HVAC filters, Aqua Hot (or Webasto in our case) and cleaning all holding tanks. I’m sure there are people who love the convenience, but that is far more than we spend. Our truck shop services the engine and transmission as well as tires, brakes, and shocks. It’s not white glove service, but they understand all the parts and I trust their work. The same service provider shop also quoted $12,000 for 8 new Michelins which my truck shop can do (did do) for 1/2 that. Note that we have 315s not 365s. As far as filters and cleaning tanks, we do that ourselves. We have also learned to fix little things as needed like water pumps and solenoids.
We have a few necessary repairs coming (Webasto, bushings, glass dash to Silver Leaf) that will be expensive and are beyond our ability to do ourselves. Then there will be interior updates. Everything inside is original and dated, but still works (except the dash). Could we have spent $30-50,000 all at once on it? Certainly, but I prefer researching each issue and making an informed decision over time. This forum has been a life saver from the years of shopping to the maintenance and repairs!!
As with homes and cars, costs vary greatly depending on how handy you are and individual service providers. We snowbird in a large RV park in FL and talk to a lot of Class A owners who spent substantially more on their purchase and still spend a lot more money and time on repairs than we do not to mention time in the shop. I don’t regret buying this old bus at all.
-
First, I would add that you will want to look for a Prevost with ROOF AIR! Cruisair is out of business, is a pain and expense to repair and the only replacement units are from a different manufacturer and costs $8000 per unit (3-4 units per Prevost)
I am at a service center in CA now and will have been here for 2 weeks before this is all over. We haven’t had time to get a bunch of minor issues address over the last couple of years so we are getting them done now all at once. It’s likely going to be $15,000+ by the time it’s all over, not including the $6000 to repair/repaint the front cap that had been damaged, but well hidden, on this coach we bought from ETLC on consignment. Or the house batteries I just had to replace because the were wired completely wrong and I missed during our inspection prior to purchase. All my fault but, for us, it was the right coach at the right time and a very hard to find 40 footer. I don’t regret the decision to buy but I wished I had been more thorough with my inspection.
-
I agree with the cruisair putdown. It was a stupid engineering thing from the get go. Designed to be used with sea water to cool the condenser so some genius decided to stuff them into the belly of a bus. Unfortunately, may be hard to find an older bus with roof airs. I also agree with avoiding slide outs. Having grown up in the trucking business, I was always aware of things that can keep you from going down the road. A stuck slide will do just that. I do all my own work like Jon and Don (lonestarace) both of whom I trust and listen intently to what they have to stay. Having trained as a mechanical engineer (not what I ended up doing), I often “de-engineer” something when it needs fixing since a lot of what is in these buses is over engineered – see Jon’s posts on air bag belt tensioners. I have the luxury of my bus being stored in my shop which is part of our house. Since you are in the Chicago area, if you aren’t going to do all your own work, you may want to give Liberty preference since they are made in Chicago and have a service center there.
10 to 11k per year is a reasonable estimate of cost to own the beast all things included except fuel.
Free advice, worth the cost. Mike
-
Every 5000 miles I do a serious maintenance event. It includes oil and filter changes, oil and fuel. I lube all the fittings. I drain every air tank, in sequence to verify the check and protection valves are functioning. I check all fluid levels.
I do a full chassis inspection looking for chafed hoses, brake pad thicknesses, loose steering or suspension joints, hub seal leaks, belt condition, hose conditon, etc. Obviously tire pressures are checked and any item of deferred repair or maintenance is taken care of. I cannot imagine how that can cost $5000.
But…….there is a whole lot more. I have given a lot of components and devices what I consider a reasonable life span. As examples my air bags are replaced every 10 years, as are brake chambers, shocks, Norgren valves, etc. Except for Li batteries, all others are replaced every 5 years. Tires 7 years, etc.
There is nothing I do to the coach that is not logged because with all the required maintenance events for the bus, house and generator it is the only way I can schedule maintenance. As of today, except for a routine scheduled maintenance event in 150 miles, nothing is due. But this year I have some serious events coming up this year, including coolant change and transmission and filter change.
Anyone that tries to make you believe that because they had Prevost do the routine maintenance is either clueless or a liar. Without detailed schedules tailored to the specific converter nobody can track what is needed and insure it gets done.
But, having said that, shit happens. I recently had to have my injectors replaced. I have had unplanned fan clutch replacements required. I had to replace my charge air cooler. Although maintaining a coach is a detailed job not maintaining it is going to be a hit or miss experience and for potential buyers it is my suggestion to treat any service events needed as not being done unless there are receipts or documents or logs proving they were done.
Log in to reply.