[Davy]

yes could be another marathon with that vintage coach….you can try a reboot however most of audio is dc powered for operation. There is also a device that audio passes through have seen several issues with those

[Davy]

Chris, liver and loin….still plan on comming to look in Aug…please text me a good phone# to 941 779 5018. Thanks. Geo.

[Davy]

When I bought the first coach in 1990 the internet was not in widespread use and there were no flip phones. That should put things in perspective.

But I think at that time I knew enough from my aviation experience to know I didn’t know anything and to have my coach inspected before money changed hands. Today we all have access to unlimited information and help from others, yet here we are 26 years later and only a few new owners have takien advantage of all the information and collected knowledge sites like this one have available.

So it is not uncommon for people to get in trouble, stumble upon this site as a potential resource, and post a question. By that time they might feel ashamed because they think they should know about their coach, or maybe they think they should have caught the problem before buying the coach, or maybe we appear to know so much we intimidate people. Whatever the reason I would really like to see people interested in a Prevost spend some time acquiring some knowledge, that will not only help them find the right coach, but will help them understanding it better when they do get one.

But as I said originally this forum sucks because even a casual reading of what is posted here gets scary. It seems like all we talk about are problems. And when folks ask for a diagnosis of the problems we tend to ask hard questions trying to zero in on the issue. I am of two positions on this. I think questions should be on the forum because our entire membership will benefit. But I also know, and have done so, that some conversations need to be private, not because we are discussing personal stuff, but because I don’t want there to be unrelated comments that might be more appropriate for a different conversion or model year. Those tend to confuse. Then there is the matter of sometimes we find the owner was the guilty party and created his own problem and it does nobody any good to open someone up for criticism while he is attempting to fix a problem.

If someone is new, whether as an owner or potential owner my free advice to make this forum suck less is to ask questions. A lot of questions. We all benefit greatly when we are all communicating. For every one participating in the forum there are likely 50 or 100 that read the forum , but never post. They benefit from questions they should have asked but didn’t. Those who answer questions often have to think hard about an answer so it usually adds to their knowledge.

I said it before but it needs repeating……Tom and I are on this site quite a few hours per day. We will not allow anyone to be abused. And we are very pleased to deal with such a large group that has such respect for one another. Perhaps it is because we all were newbies, and because we all know how hard it is to communicate on a forum.

[Davy]

That resturant is called the Der Dutchman and that parking lot behind it is huge. The 165 mile marker on I-71 is my stop almost every trip to Columbus or through it (which is pretty often).Time for coffee. Been stopping at the 165 for years- in car, truck, or coach. If you like Mcdonald’s coffee, they have a pull through lot. It only holds about 10 tractor trailers, but it’s never full. I became tired of the food a long time ago, but I love the coffee.

[Davy]

I’m in Destin now headed to New Orleans tomorrow. I still don’t know what to do. Went to 2 Destin tire dealers and they were both too busy to look at my tires. I looked and felt around the tires and no flat spots were noticeable. When the first tire went bad the tire guy put the car up on jacks and could tell by spinning the tires. I don’t know that trick.

NOTE: I’m the furthest thing from a mechanic. I’m the guy Jon talks about who pays to have it done.

Should I get new tires in New Orleans and let those mechanics determine what might be wrong? Could be just bad Chinese tires…maybe. Or I could wreck another tire towing it. I’m going to have to replace the tires anyway. Do it now or wait until I get to Jeff’s next week and have him check it out?

Thank you for all your responses.

[Davy]

If there is flat spotting on the tires due to the brake system, expec ially AF-1 it might be the brakes are being applied with greater force than needed.

AF-1 provides vacuum boost to cars with that type of power brakes. As we all know the amount of pedal pressure required when the engine is not running is quite a bit, but when it is running and the car has engine vacuum at the brakes very little pedal pressure is necessary.

If the pedal pressure being applied to an AF-1 system is causing wheel lock up that would explain the flat spotting and AF-1 may have a means by which the system can be adjusted for pedal pressure. The toad wheels should never lock up. Drive alongside of the car when being pulled by the coach and when a hard braking is applied on the coach look to see if the toad wheels are locking.

[Davy]

Thanks Mike and Karen! That’s so cool that you’ve been out there that long. Getting closer to a decision just timing now. I’ve been kind of eyeing the Marathons a little closer. There are a couple on Prevost-stuff.com that I’ve inquired about. There’s one in Idaho that seems very meticulously maintained. Olympia just posted a really cool 95′ just waiting for some questions to be answered from the dealer. Thanks for your input and safe travels!

[Davy]

I’m sure you know that you’re not far from the Tail of the Dragon. Wherever you ride, have fun & be safe.

[Davy]

The Flying J at exit 171 near Walton, KY has RV parking but it is small and at a bad angle.

The rest area Jon recommended has wide open parking area.

There is a Lowe’s just west of I-75 at exit 32 in Middletown and a large Walmart west of I-75 at exit 38 in Franklin. Both are very handy to the interstate but I do not know if either encourage or discourage RV parking because that is too close to home for me to ever park there.

My barn is 10 miles east of exit 32 but it can be muddy and difficult to turn around. I have not been there since january so I could not say. Plus my neighbors are very likely to greet you with a shot gun politely pointed at the ground. I have good neighbors.

I hope to eventually have everything fixed so that folks can drop in and spend the night going through, with a call ahead to the good neighbors of course.

Davy

[Davy]

This might be out of the way for you:

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino

4300 N Michigan Rd
Shelbyville, IN 46176 Phone:(877) 386-4463 Hours: Open 24 hours

If you call them and ask about parking a 45′ coach with a toad and they tell you park at the truck stop across the road, DON’T! The amount of parking at the truck stop is modest, was FULL the night we stopped on the way to Jeff’s, there were NO pull through parking spots … all back-in. One our second call they said to park in the Casino parking lot, in any open area (probably towards the truck stop), and to call when we wanted the shuttle bus to pick us up (it was raining very hard). Lot is set up for cars, not coaches or semi’s so watch the concrete curb islands. Shuttle bus comes promptly and takes you in both directions. Casino is nice, food was decent, we think a very safe place to park.

Next morning head up the Indianapolis, either take the Interstate to Indy and then I-69 to Lansing and Flint … or head directly north of Shelbyville cross country and take in some local color until you get to I-69.

[Davy]

We were there last summer. Great place to dry camp if you’re passing through the area. I even got lucky at the tables. So it was like getting paid to stay 🙂

[Davy]

I have a set of the magna shades they are great , if you have no access to the top portion of windshield when you put new window in get them to put black out on the top part of window , that way you will not have to worry about top part

[Davy]

I’ll repeat what Tom said. For anyone looking, don’t hesitate to include this coach in your list and don’t wait too long to try to make a deal.It won’t last.

[Davy]

Like most others, we use our iPhones as hot spots. If our data usage is high in a month, we scout for A restaurant with wifi for any large downloads.

[Davy]

Thanks Ron…

Did you / any PC member tried 201 from Winter Harbor to Quebec City?