Paul
Forum Replies Created
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Jon makes a great point that’s not just applicable to tires. Any system on a coach that was not properly maintained is at risk of premature failure. Obviously, tires being the most critical. Sadly, tire pressure which is key to normal tire life and safety, appears to be one of the most difficult items for many owners to understand. Given it’s the owner that has the responsibility for tire pressure, we all need to fully understand the tire pressure we should use in our tires and check them at the start of each day on the road.
Many of us subscribe to the philosohy that all routine maintenance items will need addressing when purchasing a used coach, especially an older one. Once you’ve factored $10-$15K to address all routine items, anything that doesn’t end up needing replaced can go to the diesel fuel and RV resort fund. In my case, I busted that budget by a bit. I did so knowing the last thing I wanted was to be stranded on the side of the road in the Yukon Territory or remote reaches of Alaska.
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Jon,
As a new owner of an 07 Marathon… both you and Tom and many other members of the forum were and continue to be a huge help as we venture into Prevost ownership. Just about 6 months into it… things are going well… In my personal expereince I most likely would have made some ugly mistakes without the input from this community. Having to do it all again I would do a few things differently, but for the most part, I am happy with how my deal worked out and how the bus is performing…
I have to say… having this community has been a real blessing… Just in the short time that I have owned it I have done some stupid stuff… got into a bind and the people here have to a person all been a great help. Fellow Marathon owner Al has just picked up the phone and called me after reading a post of mine to offer personal Help. Peter has offered to let me park my bus in his CO building and have my family stay there while I work in denver… From my perspective it doesn’t get any better than that… People who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in person… willing to help…. is really refreshing these days. So from my perspective keep doing what you are doing.. I like the idea of creating a overal document of things to consider… one thing I wish I would have looked into further was GVW and the whole topic of CCC… but I have worked thru that with help of PC members…
Hope we get to meet some or all of you down the road…
Thanks again…
Bill
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Tom, the battery man can afford to deep cycle his batteries 😉 Tom, you can probably lose power for 2-3 days and still keep the refrigerator cool to cold without power to it.
I suscribe to the if it’s not needed don’t needlessly exercise it. Even needing to keep my refrigerator on for a 3.5 day ferry ride, I only turned on one inverter leaving the other off.
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I think it’s a good idea to help others even if its not what they want to hear its better to know about problems and get them fixed than be broke down on side of road What happened to sellers just telling the truth about things that will need to be replaced or repaired then buyer can make his own mind up or did the sellers think if they tell them about those things to replace or repair the buyer may not buy there coach For me I will fix what ever has to be repaired or replaced The problem is not the problem its our attitude about the problem. Helping people once they have bought a coach that needs lots of work is the end result its before they buy or be aware that it will need repairs
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Gil, I picked up a nail in my tag port side while in florida last week pulled off the road to take a leak, not a good idea, lot’s of trash on the side of the road, I got lucky as the nail went in at the tread area and went in sideways so it did not lose any air checked it for five days and was still on 90 lbs Gary
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Here’s the best policy and it is totally under your control.
Create a pro-active maintenance schedule in which you make the effort and pay the expense of bringing all maintenance tasks to zero. Change every drop of fluid, replace all belts, filters, and hoses (except the near bulletproof engine hoses).
If your brake chambers are 5 years old or older, replace them. If the air bags and Norgren valves are more than 10 years old replace them. Change your shocks. Make sure your tires are never greater than 6 years old. Replace batteries older than 5 years of age and when you do that make sure you clean and retighten all your cables. Open up and clean your inverters. Check the temperature differential on all the AC units and systems and any that have less than a 15 degree spread between return and supply air temps have them serviced or replaced.
That will cost you a whole lot if you pay someone to do it, a lot less if you do it yourself. But what it will do it put almost anything likely to need service in near new condition. If you have hub seal leaks or windows with stone chips or thermopane windows starting to fog take care of them. Then forget about insurance. You won’t need it if you adhere to a preventive maintenance schedule that replaces fluids, filters and parts before they become issues.
Once you buy insurance you are betting stuff breaks and the insurance company is betting nothing they cover will break. If you were right more than the insurance companies were, they wouldn’t be in business. And the premiums they charge are enough so you will write checks to cover those people that never maintain their coaches.
Can you guess I think life is too short to have problems with the bus, and then more problems trying to get your money out of an insurance company that doesn’t want you to have it?
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Our Liberty had electric dump valves. Actually, they were manual valves with electric actuators.
Should they fail, all that I would need to do is disconnect the actuator and operate the valve manually.
Hope this helps…
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It’s about time you guys finally start believing me. It’s just too bad it takes so long to convince some folks.
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My Royale had the manual fill and you probably saw it there Jon.
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My coach has a swivelling right angle device on it between the solenoid and the slide cylinder that you turn a screw on to increase or decrease the force of air into the cylinder. One for each line, since mine take a different pressure to slide out as apposed to sliding in.
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Congratulations, Bob. I know you have worked hard to get to this point. I can not wait to swing by again and see it when it is finished.
DKO
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Tom
Not sure who your dealer was but it sure sounds like you choice was a very good one. Great to hear.
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Thomas,
You batteries are at their end of life. The date code for BJJFG is June 2007.
I have sent you an estimate for new batteries and I would NOT just replace 4, you should do them all.
Call if you need help.
I corrected my previous post calling you Tom, you can call me Tom, Thomas, Truk or the Battery Guy, I don’t care….
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Okay
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I have Directv and have an old cruiseTV in motion sat, I can only use their 100 series “plain jane” box. You might try that box. Find a installer that will hook up one of these boxes on your sysem to see if it would work. I found a vietnamese installer not only was his service cheaper but he loaned me one of his boxes (the 100) to use on his account to try. Sometime these guys will do more work for less than your average white guy.