8 replies to this topic

[bobalou22]

Has anyone heard of any issues (troubles) with any 2012 Monaco Monarch gas class A motorhome. I am presently looking to purchase one .

[pgoris7223]

See posts by Greybeard101, especially his post "Alcoa Dura Brite 22.5 inch Wheels On Class A Gas" posted 03 October 2012 - 08:10 PM. He has that exact year and model and he has had a ton of issues with it!

[pgoris7223]

I was wrong. He has the Holiday Rambler version of that model but they are both assembled on the same production line. The Monarch should have a little better fit and finish than the Vacationer. I have a 2012 Vacationer 34SBT bunkhouse model built in late April at Wakarusa and I (so far - 1500 miles) have not had any major issues with either the coach or the Ford chassis.

[bobalou22]

The only thing that I see that is a potential trouble on this MH ( Monaco Monarch 36SFD ) is that the ladder roof flanges are attached to a very soft spot on the roof. The ladder actually makes the rear roof cap flex when climbing up the ladder. Being that you own a MH made the same year and manufacturer, do you have any like issues ??

[pgoris7223]

I weigh ~ 230 lbs and while climbing the ladder I was watching for any flexing but I didn't see any. I've been on the roof one or two times and I don't expect to go up there often! We are very happy with ours so far. I've added a couple thousand $ in upgrades to the electrical system, i.e., surge suppression, satellite dome and receiver, cord reel, inverter and permanent voltage/amperage meter to monitor the house batteries. Suspension modifications for better road handling (the MH handled fine but I wanted the enhancements) Blue Ox TruCenter steering assist, Blue Ox TigerTrac on the rear end, and and a no/low cost modification to the Ford chassis that tightens up the overall handling called the "McKinley Cheap Handling Fix" (Google it). Our MH was assembled at the end of the 2012 model year so they gave us some of the 2013 upgrades like roller shades/blackouts and a new lounge dinette without additional charge. It's important to have a good dealer that you can rely on after the sale. I'm located in the Detroit area. I lurked on the forums for a couple of months waiting for my MH to be built so I had the benefit of others experiences when making decision on what to buy to upgrade when I got my MH.

[bobalou22]

Thanks for the reply. Any info that I can get is going to be very useful. I just talked to the service dept at the dealership where I am buying this MH at and they told me that they feel that the screws for the ladder flanges are either to short ,broken or missing.
They assured me that they are going to make it right.
Fortunately I have friends that have bought motorhomes from this dealership and they say they are trust-worthy.

Thanks again for the help.

Bobalou22

[derh2o]

Be aware that Navistar will most likely sell the Monaco family of products to concentrate on their core business which is trucks.

[wigginsjsr]

I'm not sure where people get the information that Navistar may sell Monaco.  That is pure speculation with no basis in fact.