sergeantsue

When we bought our current coach in 2000, we fell prey to the salesman's tactics and spent $7,000 on an extended warranty. In all of our trips (including two clear across the USA), while it was in effect, we never had anything go wrong that was covered by that extended warranty. Manufacturer's warranty covered several things. If we had faithfully made the equivalent monthly payment to a "Repairs" account, it would have easily paid for everything that has needed repairs (except a new roof). We still have our original refrigerator (had an out of level safety device installed at the Pomona FMCA Homecoming this spring) and hot water heater. The original water pump bit the dust a few years ago and we replaced it with a unit that includes a pressurized reserve tank (love that feature). Since you will be parked for 6 months at a time, be sure you treat the fuel and park with a full tank. Also, watch out for rodent damage (they love wiring for some reason). A coach is meant to be driven and optimally we drive ours for at least one 25 mile trip every month to make sure the turbocharger warms up to operating speed.

Thank you for putting into words what many of us have felt (on more than one occasion), but it's difficult to type with tears streaming down my face. We'll see ya' down the road. Susan & Richard

Is that the 340 Cummins?

Is there a truly definitive technical article on this? This "Push back" resistance is understandable, but how does one measure that? I am not sure of the efficiency of our system, or how much it is actually charging our batteries. I have a 180 watt Astropower panel and a Trace C40, 40 amp controller for 12/24/48 VDC and four lead acid batteries that are five years old, but show no sign of failing (they are on battery conditioner when we are not on the road). Switching to LED lights appears to have really helped.

We were really impressed with the quality of the Tiffin coaches at the Pomona rally and had heard several stories of Bob's involvement from both owners and sales personnel. That is the way it used to be with Monaco before the recession. We have a 2000 Harney Coachworks Renegade. Monaco bought up Harney along with some other companies (Holiday Rambler comes to mind) around the turn of the century. In year two we noticed blisters and delamination forming on our street side slide (kitchen and living room). In year three, we went to the factory to get some minor repairs and some upgrades done. We asked the service writer about having some body work done to fix the bubbles and were told the reason behind them. To fix it correctly would be nearly $9,000 by the time everything was said and done (had to take the slide off of the coach and remove the entire exterior wall, the windows, etc. etc). Since that was way beyond our budget, we decided to just get the other things fixed and live with the disfigurement. The day we were to leave, the service writer advised us that the owners of Monaco had decided to repair the slide for free, as good will. We had to return when they had a block of time for us and ended up leaving our coach with them so they could handle emergency repairs for some full timers When they finished about a month later, they had not only replaced the wall, but also five windows that they said were starting to fail and all four of the house batteries. To say we were blown away by their care and concern is putting it mildly. I hear this is the same care and concern that Tiffin owners receive.

When we had a Winnebago Chieftain many years ago, the Banks system gave us the biggest boost in economy of anything we tried and it also helped the engine run cooler on climbs.

Gary, That is a good point I didn't think of. Here in California, they seem to change the diesel fuel blend on a whim.

Although we don't have an electronic readout on mpg and other status, we do log every fill up. We have been cross country twice since we purchase our our 2000 Harney Renegade 15 years ago. It is 37' long and has 1 driver side slide. We carry all the usual accessories and more. It is powered by a Cat 3126B (330 HP) engine and an Allison 6 speed transmission. We often run the roof AC on the road, but the generator runs on propane, so it doesn't affect the mileage. If we run the dash air (and sometimes you just have to), we see a drop of up to .5 mpg. When we first got our coach, the mpg was around 7. After about 500 miles, it was pretty steady at 8. We switched to Amsoil brand diesel engine oil, transmission fluid and gear lube at 1,000 miles just before our first cross country trip. We also installed a dual remote bypass filter, which gave us more oil capacity and better filtration. On our way east, flat towing a Honda Accord, we were behind schedule and drove at whatever the maximum posted limit allowed (and probably 5mph over that), but we still averaged 8.5 pmg. Engine temps barely increased even on long uphill climbs, and the transmission temps stayed well within the safe zone. Extremely efficient heat dissipation is a huge reason to switch to premium synthetics throughout the coach. On our return trip, there was no schedule, so we often set the cruise to keep pace with the semi trucks. 10.5 was our best mpg going across the plains states in less than perfect weather (there were some really heavy head and side winds). 10 mpg was the norm. We test our oil a couple of times a year to monitor its useful life as well as see what is wearing (or not wearing) in the engine. Last year when we changed oil, we used the Amsoil Series 3000, 5W30, Heavy Duty Diesel Oil. This spring, we sold the Honda and began towing a 2001 GMC Silverado extended cab, so we could haul sporting equipment. Our mileage dropped to 8.5 - 9.5 on a two week trip to Las Vegas and the Pomona FMCA Homecoming. The mpg will hopefully be higher on our next trip, as we discovered we had owner installation errors with our EZ Brake unit and burned up the front brakes, rotors and drums on the trip. The brake destruction issue could be a whole other thread on proper placement and installation of the pedal activation unit. Our mechanic suggested we file an insurance claim. We didn't think it applied, but State Farm Insurance actually covered the majority of the $1,400 repairs under the Comprehensive portion of our policy. The wonderful claims adjustor said it fell into the same area as having a solo accident in a parking lot (owner error).

Road Scholars sounds more like it ; ) Nice when little modifications make such a huge difference. Would like to know more about that couch. Our scissors style sleeper couch only allows us a few inches of access. Did it come with the coach, and does it make down into a bed?

Old hand at the RV life, new at this RV site. I was nodding my head at your ordeals: been there done some of that. At least you made it off the home block! Let the adventures continue. Good to know about the blogs. Have to look for them.

Amsoil makes a similar product, simply called "Gas Stabilizer" that we have used for at least a decade. I also put it in the lawn mower gas can each time I fill up, and in my motorcycle with the final tank of the season. In case you haven't stabilized your gas, Amsoil also makes an amazing product called "Quick Shot" that you have to try it to believe how well it works. My 650 cc motorcycle was unused for almost 3 months without stabilizer and just would not run. I added 3 oz to the tank, sloshed it around and within a minute the engine was running normal again. It was like magic! Our portable generator was running poorly after being loaned to someone who probably put cheap gas in it (yes, there is a difference in top tier fuels and the bargain stuff). A dose of Quickshot got it running smoothly again. Most everyone is aware that ethanol gas is especially bad for storage reasons. It absorbs water, which then sinks to the bottom of the tank. That's how "varnish" forms and gums up stuff. For you statistics guys, I just pulled this fragment of info off the Amsoil website about using Quickshot with 10% ethanol gas: "...oxidation stability improved 44 percent over untreated fuel."