erniemotz

The WATER LEAK into Drivers's Footwell is finally FIXED!!! We stopped at the Monaco Service Centre in Coburg, Oregon in March 2014. Described the problem (which we have had for 5 years) to the service technician. Instead of re-examining the front windshield he removed the caulking above the driver's side window as well as the caulking all along the seam between the side of the motorhome and the roof above the slideout awning on the driver's side of the motorhome. Lo and behold he found some voids in the seal between the side and the roof as well as a void in the seal above the driver's side window. He sealed these areas and then reapplied caulking all along these areas. We had some heavy rains over the few days we were at the Service Centre and not one drop leaked inside. We have not had any leaks since. Can't describe how happy we are.

I don't think levelling is our issue. Our leak occurs whether we have the slideouts in or out or the leveling jacks up or down. We are presently storing our motorhome outdoors and it has been raining quite regularly. The parking spot is quite level, but we have the leak whether we park nose in or tail in. Yesterday I applied silicone sealant all along the right hand side of the windshield between the body and the rubber gasket. This is where the Sealtech leak test indicated we had a leak (soapy air bubbles coming out). I had previously used duct tape to cover this entire area with no luck, but I thought I would try the silicone just out of desperation. Of course we now have sunny skies that will be with us for at least a week. Next week we are beginning a major trip out to the West coast and then possibly down to the Southwestern USA. We will likely encounter some rain days and see how it goes. I may start taking the interior apart unless we decide to head down to the Monaco service facility in Oregon and give the guys there another kick at the cat. In spite of our leak we absolutely love the motorhome way of travel (no schedule, our own bed, our own kitchen, our own washroom, closets to hang up our clothes and that great huge panoramic windshield to enjoy the view along the way - it couldn't be better). Now if only I could convince my wife that a sailboat would allow us to do pretty much the same thing on the oceans - but I could be dreaming. Take care everyone, I'll keep you posted.

Well hello everyone. I'm the one that originally posted this problem and 3 years later we still have the problem. Sorry for not keeping this thread up to date. Fortunately when we are not using the motorhome we have it stored indoors and when we are using the motorhome we stuff a towel into the left corner of the driver's footwell to soak up the leak. Sometimes we have to change the towel every few hours. Extremely annoying. We have recently read about the Sealtech pressure test and have had it done at a service center here in Winnipeg. A leak was detected on the right middle side of the windshield and a tiny pinhole of a leak on a moulding just below the driver's side sliding window. The service center indicated that the entire windshield might have to be pulled and resealed and they did not want to attempt the job as the windshield may break in the process. They did not want to address the pinhole leak on the moulding as pulling the moulding would damage the paint and they did not want to attempt repainting that side of the motorhome. I sealed the pinhole with silicone caulking but that did not stop the driver's side footwell from getting wet the next rain day. I used the shiny duct tape to seal around the entire windshield both between the rubber gasket and the body and between the rubber gasket and the windshield. I also put poly over the driver's side window and sealed it to the body with the same duct tape. It's been raining here a lot and even with all the sealing the driver's side footwell is still getting just as wet as ever. So we're still at our wits end. Three things can happen from here. First I may pull the entire inside windshield area apart (MCool above has given me new hope) to see if I can possibly see where this leak is coming in. This will be a nasty job considering the cabinetry, power shades, drapery tracks, mouldings, etc that are all in the way of seeing the inside front end of the motorhome. Second we may just take the motorhome back to the Monaco service center in Oregon for yet another attempt at solving this problem (I don't hold much hope and can't imagine the cost). Third sell the thing. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks again to all who have offered advice.

Stayed one night on our way south. We encountered 50 amp electrical problems at our campsite which resulted in damage to our microwave/convection oven. Turns out this particular campsite had had problems the previous day and supposedly was fixed. It obviously was not fixed correctly. We were moved to a new site for the night and the electrical at that site was working properly. We filed a complaint with the campground and were told to call the next day to speak to Don from the corporate office. We have called numerous times and left messages but no one has returned our calls. Not only did we have to pay for the night but we now have to replace our microwave/convection oven. It is apparent to us that customer service and customer satisfaction does not exit at this campground. We would not recommend staying there.

We found a service center in Minot, ND that actually knew how to work on our RV (as opposed to the dealership in Winnipeg). The Minot service center determined that the problem was not with PowerGear but rather with a relay in the Monaco coach. Once the relay was replaced all the problems with the levelling jacks disappeared and they have been working fine every since. Although we had purchased our LaPalma new, the dealership in Winnipeg had had the unit on their display floor for about 8 months. Lots of sales staff and customers were in and out of the unit and as such they had discharged the batteries numerous times. The sales staff stressed some of the electrical relays by improperly charging the batteries. We have so far replaced 3 separate relays (that have eventually died due to the previous stress). One of these relays was related to the levelling jacks. Moral of the story is "even if you buy NEW, don't expect to be trouble free". BUT we love our motorhome and the ability to travel where and when we like with our house on our back (our bed, our food, no packing and unpacking).

I have applied a lot of water to the front of the motorhome including washing and hosing down the roof and front windshield as well as leaving the hose on the roof and just letting the water run down over the front end of the bus. NO leaks if you can believe it. I don't feel that any additional caulking on the driver's side window did the job, but rather it was either the caulking around the top marker lights or possibly at a side point on the windshield. The rubber gasket around the windshield appears to be in more than one piece and it just so happerns that there is a seam half way down the side of the windshield on the driver's side. I carefully lifted the gasket and applied caulking underneath such that when I pressed the gasket back down the caulk seeped out through the seam. I wiped off the excess. Maybe this was the problem. It certainly was in the exact right place for water to travel down an inside wall and onto the driver's side carpeting in the footwell. Anyway we are here in Phoenix until sometime in January and it doesn't seem to rain here so the final verdict on the repair will probably have to wait until there is a heavy rain. Thanks again everyone. Ernie Motz

Thanks everyone for your input and support. I've crawled around the windshield, side window and top marker lights. I found a few suspect spots and have applied some caulking. Tomorrow I'll add water to the equation and keep my fingers crossed. I'll let you know. Ernie & Judy Motz Winnipeg, MB Canada 2008 Monaco LaPalma XL Escaping winter to the South is awfully nice!

We have a 2008 Monaco LaPalma which we bought new and has had, from day one, a very frustrating water leak somewhere that results in the carpet in the far left corner of the driver's footwell becoming wet. If left alone it results in all the carpeting in the driver's area becoming soaking wet. We thought it was the driver's side sliding window but after caulking everything possible around and above the window we still have the problem. When camped in a rainstorm the inside track of the sliding window becomes very wet, but the outside drains are working properly. We just had the motorhome to the Monaco Factory Service Center in Oregon and they did some sealing around the driver's window and the front windshield, but we still have the same problem. We covered the entire driver's side sliding window with plastic wrap and duct tape so that the rainwater ran right past the window. The inside track stayed dry, but we still ended up with the wet carpet problem. At our wit's end. Can anyone help?

We have a 2008 Monaco La Palma Diesel and are experiencing problems with the leveling jacks not lowering. The technician has not been able to resolve the problem. The on/off and wait lights flash but the jacks do not lower. According to Power Gear technical tip #184 the condition indicates the cause of the problem is "Transmission is in gear OR improper wiring of the neutral safety switch wires". The touchpad is 500629. The technician indicated he checked the wiring. Power Gear has not responded to the technicians inquiries. Has anyone had a similar problem?