tbutler

Welcome Kent and Margaret, We bought our coach at a Monaco International Rally in Raine, LA in 2003! Lots of good memories there! Lots of frogs too... Hope you can get on the road soon and enjoy exploring the USA and her neighbors as much as we have. If you enjoy it, there is no better way to travel.

Maybe they fail because we hang out in the swamps! Seriously, our vehicles frequently are parked for months at a time. Run, then parked again for a week or two. Who knows? I do know that there are other engine components that don't last as many miles as TT engines do, simply because of the nature of the usage pattern for motor homes.

You have a 2007 45' Dynasty with the same engine as my 2004 40' Windsor, same radiator configuration. It sounds to me as if the engine is, dare I say it, too small for the weight of your coach? We tow a car and have never had a temperature over 190 to 192 in any ambient temperature. What is the GVW with your tow? Ours runs between 39,000 and 41,000, loaded with the tow. We have 150,000 miles on the coach and never have had an overheating problem.

Our trip through Labrador picks up on Sunday morning as we depart the Paradise River Rest Area. The bridge over the river is a long metal bridge and it was talking to us as the morning sun began to warm the cold metal structure. As the metal expanded there were occasional loud metallic bangs that echoed through the canyon of the Paradise River. We crossed the river and continued on our way. Traffic on a Sunday morning was very light. I counted five vehicles in the first two hours on the road. The condition of the road was excellent for a gravel road. We made good time with few delays. Later in the morning the construction crews were out again and we had numerous short delays. We began seeing construction crews for a private company. They were assembling the poles for a electrical distribution line from a new dam being built near Goose Bay. Near the north end of Highway 501 we encountered paving crews. It was only the last 20 miles but we were glad to see paved road. Highway 501 ends at Labrador Highway 500. A right turn takes us about 20 miles into Happy Harbor and Goose Bay. We stopped in Goose Bay for fuel. Fifty gallons of diesel at $3.53 per gallon (conversions from liters to gallons and Canadian Dollars to US Dollars) topped off the tank for the remainder of the trip. From Goose Bay to Labrador City Highway 500 is paved road in good condition. We left Goose Bay about 3:00 and got to Churchill Falls about sunset. We had hoped to tour the Churchill Falls Power Plant but everything we heard indicated that the tours were no longer available. The Churchill Falls Hydroelectric Power Plant is completely underground. The town of Churchill Falls is a company town, built to support the building and operation of the dam and power plant. We found a vacant lot and parked for the night. The next morning we set out for Labrador City. The trip took about four hours with a short stop to take pictures of a black bear that crossed the road ahead of us. Arriving in Labrador City we found the Grenfel Hotel where we turned in the Satellite Phone we had picked up in L'Anse-Au-Claire. We had parked at a large parking lot for a shopping area just across the street from the hotel. It was now about noon so we had lunch in the motor home. As we were finishing our lunch there was a knock at the door. Opening the door, I saw a couple, an older man and woman. They were just curious as to what brought us to Labrador City. This isn't a place that attracts many visitors. Labrador City is a mining town. We talked for a while, gave us some tips about the road ahead and answered several other questions for us. One of their tips was a suggestion for a stopping place for the night. There was really only one suitable place to pull off the road and spend the night. That was an abandoned mining town. The town had been a thriving town until the company decided to close the mine. With the stroke of a pen, the town disappeared. The only thing left are the streets. I looked it up on the internet, Gagnon. Labrador City is on the western border of Labrador. Leaving Labrador City the road turns south and we cross into Quebec. As this happens the road becomes a gravel road again. In fact the road was now more like an operating mine road. The road was rough and heavy truck traffic was constant. We could manage little more than 15 to 20 miles per hour and we had about 40 miles to go. We had also been warned that the road would cross railroad tracks a dozen or so times. Most of the crossings were rough. Completing this gauntlet, we arrived at a stretch of paved road and made better progress. We arrived in Gagnon shortly before sunset. The pavement divided into a boulevard with numerous side roads visible. Most of the roads are now overgrown with trees. All the buildings are gone, removed, salvaged, not decayed. The sidewalks are there, visible in places. This mining ghost town sits on the edge of a large meteor crater, Manicouagan which has been dammed up and now forms Reservoir Manicouagan. The crater measures 60 miles across and was formed about 300,000 years ago. The iron and nickel being mined in the area were likely associated with the meteor though I don't know that for sure. At any rate, the dam has produced a large circular lake which can easily be seen on a map of Quebec. The highway, Quebec Route 389, skirts the eastern edge of this crater. To the south of the crater the outlet is dammed by a dam identified as Manic 5. It is the first (or last depending on how you view it I guess) of five dams across the river on its way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It was the only dam we saw, the others are away from the road but there were signs for the road to each of the remaining four dams. Quebec Route 389 is partially gravel and mostly paved. The road runs through rough mountainous terrain with curves, climbs and descents which makes for slow travel. The road is also heavily traveled by truck traffic in support of the mining and power generation industry to the north. We learned that signs indicating Traveaux meant road work or detour in French! There were many traveaux along the way. We drove from Gagnon to Baie-Comeau in one day which completed our exploration of the loop through Labrador and Quebec. We had driven the entire route, approximately 1030 miles, in four days. Each of our three nights we boondocked where we could find a place to park. There were few places to stop and no tourist activities. This area is poorly mapped, our mapping program only shows the roads we traveled if we zoom in very close and then many of the features are not labeled. There were biting flies in the remote areas which made outdoor activities very unattractive. So why go there? I learned a lot about the area by simply seeing the terrain and activities along the route. This is a very remote area to visit and being able to tour any remote and little explored area is exciting in its own way. I would love to go back and spend more time if the roads were all paved and there were more facilities for tourists, RV parks, scenic viewpoints, information signs, and parks. I don't think these will be available any time soon and if they were, they would destroy the very wilderness nature of the area.

I've been rotating tires as I purchase new tires. I put two new tires on the front and move the front tires to the rear, both on the same side. I replace the oldest set of tires on the rear and they are discarded. This way I always have the newest tires on the front and the oldest tires on the rear. I recently switched from Goodyear to Michelin on the front so my next purchase will have to be four Michelins. The Michelins on the front aren't showing any unusual wear after two years and 25,000 miles which is better performance than I experienced in the past. Once I get the set uniform then the next front tires will go to the rear after two years and I'll be purchasing a pair of new tires every two years.

One way to handle the hose connection when temperatures are not too cold is to simply put pipe insulation available at hardware stores in a variety of sizes. Then if you have an open sewer connection you can leave a faucet or two dripping to keep the water in the hose moving. I've looked at heated hoses and the ones I saw were quite bulky so I've never used them. I always open cabinets that have plumbing under them to allow heated air to keep the pipes warm. Make sure that the ice-maker feed tube for the refrigerator is protected. Look at the basement plumbing and the sources of heat in the basement. You may not have to worry about the plumbing, our coach has heat sources built in that keep the waste and water supply pipes well above ambient outside air temperature. Our water tank has a heating pad installed on the bottom of the tank. It is part of a winterizing kit that was factory installed. There should be after-market versions available. Electric heating sources are high wattage consumers and will require an AC source or a huge battery bank for operation for an entire night. Be very careful with heaters, light bulbs, etc. used for heat. Keep them well away from all possible combustibles and check them frequently to ensure that nothing is being discolored or melted by the heat source. I would use extreme caution with any heat source that involves a flame. Batteries release hydrogen gas, the fuel tank vents combustible vapors and heat sources with flames emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The latter is the killer. Dealing with condensation on walls involves good insulation in the walls of the motor home and minimizing moisture in the air in the coach. I would expect that your coach has good insulation. Vent all cooking moisture from the coach as it is produced. Dry the shower thoroughly immediately after use, use a squeegee to wipe all the water down the drain. Minimize moisture from wet towels and clothing by hanging them outdoors if possible. If not possible, store them in a plastic bag for the night and dry them the next day. Surprisingly, cold air from outdoors is quite dry and is the best way to dry the air in the motor home. Ventilate and then heat the cold air from outdoors. The wet air goes out and the dry air comes in. Heating the air makes it even drier. All this will minimize condensation on walls. Windows if double pane insulated won't fog but the windshield is likely to fog up except for the driest air. Place rolled towels on the dash at the bottom of the windshield and they will collect the water that drains off rather than letting it get to the dash itself.

I just purchased a slide relay control board for our coach. It handles the storage door, ignition switch, allows only one slide to operate at a time, etc. Ours was showing some corrosion and a tech suggested replacement. We had one incident this summer when a slide wouldn't work. I tried a bunch of things, eventually it worked, don't know what if anything I did made a difference. it could have been the control board. Ours is located in the main battery switch compartment in the right rear compartment - different model, different year so don't know where you would look. Other than that, the battery condition, our slides are to be operated when plugged in or generator running to supply charge to batteries. If everything else works normally, that would eliminate things like a faulty main battery switch. Next on my list would be fuses. Maybe ignition switch is not in off position. After that, I'd call and talk to Monaco Support, 877-466-6226, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Pacific Time, M-F. Ever notice problems happen on weekends when everyone is closed?

For years we have used cell modems for internet service. Things have gotten better but depending on where you do most of your travel, you will find a few to many gaps in coverage. If you mean dependable service nationwide "8 to 5" it won't be available via cell modems. If most of the time will work, you can go with cell modems. I don't think there is an in-motion satellite service for internet.

Here is a link to RV Salvage Yards. We had a panel that had to be replaced on our motor home several years ago. The insurance company and the body shop were able to find a similar piece and modify it to match our coach. You might be best off finding a suitable body shop to do the work and offer them assistance but letting them find the needed part or something they can work with to make the part you need with the least expense.

I would give Monaco another call, (877) 466-6226. Give them details of the most recent failure. They most likely will be able to identify the problem and/or perhaps the tech this time will be more familiar with the location and description of the fuse which would have been my first suggestion.

Call Monaco Customer Service, (877) 466-6226, business hours M-F. Give them your coach number, that is the last six digits of the unit serial number. Don't confuse the VIN with this number, the coach number is Monaco's serial number for the coach and the last six digits is all they need to know to find the records on your coach. When you call, ask for technical support. If you are having a problem with your leveling system, be ready to give them details of your problem, they may be able to suggest possible solutions or identify problems with parts that need replacement. You can also reach the parts department using this phone number and can schedule factory service center visits to get work scheduled for your coach through this number as well. Good luck.

Wish I could. We're babysitting granddaughters in California right now. We'll spend a little vacation time with the family in Oregon and then head south about the 15th or 16th of October. Tom

I had that problem, put in a spare that I keep handy and it didn't stop. I took it to a shop and they said they found a blown fuse so if replacing the switch as Ray says doesn't do the job, the next thing is to check fuses. I don't know which fuse, didn't think to ask, just glad to have the alarm off!

I don't know a way to check the switch other than to check it when everything is running. If it is very warm to hot, I would suspect high resistance that should not be there. I'd be surprised if the resistance would be so high that you could test with a normal meter. You could check for specific appliances by turning them on and watching the lights. Shut off the refrigerator, leave it off for an hour or two. Then turn it on and watch the lights, listen for the compressor to kick in, see if the lights dim. You could do the same with the microwave, washer/dryer, air conditioners one at a time, etc.

After our three day stay at L'Anse au Claire we set out on a drive across Labrador. We had some idea of what we faced but only the journey would really tell us what was ahead. I had queried numerous people about the nature of the road and received many different assessments. Depending on personal perspective and the vehicle being driven the same road may get widely varying descriptions. That was certainly the case for the road from Red Bay to Goose Bay. Labeled as the Labrador Coastal Highway, it connects coastal villages from L'Anse au Claire to Goose Bay via road routes. This is a recent development. These villages have historically been connected by boat and ferry. A few of the villages have airfields and all are accessible by helicopter today. Leaving L'Anse au Claire, Labrador on Saturday morning, we drove north on NL Hwy 510. As in our previous trip north from L'Anse au Claire we drove about 10 miles in dense fog. Then suddenly the fog was completely gone, the sun was shining. Once we reached Red Bay the paved road turned to gravel. We were facing about 328 miles of gravel road. The road started out very wide, probably 40 or 50 feet wide. We were able to meet vehicles without getting too close together. The gravel was small and the road was smooth as a gravel road can be. There was nothing to reduce dust however and we generated our own tail of dust as did every other vehicle on the road. With a large vehicle there is almost no speed at which you won't raise a dust cloud. Dust would plague us for the entire 328 miles of road. About 30 miles from Red Bay the road began to narrow. Just 95 miles into the gravel we encountered our first challenge. We had a flat tire. I'm going to describe this flat tire as a lucky flat tire. The tire monitoring alarm sounded just as we were passing the road to Charlottetown. I slowed immediately and pulled into a clearing at the roadside. It was the outside dual on the drivers side. We got out, heard the leaking tire and immediately disconnected the toad. Once that was done I backed the motorhome into the clearing to get it completely off the road. Then I set out in the toad to the fishing village, Charlottetown, just 12 miles from the motor home. Reaching Charlottetown I drove almost all the way through town before finding the general store. I went in and explained my situation. A conversation between two ladies and a young man resulted in the name of the person in town who could fix our tire. The young man said he would lead me to Ivan's place of business. He did so and introduced me to Ivan. While I was talking to Ivan, he was on his way back to work. Ivan had several reasons why he couldn't come right away to do the job but as soon as his daughter returned with his truck he would come fix the tire. He said about two hours. I returned to the motor home trusting that Ivan would show up sometime in the afternoon. Two hours later Ivan pulled up next to the motor home and proceeded to fix our flat tire. It was a 1 1/4 inch metal screw that punctured the tire. Before leaving us, Ivan advised us that the next place to get off the road would be just before we crossed the Paradise River. He seemed to be encouraging us to continue on to that rest area. He also advised us that we could get internet access at any of the highway department garages along the route. You see what I mean when I call the flat tire a lucky flat tire. Being 4:00 in the afternoon now and only about 150 miles for the day we decided to take Ivan's advice and continue on to the Paradise River. The ride was uneventful until about 20 miles before the rest area. Those last 20 miles were extremely rough, potholes and large rocks dotted the surface. We drove slowly and still gave the rig a good shaking. We reached the rest area about the time the sun set. We had now completed 150 miles of our gravel road challenge, We had driven about 200 miles since leaving L'Anse au Claire that morning. During the day we have been accompanied by a variety of vehicles from large trucks to small cars. Traffic was never heavy. Many times there was no traffic in sight and other times we might meet several vehicles in a row. Cars and large trucks were able to pass us relatively quickly so we never had a group of vehicles in trail for very long. The scenery along this section of road was typical of what we had seen in Newfoundland, lakes and forest. We saw many a small camper parked in the brush alongside a lake. Usually there was only one camper, as if people preferred to be the only person at that lake. If you love to fish, this must be near ideal. There were roadcuts that indicated the glaciers had been here. We saw numerous cuts through eskers, deposits of water worn stones that were from rivers that flowed within the glaciers. When the glacier melts, it leaves these are snake-like ridges and the road cuts through them show the rounded boulders and gravel of water born rocks. Charlottetown was located on one of may fjords along the Labrador coast. Goose Bay is at the western end of the largest of these fjords on the eastern coast of Labrador. Along the way we were seeing a great deal of road work. Much of the work seemed to be widening the road to match the roadway we started on. Being so remote, the rock for road construction and repair was being quarried on site from the roadcuts, hauled to a nearby rock crusher to be processed to size and then hauled back to the site where needed. We saw mine size trucks and equipment, much beefier than the typical road repair equipment we see in the US. In most places traffic was stopped by a flagger and the delays weren't too long due to the sparse traffic. I believe I mentioned the flies which are abundant and quite a pest in Labrador. Many of the flaggers wore fly nets covering their head and neck area and had gloves on so that there was a little skin as possible exposed.

As you read discussions of operations of a variety of coaches you realize that each manufacturer may have differences in their recommended operation. Likewise differences in equipment installed on the coach may affect the way things operate. What follows is a brief description of the operation of our coach. Don't make assumptions about how your system operates. We have HWH air leveling and no jacks so we're always on airbags. With this arrangement, we can press the air leveling button once and it shows where the coach is low with yellow indicator lights. The second press activates the automatic leveling process which begins with a complete air dump of the leveling system. This evacuates the air through the pressure release valve which is located at the low point in the air tank and this forces accumulated water from condensation out of the tank. Once the air is evacuated from the leveling system and the bags are empty, the leveling system replaces air on the low point, sides first, front or back last until the coach is level. Initially the air to raise the coach comes from the braking system. If the engine is not running when leveling, the electric pump takes over when pressure drops below 100 pounds. The purpose of dropping the air bags to zero is to lower the coach to its lowest position and then raise it only enough to level. The air pressure on the braking side drops but not to zero. After one day parked and on auto level, our air brake pressure gauge reads 88 pounds. That will slowly go down over time. We have no instruction to take the brake system to zero pressure in my owners manual. When leveled on air bags there is another system that controls valves to maintain a level coach. Air bag pressure is maintained at 100-110 psi when parked by a small electrical air pump maintains that pressure only on the leveling system side. When driving the engine air compressor maintains system pressures for the brakes and the suspension system. When we air up we take the pressure up to 130 psi where the automatic vent kicks in, this again removes any water accumulation in the tank and we know that the air bags are inflated to travel mode. In travel mode, there is a separate set of valves that control air bag inflation and ride height. Our slides operate with the engine off but AC electric to the coach, either shore power or generator. There is a lock out that prevents our slides from operating when the engine is running. We put the slides in when the system is in travel mode, remove the chocks and disconnect the electrical cord. We start the engine, check lights on the toad and we are on our way. Our owners manual has a completed diagram of the air brake and air bag leveling system and describes the operation fully. The two systems are separate at some times and co-joined at other times. The brake side is dry and the air bag side of the system is wet (the electric compressor has no air dryer). Understanding the connections and way they operate will help you assess whether your system is operating properly. We keep a laminated sheet with the brake check procedure for air brakes in the side pocket next to the drivers seat and use that as our checklist when checking the air brakes. Several parts of the procedure for testing the air brake system require pumping the brakes to drop the pressure. If you have air brakes and haven't run a complete brake check you should get a copy of the procedure from the DOT (ours is from the Texas Drivers Handbook) and keep it handy. The procedure checks for leaks in the system as well as recovery rates when pressure is dropped. Rates are specified for rate of pressure loss and for rates of recovery. We don't run through a full check of the system every time we drive but before each long trip we'll run through the procedure. And did I say, we use chocks?

As I understand it from the above statement, you are plugged in and charging batteries when noticing the dimming. That sounds like a normal occurrence when a large appliance switches on. Is the furnace coming on when the dimming occurs? If you have a household refrigerator, it could be the refrigerator compressor kicking on. Air conditioners or perhaps Aqua Hot if you have that could also be responsible. As batteries get weaker, this effect might be more noticeable. You could also check the battery cables and switches to be sure they are clean and connections are tight. I had the house battery cut-off switch fail last fall. I was getting all kinds of electrical gremlins until the switch failed completely. When I replaced the switch all the gremlins disappeared!

Must be telepathy! Hello rwitt! A few years ago my go-to for repair work was Iron Horse RV in San Antonio. They did a replacement for a friends air conditioner last fall and really botched the job so I can't say I would recommend them. Perhaps they have learned to read directions or just have enough experience with the new units to get it right. Our friend was in the same situation and his replacement doesn't come close to matching the originals in appearance. The difference in wiring is what caused the problem with Iron Horse RV. It was an easy fix but they had to travel from Edinburg back to San Antonio ($$$ and time) to get it fixed. There is also Texas RV Supply in San Antonio. I've stopped there on the way south and had work done, They have a perfect record with me so far... I've been taking my Monaco to Bert Ogden RV Center in Mission when I need work done in the RGV. They have done several jobs for me and do satisfactory work. They are located at 1400 E Expressway 83, (956) 585-4444. You will have to work your way through the Bert Ogden switchboard (persons, not recordings my last experience). A possible answer to your problem would be to look to the salvage industry for quick replacments. There are RV salvage yards all over the US. Many will ship to your location. You could probably find used units that match (model, not necessarily color) the original ones. The link above will take you to a website that has a composite listing of sites. We'll be back in the RGV in late October.

By my count we have now put our motor homes on ferries 12 times. The worst was the a ferry that had a door so small we had to fold the mirrors in to get through the exit door. The smallest was across the Yukon River, it held three motor homes. So my answer would be, by now it is pretty routine. Just hope I never get that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach!

You may not believe this but Monaco is still in business. They still have the records from before the bankruptcy and they can give you specific information about equipment installed on your coach. Call Customer Service, (877) 466-6226. Have your coach number ready. The coach number is on the vehicle data sheet on the wall behind the drivers seat in most Monaco coaches. The coach number is not the VIN. Look at the Unit Serial Number. The last six digits of the Unit Serial Number are your coach number. Write it down and keep it handy for future use. You can order replacement parts if they are available. Give them the coach number and they have a complete equipment list right down to the switches and light fixtures. They may be able to suggest the best available replacement for your air conditioner since the original is no longer available.

It has been almost a month since we finished our trip to Newfoundland and Labrador. I needed the time between the trip and this post to put it all in perspective. We had a wonderful interesting and sometimes challenging trip through Newfoundland. On the 22nd of August we took the motorhome on the ferry from St. Barbe, Newfoundland to Blanc Sablon in Quebec. While waiting to board the ferry we were treated to a very interesting event. A moose swam across the bay from the far shore to St. Barbe. After shaking off some water the last we saw of the moose she was strolling into St. Barbe. It was quite a long swim but there wasn't a hint of panic or tiring, she just kept stroking away until she reached the shore. The trip across the Strait of Belle Isle was interesting. The ferry was tacking against the current all the way across and it was noticeable in watching from the deck as we approached the landing at Blanc Sablon. We were to learn later that many shipwrecks occurred in the area due to the strong current. I enjoyed watching sea birds and the villages on the Labrador coast. Once we reached Blanc Sablon, QC, we drove north about six miles to L'Anse au Claire, NL. We stayed at an RV park associated with the Northern Lights Inn in L'Anse au Claire. The park was very humble, utilities were at the rear of the coach, the surface was gravel and our 40 footer was by far the largest vehicle in the park. We were happy to have full hookups and internet service. We traveled north to the Point Amour Lighthouse one day and enjoyed climbing the Lighthouse to the top for a great view of the coast. Stories of lighthouse keepers are most interesting and this one was no exception. The lighthouse owner bought a Ford Model T which was the first vehicle in Labrador. There are pictures of the lighthouse keeper and his family and other items from the late 1800's. The lighthouse itself has walls constructed of local stone and has walls that are six feet thick. The next day we drove north to the Red Bay National Historic Site. The drive was quite instructive. We had been socked in fog all night long. Driving north we drove out of the fog about 5 miles north into bright sunlight. The road meanders north from one bay to the next. Between bays the road goes up and over high hills. Each bay hosts another small village. Red Bay is a small town and the site of 16th century Basque whaling camps. Recent excavations on land and underwater resulted in discovery of a large ship for transporting whale oil back to Europe. There was also a small whaling boat known as a chalupa recovered. That chalupa is on display in the welcome center. Imagine a chalupa that has been on the bottom of the bay for close to 500 years. Artifacts from the camps and the large ship are on display in a visitors center. The archaeological work that was done is amazing. We took a boat across to an island that was the site of several whaling camps. Walking a trail we saw the remains of various buildings or shelters where whale blubber was rendered and whale oil was put into barrels for shipment. Before leaving Red Bay we drove north just a few miles north to scout out the next part of our trip. From Red Bay north toward Goose Bay there is a single road, the Coastal Road. The road is entirely gravel until you reach the area of Red Bay. The final 20 miles into Red Bay are paved. If all you want to do is see a little of Labrador I would recommend that you take the toad to Sablon Blanc and stay at the Northern Lights Inn. The Inn looks quite nice and has a restaurant. Another possibility would be to take a tour which would include bus transportation to the tourist sites mentioned above as well as a stay at the Northern Lights Inn. We wanted to do more than this so we brought the motor home over on the ferry. After three days in L'Anse au Claire we set out to see the rest of Labrador. I'll describe that journey in my next posting.

The inertial braking systems (Brake Buddy, Ready Brake, etc.) offer the economy of being easily able to move the system from one vehicle to another. They have a drawback for diesel coaches because the engine brake will set off the inertial system thus applying the toad brakes every time the engine brake is activated. On long downhill slopes (mountains) that means that the toad brakes are getting a good toasting while the coach service brakes are cool. In essence, the toad becomes a supplemental braking system for the engine brake. Since you are getting a gas coach, you won't have the engine braking. Downshifting to a lower gear with a gas engine can produce the same effect but most people don't use this technique often with a gas coach. Your driving habits and the terrain in which you expect to operate will affect your decision. Personally, I think that the proportional braking offered by systems linked to the coach service brakes offer the best choice.

From your description of the behavior of the lock when the key turns, I suspect you need to find a locksmith to solve your problem.

What a terrible experience. From our experience when we were full time, I've found it possible to stay at the repair facility with the motor home through almost all repairs. When not in the motor home I like to be at hand were I can ask questions and when possible peer into the shop to see what is going on. It has been a learning process regarding repair shops. I've had good, bad and so-so experiences. I get the best service from the factory service center when it comes to the manufacturers items. When appliances need attention I'll try to get them to an authorized repair shop.The engine goes to Cummins, the transmission to Allison. We make appointments before taking the coach in for repair and let the shop know in advance that we will be staying with it including living in it each night. There was one paint shop where this was not possible. Everyone else has been able to accommodate our needs. Even today when we are just traveling for the summer, we're far from home and we expect the same service. If there is any way possible for you to be available for the day or days when the work needs to be done, do it. It will be vastly better than leaving the coach to be worked on when they don't have something else to do. It also means that you can ask questions as the work proceeds and set an expectation that they will let you know what is being done and ask you questions about the work as it proceeds.

One way to check is to call Monaco (877) 466-6226. Have the coach number ready when you call. The coach number is not the VIN. The coach number is listed behind the drivers seat on the wall on most Monaco coaches. They will want the last six digits of the unit serial number. Make a note of that number and keep it handy. Anytime you need parts or technical information they will ask for that number. They maintain a complete record of all equipment originally installed at the factory. I find this a particularly valuable resource! If the previous owner had the recall done at a factory service center or a Monaco Dealer, they should have the repair information in the coach records. If that wasn't done, they should be able to tell you how to conduct a physical examination or where to take the coach to have someone check and/or perform the recall repair.