Comments Good/Bad on Monaco Diplomat 43DFT

[DavidFruge]

Looking at purchasing a Monoco Diplomat 43DFT 2013 model. My biggest concern is the MaxForce 10 Diesel Engine?? Does anyone have any comments pro/con on this particular engine.

[duanelin]

We have a 2012 43DFT with the Maxforce 10. Just returned from a 2500mile trip with no problems. Coach now has almost 15000 miles total. We are very happy with it

Duane

2012 Diplomat 43DFT

[five]

I'm just an old fashioned guy, who sticks with what is tried and true and has worked in the past, and hates anything new or anything that's changed. Might not be good reasons, but that's why I'd want a Cummins. I did get on the MaxxForce web site and looked for a dealer/repair shop...none within 150 miles of me.

Good luck with your choice.

[jleamont]

Watch out for the Maxxforce products! Navistar is replacing them with Cummins due to frequent breakdowns. When we were looking, the dealer had two purchase back units that "spent more time behind a tow truck". I strongly recommend looking another direction, especially since Navistar is ditching their own product, it can't be that good.

[wigginsjsr]

If you look at trucks when traveling on any interstate highways you will see many International/Navistar semis. They all get serviced somewhere, and not 150 miles from home. There have been some Maxxforce engines with some problems, but I don't believe it is the Maxxforce 10. We have a 2011 Knight with over 21,000 trouble free miles. Monaco changed to Cummins, because they are no longer owned by Navistar, and will be using a different chassis. Not due to problems with the Maxxforce 10 engine.

This is a conversation that is largely based on each persons personnel preference. Kind of like, how do you like your steak?

[dkreuzen]

I have over 17,000 miles on my MaxxForce 10 with no problems.

[Traps90]

We have a 2013 Diplomat 43dft. Our MAxxforce 10 with 405hp and 1,250 ft/lbs of torgue has just over 13,000 miles on it. The only problem we have had so far is a faulty cam position timing sensor. Otherwise this engine has performed and worked as expected. When I did a back to back test drive compared to a Newmar with the 8.9 ISL Cummins, I honestly couldn't say one preformed better than the other.

So far we are really happy with our coach and have lived in it fulltime for over a year. We probably had the normal amount of new coach problems. Mainly small items that we're easily corrected.

[oletimer]

Just purchased a new 2009 Safari has a Caterpillar 350hp C 7, 3000 mh6 speed Allison w/electronic shifter, chassis model is Roadmaster.

Anyone know is this one of the troubled Monaco's?

[wolfe10]

oldtimer,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

What model Safari is it-- 4 air bag or 8?

Any signs of coolant leaks?

Transmission cooler in radiator or separate?

[oletimer]

It's a four bag, it was in a showroom, they are prepping it now haven't picked it up yet, it' a safari cascade. The owner of Kline's Auto World said it has been stored inside, never set out one day. Showing 277 miles on it. After reading some of these articles, I don't know if I got took.

[oletimer]

Wolfe 10

It was in the show room, I looked under it everything looked new and clean from what I could see. Don't know about the cooler.

[wolfe10]

I am not familiar with the Safari Cascade. But, with the 4 bag suspension, VERIFY that the defective design rear trailing arms have been replaced.

Even if brand new, the originals failed (bad design): http://community.fmca.com/topic/570-serious-problem-on-some-monaco-holiday-rambler-safari-chassis/