PDI for Los Angeles and Phoenix

[lloyd&pamela]

What do the letters "PDI" stand for? I would like a pre-sale inspection, who can I contact to do a PDI in Los Angeles and Phoenix?

[nrhareiner]

PDI stands for "Pre DElivery Inspection". It is done by the selling dealer prior to taking delivery. That is certainly not the same thing as a pre sales inspection done by someone picked by the buyer.

[Just Plain Jeff]

PDI stands for "Pre DElivery Inspection". It is done by the selling dealer prior to taking delivery. That is certainly not the same thing as a pre sales inspection done by someone picked by the buyer.


In some circles, 'PDI' means Put Diesel In.

Ah, a guy needs to be a little specific, as in getting it in writing before making the Secret Handshake.

[lloyd&pamela]

I have read Jon's excellent article, Prevost Purchase Inspection and another titled Checklist for Purchasing a Prevost. One coach is a private sale in LA and the other is located at Desert West Coach in Phoenix, both are Country Coach 91/92 XLs. Where would be the best place to locate someone to do a Pre Sale Inspection? Thanks.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If I were a new potential owner I would enlist the aid of an experienced, mechanically talented owner.

When we bought our first coach Don Hoffman, a great converter in Clarendon, PA did our coach inspection, and I followed him around like a puppy dog.

He worked virtually the whole day, operated every switch and button, drove the coach, and by the time he completed his inspection we both knew every single device was working.

I did my own inspection on our current coach but I had 15 years of ownership and about 10 years of doing all my own repairs and maintenance behind me.

What I would not do would be to allow someone to do the "inspection" without looking over their shoulder and making sure they looked at everything. On the vintage coaches you are considering it is unlikely everything will be perfect, but you still want to know what might need attention, or what might not work so you can attach a value to any required repairs.

[BrianE]

Lloyd,

Welcome to POG. You might want to contact Steve Bennett at California Coach Company in Costa Mesa. Steve is a sponsor and his contact info is on the homepage. He is a very knowledgeable and helpful guy and would guess that his charge for a PDI would be very reasonable. He may have other recommendations also. As to your choice of coaches, would suggest you don't get too wrapped up in the Cruiseair vs Dometic issue. Overall maintenance, available history, cleanliness and your general impressions of the coach should be your final criteria. All things being equal, (like anything else) buying from a private party will generally get you more reliable information about the coach than using a dealer. Good luck.

Happy to see more Canucks joining the group. Hope the participation doesn't vary as much as the worth of our respective currencies. How about a little bio on you and yours, eh? :)

[Loc]

You might try Desert West Coach in Phoenix.

[jello_jeep]

Prevost Car in Mira Loma (30 miles or so East of L.A.) would be a good choice for the chassis part anyway.

[lloyd&pamela]

BrianE, Thanks for the summary of what is most important. The coach we looked at today seems to have been well maintained in the past but there are no records, because the owner has done all the maintenance and has not kept any records. Everything looked clean and in good condition below except the House batteries. The bus has been in storage in his warehouse for 6+ months and the four batteries have over-flowed and rusted the holding trays. They have to be replaced. He says the bus has be plugged in the entire time and he starts the bus weekly. There were no leaks except for the house batteries. Tomorrow we see the next bus, photos look very clean.

By way of introduction, My wife and I are both writers. We wrote business columns and articles for years and are currently pursuing screenwriting. I coach executive 6 days a month by phone and that leaves us plenty of time for travel, therefore we hope to go fulltime on the road in June in a Prevost. There is much of North America we want to see. I was raised in GA and am now a Canadian resident. My wife is Canadian. Thank you and all the forum members for your replies. I wish I had found the forum a week earlier. I would have done this trip very different. Thank you.

[lloyd&pamela]

Hello Loc, the coach we see tomorrow is at Desert West Coach. i assume it is not a good ides to have the dealer inspect their own sale. Have you had a good relationship with them? Thank you.

[lloyd&pamela]

Prevost Car in Mira Loma (30 miles or so East of L.A.) would be a good choice for the chassis part anyway.

Thank you I will contact them and see what would be the costs.

[Jerry Winchester]

Lloyd,

While you are in Phoenix, go north on the same street Desert West is on until you get to 6247 N. 7th and eat Mexican food at Jordans.

Order the tacos and a bean burro enchalada style.

Then go take a nap; but not near an open flame.....

[lloyd&pamela]

Sorry we missed Jordan's. Will put it on a list for "Next Time In". We did find some good Mexican food which is non existent in Canada. Thanks for the recommendation.

[0533]

Sorry we missed Jordan's. Will put it on a list for "Next Time In". We did find some good Mexican food which is non existent in Canada. Thanks for the recommendation.
We have been working with Prevost Car in Mira Loma, CA., and have found them to be most helpful. Here is our contact name for your records: Bruce


William Jensen | Service Manager, Shell Division

Prevost Car Inc.
3384 DeForest Circle
Mira Loma, CA 91752

Cell.: +1 800 997-7386 | Fax: +1 801 795-6003
william.jensen@volvo.com

[dalej]

Lloyd, I just rolled into Phoenix yesterday. If you need anything give me a call at 402.740.5539, I would be happy to help. I can run over there and check it for you. send you cell phone and I can call you.

[Ray Davis]

2.6-2.26 Phoenix, AZ

Whooohooo! The bus is on the road again! Must be a bit warmer in AZ?! :D

[lloyd&pamela]

Thank you everyone for all the responses, we are now in IL and just finished looking at the third Provost on our shortlist. now comes the time to make a decision. I will post some questions regarding the three. Thanks again for all the help and advise, we are both overwhelmed with the knowledge and kind assistance.

[0533]

Pam and I recently purchased our 1999 from Marathon in Coburg Or. We were really pleased with the price, the service and the way we have been taken care of since we made the purchase. We have upgraded our coach at the factory and will be picking it up soon. One lesson we learned is don't be afraid to make a low offer, and if it is a factory deal, ask for special treatment on any PDI issues, even make it part of the deal. If you have not closed in on a final purchase, you might want to give Phil Cornelius a call, his mobile phone is 1-541-343-2401, email is philcorn@aol.com. he has a good handle on all of the Marathon coaches and treated us very well. And finally even though it is a big ride, buying a used coach at the factory can have advantages when you want to upgrade. They have lots of folks who have worked on most of the coaches they built, very useful when sorted out upgrades, A/V systems you name it.

Good luck,

Bruce PS. We love Nova Scotia, and have spent lots of our best RV experiences up your way

[dalej]

Ray, Yes it is a very nice switch from Nebraska. We went from 10 to 75 in two days, supposed to be 80 tomorrow.

Lloyd, let me know if you need any help while we are in Phoenix.

Jdub, where is that taco place that is a must eat place?

[Jerry Winchester]

6247 N. 7th in PHX. There are several good ones around, but if you will call and let me know where you are staying I can point you to the best ones.

[lloyd&pamela]

Thanks Dale but we are already on our way back to NS. Now comes decision time. We have narrowed the list down to an XL in CA and one in IL. I will keep every one informed and hope to be in St. Paul for FMCA in July.

[lloyd&pamela]

Bruce, Thanks for the info. I spoke with Prevost in Mira Loma and they are going to do a DMI - Detailed Mechanical Inspection on the chassis and Steve Bennett has agreed to inspect the coach. We are truly in good hands with POG. Thanks everyone.