Prevost Mira Loma

[Sid Tuls]

Just pick up my bus from Prevost and it was 100% of what I expected. Repaced a couple of bay doors on the right side fom a little mishap. Just wanted to say thanks to Scott for all he did to get me rolling for our trip to South Dakota. Plus he is a fellow POG member. They had it ready as promised and I'm a happy camper;)

[Richard Barnes]

Scott did the work on my coach when I skinned it up a bit and the work was excellent. I always look for Scott when I go in there.

I also had a very good experience recently with Prevost Fort Worth. My dash air went out in that 107 degree heat. They took me right in, replaced the compressor and dryer and charged me $400 less than the estimate of $1200. I too was a happy camper!

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Sid, glad to hear all turned out to your satisfaction. It' always nice when things go as expected!

Wondering, does the polish on the new metal match the old?

Have a nice trip!


JIM :)

[Sid Tuls]

Yes Jim i cannot tell the differance I'm very pleased.

[Sid Tuls]

Scott did the work on my coach when I skinned it up a bit and the work was excellent. I always look for Scott when I go in there.

I also had a very good experience recently with Prevost Fort Worth. My dash air went out in that 107 degree heat. They took me right in, replaced the compressor and dryer and charged me $400 less than the estimate of $1200. I too was a happy camper!

Richard it's always a good thing when it comes back less than the Quote. Hope you are enjoying your bus and safe travels.

[pwf252]

I wonder, if after all the grief they have received for handing out bills for more then their original estimates (Fort Worth Prevost) that they got wise and are now over estimating so they can hand out final bills for less then their original estimates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Patrick et al.....

Of late Prevost has been quoting $4400 to replace all air bags. To put this in perspective a set of air bags is $1100 to $1200, leaving $3200 for labor. From experience I can tell you to replace a set of air bags averages 10 hours.

I will quote you $4000 (a 10% savings) and then give you a bill for $3500. I will look like a hero when in fact I am reaping about $240 per hour for my efforts.

I would be much more impressed if the original quotes were fair.

The example above is typical. We have heard quotes on all sorts of work and they just seem out of line with the cost of parts plus labor, even at $100 per hour. I think if all prices were checked before getting a quote from Prevost, and then Prevost was shown what other shops charge they might get more reasonable.

If I bend some metal I will shop the repairs, including buying the parts from IBP, one of our sponsors.

[pwf252]

And the overpricing certainly doesn't end with labor. I stopped at Prevost a couple weeks ago and picked up a couple of Stemco Axle Caps, cost each 77.85. Happened to be in a truck parts store one week later and inquired to the cost of the same there, quoted 37.69. Bought two and returned the others to Prevost. Oh ya the reason I was in the truck parts store was to pick up the fuel filters for the bus so I could change them out during an oil change. When I was at Prevost returning the Stemco Caps I asked about fuel filters to compare pricing to the truck parts place. They, Prevost showed different part numbers. So thinking the people at the truck place had sold me the wrong filters (them idiots) I bought the ones from Prevost. QUESS WHO WAS WRONG ABOUT THE PROPER FILTERS. OVAAAAY Yep Prevost !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sid Tuls]

Jon, I have bought parts from IBP before but the problem was I couldn't find anybbody up here that would even look at when i said the word Prevost. Another big problem is I have 0 skills when it comes to doing this kind of repairs. Doing fix-it stuff on the conversion part no problem. I still get great support from Rick @ Thompson Coach even though they been closed for almost 2.5 years. They are some great friends that I made out in your country. As far as the bill at Mira Loma goes I will keep POG posted how I feel when I get it.

Pat, my brother had trouble with his bus and drove it from Omaha,NE to Dallas Prevost and was very impressed with how he got treated. I just thought I mention it but I'm sure he hasn't got his bill yet. He had to get some new air ride valves for 2001 Vantare. But then he can afford it since he belongs to the other club PP :-)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

In the past, and maybe again to us Prevost was the gold standard.

When we bought our first coach Prevost was privately owned and two of the three owners drove Hoffman conversions and attended FMCA rallies and Prevost Proud pre-rallies. At that time Prevost treated its customers exactly how customers wanted to be treated, stood behind the product and went out of their way to do the work right the first time. The prices have long been forgotten, but the quality of the service back in the early 90's was so good that will never be forgotten.

I don't know when the shift was in attitude, but at some point Prevost lost the customer care attitude. I doubt if it was a sudden change. It just crept into being. I am glad to see good reports because it means we have choices, and one of the choices is Prevost.

Having said that, however I think POG members will do themselves a huge favor by shopping for repairs, not with Harvery's Bait Shop and Prevost Repair, but with the POG sponsors all of whom I have known and dealt with over the years in one way or another, and feel comfortable saying they will also treat you right and charge fair prices. And I think Rick Thompson is a special guy. I am amazed at his concepts and how right the logic is behind his coaches. I would like to see him restart the company.

[Sid Tuls]

Jon, so would I !! I would buy another one from him in a heartbeat. Thanks for all your input Jon!!

[rfoster]

There is a "Thompson Coach" sign posted on I-40/I-75 on the east bound lane west side of Knoxville just past the Flying J truck stop exit. Have Never taken the exit to investigate and the sign is fairly recent - last 6 months or so?

[michaeldterry]

-snip-
Having said that, however I think POG members will do themselves a huge favor by shopping for repairs, not with Harvery's Bait Shop and Prevost Repair, but with the POG sponsors all of whom I have known and dealt with over the years in one way or another, and feel comfortable saying they will also treat you right and charge fair prices. And I think Rick Thompson is a special guy. I am amazed at his concepts and how right the logic is behind his coaches. I would like to see him restart the company.

Following Jon's advice to shop for service/repairs, I recently sent out a "Request for Quote" form specifying a list of maintenance/repair items that I intend to have done on Evangeline. My list included replacement of all air bags, all new shocks, ride height linkage kits, new brake chambers on the drive and tag axles, new swaybar bushings, and replacement of the Bendix air dryer cartridge.

I sent the request to a small group of vendors selected from the recommendations/reviews on POG and also to Prevost (five total RFQ's sent).

I'm pleased to report that so far, I've gotten excellent responses and interest from most of the vendors, including Prevost. The quotes aren't in yet (I just sent these out Sunday/Monday), but most of the vendors have already expressed their interest and intent to quote and have submitted follow-up/clarification questions to insure that their quotes are relevant. In fact, the initial response from Prevost was from Randy Castillo, the Prevost Service Network Manager, who was forwarding my request to the appropriate people in the Nashville (Goodlettsville, TN), committed that I would receive their quote shortly, and expressed his desire for my business. The other responses I've gotten have been from POG sponsors (who I'll refrain from identifying yet) and have been most impressed with the tone and interest shown in each response! I've even had one response by phone from a potential vendor to tell me that he didn't feel his shop was the best choice for my chassis work and recommended the shop that he uses for all his work! I most appreciated his honesty and can tell you that he's probably already earned a loyal future customer for all my converter side work!

Once all the quotes are in, and I've selected the vendor, I'll report back with my impressions and will report on the experience when the work is done!

[Denny]

Michael,
You are certainly doing your homework before having work done on your bus and I hope all goes well for you. Make sure whom ever you select that they know buses and know how to repair them. The Prevost bus is a unique vehicle and it takes a specialized repair facility to fix them. I recently purchased another bus and like all vehicles I had a list of things that need corrected before taking possession. One item was a pull to the right so I wanted the front end aligned and all bushing checked. The dealership took the bus to a Truck Service Center for the front end work and other items on the list. Two weeks later when we picked up the bus the right pull was still present. The salesman said everything was within Prevost specs and gave me the person to call at the truck service center and question about this problem. This dealership had the bus for a period of time and was driven by several people and no one noticed the pull except myself and my wife who sat in the copilot seat and watched it veer off to the right immediately upon releasing the wheel.

I called the service manager at the truck repair facility and he said everything was within Prevost specs and he personally took the bus for a ride and did not notice the pull. Well at this point it was the wind, the crown of the road and nobody else but me noticed the pull so it must not be there. Well, I took the bus home. Two week later we took her on our maiden voyage. In less than 400 miles from when we left the dealership the AC compressor decided to stop. This was a blessing.

We were in PA so I took the bus to Elite Coach (www.elitecoach.com) in Ephrata, PA for service. They are a charter bus company operating a fleet of Prevost buses and they know Prevost. They are also a Prevost authoriized repair facility. Prevost has an upgrade dash AC system so I had them install it and check the bus out. The first thing they found was a leaking rear wheel seal on the driver's tag. The next items were the rubber boots on the disc brake system. They were all bad and needed replaced. We talked about the pull to the right so they made an appointment with a local frame shop that does the work on their Prevosts. I told Elite Coach that the alignment was checked and "within Prevost specs" and they said that was not good enough. The spec range is too wide; they use a much smaller range. When on the alignment machine the tech found excessive play in the front end. Two tie rod ends were bad and replaced and the front end was aligned and taken out for a test run. Two new Michelins XZA2 later and there was no pull to the right. Tie rod ends, alignment and two tires later the problem was fixed.

This all took place on a bus that had a DOT inspection and PASSED and was serviced by a "reputable" truck service center. I have gone on long enough so I won't mention some other items that were not taken care of that should have been.

So Michael, I don't envy you in making this decision. There are many factors involved but I think price is NOT real high on the list. It is more important to have the work done by someone who knows Prevost buses. This is not an endorsement for a factory Prevost Service Center but for a service facility that works on buses and knows them. Perhaps a charter bus company in your area similar to Elite Coach. I cannot say enough good about Elite. Their philosophy is preventative maintenance. Replace it before the bus breaks down on the road stranding everyone and having a bus load of angry people.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

My only addition to what Denny said would be if you take it to a charter company for example, they are unlikely to understand the level low system. If all you are looking for is the replacement of parts I see no issues, but I doubt if a company unfamiliar with the Level Low System would have been able to diagnose system problems as we did when Michael could not get the bus to raise to road position.

Service companies familiar with conversions however can easily do that type of diagnosis. Charter bus companies are very likely to know the coach and because they have to turn the coach around and get it back on the road are also likely to be very efficient at repairs and maintenance.

[JIM KELLER]

Good Post Denny.

[michaeldterry]

My only addition to what Denny said would be if you take it to a charter company for example, they are unlikely to understand the level low system. If all you are looking for is the replacement of parts I see no issues, but I doubt if a company unfamiliar with the Level Low System would have been able to diagnose system problems as we did when Michael could not get the bus to raise to road position.

Service companies familiar with conversions however can easily do that type of diagnosis. Charter bus companies are very likely to know the coach and because they have to turn the coach around and get it back on the road are also likely to be very efficient at repairs and maintenance.

Denny and Jon - as always, excellent advice from both of you! Rest assured that I will take it to heart! thank you for sharing your experience and expertise!

[Sid Tuls]

There is a "Thompson Coach" sign posted on I-40/I-75 on the east bound lane west side of Knoxville just past the Flying J truck stop exit. Have Never taken the exit to investigate and the sign is fairly recent - last 6 months or so?

I'll have to give Rick a call, it would be awesome to have him come on the production line!!!! Believe me they don't come any better

[Jon Wehrenberg]

That was where he planned to build his conversion factory at one time. The sign has been there forever. I doubt if he plans to re-enter the business.