bus repair

For anyone needing repairs in the Denver Colorado area,I would highly recommend Colorado Charter Lines/303/2870239//// needing otr air charged late summer I tried to get into several places in Denver with no luck/forget Volvo,which is recommended by Prevost,they were rude and unhelpful/Colorado charter dropped everything and I had 3 guys working on different things for a good part of the day,including finding a leak in the ot road air and recharging it/Prevost in fort worth Texas had worked on it for 3 days and 4,000 dollars,in early summer//total bill was around 1000 dollars//The service mgr. is Wayne//Great place and they work on xls and H/GREAT PEOPLE/I wold love to see a list of good repair shops through out the country//I wasted a lot of time looking,and calling before finding Colorado Charter//joe cagianut/redprevost@yahoo.com

That is a great idea and could be modeled after the enclosed web site www.rvservicereviews.com. Why not ???? then repair shops are listed by state, each shop stands on it's own merits.
Mr. Skiff how can we get ...... bus service reviews...... up and going ?

Great idea Joe.... so hard to know where to go off the top of your head when you're away from home and even when we're home at times !!

Maybe it can be set up for us??

I've found local or small Bus Lines to be quite handy. Often with older mechanics who have worked on everything and hoard parts that may be hard to find locally especially in my "dated" coach. Arrow Bus in East Denver just off I-70 was great for me last summer when having power steering trouble.

Arrow Bus Lines has helped me several times here in KC. They have a certified Prevost tech on there staff.

So/why do we not have a list of helpful and not so helpful places?The amount of help that I have recieved in the short time I have been a member is fantastic,thru pog,but I think it would be great to have a list I could carry,or look up in one place.It might help save time and money//joe//98 h45 vantare

The Bus Garage Index, i believe is the name and it cost 25 bucks . List all Garages and bus firms in the country

I usually have more confidence in the personal testimonials than the bought and paid for listings in a directory. Therefore, everyone keep the good recommendations coming.

Arrow Stages here in Denver has been a great asset. Gene, Svc Mgr is a good guy and pays attention to details.
EVen let me hang out in the garage.
As said prior, we have had good experiences with Craig and Todd in the Bus Barn at Stewart and Stevenson in Commerce City Co.,
They are the ones who, recharged our OTR with the R-12 I provided and installed 6 rear shocks for 500 dollars. WE would have put the shocks on, but haven't yet figured out how to get the bus rear in the air.
We will be replacing some Norgren with the spool kits, and Idon't know how we will be doing that yet.,

I also had work done on my bus once at Arrow, they were very cordial, and got right on the job. I would go back there in a heartbeat if in the area and needed work done.

So why do we not have a seperate section with contact #s for bus repair accross the country,where we could share # and names and experiences/It would save time and possibly grief and $$$$/plus trying to go back thru months of misc. posts is a drag//just my nickels worth/joe

We have always owned a Prevost and currently are proud owners of a 1985 Le Mirage. Our passion for Prevost stems from our ability to work on them in every aspect....mechanical, electrical and cosmetic. Our facility is Commonwealth Coach, Inc. #804-541-0018 located in Hopewell, VA - just minutes from Richmond. Check out our website: cwcoachworks.com.

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Originally Posted by Les Lagerquist

I usually have more confidence in the personal testimonials than the bought and paid for listings in a directory. Therefore, everyone keep the good recommendations coming.

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I agree with Les, one could conceivably spend as much time weeding through generic companies in a "paid for directory" as it would take on you own from companies on the Internet. It would be very helpful to have our own list of member recommended facilities. I don't think it would be to hard for Jamie to compile the information with assistance from the membership. Jamie, what say you?

I am not familiar with Colorado Charters, but am very glad to hear you got your monies worth. In my experience Stewart and Stevenson in Denver / Commerce City is aslo A+ and the entire S and S franchise is among the best.

I do not own a bus, but have been in the Prevost conversion and service business for almost 30 years now. I think the trick is to find a dedicated shop that is excellent at both the conversion AND the Prevost chassis. Although the coach is one "unit" the two parts are different, from different manufacturers, and require different sets of skills, contacts, parts and expertise. The best shops will have great all around techs, but among them specialists in key areas, including Prevost chassis. Here at our little shop we have one excellent tech with over 20 years direct Prevost service experience and a few guys including myself with Prevost factory training, plus a mountain of conversion experience. It is difficult, but not impossible, to assemble a shop with the right mixture or balance of talents. The overall goal is to benefit the customer with the widest range of skills, direct knowledge of all model years, and experience under one roof.

All that said, I would leave any "heavy" engine or transmission work to shop that specialize in just that. Good service shops are fine for routine oil and lube work, but any big drive train stuff is best left for the experts in that particular business.

I think an index of conversion repair and remodel shops is a great idea, and it will only take a majority of you to talk someone into putting it together..... Trust me, anyone who makes a living in this field (and is paying attention) is aware of their reputation and the customer "grapevine." There are some buy out or pay-to-advertise catalogs, but there is no substitute, good or bad, for first hand experiences and accounts.

Good luck and Safe Travels!

Pat Sprenger
Coach Pro LLC

This is a very helpful thread. Wish I could contribute a shop but the only one I would recommend at this time is the Liberty factory/dealership . But would love to her about shops in south east ,south and south west since we do most of our traveling in those areas. Good luck charms , OCD rituals, and church on Sundays can only carry me so far before I experience the " big mechanical failure" on the road. Keep the posts coming!

I just wanted to second a good experience with Wayne at Colorado Charters. He put on all new rear bags/shocks, replaced a value, engine air bellow along with a bunch of little things. He worked long one day to get us back on the road and did a great job.

I am now looking to see if anyone has any experience with a bus garage in Northern California. We had a hose start leaking some air in the engine compartment that I need someone to replace. Please let me know if you have any recommendations.