Diesel Mechanic Near Dallas
I knew for awhile that I had a small leak at my drivers side exhaust manifold. Talked to Stewart & Stevenson back in March and was told to expect the job to run around twelve hundred if no problems came up while doing the work. But, the guy told me to expect at least one stud to break during removal and that would push the price up even more.
I knew the mechanic that did the code read and ran the valves on my engine last year was somewhere around Dallas, so I called Paul Davis and got his phone number. This guy worked for Stewart & Stevenson for several years and knows his stuff around Detroit Diesel engines. Took the coach to him a week ago today. I also bought and delivered to him new manifold gaskets for both sides, new studs, nuts & washers, 8 gallons of Power Cool antifreeze ($20 a gallon) and told him to call me if he found anything else that needed replacing. We talked several times during the week. He wanted to replace both pyro probes and we found them at Buddy Gregg in Dallas, and new turbo tube clamps.
Now I will say that my engine has never leaked oil, and before I took the coach to him I cleaned the engine and engine compartment real good. Every time we talked he said something about how nice and clean everything was and it sure made the job go faster.
OK, all of that to say the mechanic called around noon today to say the coach was ready to pick up. Great, how much cash should I bring with me??
Well, he says, how about $450 bucks.
Dang, this guy does BOTH sides and a few other things for one third of what S&S wanted for one side. Yea, I can live with that.
So, if anyone around Dallas needs a good DD mechanic and is willing to pay below what you might expect, send me a PM and I will get you this guys info.
Alternate Service Centers
Since this topic has arisen I checked with a local shop. I did not know if they wanted to mess with coaches since the bulk of their business is trucks.
As it turns out they do want bus business and they are changing their scope to include more than just engine and transmission work.
I know for a fact that the majority of the staff, both managers and technicians have experience in general repair and maintenance so they are capable of handling all of the routine service items such as lubes, fluid changes, filter changes, air springs, brakes, bearings, hub seals as well as engine and transmission work.
They will not do paint or body work. They will not replace windshields. They will not do tires or anything relating to alignments and that includes king pins for example.
I will be posing more questions and have more conversations with them before I post full information and give them a recommendation because I want to know how they will handle repairs to the repairs, access to the coach while it is being serviced. I also need to find out how they intend to support the coach since they have no pit. That means the coach will be raised on the individual wheel lifts thus preventing any access to the coach.
Right now they have no hookups.
Once we get done chatting and they have approved what i will post I will post the information for those who wish to consider alternates to Prevost Service centers or need a service facility in the Knoxville TN area.
If we can maybe we should create a thread that can be printed and carried along with us when we travel that lists information about various service facilities. I already know that this shop is first class and while they are not shy about charging for their expertise they work efficiently and are likely to be less expensive than Prevost. BTW, I have no bad feelings about Prevost, and virtually all my experiences with them have been good, but based on what has been posted here and discussed at rallies it may be a good idea as has been suggested to list alternatives.