Prevost Service Concierge - Does It Save Money and Time?
'Tis the season to be getting our busses on the road. It's also the time of year to make sure our busses are in tip-top shape before embarking on a Summer adventure.
While there's quite a few folks on this site who are qualified to work on their own coaches, there's a few of us (yes, me included) who own a Prevost as it's the safest and most reliable bus in the world. Speaking for myself, if I attempted to perform a service or repair, I would probably do more damage than good. Heck, if I went my whole life without having to look at the underside of my bus, I would continue to be a happy guy!
Whether it's taking the bus to Prevost, an independent service center or the converter, having a trained set of eyes overseeing the service or repair process is a very good thing. So, what happens if you're not the one who has a "trained set of eyes?" How do you make sure the service and repair is done properly and for a reasonable price? Here's my suggestion...
Better Call Gil!
If you turn the clock back almost two years ago, I called Gil when I was getting overwhelmed with the pre-owned motorhome shopping process and needed to have someone on my side making sure that I was getting what I was paying for. I ended up getting a much nicer coach than I had hoped for at a price that was more than competitive. With Gil providing guidance and watching my back, I found the confidence to buy my first Prevost.
Okay, so what does that have to do with a Prevost Service Concierge?
As you know, I write long winded posts and produce long videos. I didn't want to ruin my reputation by getting to the point of this post too quickly. So, read on...
I'm getting ready to embark on my Summer adventure and while my bus is due a lube, a safety check and some other stuff that's over my pay grade to make sure it's roadworthy. The bus just started exhibiting a strange issue where the rear air gauge was doing a bit of a back and forth dance that defied gravity. Since I had recently moved into a new home and have a quite a bit on my plate these days, I was running out of time to get the bus serviced in time for my Summer trip. And, I didn't think it was wise for me to start a trip with a flaky gauge reading as I wasn't sure of the consequences. So, I called Gil and asked if he could offer a service that would allow him to pick up my bus, drive it to Prevost Jacksonville, have it serviced, oversee the process, chase the gremlin, oversee the work and then bring it back to the garage. Yes, part of the deal was that he had to bring it straight back and not take a side trip to Lake Havasue. His response was...
Sure, let's give it a try.
So, this morning I met Gil at the bus garage at 6am (yeah, that 6am) and after determining the gauge issue most likely wouldn't cause his demise, he drove it to Jacksonville.
Here's the bottom line: Gil did all of the above and the coach got in and out of service in record time. Considering it's a two-hour trip each way to Prevost in Jacksonville and that he returned at 3pm, you can see that the process was very efficient. (I think Gil stopped for some Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the way back too, but ate all of them during the drive back). Since Gil was involved and had some experience behind the wheel of my coach, instead of chasing what some may feel could have been an air leak, working with the Prevost tech, they immediately focused on other factors that could be causing the issue and found it to be caused by a loose wire. My Prevost bill came back much more reasonable than I would have imagined and I have no doubt that the service was performed properly.
So, I'll ask you this:
For those of us who are not that skilled with tools and mechanical stuff and spent most of our lives building things like websites, do you think having this type of concierge service is worthwhile or am I just a crazy person?
No need to answer the second part as I already know I'm a bit eccentric.
Seriously, is this a good way for us non-mechanical folks to have the confidence that a service is performed properly?
Oh, one more thing...
Since I have a few buddies who have Class A motorhomes that require factory service appointments to be made many, many, many months in advance and take days to perform, allow me to gloat how easy it is to get an appointment at a Prevost service center. I made this appointment just a few days in advance and got the bus in and out within a few hours. All I had to do was pick up the phone and call Prevost in Jacksonville and request a time. No voice mail, no phone tree, no pressing seven.
Yeah...gloating!
So my answer to the title of this post: Yes, using Gil as a Prevost Service Concierge saved me quite a bit of time and yes, even with his reasonable fee, I have no doubt that it saved me money as he was able to respectfully speak to the techs in a language they understand and to get the bus in and out quickly. As they say, time is money and in this case I'm happy to report that I feel I saved quite a bit on the cost of this service. Upon returning to the garage, Gil took the time to explain to me (in a language I could understand) the services that were performed. Knowing my skill level, that in itself is a pretty good trick.
