Pinless Slides

[Jerry Winchester]

So that means when you get the old dog back and the steering is all tightened up, you will be up for a road trip to Santa Fe?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Francis states that slides are universally loved by those he has spoken to about them. I don't doubt for a minute they are a great asset.

But he misses my point. The folks that have conversions with slides don't put on the miles. A non slide coach in commercial service is good for millions of miles and that is the lie we all tell ourselves is the reason we spend the bucks to get a Prevost. We boast to others that our RVs are good for millions of miles and that is why we have one and not a plywood palace.

The reality is nobody with a conversion with slides even approaches the miles accumulated in normal bus service so it is too early to tell if they ultimately will be maintenance nightmares. For those that have slide coaches it is doubtful they will have their coach long enough to see problems. They don't care about the extra weight, the lack of access to all bay space, or the intrusion into that space with structural members. The extra room offsets these disadvantages.

As long as an owner can trade every 100,000 miles it is unlikely he will ever see slide problems. Because Prevost engineers incorporated the slides into the shell there may never be problems associated with the slides. But my concern is that the very structure that makes my non-slide coach so strong is cut in half, and has a huge hole in it. That gives me pause for concern.

Having said that, it is probable our next coach will have a slide or two. I am comfortable because like other Prevost owners it is unlikely we will put enough miles on our coach to expose problems. But I want to see how the entertainer coaches with slide function after 5 or 10 years in service.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Lew,

It is amazing. You have related your saga and every expert including Prevost has previously been unsuccessful at resolving your problem. All of a sudden the answer is bushings.

The skeptic in me thinks the previous dollars spent at Prevost should be refunded, or at least credited toward your bill which will be as big as what JDUB will be spending to make his bus have bling.

I hope they are right and your Marathon Manor steers like a new coach.

[Just Plain Jeff]

Slides are plastic coach thinking from where I sit. We were parked next to a brand new Newell at Parliament, which I think is a pretty expensive and well made plastic coach. A brief rainstorm ensued and the owner was flooded. The inflatable seal around the slide was not inflated and there you go. In order to fix the seal, the slide has to be completely removed, absolutely straight on a platform, new seal and test, then reinserted. Parliament deferred the repair job, suggesting they go elsewhere.

As to the Prevost slide, according to one of their sales people, "We got into slides a little late."

Indeed.

The additional space provided by the slide, as compared with the compromises of structural integrity of the coach, diminished/limited accessibility in storage and additional cost doesn't make it worth the buy. No matter how you figure a slide, there is additional mechanism to make it work and that's more stuff to go wrong. There is no doubt that the Prevost slide is likely the heaviest duty slide on the market, but without the flat floor and the above compromises, no slides for us.

Why take a great, uncompromising product and compromise it for the benefit of the marketplace?

If someone loves slides, get the Quad slide Monaco Executive; flat floors, lots of nifty other features not found on a Prevost conversion. A person could probably get several tens of thousands of miles out of it before it starts to go, by which time the original owner likely had traded it anyway.

So, I agree, the slide conversation is a non-starter. Don't buy a slide coach unless you know what you are getting into.

Lew:

You are due money from Josam as well and I wouldn't be afraid to ask for it. How in the world could they have done a proper alignment without noting that the shocks were shot? As we have discussed in person, I am no fan of Josam on a Prevost coach anyway, and you have given reason #2. I suspect that they are going to give you a new alignment because Josam likely didn't do what they were supposed to do both with the shocks and the alignment. (Be aware that Jax Prevost and Josam/Orlando aren't exactly pals).

Save up yer Lew Bucks and get to Santa Fe. We'll take your bus apart and show you all the different pieces and how they fit together.

Then you will know how to reassemble it! What a deal!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

By the time the Lewster drives away from Camp Prevost he will know more about his front end than he ever wanted to know.

But......and this is a real benefit to Lew.....Prevost owns that problem for a year. They stand behind their work and once they proclaim the problem solved Lew can take that bus back as often as required until his problem is truly fixed. The key is to make absolutely certain the work order shows the problem is what it is, and not what work will be performed. If the problem is wander and poor steering control it should state that, and if they opt to replace bushings or whatever, if it isn't right they get to keep working on their nickle until the problem is solved.

Prevost as a matter of policy stands behind their work which is a good offset to the cost.

[lewpopp]

I was sitting in the waiting room worrying about the coach and reading some high class material that some "hig mukkie mucks" left trying to impress their fellow P owners.

I was glancing thru a bunch of mags and started to feel as though I was going to puke. I found 2 aeroplane mags that you planted to make me sick, Jon. You will get yours. I really spoiled my day.

Thanks for the incouragement on the work that Prevost is doing. You can bet your bippie that all of the i's are dotted, etc.

Tomorrows another day.

Jeff: Josam did not attempt to align the coach. The shook it and inspected it and fooled around with the ride height etc. But no alignment. Yes, wouldn't it be nice to be able to get the $175 back after they did nothing but I doubt anyone would listen at all.

I really pray that this work will straighten the problem out for there will only be a few more blips in the road and I will pull the plug on this wonderful life. No pity asked for. I have a really go coach and want to use the money to travel, not to scratch the repairmans back.

Tomorrow's another day and I know you guys are rooting for me all the way.

Might have another member for POG. Gave him an application yesterday. He just bought a 98 from Phil Cooper and his name is Roger Schiffler. See if his name shows up on the need to join list.

[MangoMike]

Lew,

The long and winding road does so for a purpose. However that phrase shouldn't pertain to your steering. Hope things work out as planned.

Mango

[Just Plain Jeff]

You betchya that we're behind ya Lew. Not only that, you might mention to lovely Cindy that the work being done in your coach is being monitored in real time over the internet.

And you thought that was a washing machine next to the lobby.

Hah!

[mike kerley]

Lew, Hang in there "old timer".

There, now that I have your attention.

I think you'll be amazed when you roll out the door there (broke, but amazed). It will drive like a new coach. I'll bet the new shocks make all the difference in the world on the ride.

Life if full of peaks and valleys, you'll climb that hill. If you were not fixing the bus, you'd be fixing the house or paying a hospital bill or something else with less return, so enjoy the day. Hey, you could be married to some 21 year old who is just hanging around waiting for you to drop! ?????? Let me think about that!

[Just Plain Jeff]

Psssst, Mike!

Lew's wife IS 21! Or at least she looks like it!