Blown Engine / Help from Prevost ?

[Jeff Bayley]

I need major help/advise here.

I've still got a 94 Angola with a blown engine. A piston (wrist pin we think) failed and blew a hole in the block. Only 70k miles. It has been sitting for a year while I've been trying to get an economical sollution for a replacment engine. I put some posts on this site prior about it. Recentley however, somone in the coach business said that I should try to get Prevost to go to bat on my behalf to Detroit and get some "help" from them on the engine. In other words, a discounted engine or something of the sort. W.W. Williams wants $30k for a remanufactured engine; parts and labor.

Well I spoke with Dave Langolis who is a Prevost rep. I was told by someone else that I needed to speak with Robert Hicks who is supposed to be the nationwide service manager. I've left a couple of messages for him but he is getting back to me by way of Dave Langolis who I started out with. Anyway, I made my case to Dave Langolis about a week ago to put pressure on Detroit to help me (somehow) with the replacement engine in consideration of the low mileage on it when it failed (70k miles only). There was a known defect in the early series 60's I'm informed and Detroit knows this. Evidently Detroit replaced a lot of engines for free back in the day.

This coach of course has taken time to get enough mileage on it since motor homes sit more than the drive so it's taken 12 years for the defect to manifest itself. I have been surprised when "in the biz" people have continued to encourage me to get Detoit to do something to help with the replacment engine in light of the age of the bus but person after person that know how Detroit operates continue to give me reason to belive they will help.

Now my thinking currently is that I am better off trying to work though lettting Prevost put preasure on Detroit on my behalf since it is a bad reflection on them both collectivly that a "million mile coach" gave out at 70k miles. Part of that "millon mile coach" bragging is due to the drivetrain which includes the engine from Detroit. The idea is that since Prevost buys a volume of engines from Detroit (200 a year someone remarked) that Prevost is in a better position to get them to do something.

So far, I'm not getting anywhere. I honestly don't think that I'm talking to the right people at Prevost. I think that if the right person barks at Detroit they will do something. The guys I mentioned above gave me the sad news today that their contacts at Detroit (Bill Lynch and Doug Weatherly) gave the thumbs down to my plea. I don't know any of these people. I would be satisfied if Detroit just took care of the labor to put a used engine in that I've located. I gave that suggestion to Dave Langolis today to carry back to Detroit and he says he'll make another run at it for me.

Am I making a mistake letting Prevost do the talking for me ? So far they aren't getting a damn thing done on my behalf so I'll move onto to speaking to Detroit myself soon I suppose. Can anyone give me some stradegy on this ? Call me if want at 800-854-3504 to discuss. Right now, I got a $30,000 problem that I'm trying to reduce.

Help! Any ideas appreciated.