Hi folks,

We're looking for as much info as we can get. We previously posted this in the Fleetwood and Freightliner sections, but we missed this area, and we hope for more goodies.

The schedule says we take delivery of our Bounder (‘07 38N) late this coming week. This will be our first diesel and we’ve been hard at it trying to learn as much as we can.

But, while we were thinking about how we were going to enjoy our new baby, we sort of missed the fact that it’s really almost two (model years) old--hardly “new” when speaking of motorhomes.

When we finally did think about that, a few things suddenly came to mind. We will be the first owners which means the coach has been sitting around for a year or so (in Tucson). Besides realizing we should diligently inspect for sun/UV issues, we figured we’d be sure the engine oil has been changed recently (or at least documented as having been changed), but, after that, we drew a blank.

What other items in a Cat diesel/Freightliner chassis require an annual service? We know most issues should be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty for a year, but we just read a post about someone in a similar situation assuming the required service had been done by the dealer. It had not, but there was no proof either way. The not so happy owner was stuck with a hefty engine replacement bill.

We’d like to miss out on that adventure if we can.

We want to be as sure as we can that the dealer has taken care of as much as possible before we take delivery and anything you have to offer is most appreciated.

Thanks much
SSteve

Steve, we just sold our Horizon with the 300 Cat. This was/is a great engine. It never gave us any trouble. The only thing close to engine trouble we had was Freightliner had the crankcase breather tube plumbed down in front of the radiator and the oily smoke from that collected on the radiator and intercooler, causing it to stop up and it over-heated on a long pull up the canyon from Greybull one time.
Folks at Gaffney fixed that problem with a re-plumb job and a new pipe. It did great and had plenty of power for a 36 foot coach towing a Honda Element.
If you have them change the oil, make sure they put the exact amount called for in the engine. Then mark the dipstick. Sometimes the marks on the dipstick are wrong and they get overfilled, causing more oil to get blown out the crankcase breather pipe.
Our Freightliner chassis and components did not give a lot of trouble. When we first bought it, the chassis air conditioner failed. We ended up in Iowa getting it repaired at Winnebago factory shop. Might be a good idea to let the coach run for a while at fast idle to make sure it is cooling OK.
The customer service folks in Gaffney will help you via phone with issues that are confusing or unclear.
Good luck and congratulations on the new coach