Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-30-2013, 06:42 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Home is where I park it
Posts: 1,503
Another interesting thing.....

seems like I get a lot of them.

Yesterday I had my first routine maintenence by FreightLiner of Arizona. This was mostly nothing more than an oil and filter change.

However, several hours down the road I was checking the toad at a rest stop and noticed that they had installed "baffles" at the very top of the two doors that allow engine (well actually mostly radiator) access.

The "baffles" cover the top two openings in the horizontal grille. Now I KNOW for certain that those "baffles" were not there prior to the service visit.

BUT, Freightliner should have no responsibility for these, since the access doors were designed/manufactured by FR.

So, why would FL of AZ have installed these baffles?? As far as I can see on the bill, I was not charged for anything but the oil change.

Boowho??
boowho is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2013, 06:51 PM   #2
B47
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Keller, Texas
Posts: 6,090
Quote:
Originally Posted by boowho View Post
seems like I get a lot of them.

Yesterday I had my first routine maintenence by FreightLiner of Arizona. This was mostly nothing more than an oil and filter change.

However, several hours down the road I was checking the toad at a rest stop and noticed that they had installed "baffles" at the very top of the two doors that allow engine (well actually mostly radiator) access.

The "baffles" cover the top two openings in the horizontal grille. Now I KNOW for certain that those "baffles" were not there prior to the service visit.

BUT, Freightliner should have no responsibility for these, since the access doors were designed/manufactured by FR.

So, why would FL of AZ have installed these baffles?? As far as I can see on the bill, I was not charged for anything but the oil change.

Boowho??
Perhaps they were installed as part of a factory recall/product improvement campaign. But regardless of why they were installed, your bill should have told you the reason why.

Call the place where they were installed and ask.
B47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2013, 11:14 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: West Michigan/Fort Myers
Posts: 3,927
Bill would you post pictures of these baffles.



Phil57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2013, 09:22 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Home is where I park it
Posts: 1,503
`
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil57 View Post
Bill would you post pictures of these baffles.
Phil, I'll do that IF I decide what I posted previously is true. The wife and I are starting to think they may have been there all the time. And that our previous 5 month parking spot was sloped down enough behind the coach so we had a different viewing perspective.

We based our feeling that the baffles were new based upon not being able to see the little "vacuum gauge" (and other things) without stooping a bit. All the while parked for 5 months we could see those things easily without stooping or crouching down.

While on this topic, I am not pleased with the job that FL of AZ did for me. Besides the oil change, they also did a recall procedure on brake light and/or signal light "diodes".

I guess the "diodes" were inside the steering wheel housing. After the service, I found a single edge razor blade laying on the dashboard near the wheel, PLUS my signal light lever no longer self-cancels COMPLETELY.

Then when I mentioned re-programming my tranny for the economy mode, they looked at me with the deer-in-the-headlights look.

This may be just me, but DAMN I hate to let 90% of these grease monkeys touch my coach (or even my car for that matter). They NEVER want you watching them work "for insurance regulation purposes". Yeah, right... They don't want you seeing their incompetence.

IMHO, about 1 in 10 of them is actually worth a flip. The other 9 are idiots. I often wonder did they actually change the oil at all, or just forget about it.

So, now I still don't have economy mode ( I just told them to forget it) and a left signal that only half cancels. And oh yes, both my map reading lights no longer work. Nice, huh??

Obviously, this FL shop will never touch my coach again!!

Boowho??
boowho is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2013, 09:43 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: West Michigan/Fort Myers
Posts: 3,927
Bill I have been in you're shoes before and without coincidence in the shop is a must for turning your MH over. If you get over as far as Gaffney SC the factory has a shop there to do service work. They work on all kinds of MH but only work on their chassis. The are kinda cocky in the pride of work they do and live up to it. I rally liked them and they tell it straight like they do down there. Any way if you are over that way I had them put on the tires do the front end alight and a few other items. Great job and reasonable. Taking the class was worth the time also.



Phil57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 08:32 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Joker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 192
A couple things to consider:

The signal canceling is different in my MH than in any car I've driven. Sometimes It seems to cancel the signal without moving the lever all the way back to neutral. Not really sure why it does this.

Remember the map lights have a master control on the driver's left side window panel. This must be on before the little rotating switches on the lights will work. I always forget that switch, and in fact I can't remember which exactly it is, though in thinking its the roller/dimmer knob.
Joker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 08:50 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
tmmar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Long Island (Nassau County), NY
Posts: 4,352
joker is correct that the 'roller/dimmer' knob that controls the brightness of the dash lighting needs to be 'rolled' all the way up for the map lights to work. Also, not sure what you mean about re-programming for economy mode. There should be a button on the transmission panel that says 'mode'. When that is pushed, you are supposed to get better shifting resulting in some fuel economy.
__________________
Tom and Margaret
2014 Berkshire 390bh-60

tmmar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 09:00 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: West Michigan/Fort Myers
Posts: 3,927
The mode button when pushed and the light is on lowers the shift points and gives you more MPG. It will go into 6 gear at 62 or so.



Phil57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 11:19 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Home is where I park it
Posts: 1,503
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joker View Post
A couple things to consider:

The signal canceling is different in my MH than in any car I've driven. Sometimes It seems to cancel the signal without moving the lever all the way back to neutral. Not really sure why it does this.

Remember the map lights have a master control on the driver's left side window panel. This must be on before the little rotating switches on the lights will work. I always forget that switch, and in fact I can't remember which exactly it is, though in thinking its the roller/dimmer knob.

That's exactly what is now happening with the signal light lever but only on a left hand turn, plus I did not notice it before. But with my feeling now that I was probably wrong about the original "baffles" comment in the OM, I really can't be sure now, can I?? (Damn senior moments!!)

As far as the map light goes, you can slap my face and call me silly!!!! You are indeed right, but I don't know how that wheel got turned. I don't think I touched it, but maybe I did.

So.... with much chagrin I retract my RANT, particularly against FL of AZ. I APOLOGIZE TO THEM FOR ATTACKING THEIR REPUTATION.

In general though, I'd still feel a LOT better if I could watch work being done. I HAVE had occasions over the years where a mechanic screwed up royally.

In the worst I came close to burning up a brand new engine due to the guy putting the oil drain plug in only finger tight. (And yes, it did come out, but thankfully while the car was parked in the garage.).

Phil.... Just for fun, I'll attach those "baffle" pictures later today. But I'm now 99% certain I was wrong on that issue as well. So, there's my meal of crow for awhile. (Munch, Munch!!)

Boowho??
boowho is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 03:42 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 188
Quote:
Originally Posted by boowho View Post
That's exactly what is now happening with the signal light lever but only on a left hand turn, plus I did not notice it before. But with my feeling now that I was probably wrong about the original "baffles" comment in the OM, I really can't be sure now, can I?? (Damn senior moments!!)

As far as the map light goes, you can slap my face and call me silly!!!! You are indeed right, but I don't know how that wheel got turned. I don't think I touched it, but maybe I did.

So.... with much chagrin I retract my RANT, particularly against FL of AZ. I APOLOGIZE TO THEM FOR ATTACKING THEIR REPUTATION.

In general though, I'd still feel a LOT better if I could watch work being done. I HAVE had occasions over the years where a mechanic screwed up royally.

In the worst I came close to burning up a brand new engine due to the guy putting the oil drain plug in only finger tight. (And yes, it did come out, but thankfully while the car was parked in the garage.).

Phil.... Just for fun, I'll attach those "baffle" pictures later today. But I'm now 99% certain I was wrong on that issue as well. So, there's my meal of crow for awhile. (Munch, Munch!!)

Boowho??
Well Boohoo, I am glad you started this thread cause I couldn't figure out those pesky map lights for the life of me, including tearing them apart to check bulbs, connections etc! And now I know!!

That being said does everyone know how to use the "high idle" feature for the engine? Did you know that we even have a high idle feature? It's another one of those map light "oh that's how that works" feature......With unit in neutral and park brake applied, rev up the engine (it doesn't matter how much because the high idle is preset, it just needs to know that you are setting it) and then push in the "set" button on the end of the cruise control stalk. Voila, your high idle is now engaged and engine should idle around 1000 rpm. We should start a separate thread for all the little "how to use/do" stuff in our coaches. That would be way more fun then actually reading a manual....
speedmerchant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 05:32 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Home is where I park it
Posts: 1,503
Quote:
Originally Posted by speedmerchant View Post
Well Boohoo, I am glad you started this thread cause I couldn't figure out those pesky map lights for the life of me, including tearing them apart to check bulbs, connections etc! And now I know!!

That being said does everyone know how to use the "high idle" feature for the engine? Did you know that we even have a high idle feature? It's another one of those map light "oh that's how that works" feature......With unit in neutral and park brake applied, rev up the engine (it doesn't matter how much because the high idle is preset, it just needs to know that you are setting it) and then push in the "set" button on the end of the cruise control stalk. Voila, your high idle is now engaged and engine should idle around 1000 rpm. We should start a separate thread for all the little "how to use/do" stuff in our coaches. That would be way more fun then actually reading a manual....
I wasn't aware of that feature on the coach, but in the trucks I drove it was quite common. All you had to do was press the accelerate button on the cruise control. Every time you hit it the idle speed would increase a bit, so you pretty much set the idle speed anywhere you wanted (just keep bumping the accelerate button).

When drivers idle over night in a truck stop for either heat or air conditioning, supposedly an idle of less than 1000 RPM will not keep enough oil circulating to the turbine bearings and you will seriously damage the turbine. So, I've been told, anyhow.

I do thank you for pointing that out. Didn't know it was on the coach chassis.

Boowho??

P.S. Excellent idea on the separate thread for this type of info. Maybe a moderator could even make it "sticky"?
boowho is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2013, 11:43 PM   #12
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by speedmerchant View Post
Well Boohoo, I am glad you started this thread cause I couldn't figure out those pesky map lights for the life of me, including tearing them apart to check bulbs, connections etc! And now I know!!

That being said does everyone know how to use the "high idle" feature for the engine? Did you know that we even have a high idle feature? It's another one of those map light "oh that's how that works" feature......With unit in neutral and park brake applied, rev up the engine (it doesn't matter how much because the high idle is preset, it just needs to know that you are setting it) and then push in the "set" button on the end of the cruise control stalk. Voila, your high idle is now engaged and engine should idle around 1000 rpm. We should start a separate thread for all the little "how to use/do" stuff in our coaches. That would be way more fun then actually reading a manual....
I think that would be a very good idea but put then in alphabetical order so i know were to look
niffit is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:44 AM.