Community Forums

cenfl · 12-02-2019, 08:29 AM

We are considering buying a 2015 Ventana, being offered for sale on consignment. The coach currently has about 13K miles on it, which is not a lot of use for a 5 year old diesel.
We asked the broker for maintenance history and he contacted the owner and advised us that the owner "can't find" maintenance paperwork

. Freightliner has very specific maintenance "recomendations" for their chassis, such as engine oil and filter change annually REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE.
So, assuming worst case scenario that little or no maintenance has been done on this lightly used 2015 coach, is this a "deal breaker"? Are we asking for a BIG repair bill down the road with this coach?
Really appreciate opinions from you experienced DP owners...

Thanks!

PanJH · 12-02-2019, 08:56 AM

Ask the current owner where he/she had the required maintenance work done and then contact that shop. If the owner says they don't remember where they had the work done, I'd guess it wasn't done. You don't forget where you take your expensive motorhome for a yearly service that runs about $1k each year.

Dutch Star Don · 12-02-2019, 10:21 AM

I wouldn't be concerned with it. Freightliner recommends a service at 5K where the oil is changed an other items are checked and serviced. Many skip this service, unaware they require one so early. The next service gets done around 10K. So....even if the service was never done, it's not that far out of the service parameter.

Often, when a dealer takes in a used coach, they clean out the entire thing, throwing out anything that looks like trash. If the previous owner had kept his own documents, they may have been tossed. You call the dealer, you ask him about records, he calls the PO and is told the records are in the coach. Oops....the dealer then says he has no records. So I wouldn't necessarily believe there was never service on the coach.

The biggee is the fluids. Make your deal with the caveat that the fluids are tested by a lab. You're just not going to destroy that coach in 13K, even if it has the original oil.

twojayhawks · 12-02-2019, 01:03 PM

I was in nearly the same situation with my second coach (Safari Zanzibar). Coach was for sale by owner and right at 4 years old with no use to speak of. Coach was perfect & I really wanted it. When I asked owner for maintenance records there were none. His reply was "it's just now due". I did buy the coach and first thing I did was have it serviced & oil sampled. Oil was fine, coach was fine, & we enjoyed it for 10 more completely trouble free years. Maybe you should ask dealer to get you a oil sample report?

twogypsies · 12-02-2019, 04:58 PM

When the party bought our 8 year old Dutch Star on consignment one comment he made was having all the manuals and service receipts available for him clinched the deal. He knew the coach was well cared for with no mechanical issues done.

Pusherman · 12-02-2019, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cenfl

We are considering buying a 2015 Ventana, being offered for sale on consignment. The coach currently has about 13K miles on it, which is not a lot of use for a 5 year old diesel.
We asked the broker for maintenance history and he contacted the owner and advised us that the owner "can't find" maintenance paperwork

. Freightliner has very specific maintenance "recomendations" for their chassis, such as engine oil and filter change annually REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE.
So, assuming worst case scenario that little or no maintenance has been done on this lightly used 2015 coach, is this a "deal breaker"? Are we asking for a BIG repair bill down the road with this coach?
Really appreciate opinions from you experienced DP owners...

Thanks!

I would not hesitate for a minute if this coach is what you want. You should assume the following investment of $2000-$3000 for maintenance which the prior owner may or may not have done. Since you don't know what they did, just do it so you know where the coach is regarding a service interval.

Engine oil and filter change
Chassis lube
Fuel filters (2)
Engine air filter
Air Brake filter replacement (desiccant and coalescent)
Transmission oil and filters w/ Transynd
Generator service - oil and filter change, fuel filter
Coolant system flush and refill

I believe this is a M3 service as described by Freightliner (other than the genny service).

Of course check tires and belts, but I am assuming they should be good to go with no maintenance other than setting tire pressures (due to the coach's age).

Negotiate the price such that YOU will have the above maintenance done and you will be good to go with a fresh service and you will know what was done.

Good luck!

zzotte · 12-02-2019, 05:42 PM

If everything checks out for you, have Freightliner do an inspection and do all that is recommended at least you will have a solid base going forward

Zzotte

jacwjames · 12-02-2019, 06:08 PM

When we bought our 6 year old +50K mile rig there were no maintenance records. It was a repo. I did a thorough inspection myself and was satisfied the rig was taken care of. After purchase I took the rig to a Cummins dealer for a complete service and inspection. It came through with a clean bill of health and a good starting point for my own maintenance.

Don't regret the decision one bit.

Campin Cajun · 12-02-2019, 06:27 PM

Never believe anything a dealership, salesperson or broker tells you about anything on something you may potentially buy from them.

Do your own research and/or test on it.

RM Art · 12-02-2019, 06:44 PM

Maybe... You could use the no records situation for leverage of a price discount??

When we purchased our 1996 RV from orig owner; he had pampered it and kept every receipt on everything ever done. Those two items were much help in our decision to purchase.

In addition to our vintage RV... We also have three vintage boats, a classic muscle car and classic truck. We keep all records [receipts] on every thing we own. It's simple to do and should be available for the next owner.

Hawkeye · 12-02-2019, 07:39 PM

I would use this to negotiate down for sure, but I agree with some of the other posters, if no maintenance was done, nothing could be harmed. If it had 80K on it, that would be a big concern. If it does concern you, insist on a 3rd party fluid test and inspection. Good luck!

FLJOE · 12-03-2019, 03:03 AM

I would try to pin down more information on the maintenance. What if he ran it for all those miles over a 4 or 5 year period and never changed the oil? Would that nut the deal? It certainly would for me.

Someone that is lazy about their maintenance or neglects it for some other reason may not suffer the consequences in the first 3 or 4 years, but it may have a negative effect down the road.

lonfu · 12-03-2019, 03:53 AM

I wouldn't worry about it. If you like the moho and it is what you are looking for , then go for it..... Have it serviced by the dealer you are buying from, you are gonna' have to learn about the service stuff anyways... Study up on what items need to be serviced and when they need to be done from the engine man. and chassis man. Make up a spread sheet that you can check off for yourself... expect a 2 pager at least.

Diesel service is about 50% more expensive than a gasser, but are able to move more weight down the highway at normal speeds. Both get about the same mileage. Most diesels require service every 10k on oil and filter but sounds like your unit was sold or traded just before it ready to service. If you think it has more than a couple of years then have it serviced...... Diesel oil is always black, started mine up after just installing the oil and it is black after 5 mins of running, so don't let engine oil color scare you.

Service costs vary according to mileage. A simple lube oil filter will run you $300. A major tranny filter, coolant change, hydraulic oil change, lube oil filter, 2 fuel filters, air dryer filter, fuel tank water drain, drive belts and such will run you no less than $2500 to $3000.00..... Don't be shocked, good news is that you don't have to have it all done at the same time, bad news is that you have to have it down at some time....

Most folks tend to think that a "DP" will last longer than a gasser, not true. Modern gas engines use a "harder steel" and include many new technologies that make them last 300k miles. The rubber hoses on a DP rot just as fast as the ones on a gasser and with moho's "time" is more the "adversity" than miles.... So, don't sweat it, if you like it, buy it.

PS...... Dealers frequently delete, throw away and hide service records to help boost the value of a vehicle. To the layman, lots of repair records indicate "problems" with a coach. To a mechanic it means all the "problems" have been take care of.... I'd like to eventually see that all vehicles are required by law to have their complete service records be included in every sale.... Not holding my breath on that one...

cenfl · 12-03-2019, 05:20 AM

Thanks all for the replies!!! This will be our first DP and we really appreciate your insights.
Consensus so far appears to be that even if no maintenance has been done on this coach in 13K miles, the probability that significant damage has already been done is fairly low. I called Freightliner Customer Service and after explaining the situation, the rep. told me essentially the same thing. He also recommended a major service be done to provide a good baseline going forward.
I will be talking to the broker again, to see if he can get maintenance records from the owner or at least find out where the owner had any maintenance work performed. Maybe I could follow up with the shop to get some history.