2003 Alpine Coach

[GI Joe]

Just picked up a beautiful '03 Alpine 40FDTS. Looking forward to getting it out on the road. Does anyone know of any "peculiararities" about this year/model I should be aware of or beware of? I have heard of a few dropped "universal joints" but that's about it. I will be monitoring the website often. Looks like a lot of good participation.

[GI Joe]

Just picked up a beautiful '03 Alpine 40FDTS. Looking forward to getting it out on the road. Does anyone know of any "peculiararities" about this year/model I should be aware of or beware of? I have heard of a few dropped "universal joints" but that's about it. I will be monitoring the website often. Looks like a lot of good participation.

[MonacoMama]

GI Joe...Congrats on your "new to you" Alpine ..and...Welcome to iRV2 and the Alpine forum!! we are glad to have you join this great RV forum family.
I am sure you will find this group is full of all sorts of information and are willing to share info when asked.

Again..welcome to iRV2 & Alpine... we hope you visit & post often!


MM

[Dave Fernandez]

Hello GI Joe:

Welcome to the Alpine Coach Family.

[RV Wizard]

GI Joe, welcome to iRV2.com. We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences. Congratulations on your Apline. Good luck and keep us posted.

[jams001]

oh really so congratzz for the job well done,



___________________
Great thing to know about busby seo test.

[Old Scout]

Congratulations--many of us 03 owners like to think the 03 was the last good coach WRV made! All kidding aside, 03s and earlier coaches have the benefit of not having so many electronic "conveniences/gadgets" to contend with/fix.

This forum is a great resource, especially the "find option," for researching past and present trends in owner maintenance challenges. The tech library on the ACA club website is another good resource. One caution on using these resources--Alpine coach components vary greatly from year to year and sometimes, within model year. You need to make sure a discussion on this site actually applies to your 03 before you get excited about a problem or fix.

Here are a couple of "issues" about the 03s: 1) you will probably want to upgrade the old Heart inverter[epecially if you do alot of dry camping]; 2) leaky HWH hydraulic hoses were a problem on some 03s; 3) dash A/C cooling--see thread on this site; 4)water leaks [rain] around slide gaskets. More generic concerns include--depending on miles and age: new shocks and new tires.

Welcome to the Alpine family and please join our travel club--not a better group of folks to be found anywhere.

[takepride]

GI Joe:

Congratulations on picking the best year and floorplan!

My issues were:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Replaced inverter with a Xantrex RS3000 to stop a myriad of electrical problems
<LI>Changed location water was drawn from on the freshwater tank so I could use entire quantity
<LI>Installed a slightly resistant one-way check valve on the forward freshwater tank vent to eliminate siphoning when too full[/list]
For improvements, though not necessary, I:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>"Upgraded" my water pump to a Shurflo 5.7 VSP (though some have had problems with one)
<LI>Installed new Koni shocks (old ones pretty dead anyhow)
<LI>Installed new SeeLevel II 709 tank gauges, since the old ones aren't very accurate
<LI>Upgraded my satellite to an in-motion, since it would not work with my household DISH subscription[/list]My want list is now:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>New tires, Goodyear 670s
<LI>Smart Tire monitoring system
<LI>Rear custom mudflap
<LI>Dishwasher drawer
<LI>LCD TV, mine are 20" CRTs
<LI>An ambiguous and ever-changing list of other items I will eventually be able to justify.[/list]
If you do a "FIND" on these items, I and many others have added enough 2-cents-worth to refinance the economy. Have fun reading.

Good luck, post often!

[work2play]

Takepride,

I would love to see pictures of your LCD conversions. I have an '03 34 FDDS and am considering changing out my CRT's.

thanks,
Mike

[gjstacy]

Hi GI Joe,

Welcome to our family!!

We owned an 03 and the one thing we also changed out that "takepride" mentions is moving the fresh water draw to the bottom of the tank. The way it was manufactured, that draw was on the side of the tank, and of the 100 gallons the tank holds you could only use 75 to 80 gallons. By moving the draw to the bottom, you can use the full 100 gallons...a real plus when you dry camp.

Please be sure to come here to ask all of your questions as you use your new rig. And, also consider joining ACA (Alpine Coach Association, see www.alpinecoachassociation.com) and ACE (Alpine Coach East, see www.ace-rv.com) and participating at the rallies. There is no better place to learn about all of the components of your Alpine!! And no better place to meet wonderful friends!

[Tom and Patty]

Welcome too!!!

You will enjoy iRV2 and this forum.

Now Gail, if we park uphill we can use all of our water too!

[dgerstel]

GI Joe,

Congratulations on your new coach! I am sure that you will enjoy it as we have ours. I did a lot of research before buying both of our Alpines and couldn't find anything that we would want other than Alpine. As mentioned before, use the find function to do a search for any specific info that you are interested in. You can also find a lot of information of interest to you by just looking at the past posts.

[takepride]

work2play:

Please note my LCDs are still in the want list.

I dare you to go first!

I've seen several pix of conversions on this forum and have it planned out. Now I just need another plan for the financing! It looks like about $2500 for the front (TV and cabinet mods).
I also wouldn't mind seeing one of the OEMs in the same coach. Frank has it, but we've still to meet. He has all the good conversions on his '03. Check out his photos!

[Bob & Connie]

I too am a new owner of an '03 FDTS and have been watching iRV2 since purchasing my coach in early 11/08. I've been waiting to post anything because the coach had a catastrophe trying to get it home from Las Vegas to Denver.
The entire battery compartment went up in flames approx. 15 - miles from home. It's all under insurance but taking a considerable amount of time to get repaired (haven't even started yet).
The previous owner had replaced the house batteries with Interstate U2200 maintenance free batteries. I'm hoping to learn "why" the batteries caught fire but I believe it was due to over charging. We heard a "popping" soound at one point just before we realized that people were flashing their lights at us.
I'll post the cause if determined. My suggestion is to ALWAYS check the batteries for bulging, leaking, or other abnormalities.