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Thank You!
In 2012 I purchased a Beautiful Alpine Coach that had what appeared to be a minor Battery Box Fire. That started a multiple year adventure to recovery. I know my techs used IRV2 on multiple occasions to seek information as there was no manufacturer support available whatsoever and I sincerely appreciate the assistance this group provided. I remained in contact with the previous coach owner and shared a synopsis of the journey with him this weekend and he suggested I share the journey here.
Well Sir...it was quite an experience.
I did virtually none of the work although I did assist with research and logistics. I have a great RV Service Company, Dependable RV Services, that took this on as a challenge and helped me tremendously with the labor costs.
As I am sure you are aware the first hurdle was the demise of Western RV. The PEAK Chassis was designed and build in-house. With no manufacturer support that was a dilly!
We started with he VANSCO system getting them replaced through a vendor in Canada. Here is a tip, if you are sending wired devices to another country...one of which is burned or scorched you may wanna give Customs a heads up. It took several months to make it there due to the delay.
Once The Vanscos were returned (with new plug pigtails) we needed some guide to reconnect to the existing chassis wiring harness. Through the internet we were able to track down the man who designed the PEAK Chassis for Western RV. He in turn directed us to an engineer that designed the original electrical layout. He no longer had the files but was willing to recreate one...for a fee of course.
Another thing I learned was, you cannot replace an engine harness with it inside the Coach. I got teamed up with a local Service Company, J.R. Hunt Enterprises, that repairs fire trucks and trains for CN. After an initial once over they said they did not think the engine or transmission was hurt but recommended since we were going through the expense of pulling them that we send them for dyno testing. We did, they passed with flying colors but, a harness here, module there, alternator, A/C Compressor, reinstall the bill was still about $30k(just from the engine techs). They too took it on as a challenge and helped with costs as we learned together about this Coach.
Throughout the process the guys at Dependable RV repeated that this was the best built rig they had ever seen. While beating their heads again the wall at times, they always said once we get up running she will be fine.
We have two lingering, annoying issues but all involved wanted to step back and let their brains relax before diving back in. One is a check engine light due to a water in the fuel sensor. At this point it is debatable as to the cause. The other issue is a sensor or wire for one or more of the ABS sensors are showing a fault. The Brakes are working fine just no additional Antilock. We will make another run at those issues sooner or later...likely after my wallet recovers.
The Previous Owner gave me some tips on the ABS light I will relay to my Alpine Medical Team...Slowly But Surely we are recovering!
I have made a couple of small local runs to ensure the "bugs" are worked out and look forward to our first extended trip the first week in May to Talladega, Alabama.
Perry Waggener
SouthrnCampr
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