Community Forums

Rkc02 · 03-06-2013, 03:42 PM

This 2006 40QDH coach has 88,000 miles, a 350 hp Cat engine and is beautiful inside. There is a lot of rust around the storage compartment door frames so I wonder how good the maintenance was. The asking price is $89,000 so it's very attractive. I would love to upgrade from class c to an A, especially one this nice, but am worried about getting into something that may have too many problems. Are there serious periodic maintenance requirements due soon? Since I have heard such great things about Tiffin I am hoping someone can give me some insight as to whether this may be worth pursuing.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

dirko · 03-07-2013, 04:29 PM

Hi Ho: We bought the same coach a year ago and have been very happy with it. There is a lot more to maintain and probably a bunch of things that need service. You could ask if the service records are available. I think that the wet bay floor replacement is still available for that coach if it hasn't been done. This is what I would call a recall from Tiffin. There is also a potential problem with the slide out floor. Other than that you should check high dollar value items like the tires. Batteries might need to be replaced. But be prepared for a shock when doing engine maintenance. Things are about 4 times as expensive as you are used to.

Someone once told me that on average it costs about $1000 for each year a coach has been on earth to get it back to where it was when new. I think this is in the ballpark. Pricewise what is being asked is in the right ballpark, but not a steal, but it would depend on a bunch of variables. Does everything work like it should? Does it have the things that you require? And last, but now least, how much time and/or money do you have to get it where you want?

dilarson · 03-07-2013, 04:30 PM

Are you aware of the three big issues with this year and model motor home? We just bought an 2006 Phaeton 40 qdh and in the process we discovered on line about the "wet bay, cap rails' and slide floor problems. The wet bay is still covered under warranty but the other two are not. You can research these online to read about them. I would not trust your dealer on telling you if the motor home has these problems. La Mesa in Ft Myers told us our mtr hm had none of these issues but a stop at the Tiffin rv service center in Red Bay says we have a bad wet bay and we are sitting in their camp ground this moment awaiting repair. We love the coach and will be happy when repairs are done. How are the windows in the coach? Any of them fogged up? Very expensive to fix on your own. How bout tires? Original? What year were they made? Just some things to check on that we learned in our buying process........hope this helps.

rekfish · 05-12-2013, 08:24 PM

Just purchased a 2006 Phaeton 40 qdh and we pick it up this Saturday.. Looking forward to getting it on the road and see some of this Great Country. What MPG are you getting?

BobGed · 05-13-2013, 12:26 AM

I don't believe the 2006 Phaeton should have the roof radius problem as I think your radius rails are aluminum. The problem exists with the fiberglass roofs with the radius rails as part of the one piece roof.

I believe 2007 or 2008 was the first year for the fiberglass radius rails. I see one of you is at Red Bay, so you'll find out the correct answer very soon.

Rkooykes · 05-14-2013, 12:26 AM

Aloha, We have the same coach as well we've owned it for about 8 Mo. We're on our second trip right now going up into the pacific north west from Portland OR. To Vancouver B.C. And back. I replaced all the battery's in the coach,also I found a short in the vanity light switch in the bathroom could have been a fire hazard as well, other than that its been great so far. Happy trails

dilarson · 05-14-2013, 03:47 AM

Rkooykes, glad to hear you found that electrical short, that could be bad news! We are loving our coach. Getting ready to head out west the end of the month to Yellowstone and Jackson hole. We have never been there so we are very excited!
We did have an issue after we got home from Florida for the winter. We had a leak in the roof over the entry steps and we took it to our home town camper sales to be repaired since we don't have a mh dealer anywhere close. They think they found the place on top where it was leaking and put the self leveling sealer on it so hopefully it is fixed. We are also dealing with a rattle in the awning over the window behind the sofa on drivers side. We had the camper place rewind the awning like suggested on this site and it did help but still have the rattle. We have to figure out a fix before we leave foe out west or it will drive us crazy.......
Happy trails and good luck!

dilarson · 05-14-2013, 03:54 AM

Rekfish, congrats on the new to you coach! Have you had the wet bay issue checked out yet on your coach? They still fix it free if it is rotten. We had ours done at Red Bay after the dealer (La Messa in Ft Myers) said it was fine........
We get about 8 or 9 mpg. Not great but average

Rkooykes · 05-14-2013, 09:36 AM

Enjoy your trip, we have done that trip and it was beautiful it was late September got snowed on at west Yellowstone and it froze the tires to the blacktop at RV park ol faithful and the lodge are unbelievable. Jackson Hole is a very nice town the drive from Yellowstone to J.H. Is incredible with the grand Tetons out your window. Enjoy your trip and thanks for letting me revisit ours.

rekfish · 05-15-2013, 06:16 AM

Thanks! How do we set up an appointment at red bay to have the recall checked?

do you pull a toad? Are there any good places to find one already set up?

dilarson · 05-25-2013, 04:38 PM

Rekfish. No appointments at Red Bay unless your coach is two years or less new. You have to show up and put your name on a list and they will get you in. It is a great place and the people who work there are very nice.
We do pull a toad. A 2010 jeep wrangler. Much easier than pulling something on a car dolly. That is a pain! Have you checked the classified adds on this site? May be something there? Good luck!

countrypair · 05-28-2013, 05:45 AM

We're considering purchasing a 2006 Allegro Bus. Does this model & year have the same issues?

Thanks for any info

Jack R · 05-28-2013, 06:34 AM

Countrypair

If you haven't done so, go to The Tiffin RV Network.com site and join. (free) Its a Tiffin owners site. Can learn more about Tiffins than you probably want to know.

jack r

historyljc · 05-30-2013, 11:51 PM

rekfish, you can do a check on the wetbay floor yourself. Crawl under with a screwdriver and if you can push it up through the floor, it needs to replaced. Probably does if it has not already been done. You should have no problems with the roof rails or front DS slideout floor. Do keep an eye on the shear bolts for that slide out. Wouldn't hurt to keep a couple on hand. We bought the coach new and have about 47,000 miles on it now. It's been to Seattle and back plus all over the southeast. We don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. Just put in a dishwasher and MCD duo shades all around. Wife likes those improvements. Put in a 22 cft residential refrigerator last year. It's our rolling condo. Enjoy your coach.