Allegro Bay Fred

teofff · 01-19-2009, 05:00 PM

We are looking hard at a new 08 - 37" QDB....can anyone give me feed back on the front diesel....this floor plan really works for us...is the factory service as good as I have heard???

paz · 01-20-2009, 03:01 AM

Can't give you any info on the FRED, but our experience with factory service is outstanding. There have been other posts on the FRED - try using the "Find" button at the top of the page and I bet you'll come up with some info on the FRED. As I recall, all the reports were positive. We are happy with our Workhorse chassis, but if we were going to buy a new motorhome today, we would definitely consider the FRED because of higher weight capacity. The higher cost of the FRED and higher cost of diesel fuel are the downsides.

Concerning customer service, we had several of our dual-pane windows fog when our coach was a little over a year old. We thought since there was only a 1 year warranty, the windows wouldn't be covered, so we just decided to live with them.

One day we were talking to a Phaeton owner whose coach was a few months newer than ours. He said Tiffin, who makes their own windows, had production problems around the time our coaches were built and they replaces several of his windows at no cost. At that point, our motorhome was 3 years old.

When we called Tiffin, they initially said they would cover the cost of the windows, but we would have to pay for the labor to replace them. That was good news because by the time we contacted Tiffin, we had 6 windows that had fogged, including the big one by the co-pilot's seat. Since we went to the factory for the repair instead of going to an RV dealer, Tiffin ended up covering the entire cost, including labor. We are happy campers.

Tiffin will go out of their way to make sure their customers are happy, especially with components and systems they make themselves.

Rick Schoenborn · 01-20-2009, 06:46 AM

We have an 07 QDB gasser and are happy as mule eatin' strawberries! We had a dual pane window go bad last summer and when I called Tiffin last month about it they sent me a brand new window and told me to take it to any dealer and they would pay the labor. Our coach is two years old this week. Can't ask for better factory support than that!

We love our QDB. We opted against the FRED when we bought because they said they don't get any better mileage than the Workhorse and diesel was higher priced. Now we kinda wish we'd gotten the FRED because of the higher torque at lower RPMs. Our transmission does a lot of down shifting when going up a grade. Burns lots of gas in the mountains.

teofff · 01-20-2009, 07:04 AM

Thanks for the feedback....we hear that Tiffen's factory service is legendary! I am also a little concerned with the storage...I currently have an 01 Monaco with deep or full side to side storage....it will be a challange configuring the shallow storage on the Fred....I guess I am really nervous about having to get organized

jzick · 01-20-2009, 04:36 PM

We have an 07 35TSB Allegro Bay FRED. We have been very pleased with mechanical performance and quality. No major issues - just a few minor warranty repair things.

No western mountain trips but lots of trips in N Georgia hills and Smokies with no problems. Mileage is generally 10 - 11 with our CRV towd - slightly better in flat FL or IN. We live in it 4 or 5 months per year during summer/spring.

Storage has not been a problem and we (2 adults - 1 working + 2 fat dogs) are essentially storing everything we need to live during our travels (except winter clothing). Even with all that stuff we are within the weight limits.

Good luck with your choice.

Funtogo · 01-20-2009, 04:54 PM

If you get the FRED,check out the gcwr on the Allegro.It could be marginal while towing a toad.The Allegro Bay FRED has 40 more HP. as well as a heavier duty transmission for a higher gcwr.

Johnny

MuckSavage · 01-23-2009, 10:42 AM

I have the same coach. '08 Allegro Bay FRED 37QDB. I love it! The floor plan is great, the worst mileage I got was 10.7 towing my Cherokee 4 down. I had a few issues that were taken care of with a simple call to the Factory. I ran into Bob Tiffin at the Hershey RV show and we chatted for awhile. I passed my card onto Bob. A few weeks later he called me just to see how things were going. I don't think Mr Winnebago would ever make that happen!

teofff · 01-30-2009, 11:39 AM

I found 2 Fred's at different dealers, both at excellent prices, but they are unwilling to offer anywhere close to a fair trade for my 01 Monaco Dynasty. The market for used MH's is like the housing market...it has really collapsed. Between the slow to no resale market and all the forclosed MH's showing up on delears lots, the dealers are offering really, REALLY low trade prices. As much as we like 37QDB, we are going to keep our 01 Monaco....at least for now.