Windsor Body Flex??

[4cole_man2]

Hi all, this is my first time to post but I absolutely love the forum. The information available here in invaluable to the diy rv owner.
For a little history, we have owned a couple of class A's before this one. One 32" class a gas on a Ford chassis and a 98 Discovery on a freightliner chassis. Both non-slide coaches.
Our current coach is a 2001 Windsor 40 PBD that was purchased at a drug seizure auction. On the drive home from the auction I was literally sick to my stomach, we had test driven several Diplomats in the 1998 - 2001 year range and all were really quiet and solid feeling on the road. I assumed that the Windsor would be much the same. I would never have dreamed that something could have a ride that was both bone jarring and wallowy (if thats a real word) all at the same time. I have fixed 90% of the ride problems by replacing the 48K mile oem Monroe shocks with Bilsteins, and the 10 year old Michelins with new Firestones.
What really concerns me is the amount of flex in the body/chassis. When driving over rough or uneven roads, parking lots or driveways you can actually watch the windshields shift in the gaskets dramatically and see the sidewalls move in relation to the dash. I'm just hoping that someone has experience with this or a similar model coach can tell me if this is normal to some degree or the result of abuse and/or neglect of previous owners.

Once again, thanks to all the folks that post so much valuable information on this forum.

[JohnRR]

Wow that sounds disheartening, I'm sorry I can't offer any help but I'll be following the post to see what others can come up with.

I hope it all works out well, soon, and inexpensively for you.

[Dr4Film]

I own a 2002 Windsor PBT and have not experienced any of your observations. My one piece windshield does flex a little when going over any speed bumps cockeyed instead of square but that is to be expected for such a large piece of glass. The walls are solid and do not move around.

The chassis on the 2002 is a high class Semi-Monocoque S series which is on all of the high end model Monaco coaches.

The same chassis was used on the 2001.

Dr4Film ----- Richard.

[Steve Ownby]

As Richard said, the Semi-Monocoque S series chassis that the Windsor was built on through the '02 model year is as strong and flex free as any chassis in the motorhome business. That is the same chassis used on Monaco's most expensive coaches.

That assumes that there are no unknown problems. If this were my coach, I would find a first class chassis/alignment shop that knows motorhomes. There are a few around the country. Josaims in Florida is one. There is one in MN as well and I'm sure there are others. The chassis should be inspected for weld failures or damaged components and the ride height set. You should also weigh the coach and set your tire pressure based on actual weight.

That is a high quality coach and it can be sorted out. Let us know how things turn out.

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4cole_man2 Hi all, this is my first time to post but I absolutely love the forum. The information available here in invaluable to the diy rv owner. For a little history, we have owned a couple of class A's before this one. One 32" class a gas on a Ford chassis and a 98 Discovery on a freightliner chassis. Both non-slide coaches. Our current coach is a 2001 Windsor 40 PBD that was purchased at a drug seizure auction. On the drive home from the auction I was literally sick to my stomach, we had test driven several Diplomats in the 1998 - 2001 year range and all were really quiet and solid feeling on the road. I assumed that the Windsor would be much the same. I would never have dreamed that something could have a ride that was both bone jarring and wallowy (if thats a real word) all at the same time. I have fixed 90% of the ride problems by replacing the 48K mile oem Monroe shocks with Bilsteins, and the 10 year old Michelins with new Firestones. What really concerns me is the amount of flex in the body/chassis. When driving over rough or uneven roads, parking lots or driveways you can actually watch the windshields shift in the gaskets dramatically and see the sidewalls move in relation to the dash. I'm just hoping that someone has experience with this or a similar model coach can tell me if this is normal to some degree or the result of abuse and/or neglect of previous owners. Once again, thanks to all the folks that post so much valuable information on this forum.

Sounds to me like your ride height needs to be set. Your air bags may be hitting the stop.

Bob