The driveshaft fell out!!!

[OldGerman]

We bought a used 2005 Monaco Knight from a reputable dealer in April, 2011 (didn't buy extended warranty based on advice from fellow RVers) On 11/11/11 after about 1,000 miles from purchase, we were driving down the highway and the drive shaft fell out. RV got towed to the dealership & we can't get a $ figure yet for repairs. Wondering (1) shouldn't this be a dealership repair (2) average cost of driveshaft repair in case we are stuck with it and (3) should we reconsider buying an extended warranty. Any advice from our learned friends out there?
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[RoyM]

You can talk to the dealer but without an extended warranty you are likely on your own. Drive shafts don't fall out just to be ornery, something like a u-joint or steady bearing failed. Did you not notice excessive vibration or noise? Buying the warranty now is expensive and a little like barring the door after the horse gets out.

[OldGerman]

It was the u-joint that failed and, no, there was no noise or vibration until just before it fell out. Heard rumbling, pulled onto the shoulder & wife (who was following behind in our no-towed car) saw it fall out.

[Harry B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldGerman It was the u-joint that failed and, no, there was no noise or vibration until just before it fell out. Heard rumbling, pulled onto the shoulder & wife (who was following behind in our no-towed car) saw it fall out.

Could have been just a bad bearing but be sure to check your rife height setting. If that adjustment is out it will impact u-joint life.

[Iron Man]

If you still have the drive shaft and a u joint broke is should not be an expensive repair.

[highcountry]

Could it have been a repo or towed to the dealer for another reason? Sounds like the drive shaft was not installed correctly. Hard to prove now but if it is really a reputable dealer he might admit fault and go after tow company.

[teamwally]

Had a very similar experience this year. Dealer claimed to have serviced the coach (8000 miles) Had a drive shaft bind due to fault in leveling system computer. Had it replaced for $1200, new joints and yoke. Later on that trip had to have furl filters replaced. At 14000 while being driven to factory the drive shaft failed. Everyone involved incl dealer, repair shop, and chassis mfg said they weren't to bloated. Chassis mfg said the ride height being off 3/4 inch "could have cooked" the grease out of the new spicer joints. The moral: dealer service was an oil change NOT chassis service, drive line needs to be lubed every 5k miles, ride needs to be checked every 15k. Between the driveline, fan clutch hubs, 2 Atwood level legs, Atwood controller, fridge board and roof ac fan my extended warranty has paid out over $10,000 on a "low mile, one owner, high end coach" I'd say the warranty was a good investment, I'm not too sure about th coach. DW "I told you not to buy it"

[Mtn.Mike]

I had a near similar experience. I had my coach towed in, at the suggestion of the Coach Net tech, and when the tow truck driver went to take out the drive shaft he found that one side of the universal joint had a big chunk out of it and the other U joint had little or no grease in it.
I too bought this coach from a reputable dealer but somehow in the servicing they neglected to grease the U joints.
The U joints cost $27 a piece and it took about 1.5 hours to put it back together @ $97 per hour.
I too didn't notice any vibration or noise.

Good luck in your repairs.


Mike

[OldGerman]

Thanks to all who provided us feedback. Much appreciated! Got some very helpful info, too. Guess I know where my Christmas money is going. Owwww.

[ottffss]

Ride height is key in a DP. Have a chassis shop (not a RV dealer) look it over.

Hopefully your drive shaft just "fell out" and wasn't "thrown out." If it just fell then it's likely only a U-joint and you are done - as has been mentioned. If it was thrown there could be transmission tail-shaft damage and/or differential input yoke damage. Not trying to be a downer, but there is the possibility of more than a U-joint replacement.

Best of luck on this...

[wa8yxm]

Is this a "Dealer should cover it" repair? That is a serious question and there is no answer... First, generally sales of used hardware are "Where is As is" so unless the dealer offers some kind of expressed warranty you are out of luck. Generally. that is, exact laws vary from place to place and .. Well I'm not a lawyer.

HOWEVER: U-Joints generally fail for one of two reasons and a dropped drive shaft is USUALLY caused by U-Joint failure (There is one other POSSIBLE cause but it is a SERIOUS safety matter)

A dealer does have an obligation to sell a vehicle that is SAFE, it after only 1K miles the drive shaft droped due to the other reason ... You may wish to look at that.

U-Joints fail usually due to either lack of proper lubrication,, If this is the case you may have some recourse, Or due to simply being worn out.

Less common is overload or loose bolts. (I've had loose bolts... Well bolt.. once)

[ottffss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm ... A dealer does have an obligation to sell a vehicle that is SAFE, it after only 1K miles the drive shaft droped due to the other reason ... You may wish to look at that....

That is an excellent point. You may have recourse against the dealer for this reason or perhaps your states "implied warranty" laws. Depending on the repair cost, you might consider a legal consultation. Free services can be found. At only 1,000 milies there may be some implied responsibility, at 7 months (April-Nov) maybe not.... This could be worth some expert advice.

[wa8yxm]

Well if it was a U-Joint failure, I'm not sure the dealer could have detected impending U-joint.

As the OP said 27 in parts plus labor.

I don't pay to have U-Joints replaced (normally) I've done so many (used to have a van that ate them like candy) that I just can't see paying for a job that I can do myself.

[ArmyEOD]

German, sounds like the drive shaft fell out as you were pulling over. I suspect that repairs (Replace both U-Joints and reinstall for around 250.00, The u-joints are 40-45.00 each should take less than an hour to do the job at any good service center.