Gas vs Diesel again

[kalynzoo]

Your choice, both work. I drove 36 and 38 ft gas motorhomes for 35+ years. I had a 454, a V-10, and a 8.1 workhorse. All were good. I now own the 340 Cummins and I love it. For casual RV travel they all take the mountains, maintain highway speed, and are easy to drive. The diesel is Quiet! I can listen to the radio, talk with my wife, hear myself think. At a rest stop I often have to look at the gauges to see if I left the engine on or not. The heavier suspension makes the ride on delayed maintenance highways much more comfortable. In the gas RVs the I-10 in California rattles the teeth, the 33K lb diesel just gently bumps down the road. I could take the mountains faster with the 8.1, it sucked gas, and the noise was extreme, but I could take the Grapevine (I-5) at 55mph, passing trucks along the way. The diesel coasts up the mountain quietly, in cruise control, dropping to third gear, but drops down to 40 or 45mph. No big deal. On the other side the engine brake holds the RV at 45mph going down without ever touching the brake (6% grade). The gas rigs required constant braking and the brakes and wheels really got hot by the time I reached the bottom.
Happy Trails.

[Pa Miller]

I service my own , all of my vehicles are Diesel besides the toad .. Nothing smells better than fresh rotella dino oil change pew!! I've never seen a worn out diesel motor in a class A rig with a 6speed tran.. Anything can fail but if you do the PMs on a diesel motor I'd bet you stop before the motor ! If you buy one have it checked out by a good shop and do the PMs on it.... I'd bet it will out last us!!! If ya want a gas rig there are some really nice ones out there too.... PS..You can save a lot of money buying filters on line !!

[phil57]

Originally Posted by Kiwi

You did not change all filters for $400. Air filter alone for Cat 350 is $300. Tell the truth it costs tripple for diesel.

I assume that you did not mean to call me a liar so I will let that go. I did not include a air filter as they are not changed at every oil change. And I can find them much cheaper than 300$. I did not look up the invoice when I posted this and I was wrong the total price all filters (air was not needed) 462.53. I tend to remember the 4 hundred and forget the change. This is includes the gen set also. If I was healthy I would do it myself for half that. Sorry I posted incorrect info but it was not a matter of not telling the truth.

[Vectraguy]

Without considering the coach itself, if it were me It would come down to miles per year and genset duty cycle. If you are making two trips to warm weather per year and plugging in then go with gas, if you plan on the 12k mile per year tour with nascar races and boondocking then I would look at an older 12 valve freightliner or even the 8.3 mechanical cummins because they are kinda simple. (Especially that 12 valve, most farm boys can make it sing). I am seeing used Winnebago diesels and American Dreams for under 25K that are really really nice.

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by phil57

I assume that you did not mean to call me a liar so I will let that go. I did not include a air filter as they are not changed at every oil change. And I can find them much cheaper than 300$. I did not look up the invoice when I posted this and I was wrong the total price all filters (air was not needed) 462.53. I tend to remember the 4 hundred and forget the change. This is includes the gen set also. If I was healthy I would do it myself for half that. Sorry I posted incorrect info but it was not a matter of not telling the truth.

Oh no Phil, I would never call you a liar. But, you challenged my claim that I paid near $1000 for a service incident that included all oil and filters. That included the air filter because all means all. It was at a Freightliner dealer where the labor alone to remove the air filter was two hours (I watched him do it and he had to beat it off with a big hammer).

It is very likely that a new diesel coach owner would take the unit back to the chassis dealer and encounter the same surprise. So, lets just say that you were a purveyor of terminological inexactitudes as Sir Winston would say.

So you say you can save a few bucks and do it yourself. Everyone cannot do that, they should know that there is a significant difference in servicing a diesel and servicing a gas unit.

[Kiwi]

Unsolicited from Facebook.
Joe Blackwood (KIWI), Freightliner here in KC had mine for service. 6 days later, after not one call from them, I went to retrieve the RV. $1350 bill to change oil, filter, service the generator, and recharge cab a/c they couldn't find a leak in. Oh and I got to take it home with a new family of mice from their lot.
Just now · Like

[phil57]

Originally Posted by Kiwi

Oh no Phil, I would never call you a liar. But, you challenged my claim that I paid near $1000 for a service incident that included all oil and filters. That included the air filter because all means all. It was at a Freightliner dealer where the labor alone to remove the air filter was two hours (I watched him do it and he had to beat it off with a big hammer).

It is very likely that a new diesel coach owner would take the unit back to the chassis dealer and encounter the same surprise. So, lets just say that you were a purveyor of terminological inexactitudes as Sir Winston would say.

So you say you can save a few bucks and do it yourself. Everyone cannot do that, they should know that there is a significant difference in servicing a diesel and servicing a gas unit.

So you did not have a typical service done. My price was for a typical yearly service. Now owning anything like a boat or MH aircraft you will have normal service and you may have unplanned service items. Wether gas or diesel the unexpected repairs will happen and be expensive. If I got a bill for 1000$ for a oil change they had better have a long list of unexpected repairs that needed to be done.

[TMan59]

So let me understand this. Because someone paid that much ($1000) for a lube oil and filter they all cost that much?
I guess by page 4 these threads get crazy talk.

[Pa Miller]

Page drunk perty much .. LOL I'm thinking about chopping the top on mine and making a lowrider out of it !!!

[Thunderfoot]

Two thoughts come to mind:

1) Why would anyone get their oil changes performed at a Dealer when there are plenty of good independents to choose from?
2) There is someone out there that will take any amount of money that you choose to spend for service.... that doesn't make it "normal" nor reasonable.

The normal service on my M-11; engine oil & filters, fuel filters, complete grease job, visually inspect the brakes, exhaust and undercarriage (also allows you to climb in the "pit" and have a look if you choose, check the tires, etc, runs $240 total, including tax. I service the 12.5 Onan myself and it's a 30 minute job if you're slow. The M-11 air filter replacement is not an annual requirement... much like a transmission service isn't required at each oil change so to include "all" filters & service in this discussion is ludicrous.

A friend recently purchased a used DP. The oil change shop we use quoted $35 labor to service the generator. Called the ONAN dealer for a "genuine" service and was quoted "around $100". Simple service performed, nothing more than an oil and filter(s) change, no extra parts required... the total was $240 for a job we could have done in 15 minutes and spent less than $50 on parts. Lesson learned but he got his genuine Onan service.
To each his own...

[WillandJane]

Originally Posted by Thunderfoot

Two thoughts come to mind:

1) Why would anyone get their oil changes performed at a Dealer when there are plenty of good independents to choose from?
2) There is someone out there that will take any amount of money that you choose to spend for service.... that doesn't make it "normal" nor reasonable.

The normal service on my M-11; engine oil & filters, fuel filters, complete grease job, visually inspect the brakes, exhaust and undercarriage (also allows you to climb in the "pit" and have a look if you choose, check the tires, etc, runs $240 total, including tax. I service the 12.5 Onan myself and it's a 30 minute job if you're slow. The M-11 air filter replacement is not an annual requirement... much like a transmission service isn't required at each oil change so to include "all" filters & service in this discussion is ludicrous.

A friend recently purchased a used DP. The oil change shop we use quoted $35 labor to service the generator. Called the ONAN dealer for a "genuine" service and was quoted "around $100". Simple service performed, nothing more than an oil and filter(s) change, no extra parts required... the total was $240 for a job we could have done in 15 minutes and spent less than $50 on parts. Lesson learned but he got his genuine Onan service.
To each his own...

I would most certainly agree that independent is the way to go as far as service is concerned after first giving some thought on doing it yourself, however, if your a fulltimer, most parks will not let you perform oil changes and such on their grounds. Avoid the dealer at all cost but some of have to get the work done by some else's hand.

WDK