Wow! Aligned!

[mymyst]

Just got the bus back had the chassis gone through front to back at 3500 miles. The ride/handling was "good" before, now it is superb! Spartan authorized service center found a lot out of whack with steering geometry....camber out of spec, castor out, tag axle out....ride height out,etc. drive axle only one within spec. And this is on a new $250k ++ coach....
But what a difference the right setup makes! Rides like a magic carpet and drives with a feather touch on the wheel, even In a stiff crosswind!
Now that is what I'm talking about!
Just amazed these machines get out the door with so much out of whack from the start line. I could tell, while handling was "good" that something wasn't quite right, that it should be better....now it is!

[brobox]

Glad to hear the good report. What company did the work? It might help someone else with the same problem in the area, or traveling in that direction.

[mymyst]

Of course Chuck I should have mentioned it. It was Branson Motor Coach in Branson Mo.; small shop but Spartan Certified. They took great care of my coach and made sure it was parked indoors every night when I couldnt make it back to pick it up for a few days after it was done.

[99phantoms]

Originally Posted by mymyst

Just amazed these machines get out the door with so much out of whack from the start line.

I would like to see an authoritative answer to this question.

And also... do the Freightliners leave the Newmar factory needing these type adjustments?

[rcarriere]

Originally Posted by mymyst

Just got the bus back had the chassis gone through front to back at 3500 miles. The ride/handling was "good" before, now it is superb! Spartan authorized service center found a lot out of whack with steering geometry....camber out of spec, castor out, tag axle out....ride height out,etc. drive axle only one within spec. And this is on a new $250k ++ coach....
But what a difference the right setup makes! Rides like a magic carpet and drives with a feather touch on the wheel, even In a stiff crosswind!
Now that is what I'm talking about!
Just amazed these machines get out the door with so much out of whack from the start line. I could tell, while handling was "good" that something wasn't quite right, that it should be better....now it is!

Just spent my 2nd day at Josams in Orlando and they have given up and sent me home. They cannot get the coach to drive straight. Working with Spartan to find out what the next steps are. Congratulations on getting it done correctly, I am looking forward to having your ride.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by 99phantoms

I would like to see an authoritative answer to this question.

And also... do the Freightliners leave the Newmar factory needing these type adjustments?

I don't know about Newmar - but I had my Fleetwood Excursion aligned and it did make a difference. They said it was toeing in badly - and yes, it was brand new. However, remember these coaches are aligned at the chassis manufacturer, Spartan or Freightliner, before the house is put on. And then the house and all the "stuff" we put in them, no wonder they aren't in alignment.

So, it is a motor home industry problem, not specific manufacturers. At least that is my thought. I am already planning on taking our new Anthem when we get it to be aligned.

[HuntingHawk]

JMO, I don't care who parts are bought from its Entegra's name on the finished product.

I guess they blame wire manufacturing companies because lights don't work on a new coach.

[DMTTRANSPORT]

Makes a guy wanna go out and spend 400k so he can spend the next 6 months doing the Mfg's job, SMH

[Rclukey]

I had a right front tire blow out last year and had the alignment checked when I purchased all new tires. Supposedly the alignment was fine. Pretty amazing after that incident.

[DSL417]

[I"JMO, I don't care who parts are bought from its Entegra's name on the finished product.

I guess they blame wire manufacturing companies because lights don't work on a new coach."[/I]

"Makes a guy wanna go out and spend 400k so he can spend the next 6 months doing the Mfg's job, SMH"

Looking for the positive contribution to the discussion from these two posts.

Yes Newmar does do an alignment on coaches prior to leaving the factory. Entegra doesn't have that functionality in their current factory, but is adding it to their new factory. Te fact is that not every coach requires a new alignment when it gets to the dealer, but Entegra does pay for a realignment when requested for every new coach. They could do that before the coach leaves Middlebury, but I'm not aware of a good alignment facility close to the factory (Perhaps Newmar would contract to do them).

Neither approach assures that something (pot hole, curb, etc) doesn't happen en route to the dealership or once on the dealership lot).

Ralph, hope the Spartan folks figure it out quickly for you...I'd call Spartan CS and make sure that they are in contact with JoSams and working the issue...Josams is pretty good with alignments, so it sounds like Spartan needs to be engaged. There have been cases when they sent their own tech to the location when they could not figure what the issue was with the chassis. Good luck.

[Arch Hoagland]

Our Monaco came with a free alignment.

They suggested loading the coach and then have an alignment done.

[DSL417]

Sounds reasonable...that way they can check the ride height and tire pressure along with the realignment. That is basically the approach Entegra has taken until they get their alignment facility in place.

[zman62]

Originally Posted by 99phantoms

I would like to see an authoritative answer to this question.

And also... do the Freightliners leave the Newmar factory needing these type adjustments?

All newmars are alighned and ride height adjusted before they leave the factory. I have always been amazed how entegra delivers their coaches with none of this done. There is always a thread going about one of these adjustments.

[D Lindy]

Most coach mfrs. recommend (some even include a free) front end alignment ONCE you have your coach loaded as you intend to use it. Reason being after all the weight is added things DO change.