Community Forums

plasma800 · 06-01-2014, 09:33 AM

Anyone have an idea of what was the first year def was placed into a phaeton chassis?

luvlabs · 06-02-2014, 07:12 AM

I'm pretty sure some late 2010 units may have it. 2011 has it for sure. It's all based on when the engine was produced as to when it got phased into the build cycle.

DEF works quite well, BTW. Cleaner exhaust and better mileage as well. You can thank Freightliner for putting the tank on the passenger side and every motorhome manufacturer out there can thank them. At least our 2014 has the tank on the drivers side so filling it at the pump is much easier.

plasma800 · 06-02-2014, 01:44 PM

Yeah it needs to be on the drivers side!! The pump is on the drivers side at truck stops sheesh

SargeW · 06-14-2014, 10:18 PM

Some 2011's may have squeaked by without DEF. It just depends on if there were any Freightliner chassis left over at the start of the 2011 model year.

luvlabs · 06-15-2014, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma800

Yeah it needs to be on the drivers side!! The pump is on the drivers side at truck stops sheesh

The problem was Freightliner not Tiffin. That's how Freightliner supplied the chassis until mid to late 2013. And they were supplied this way to all their customers.

I agree - what were they thinking?????

JMonroe · 06-15-2014, 01:33 PM

As you may have gleaned from the responses, you really can't go by the model year of the coach.

Any chassis built after January 1, 2010 had to include an engine compliant with the new EPA standards. Some manufacturers had, however, stockpiled chassis built before that date and were using them well into the 2010 RV model year and there may be a few 2011s with the "older" chassis out there as well.

This also helps explain why we'll frequently see members post in panic, "what year is my coach really?" when they discover that the VIN number on their chassis comes back as older than what they were told the RV was. This has been going of for about as long as they've been building motorized RVs.

270win · 06-15-2014, 09:54 PM

Our 2012 37' Bus has it....and yes, it's on the passenger side. Fortunately it uses very little DEF anyway so we just buy the 2.5 gal. boxes at truck stops.

hpykmpr47 · 06-16-2014, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma800

Yeah it needs to be on the drivers side!! The pump is on the drivers side at truck stops sheesh

Although I am not an expert on truck stops I have been to a fair amount of them over the past few years and I find that most of them have pumps on the both sides when you pull in. Now as far as the DEF pump I don't know as I don't have to use it....Alan

Bill2 · 06-16-2014, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpykmpr47

Although I am not an expert on truck stops I have been to a fair amount of them over the past few years and I find that most of them have pumps on the both sides when you pull in. Now as far as the DEF pump I don't know as I don't have to use it....Alan

The def is only on the driver side at Pilot

ernieh · 06-16-2014, 12:24 PM

Many people tend to think of DEF as a negative and try to avoid it. As the owner of several pre-def motorhomes, I can assure you that I prefer the DEF engines. They run cleaner and get better milage because the DEF allows Cummins to build a "looser" engine.

Yes, the right side tank is a pain but my 2 1/2 gal can has proved to be a reasonable solution. My understanding from Freightliner was that when they designed the DEF chassis (well before there were any pumps at truck stops) they thought that there would be DEF pumps on both sides.

My current motorhome weighs 5000 pounds more than my previous one and I get about 1 1/2 miles per gallon better mileage than my pre-def coach.

CCFROMFL · 10-02-2014, 06:59 PM

Why buy the 2.5 gallon box for $12 to $15 dollars at Walmart or Auto Parts store when you can buy at truck stop fueling lane for $2.50 or so a gallon !

SargeW · 10-03-2014, 06:06 AM

For the same reason you couldn't fill up your truck on the passenger side if your fuel door was on the drivers side. Now add the complication of your truck being 40' long and the fuel island is generally a one way pull in.

Grn_Mtn_Boy · 10-04-2014, 06:18 PM

Haven't seen a def pump on the passenger side yet. If I hit a truck stop when they are quiet, sometimes they will allow me to go through backwards to tank up the DEF. Fortunately, it does not use a lot and I go a long time between fill ups. I carry a box just in case. Mine is a 2012 model.

Winepress · 10-05-2014, 10:49 AM

I have a 2011 MH on a 2010 FL chassis, no DEF. Every time I take it for service the service writer says how lucky I am to not have the DEF requirement. However, I haven't see any posts with complaints on the DEF motors, in fact, it seems the opposite.