Community Forums

jshidemantle · 09-15-2010, 09:31 AM

We just purchased a 2006 Discovery 39S made in June 2006 on a Freightliner chassis made in May 2006. The unit was marketed and titled as a 2007. The tenth digit of the VIN also is a 7 indicating 2007. Anyone have any clues how this can happen? Did Freightliner make a mistake here in assigning the VIN #? We feel we were misrepresented and are in negotiations with the dealer to get it retitled as a 2006 and of course get some money refunded. We thought we were buying an 07. This is our first motorhome so we were not well informed on what to look for.

Comments appreciated.
Jack

Luv2go · 09-15-2010, 09:44 AM

Jack, Welcome to iRV2.com! As with car makers, model years (I'll abbreviate to MY) do not correspond well with calendar years.

The 2008 coach in our sig was made in Feb 2008 and titled correctly, but it was one of the last 2008 MY coaches made, they were tooling up for the 2009 MY that month, as a matter of fact the upholstery dept could not give me fabric samples when I visited in Feb. 2008 because they had stopped making furniture for that MY and were making 2009's.

So I am not surprised at all that your 2007 MY coach chassis was made in May 2006 and the coach was made the next month.

I hope this helps. Enjoy your new-to-you coach!

Stewart

RustyJC · 09-15-2010, 09:59 AM

Last Saturday (September 11, 2010) I picked up the 2011 Dodge Ram truck (see signature) we had ordered. I picked up our previous factory ordered 2002 Dodge on August 15, 2001. I bought my 2003 Acura on Memorial Day weekend 2002.

I guess I don't see the difference between my situation and yours. None of my vehicles listed above were built in their calendar model years.

Rusty

jshidemantle · 09-15-2010, 10:02 AM

Thanks for reply Stewart. The thing that really did it for us was the owners manual which said 2006! There was a large folder with all the documentation which was not given to us until we took delivery. Then it was like Wow! what is the deal here? We did notice a the FIN sticker on the outside of the coach and asked the salesman about it. He claimed that was the chassis sticker and it was not uncommon to use a chassis from a prior year mated to a coach a year later. That much I knew, however we learned later he was totally wrong in claiming that as the chassis sticker.
Jack

Luv2go · 09-15-2010, 10:06 AM

Quote:

The thing that really did it for us was the owners manual which said 2006!

I agree, that would make me upset, too! Hope you get some satisfaction from the dealer.

Stewart

jshidemantle · 09-15-2010, 10:06 AM

Yes Rusty I also purchased my 2002 truck in Sept of 2001. However the owners manual said 2002 not 2001.
In this case the owners manual is printed saying 2006 not 2007.
Jack

RustyJC · 09-15-2010, 10:08 AM

Sorry, that wasn't clear in your initial post.

Rusty

jshidemantle · 09-15-2010, 11:38 AM

Yes sorry Rusty, I meant to include that.
Wonder what I can do if the dealer refuses to cooperate? We paid for a 2007 and rec'd a 2006. Think we are entitled to the difference in price between the two years.

Jack

Route 66 · 09-15-2010, 12:18 PM

This is quite common in the RV industry and I don't see it as a problem, especially since the VIN indicates it's an '07.

Just like you bought a 2002 truck that was built in 2001, it's the model year designation that is the governing factor not the year of construction.

The owners manual date is the year in which the chassis was built.

jshidemantle · 09-15-2010, 01:42 PM

The chassis owners manual I can understand would show as a 2006. But the Fleetwood owners manual should show it as a 2007 if the vin indicates it as a 2007. Am I not correct on this?
Just trying to work through all this. It's a little dishartening to buy a 2007 coach and after you take delivery the owners manual, which only now was provided to us, shows it as a 2006.

Jack

Alan_Hepburn · 09-15-2010, 02:10 PM

It's a common occurrence. A motorhome manufacturer will purchase a truckload of chassis from the chassis manufacturer and proceed to build the motorhomes. As they use up the chassis stock it gets replenished. It's not unusual to have overlap between model years. The only time there needs to be a concern is if chassis parts change between model years. When you go to the parts store to buy filters, or other parts, you need to know the model year of the chassis. But for DMV and all other legal purposes the model year of the complete vehicle is shown in the VIN, and even though your chassis may be a 2006 chassis the vehicle is in fact a 2007 vehicle.

Gary RVRoamer · 09-15-2010, 07:26 PM

Quote:

But for DMV and all other legal purposes the model year of the complete vehicle is shown in the VIN, and even though your chassis may be a 2006 chassis the vehicle is in fact a 2007 vehicle.

I'm sorry, but that is not correct. The model year is shown in the title and is derived from the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin [MCO], not the VIN. This is per federal regulations and applies to all states.

The VIN is assigned when the chassis is built, but the MCO is issued by the coach builder when the motorhome is finished. Usually the VIN is an earlier year than the coach model year, but it can be the other way around too. The chassis manufacturer and coach manufacturer can change their model years at their own whim and it is not necessarily based on the date of manufacture.

buck62 · 09-16-2010, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jshidemantle

Thanks for reply Stewart. The thing that really did it for us was the owners manual which said 2006! There was a large folder with all the documentation which was not given to us until we took delivery. Then it was like Wow! what is the deal here? We did notice a the FIN sticker on the outside of the coach and asked the salesman about it. He claimed that was the chassis sticker and it was not uncommon to use a chassis from a prior year mated to a coach a year later. That much I knew, however we learned later he was totally wrong in claiming that as the chassis sticker.
Jack

Salesman is wrong, the FIN number is Fleetwood's finished motorhome number. If you ever talk to Fleetwood about parts or other questions they will require the FIN number NOT the VIN. It is common to find a prior year or even older chassis used by the coach maker. You chassis manual may state an earlier model year but the Fleetwood owner's manual should be for the year of the motorhome you purchased. I think you will see a lot of more of this when motorhome manufacturer's ordered a lot of prior year chassis before the emission changes went into effect.

jshidemantle · 09-16-2010, 08:14 AM

What it boils down to is we were led to believe we were purchasing a 2007 Discovery when indeed it is a 2006. We even have a letter from Fleetwood stating it is a 2006 model not a 2007. Yes the VIN indicates it as a 2007. The FIN states June 2006.

So now what's our recourse? I'm seeking the difference in price between the two model years. We will see what the dealer comes up with. So far they have not been very responsive.

Jack