Community Forums

MDCTT · 07-10-2010, 03:01 PM

Greetings,

Wondering if there are any Cheetah owners out there 09 w/tag to talk with? Any problems or solutions or ideas? We are really enjoying this coach with some problems, but all fixable.
Kindly,

Bill

bbridges · 07-11-2010, 12:35 AM

It appears there are only a few Cheetah owners around; we are one of the few. We bought our Safari Cheetah 42PAQ in June of 2008. The Cheetah is a very nice coach but is not without issues. For the most part...if it could go wrong...it did go wrong. After 2 years, our coach has spent more time in the shop than in the "bus barn" on our property, but we hope we are close to correcting the final issues (Lippert Pump failure). Would love to hear from a fellow Cheetah owner and compare notes.

MDCTT · 07-13-2010, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbridges

It appears there are only a few Cheetah owners around; we are one of the few. We bought our Safari Cheetah 42PAQ in June of 2008. The Cheetah is a very nice coach but is not without issues. For the most part...if it could go wrong...it did go wrong. After 2 years, our coach has spent more time in the shop than in the "bus barn" on our property, but we hope we are close to correcting the final issues (Lippert Pump failure). Would love to hear from a fellow Cheetah owner and compare notes.

To bbridges; Our Lippert pump failed as well, leaving us stuck in one spot for a long time, (Weeks) while we waited for a new pump to arrive. Luckily we were where we needed to be. If you have to move, you have to bring the slides in Manually and it is not easy. Once they are in, I would leave them in until the pump arrives. I called Lippert direct to try to expidite the pump, and they are behind in building them due to the current industry situation. We still have a wacky slide (front curb) that we paid a dealer in Mesa $$ to fix. It worked for awhile and now it is back to its old tricks. The dealer claimed the slide was improperely installed. (Front curbside) We actually gained 1.5 inches of floor space after he moved the bolts, and it worked for about a month, before malfunctioning again. It will come in at an angle so we stop, put it out, and my wife hits the switch and I lean on the outside of the slide to start it evenly, and it comes in. Funny though, once the slide was moved, we drove off, put the slide out that night, my wife ran some water to wash dishes and we hear and see water everywhere on the tile and outside as well. The drain pipe is now pulled due to the slide being extended. Continued, MDCTT

MDCTT · 07-13-2010, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MDCTT

To bbridges; Our Lippert pump failed as well, leaving us stuck in one spot for a long time, (Weeks) while we waited for a new pump to arrive. Luckily we were where we needed to be. If you have to move, you have to bring the slides in Manually and it is not easy. Once they are in, I would leave them in until the pump arrives. I called Lippert direct to try to expidite the pump, and they are behind in building them due to the current industry situation. We still have a wacky slide (front curb) that we paid a dealer in Mesa $$ to fix. It worked for awhile and now it is back to its old tricks. The dealer claimed the slide was improperely installed. (Front curbside) We actually gained 1.5 inches of floor space after he moved the bolts, and it worked for about a month, before malfunctioning again. It will come in at an angle so we stop, put it out, and my wife hits the switch and I lean on the outside of the slide to start it evenly, and it comes in. Funny though, once the slide was moved, we drove off, put the slide out that night, my wife ran some water to wash dishes and we hear and see water everywhere on the tile and outside as well. The drain pipe is now pulled due to the slide being extended. Continued, MDCTT

Moved pipe and reconnected. Other small problems, have some wind noise at the entry door. This is a smooth ride, has the floor plan we wanted, and all the features you find in coaches costing alot more. They are all going to need maintenance, after all, this is a house on wheels, and the more bells and whistles you have, the more chance for something to go wrong. We smile, and enjoy are day, and tighten things as we go. It is THE LIFESTYLE we have chosen! MDCTT, Bill

bbridges · 07-14-2010, 12:29 AM

The Lippert pump seems to be an issue with most of the Monaco '09 models. While the pump on our coach has not yet completely failed, the road side slide and front jack will bleed off. The rams and valves have been replaced numerous times with no resolution. After numerous trips to the shop, it was determined that the pump (internal seal) was at fault.

We are experiencing similar issues with the curb slide as well, although ours EXTENDS crooked. At this point, we believe it may have something to do with the hyraulic pump, but probably won't know for sure until the replacement pump is installed and the system bled.

The biggest issue we have experienced with the coach was the misalignment of the front and rear axles. The coach actually went down the road at an angle, which was discovered after following behind the coach. The ride of the coach was fine, but it was a challenge to keep it "between the lines". There is no adjusment on the rear axle, so....they had to drop the sub frame, align it properly and reattach. Quite the ordeal, but once the alignment was corrected, it drives like a dream.

We realize that a "house on wheels" is going to require a good amount of maintenance. But, coming out of several 5'ers, with relatively few issues, we never envisioned the issues we would face in our first MH.

This forum has been enlightening as we now realize..."it's just the nature of the beast". MH ownership has definitely improved our mechanic, plumber, carpenter and electrician skills!

Let us know if you figure out the slide issue