Where do you get chassis service??

[Cat320]

I have had excellent service from one Freightliner Service Center and horrible, over priced, lack of knowledge, late service from another. With Freightliner, with the exception of Gaffney, there is no telling what kind of service you will get.

Also, some Freightliner dealers are designated "Oasis" Dealers, meaning they cater to RVs and have some power stalks and water available for over night parking. I should have known I was in trouble when I commented to my problem dealer mentioned above, that I was glad they were an Oasis Dealer. He said, "a what, I never heard of that!"

[Dutch Star Don]

Originally Posted by Domo

The only reason to ever go to Camping World is if Walmart is completely out of toilet paper.

A freightliner/cumming/onan shop knows ALL the lubrication points and how to fix everything on your chassis. Any other shop will simply be guessing and skip the "hard ones."

I was going to write something sarcastic about CW, but this was better.

[hewebb]

I take ours to a CAT dealer in Fort Worth. They do complete service on it at a fair price. They also do Cummings engines. They are a Spartan service facility but also do our Freightliner chassis. They do several coaches.

[burgmark]

At least at an Oasis center, they commit to FCCC that they will cater to motorhome owners. Some more so than others, however. Some Oasis centers are bad but some are excellent ...just like anything else.

Your profile says that you are in the St. Louis area. If that's where you're looking for service, the Oasis dealer near you is:

Truck Centers, Inc. - Freightliner ----> go HERE

747 E. TAYLOR AVENUE
ST. LOUIS, MO 63147

(314) 381-3800

They have a decent reputation as far as Oasis facilities go.

A Freightliner service center, however, will tend to be more expensive.

Thanks, I actually live in Foristell, Mo and there is an oasis service center there as well. Not sure how you evaluated the reputation, but presume they would also do well with coaches.

[edgewant]

I totally agree with comments suggesting you not use Camping World. I tried once because the control board on my frig was shot and it was under warranty. They said sure bring it in and they get to it in a couple of months. Ridiculous!

I too use Gaffney for my difficult service items. They are awesome and know what they’re doing.

Used an Oasis Service Center in Chattanooga once. They did the work on my steering box in a timely manner but the labor charges were steep. I probably will never use them again unless it an absolute necessity.

[theroc]

Originally Posted by burgmark

Thanks, I actually live in Foristell, Mo and there is an oasis service center there as well. Not sure how you evaluated the reputation, but presume they would also do well with coaches.

During the years we full-timed, I kept a journal and log of what other RVers told me or their experiences at repair shops and other services around the country in the places we'd stay or visit. Therefore, many times when folks here ask questions about service facilities, etc., I can relate positive experiences that were passed on to me. Some I've actually used myself and some I haven't. I rarely, if ever, relate bad experiences here on the board if I haven't used the facility myself. In other words, if I have it in my journal notes that somebody told me positive experiences they had, I'll pass it on but if negative, I won't.

With that said, Truck Centers, Inc. at most locations have good reviews. Especially the one in St. Louis as an Oasis center. I don't think the one in Foreistell is an Oasis center (I don't see that one listed on the FCCC listings), however, it has generally pretty good general reviews on Google, etc. On their website, it also says that they work on motorhomes so it's not like they'll refuse service like some Freightliner shops almost do ...yes, I've had some smaller Freightliner shops tell me flat out that they really don't want to work on motorhomes.

So sure, I don't think you can go wrong at either the St. Louis Truck Centers, Inc. (again, a "certified" Oasis center) or the Foristell location. But again, these shops will be pricey but will know what they are doing and will know exactly what items will need to be serviced for the 30k maintenance schedule.









eta: YES! I was mistaken and you're correct. The Truck Centers, Inc. in Foristell is an OASIS facility. Go HERE for confirmation.

Although I don't have any notes on this location, it does have very good general reviews on Google, for instance, that are better than the average Freigtliner facility. GO HERE for Google Reviews for the Foristell location.

[Ed Headington]

Like Deckape we have had our motorhome serviced at the Tampa Freightliner facility for years. They have done a very adequate job, although they have gotten VERY expensive.


This past January we broke down and had to be towed to a facility. Turned out the water pump had frozen up. We got towed to a place called Truck Shop, in Okahumka, FL (just southwest of Leesburg) I was so pleased with everyone there. They were friendly, helpful, and knew what they were doing. And their hourly rate is less than 3/4 that of Freightliner. We have now decided to use them for our chassis service. We had our routine annual service done a couple of weeks ago, and again I was very impressed, and the cost was less than 1/2 what I had been paying at Freightliner.

[ArtJoyce]

If I had no place to go, it would be the Fright liner service center.

But what I do is read the manual service schedule. I do some myself and I schedule work or some of the work at different shops around me. I have a frame and spring shop that does springs, shocks, alignment, frame, air brakes, etc. A Cummings certified service center that I use for power train. A wrenching shop that I use for the basic stuff. All these shops are in the 90$ to 125 an hour.

If I go to the Cummings or fright liner shop I expect to pay big time. They are 225$ plus an hour and they want to go by the book, including what parts to change. What I mean by that is if the book said it could be part A or B or C many times they want to change all three parts, but only one is bad. Also if the book lists the time to do the work is x hours even if it takes x minus 2 hours they charge X. But other things like an oil chance they want to go by the job with an over inflated price.

It just works better for me to go to these shops.

[RH_RVer]

The last time I used an RV dealer was in a decade ago after they locked a cat in my motorhome in the heat of the Texas summer and let it sit for a month waiting on parts that were commonly available from Autozone or Amazon. Cat died after tearing everything up trying to get out. Being allergic to cats, I had to strip the interior of the coach and had hazmat treatments two times before I could enter it.

I use an independently owned local truck R&M center for chassis R&M, mobile RV service for other things, or do it myself. What I learned from that experience is that by far most of the RVs sitting dealer lots are not for sale - they’re “waiting on parts.”

[burgmark]

So I decided to go to the Freightliner dealer for my 30k service and I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to get an appointment only 2 weeks out. The cost was about $670.00, which was less than expected.

A couple of weeks later I decided to change my air filter, the vacuum gauge indicated it was getting close and I have a 4k trip planned in September. I'd read horror stories about this process on this forum, but I was able to change mine out in about 45 minutes. I brushed the threads on all the clamps and use lubrication and they came off with no issues. Also was pleasantly surprised that the Freightliner dealer had one in stock and was the lowest price of all the reputable sources at only around $100.

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by burgmark

My Class A is coming upon 30k miles and so it needs the 30k service as well as an oil change.

My coach has a Freightliner chassis and there is a Freightliner service center within 20 miles. I also live within 20 miles of Camping World and they also told me that they change the oil (and I presume the other tasks involved with the 30k service).

What do most people here do for routine service, Freightliner, Camping World, other choices??

My Driveway!
Actually, a consideration for the non-DIY types as well.
I mean after considering fuel cost, the inconvenience and other misgivings of taking it to them, you might want to call around for a Mobile Mech. to come out. Buy all your filters and oil, online, for some extra savings, as well.

[burgmark]

Originally Posted by tropical36

My Driveway!
Actually, a consideration for the non-DIY types as well.
I mean after considering fuel cost, the inconvenience and other misgivings of taking it to them, you might want to call around for a Mobile Mech. to come out. Buy all your filters and oil, online, for some extra savings, as well.

The Freightliner service is only 5 miles from my house, so not much driving to just take it too them where they have all the equipment to perform the service. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Freightliner service center had an air filter for $100, which was less than any reputable brand I was able to find online.

At one of my previous jobs I performed oil changes and lube on tractor trailers so I know I could change the oil, but I wanted someone with experience to do all the 30k inspections. Then too, I do do not have the equipment at home to drain 6 gallons of oil and I don't want the mess in my driveway. There will be spills and drips at some point.

[Ray,IN]

A side note; many Freightliner shops are also approved by Spartan to work on their chassis.