Maintenance costs per year

[Grower15]

Originally Posted by Maddog11capt

My sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to help me figure out what the annual maintenance costs would be on a late model Cornerstone. I REALLY appreciate it.



One final thought: those of you who chose to have your maintenance done by someone other than yourself, do you prefer Spartan, NIRVC or another shop closer to you? I've read that some shops who are not familiar with the Spartan chassis have overlooked grease zerks, etc.



Thanks again for your wisdom and advice.



ron

There is a sticky at the top of this forum with service centers recommended by members. While it’s not all inclusive it is a great resource.

[Maddog11capt]

[QUOTE=Gary.Jones;502874

My philosophy is to get my rig worked on by whoever is most qualified to deal with that particular repair.... usually an OEM owned repair facility.

Gary[/QUOTE]

Gary, wise words of advice! Basically take it to the shop that is most qualified.

[Matt D]

Ron, it really depends upon where you are, and what areas you frequent.

I like the idea of a small shop that could get to know our coach, and has some integrity. This depends on luck, and performing due diligence.

NIRVC isn’t convenient for us, except when we’re running from hurricanes.

Spartan is a LONG way for us.

So here is what I’d suggest for someone in a similar position, but unable to deal with hands on..

For general routine PM work such as oil/filters, etc. I would use a Speedco or TA somewhere nearby.

For more complex work, I’ll suggest a Cummins Coach Care facility. Don’t forget to become a Cummins Power Club member for a small discount on parts. The upside is Cummins can easily check for updates and faults.

With any Spartan, I would urge anyone to visit a competent alignment/ chassis repair shop and encourage them to find the problems. Trust me, there will always be something.

For the house itself, there is little substitute for a decent RV facility. We are fortunate that we have one nearby. We are doubly blessed that outside of Entegra, we’ve needed little I couldn’t handle.

I feel the house has been quite reliable. Schedule a regular inspection of all roof seams and penetrations to avoid leaks.

I hope this helps,

-Matt

[Maddog11capt]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Ron, it really depends upon where you are, and what areas you frequent.

I like the idea of a small shop that could get to know our coach, and has some integrity. This depends on luck, and performing due diligence.

NIRVC isn’t convenient for us, except when we’re running from hurricanes.

Spartan is a LONG way for us.

So here is what I’d suggest for someone in a similar position, but unable to deal with hands on..

For general routine PM work such as oil/filters, etc. I would use a Speedco or TA somewhere nearby.

For more complex work, I’ll suggest a Cummins Coach Care facility. Don’t forget to become a Cummins Power Club member for a small discount on parts. The upside is Cummins can easily check for updates and faults.

With any Spartan, I would urge anyone to visit a competent alignment/ chassis repair shop and encourage them to find the problems. Trust me, there will always be something.

For the house itself, there is little substitute for a decent RV facility. We are fortunate that we have one nearby. We are doubly blessed that outside of Entegra, we’ve needed little I couldn’t handle.

I feel the house has been quite reliable. Schedule a regular inspection of all roof seams and penetrations to avoid leaks.

I hope this helps,

-Matt

Matt, I like your idea of finding a small shop. Living in North Alabama, we have several small shops that work on SOB - Tiffin. The Tiffin factory is an hour south of us. When I had the Phaeton, I did as you said, I found a small shop that I built a relationship with and became a "frequent flier." But, with a "new to me" Cornerstone, I'd have to start all over. And being in Tiffin territory, finding a place that knows Spartan chassis and Entegra "house" may not be easy. But.... I still like the idea.

Thanks for the GREAT advice and wisdom!

ron

[Matt D]

Ron,

I would reach out to Bay Diesel and see if they’re willing to adopt an outsider!

Seriously, those guys are good, inexpensive, and fairly convenient. Don’t forget Tiffin used Spartan for a number of years, so I’m sure Bay Diesel can work on it.

Another plus Van discovered, is there is now a Girard factory and service center in Red Bay.

Just a thought.

-Matt

[Maddog11capt]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Ron,

I would reach out to Bay Diesel and see if they’re willing to adopt an outsider!

Seriously, those guys are good, inexpensive, and fairly convenient. Don’t forget Tiffin used Spartan for a number of years, so I’m sure Bay Diesel can work on it.

Another plus Van discovered, is there is now a Girard factory and service center in Red Bay.

Just a thought.

-Matt

Bay Diesel is the one I was referring to when I said I found a small shop that I developed a relationship with. I hadn't thought about asking them if they would work on a Spartan chassis. Great idea!

[royals1212]

Gary, FYI. There is a cummins/spartan/Allison certified shop (Industrial Power) about 15 miles from NIRV Lewisville. I live 5 miles from NIRV Lewisville. Give us a shout when you are in the area.

Herb

[Victory Blue]

Originally Posted by Maddog11capt

My sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to help me figure out what the annual maintenance costs would be on a late model Cornerstone. I REALLY appreciate it.

One final thought: those of you who chose to have your maintenance done by someone other than yourself, do you prefer Spartan, NIRVC or another shop closer to you? I've read that some shops who are not familiar with the Spartan chassis have overlooked grease zerks, etc.

Thanks again for your wisdom and advice.

ron

Ron - Welcome to the Entegra Owner's forum.

There are many of us who have yearly scheduled service appointments at Spartan in Charlotte, MI. Most of us make the next year's appointment while we are there. Generally, we get there the day before our appointment and plan 2 days there, plugged-in in Spartan's parking lot.

Spartan does our complete yearly service including things like checking and adjusting ride height, 4-corner weighing and generator service. They also have our records so they know when other scheduled maintenance is due. It may be on the expensive side as service goes but we go there for confidence and convenience.

Our appointment is always in early May and is tied in with a trip to Entegra for an AIR (Annual Inspection Report) and then to Entegra Homecoming in Elkhart, IN.

Good luck with your Cornerstone search!

[Gary.Jones]

Herb

I've actually had my Anthem worked on at Industrial Power in Fort Worth also before I really "discovered" NIRVC. They are good and worked effectively to get Cummins exert people to consult on my thorny problem at the time and to get enough support from Cummins to figure out my problem (it was an "after processing problem" that took tracing electrical resistance of individual wires, and resoldering individual connections, etc. to "find".They did a good job. The negative of Industrial Power was that at the time, they did not keep coaches plugged into shore power all the time, and it was a big deal for us as we had a freezer full of frozen food and a refrig full of non-frozen food and I really had to stay close and make sure that it was plugged in all the time and overnight since it took some smart people a week to figure it out. As you know, in contrast, NIRVC can and does routinely keep all coaches connected to power unless you have it all stripped down for no commercial power and take the coach there and dump it for weeks on end... (which I never do).

Didn't know you were so close. No current need to get to NIRVC Lewisville, but when we next visit there, I will remember to give you a call or email. Thanks for the invite. Reverse is true here also.

Gary

[DebbieMH]

I go to Spartan in Charlotte for maintenance, like I think I said ... but one of the reasons is because my husband is from Sturgis, Michigan and he likes to catch up with old friends ... so makes sense to us to go up that way. Anyway, if you are in Foley, Alabama or Gulf Shores area at anytime, I highly recommend Foley Auto & RV ... they are a certified Spartan shop and they have been very good to me in the past. For the house side, I use Cherokee Farms and an independent fellow that comes to Bella Terra, Brian Pepper. BTW ... Brian was able to figure out my Auto Gen problem even when Cummins, themselves couldn't.

[Maddog11capt]

Wow, lots of GREAT information, suggestions and ideas given here. Thanks so much!

I have read in other forums that others are also taking their coaches to Spartan in Charlotte, MI. Is there something special about going to that particular Spartan facility? Is that to Spartan as Middlebury, Indiana is to Entegra; in other words is that the Spartan mothership?

I completely understand wanting to get an annual AIR done in Middlebury. Would that inspection also take care of the Spartan chassis as well?

As always, thanks in advance!

ron

[Victory Blue]

Originally Posted by Maddog11capt

Wow, lots of GREAT information, suggestions and ideas given here. Thanks so much!

I have read in other forums that others are also taking their coaches to Spartan in Charlotte, MI. Is there something special about going to that particular Spartan facility? Is that to Spartan as Middlebury, Indiana is to Entegra; in other words is that the Spartan mothership?

I completely understand wanting to get an annual AIR done in Middlebury. Would that inspection also take care of the Spartan chassis as well?

As always, thanks in advance!

ron

Yes, Charlotte is Spartan’s home office. FWIW, it’s pronounced char-lot. Entegra’s AIR doesn’t include the chassis.

[Maddog11capt]

Thanks so much for your patience and for helping educate me.

I like the idea of taking the coach back to the manufacturer (Entegra and Spartan). If I may indulge your patience, I'd like to ask a few more questions. For sake of discussion, let's assume it's a 2017 Cornerstone and no longer qualifies for the two year Entegra warranty.

1. What would be the approximate cost to go to Spartan in Charlotte, Michigan to get the complete yearly service taken care of? Let's assume that there are no major problems that need to be taken care of.

2. Along those same lines, what should I expect to pay getting the AIR inspection taken care of at Entegra in Middlebury Indiana? Again, let's assume that there are no major problems that need to be taken care of.

Thanks again for ALL your time and help!

ron

[FLJOE]

How much was the annual maintenance on your Tiffin you had previously? I would think you could draw some comparisons from your experience with that.