Scotty Hutto

If anyone *knows* of a good automotive upholsterer, please feel free to share that info in our Vendor section. ...whether you’ve actually used them or just researched it, it would be great to know who the good ones are. If you have their lead times, etc. that would also be useful.

If the switch in the 2008 is like the one in a 2006 Diplomat, they’re known to go bad. Easy and inexpensive to replace. I’d try that next.

I’ve used the braided (stainless steel braid) lines under pressure for years... as do most of the folks I know with RVs. They are always under pressure whether you have a tire minder or not. I’ve never heard they are not designed to hold pressure all the time. Am I missing something?

Mike, You are correct that the Southwire model 40100 does not have built-in surge protection. It is a basic, although good, transfer switch. Seems odd they use the SurgeGuard name on it back then. Southwire no longer use the SurgeGuard name on basic transfer switches. The general consensus of this group over the years would be that the Progressive Industries HW50C surge protectors are some of the best, followed pretty closely by the Southwire units. Hardwired is more convenient - but requires some installation. Many prefer the plug-in units. These are much more robust than anything you can get at a big box hardware store. Kevin, the model 40250 you have in your coach has full-blown surge protection built in

@throgmartin is certainly the resident expert on this... His recommendation for Fiberglass roofs at the Gathering in Feb 2020 is: Prep with Dicor RP-FCP-1 Clean and Prep Coat with Dicor RP-FRC-1 Fiberglass RV roof Coating. I believe he said a gallon of each should handle the roof of a 40’ coat. But I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m wrong. 😂 I can’t speak to metal roofs.

@KevinH Your experience mirrors mine with Winegard. My issue was a nylon (?) gear in the adjusting mechanism that was badly worn. Probably a $0.10 part that they could have sold for $10. But they refused to sell parts. Like you it was an entire new turret or nothing. My solution was to dispose of all of my Winegard equipment and buy a King Traveller sat dish for $279 (it’s been a couple of years) and a King Jack OTA antenna. Winegard’s support - both tech support and parts - is very lacking, to be generous about it. I guess their philosophy is that their equipment is “throw-away ready”.

I agree, mostly. They are very much like insurance, except that in *most* states, extended warranties aren't regulated like insurance. That is, no one is checking the financial solvency of the companies offering them, and there is no "higher power" such as an insurance commission licensing them, enforcing fair treatment, and resolving disputes. I know Florida is an exception (and I'm sure some other states), where extended warranties are by state law considered a form of insurance and regulated as such. Folks in Florida and those other states that treat them like insurance have more protections, and extended warranties are a better deal there. That's an important point since we have so many members that reside in Florida. The other difference in my mind is the liability and catastrophic failures that insurance covers and extended warranties typically don't. As with so many things, to each his or her own. This is simply my personal opinion (and not the official opinion of Bill D's Monacoers 😂)

Chris, I went back and did a search of the old Yahoo database... Two names consistently came up: Aero Turbine and Magnadyne. You can buy the Aero Turbine online on their website at https://aeroexhaust.com/ Bill D really liked the Aero Turbine, and claimed lower exhaust gas temps and a small performance increase but no appreciable increase in fuel mileage. The Aero Turbine comes in two flavors: short ("Aero Turbine" - $125-140 depending on diameter) - with aggressive sound - and long ("Aero Turbine XL" - $160-180 depending on dimeter) with moderate sound. Bill D recommended the XL with moderate sound. Some members had issues with the welds on the Aero Turbine cracking and the company not responding to or honoring the "lifetime warranty" @georgecederholm is one of those who had the problem with cracks and went to the Magnadyne... maybe he can weigh in. I believe he got it from Summit Racing. Hope that's useful info... Scotty

I'm also a fan of Coach-Net. As far as the extended warranty, Bill B's advice is spot-on. Extended warranties are a form of insurance, and those companies have overheads and desire to make a profit... therefore, even if they covered everything they are supposed to (see Chris T's post above), they still have to collect enough money to cover the cost of repairs, plus overheads, plus profit. The one time I purchased an extended warranty on my wife's luxury vehicle (when I was young and didn't understand money), it was a terrible experience; I made one claim for a faulty steering rack - which they promptly refused - and shortly thereafter the warranty company claimed bankruptcy, leaving me holding the bag anyway... Said differently, an extended warranty is essentially *gambling* that you will be the exception and receive more benefits than you actually pay in premiums. Like a casino, there are winners and losers, but the house *always* wins (except when they go bankrupt 🤣 - then everyone loses.)

I use it also, but I believe some have concerns about providing bank account info to TSD.

Reading through this today and thought I’d check... in the Northwest side of Atl today for diesel. Best prices found: TSD - $1.86 at a nearby truck stop GasBuddy - $1.98 at a small gas station YMMV ...on the subject of Garmins... when I was a newbie with my Holdiay Rambler pulling a toad, I *once* used the car GPS... You know those square blocks in downtown Greenville, SC? I ran over the corner of *every single one*...

Gary, I think both Ivan and Ray are on the right track. Based on the behavior you describe you have an air leak in the supply (not return) hose between the fuel tank and genny. Could be a pinhole in the line - on the supply side the hose is under negative pressure, so it draws in air and you wouldn’t necessarily find fuel leaking. (As opposed to the return, which is under pressure and would leak fuel). Could be the hose; could be a fitting. I agree with Ray... replace the entire supply-side hose. Even if you found the leak, would you repair or replace? Let us know how it turns out and what you found.

That's odd that it would still be on headlightsdepot.com's website, and I believe it is outdated information. Since 2006, the US DOT has allowed LED headlamps to be used in production vehicles in the US (With the Lexus LS600h being the first vehicle produced for the US with all LED lighting). My wife's 2013 Lexus ES300h came from the factory with all LED lighting, including headlights, as did my 2017 GMC Canyon Denali... I can't imagine either Lexus or GMC would violate Federal regulations. I researched this extensively back in 2009 for my Honda Pilot. My guess is that headlightsdepot.com puts that old regulation, plus the requirement that LED headlights be used for "off-road purposes only" on their site as a "C.Y.A." for those who replace standard 800-1600 lumen halogen headlights with much higher output LEDs. All of that said, high output LEDs (Likely with a different focal length than the halogen bulb the reflector was designed for) coupled with poorly aimed, cheap aftermarket headlights found on many RV's can create a lot of glare for oncoming drivers.

I didn't do it myself. Maybe @Bob Nodine could weigh in? He's done lots of major maintenance projects on his 2006 Dip -- I bet he's done this 😉

Aiming headlights on our coaches is an “interesting” task... yes, they have adjusting screws, as mentioned above by @Pampero, and if that provides enough adjustment, you’re in great shape! On my coach, (‘06 Dip), the factory fabricated aluminum brackets were so far out of whack (aka adjustment), they had to be adjusted (aka bent) to even get in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, since I still work (much of the time from the coach), I drive at night often and need decent headlights. 🤷🏻‍♂️ My upgrade path to get GOOD (not great) illumination from my headlights - which is drawn from the collective wisdom of this group over the years... 1. Replace the slow-baked-to-a-crispy-crunch headlight switch and add relays. 2. Replace the Monaco factory installed TYCO aftermarket-brand headlights with real OEM headlights from GMParts.com (My coach uses a 2000-2006 Buick Century headlight). 3a. Change to LED bulbs (low and high beam). LEDs draw roughly 10-15% of the current of incandescent bulbs, so voltage drop is not as bad. Unfortunately some Monaco coaches don’t have enough clearance behind the headlights to use LED bulbs because of the extended heat sinks. @Tom Cherry might weigh in on that or 3b*. Add relays to improve voltage if your coach doesn’t have them and you prefer standard bulbs (some don’t like the color, brightness, or glare of LEDs) 4. Aim, according to the Daniel Stern website mentioned above in @Ray Davis post. (NOTE: Daniel Stern is NOT a fan of LED bulbs, but for me that was the only way to get enough light!) Hope that helps! * - If you prefer Halogen or other standard headlights, the best way to get more light is by adding relays so you have good voltage. Without getting into theory, low voltage dramatically affects the output of incandescent bulbs — much more than LED. In *some* Monaco coaches, the headlight current actually flows through the headlight switch on the dash, which really isn’t designed to handle that much current, and that plus long wiring runs kills your voltage (mine was 11.3 volts with headlights on, the engine running, and fully charged batteries). There is a great article on the Daniel Stern website on adding relays, and you can even order the required parts from him.

...as my older brother would say, “Even a blind HOG finds an acorn once in a while...”😂😂😂

From Yahoo today, surprising absolutely no one, since this is what they really wanted anyway... glad we got out while the gettin’ was good!! Scotty Dear Yahoo Group Moderators and Members, We launched Yahoo Groups 20 years ago to connect people around their shared interests. We helped our users navigate new towns, keep in touch with college friends, learn new skills, and most importantly, build connections they may have lost or never had in the first place. While we could not have been more proud of what we accomplished together, we are reaching out today with heavy hearts to let you know that we have decided to shut down Yahoo Groups on December 15, 2020. Yahoo Groups has seen a steady decline in usage over the last several years. Over that same period we’ve witnessed unprecedented levels of engagement across our properties as customers seek out premium, trustworthy content. To that end, we must sometimes make difficult decisions regarding products that no longer fit our long-term strategy as we hone our focus on other areas of the business. Beginning December 15, 2020 the Yahoo Groups website will shut down and members will no longer be able to send or receive emails from Yahoo Groups. We’ve compiled a comprehensive FAQ here that includes alternative providers and information on how this will impact your group content. Thank you for helping us build one of the earliest digital communities — we’re proud and honored to have forged countless connections over the last 20 years and played a small part in helping build your communities. Sincerely, The Yahoo Groups team

Ditto... I’ve never been able to get mine to work properly either. Hopefully someone can point us in the right direction I also added a new ground wire in my attempts to get it to work.

From the FWIW department, lower end Monaco’s do have drum brakes in front. I have no information concerning years, but my 2006 Diplomat definitely has drum brakes. I do *wish* it had disc brakes in front, but I think only Dynastys and above (Exec, Sig)had discs in the mid 2000s. If I’m off I’m sure someone can correct me...😁

Same year coach, same engine, different coach (Dip). Here’s the one I used: Dayco 89481 Belt Tensioner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H491LMG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fab_6kZGFb7MDYMBR PS - If you want to double check that part number, go to https://quickserve.cummins.com/info/index.html and enter your serial number. That can get you the exact Cummins part number for your engine.

That’s odd. I moved the thread to electrical which is not moderated. I did to get a notice to approve your post and it appeared when I went to the thread. I wonder if it’s an odd glitch because the thread was moved from a moderated forum to an unmoderated forum?

Hmm... I’ll look into it this evening after I get off work from my “real” job. 😂

In this case it’s the forum this was posted in. It was in the “parts & service” forum, which is moderated (I.e., all posts must be approved. i plan to move that post to “electrical” so it’s not moderated. scotty

It should be fixed now. I added your first name last initial and coach info. Feel free to edit that if you'd like.

Ray, I’ve looked but not had much success. Below is the closest thing I could find to those dimensions. Could you post a pic? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWNBWWU/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_kNeGFbMQD843Y