AN OLDER MOTORHOME MEANS HIGH MAINTENANCE
by Tom S

We bought our unit used about two and a half years ago. It is a 1995 Allegro Bay 34' Diesel Pusher.  The first couple of days we had it it developed a problem with the leveler control and we took it to Alabama Motor Coach (purchased from Bankston in Montgomery) for repairs. It still wasn't working correctly when we got it back and I disassembled the unit and repaired it myself (bad ground). 

On our first trip out we did not have any problems with the unit, everything functioned well and the power from the little Cummins was quite impressive. This big unit squirted in and out of freeway traffic like a sports car.

I had some trouble with the electrical panel under the refrigerator, I thought it was leaking and the water was running down on to the panel, but it wasn't the problem. The leak actually originated in the roof vent for the refrigerator. I resealed it and stopped the leak, but the water had already corroded over half of the circuit breaker connections. I cleaned all of the parts and reconnected the wires (you do a lot of cleaning and repairing on these "older" units because the parts are unavailable for replacement). 

After that, I cured a group of electrical problems that we were encountering from blown circuit breakers to intermittent operation. We had problems with the switch box for the TVs and I replaced it, only to have the problem return, found out that isolating this unit in foam works great. While on an overland trip from Alabama to Arizona, the awning was blown off in a wind storm in New Mexico and damaged the roof and side. Alabama Motor Coach performed the repairs.

There have been several problems that have come up, but overall we are quite pleased with this unit. Understand that an older home is high maintenance, but put the home on wheels and you compound the problem. If you are going to be a serious RVer, you'd better have one of two things and both would be preferred, lots of money, or the technical know how of a jack of all trades ... I am lacking in the first one, but make up for it on the second!

 Love the interior, my brother has a Newmar with the bathroom in the back as part of the master bedroom and if you have guests with you they always have to disturb you to go to the bathroom. Ours is in the hallway and works great with guests!

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