BRAKES question on cost/ my woeful tale

[Joel Weiss]

I use the pac break even for red light stops on the road and in town - not just for going down hills and grades and have been for years!

X2; anytime I'm in traffic and expect to have to stop or slow down I have my Jake on.  Quite often I can avoid having to apply the service brakes for more than for a "light tap" when approaching stoplights.  On hills and grades I downshift to 4th and "play the Jake" so I rarely have to use the service brakes even on long 6-7% grades.  I just drove US26 across the Cascades to Portland and I don't think I hit my brakes more than once or twice the whole way.

[Lloyd Hall]

I have a 97 Beaver Savannah with 146,356 miles on it. I am the original owner and I changed the pads just about 8000 miles ago at Pete's tire store in Gardena. They said I could have gone another 30,000 thousand miles at the rate they were wearing. I keep my Pac-Brake on most all the time. Most of my trips have been to Ames, Iowa from California to see our Grandchildren, and the coach has not had any break downs in the last 17 years. I believe good maintenance, and proper use of Pac-Brakes have been the results of my brakes pads lasting so long.I have had quite a few coaches in the last 45 years ( Cortez, 2 of them, GMC, and others) and this Beaver Coach is by far the best coach I have ever owned. It runs better now then when I first bought it at the BSC location in Bend, Oregon (Beaver Factory at that time). I dread the day I have to sell it, but going on 88 the day will soon arrive. In the meantime I will see you all at Seven Feathers in September.

Doc. Hall  

[Steve Adams]

I had a front brake job done at BCS which included all parts and labor and was charged $1600. That was just over 3 years ago.

Two weeks ago my right front bearing lost the oil seal, $375 to fix that. While the bearing was apart the tech said I needed new front brake pads, he would have replaced but NAPA did not have them. We were in the sticks near Randle, WA at the time.

Drove to Pacific Power Products and told them our sad story. After a thorough inspection of our brakes front and rear we needed to replace the front rotors and pads (again!) after ~10k miles and replaced the rear pads and had the rotors turned. This was $1650.

I live nearer PPP than BCS and so far they have been a good, reliable shop. They may not know my coach systems as well as BCS but they sure know engines, transmissions, brakes and suspension components. I would recommend them to anyone and I hear they will be at the rally in Canyonville.

Take care, Stee

[Joel Ashley]

Ditto here, Steve.  They were pretty efficient getting us in and out for some tranny service a few years ago.  I liked their attitude, ability to communicate, appreciation of their customers, and reasonable price.  They are mostly a truck shop, located next to I-5, but being in Coburg they are in the heart of Monaco/Country Coach country, and are therefore well-versed in motor homes.  I'm assuming you are talking about their Ridgefield, WA, facility instead, but I wouldn't hesitate going to any of their facilities for chassis service.  

Joel

[Steve Adams]

Joel, yes, I was referring to he Ridgefield, WA location. Good people, kept me informed and I thought their prices were fair.

[Larry and Heidi Lee]

I would not recommend Bobs in Victorville for tire service. If they tell you can spend the night parked in their lot-don't! The train runs all night long a block away. When I was there they didn't own an electronic spin balancer but instead some gizmo that rubs up against the tire and throws a strobe on the wheel. The guy that helped me didn't seem to know what he was doing. Long story short he said none of my 6 wheels needed any weight and they were all perfect!??? Yeah right. To make matters worse he used some chemical on one of my wheels and it stripped of the protective coating.

I've had mixed results at Pete's Road service in Santa Ana. One visit they returned my coach (not the Beaver) with grease all over the carpet from front to the rear. The mechanic never bothered to cover his shoes or lay down a tarp. Another visit they tried to overcharge me on a flat rate alignment. I have had satisfactory tire service here.

So far my best experience for tires and alignment is at the Pete's road service in Corona Ca. They have all the latest spin balancing equipment (yes, I needed all kinds of weight this time) and a state of the art laser alignment rack. They also are able to weigh the coach with portable scales but surprisingly none of the guys knew how to use the Michelin tire weight to pressure chart and had no idea what I was talking about. Funny because it was in the Michelin brochure sitting on there counter in the waiting room.