Blown engine

Lwiddis wrote:
Thirty-five grand would have made a fairly good downpayment on a new coach.

...and then there's the monthly payments that go along with that down payment.

Do some searches on google for motorhome salvage. I ran across a company that have every make, model of motorhome. They had all been totalled, but some were because of hail damage or other things that would not affect the motor. They sell any usable parts off the motorhome, mechanical or house.

For that year look for a used one there are a lot in junk yards I wood never spend that much on that year.....

By the way. The reason my 2005 has a 2004 engine.
About 3 years ago the original engine went BOOM. We found out it was murdered (road kill) not a problem with the engine but an external issue.
So the only compatable USED in the area was a 2004. It fit, It works purrs like the OEM. 7,000 engine and labor plus a about 1500 worth of shop supplies that most shops would not need (Lou got a ton of firewood after I left :) )

We parked the rig up about 2 1/2 feet on a pile of lumber.. Dropped the engine out. Lifted the "new" one in and drove off the wood pile..

Thank you all for the responses. I don't know specifically what's wrong with the engine yet. All the Chevy dealer could tell me was it was "blown". They didn't have lift or capabilities to look into it any further - their garage isn't set up for motorhome work. Yesterday it was towed 5 miles up the road ($416!) to a mom & pop truck repair location.

I have more confidence in them than the dealer, and as many of you suggested, I did NOT like the idea of dealer markup prices. I only went there because there was oil and smoke pouring out of the engine when I got off the highway in an unfamiliar area on a Saturday afternoon. My choices were limited and I had to keep to a schedule. Preliminary google searches didn't turn up too much, but I had to find a place to park it.

"Blown" can mean a lot of different things to different people. I'm glad you got the rig away from the dealer. In my experience, some dealers automatically defer to worst-case, because it avoids any problems from bad diagnostics. My local Ford dealer "diagnosed" my last van as needing a new motor because of some intermittent black exhaust, when it really turned out to be a broken wire going to the oxygen sensor.

Check Nada it appears your rig is worth 20k. I wouldn’t put in more then half that to get it back on the road. So used is the way to go IMO.
NADA click

"towed 5 miles up the road ($416!) to a mom & pop truck repair location."

Your insurance should cover all that.

AAA covered all my towing from one shop to another shop.