Essential Inspections Each year a number of TD Vixens change owners. The vehicles are so exciting and many are keen to try out their new purchase. Many have purchased low mileage Vixen's. Do not let the low mileage fool you into a sense that your Vixen will not need any maintenance for awhile, as age is a major factor also. Little use does not equate to trouble free driving. Your vehicle is about 20 years old and with some preventive maintenance will provide you with trouble free service. Think of it as an airplane whose parts are replaced before they leave you stranded. After reading all Fox Prints, the following is a list of preventive maintenance that I would strongly recommend to any owner. Remember the cost of a towing bill can be very high and these repairs may prevent that. Thanks to the many pioneer Vixen owners who outlined many of these issues in previous Fox Prints. In my opinion the five major sources of problems for the TD are: First gear being too high - Greg will soon have a lower first gear to solve this problem, for those who have not had their transmission modified. (www.vixenrv.com) Overheating the engine - Often caused by belts, hoses, or water pump going and not noticed by driver, air in the cooling system, or overheating on hills. Electrical problems - often caused by poor grounds and the crimp on connectors used. Should have been soldered. Drivability problems - Numerous unqualified mechanics working on a vehicle that they are not familiar with what needs to be done. Nice to now have Greg at Specialized Auto (406.587.8148). See the manuals on this site. Find a local mechanic who has worked on VW diesels and he should be able to maintain the diesel. Go to tdiclub.com and find a mechanic in your area. The two are very similar. Recall Problems that were not possibly done. Rear Frame brace - this should have been done, but it goes over the rear cross member to prevent cracking of welds. If you are careful this brace can be under the ski locker and does not need to be cut into the ski locker as many were done. Steering box reinforcement - Check to make sure you have a molded piece of sheet metal behind the steering box, as this was the reinforcement added in a recall that not all Vixens may have received. Coolant tank hose re-plumbing to prevent air locks to the Webasto. The correct plumbing is in each Vixen repair manual. Make sure you have the BMW service training manual, as it describes in great detail how to do most maintenance items and also major repairs. This was the manual they used to train BMW mechanics. Email if you do not have a copy and I can get one photocopied and sent to you for about $20. Remember, I live in Canada. The checklist is divided into what I consider to be essential and optional maintenance. If you can do this yourself the cost is probably around $500. If not set aside about $2000. Checklist: Maintenance for New TD Vixen Owners Essential Running Gear Maintenance Lubricate all grease fittings, note the fitting underneath the steering box. Check for any play. Repack front wheel bearings. Make sure to use wheel bearing grease for disc brakes. Check rear axle flanges for any cracks. Remover rear drums and inspect. Also check wear on rear tires for out on alignment. This may be causing the flanges to break. Replace rubber bushings on the Top A arms. - Parts available from GM. These bushing go oblong and prevent proper wheel alignment from the weight of the Vixen. Not dependent on miles but just on age, from the weight sitting on it. This prevents the Vixen from being able to keep a proper wheel alignment. Wheel Alignment with full water tank and 6 bags of cement in front to duplicate driver and passenger weight. (Return for refund to Home Depot when finished!) Ensure all tie rods, ball joints etc. are in good shape. Replace front pads if needed and service Calipers. Make sure to grease the slide with silicone grease. Check rear brakes. Make sure to pull back the rubbers on the wheel cylinders to check for leaks and replace. The brake lines have a 90 degree bend and may need to be heated with a torch and then WD 40 to release, to prevent the brake line from bending with the nut. Easy to do in a shop, but not so easy to do beside the highway! Check all tires for wear, and aging and replace as needed. If you do not have the lower gear transmission you may want to consider 2:15X75X15 Goodyear Wrangler HT that have a weight rating in excess of 2100 lbs and are lower in height than a 2:35 but actually a little wider. This will lower you final gearing ratio, and make a noticeable difference. I am using these and they have stood up excellent. Check your wheels. Many Vixen owners have installed GM Rally wheels with the small square holes in. These wheels look great and fit, but have a weight of only 1500 lbs per wheel. Not the same as your factory wheel. The weight is usually stamped inside the wheel. If you have the large metal hubcaps you will probably have the stock wheels. Check underneath the front wheel wells on the condition of your metal lines that move coolant from the motor to the heater core up front. If they are rusty, remove and replace with good quality heater hose. Most motorhomes used heater hose and not pipes anyways. Check the condition of the large metal plates underneath your vehicle. You may find screws have fallen out and the plates are loose creating an unsafe situation if one ever came off. Essential Engine Maintenance Check the timing belt for age and mileage. Replace as per instructions in the manual. Use both pins and cam lock to ensure it is done properly. Check pump timing, as it can result in a hotter engine as well. More fuel results in more heat. Replace water pump. It is easy to do at home, but on the road could be very difficult to do. Check all cam shafts and crank shaft seals and replace as needed. Adjust the valves exactly to specs. Critical. Check glow plugs and replace with Bosch or other German brand. Usually the green light for start will not work if one glow plug is out. To isolate disconnect the glow plug module on the passenger side engine compartment and use an ohm meter to check for continuity or a test light hooked up to 12 volts and each contact should provide a ground and your light should come on. Replace the Fuel filter. Dealer item. I prefer dealer over aftermarket. You may need a large filter remover tool if yours is on tight. Replace the oil filter, dealer item comes with new o ring and two copper washer for drain plug and filter drain plug. Use a good quality oil (Delo or Shell Rotella). If you chance to synthetics you may find leaks occurring, as synthetic molecule are linked differently than regular oil. Most mechanics will not recommend synthetics in an engine that has not always run synthetics. Replace all hose on the engine and belts. Use gold brand Dayco, or other premium brand. Keep your old ones as spares when traveling. Many of these hoses will need to be ordered in, which can be a costly repair when traveling, if you are stranded somewhere. Add diesel conditioner, Standyne is recommended by most diesel repair shops. If manual fan, check the bearings for wear, and the belt also. (vixenrv.com has them in stock I believe) You may want to remove and install a Taurus Electric fan. Check all grounds and clean as required. Lubricate the shifter cables, Remove cables at the engine, slide a slighter bigger hose over, and then a funnel into the hose, and fill with 0/30 w synthetic oil. Over night the oil will seep through to the front Shifter. (If really stiff use WD40 first as a cleaner) Install suitable towels to prevent a mess up front shifter. You may wish to take the sharp bend out underneath to help with easier shifting. Check the clutch slave cylinder carefully for leakage. Flush out line with Isopropyl and use DOT #3 Silicone. Probably worth putting in a new one from Specialized. (www.vixenrv.com) as the original will fail due to moisture in the fluid and leave you stranded. Remove driver side rear cover and the electric air conditioning fan, and check condition of oil hoses on oil cooler. Slide a gear clamp on each fitting to prevent and leakage, or replace the hose as required. Check they are not rubbing where they go through the fiberglass. You may want to add something to prevent wear. Remove radiator and have it checked out by Rad shop. Rod out or replace as needed. Many use a dimple radiator to slow water down for better cooling. Install an angled piece of sheet metal to the rear cross member to direct additional air to engine compartment. Install a new thermostat. Many use the 182 degree thermostat. Install a "T" into the water line going to the radiator. A radiator shop can make one up that has a 1.75 inch opening with a radiator cap on the top. When this is installed you can fill your vixen up from underneath the bed area in a few minutes, without any air in the system. Skip Hasket's recommendation that really makes it easy. Check to see if your computer is running by turning key on but not motor and listen for buzzing at the fuel pump at the back. No buzzing replace the computer. Essential Coach Maintenance Check all grounds. Check coach batteries and condition of battery supports. Replace with 6volt golf cart batteries. Install ground on Temperature gauge to give accurate readings, and prevent fluctuation when lights turned on. Install buzzers on temperature gauge and oil pressure gauge. If you throw a water pump belt or lose a hose, you will not otherwise know until your engine seizes. Install spray system on radiator, plumbed into your fresh water tank. A solenoid is used to provide water flow to small sprayers attached on radiator to spray in front of radiator. This can lower temps by 10 degrees on long climbs. Optional Exterior Modifications Install side Lexan scoops - 604-853-8222 ( JL Plastics) This will cool your vixen better as well as allowing you to drive it even if the fan is non-operative. Replace sheet metal bumpers with 2X6 Channel. - Provide far more protection and may avoid you been stranded with a minor accident. Minor bending and the cover will slide right over. Install a radiator on the passenger side for additional reserve cooling. Hook up a small utility trailer and watch how quickly your gauge will move, indicating that the current system is marginal. One overheat situation can warp a head and cause thousands of dollars worth of repairs. Optional Coach Modifications Install a burglar alarm and wire to wire that goes to Fuel pump. The vehicle will still crank over but not start, hopefully fooling a thief who will not be looking then for a burglar alarm. Install Plexiglass shelf in medicine cabinet to prevent articles from falling out when the door is open. Also, modify the plumbing below the bathroom sink, and then install a shelf to allow for storage below the bathroom sink. Hide a hidden set of keys on your vehicle. Install 2x2 unto gas pedal. This gives a proper angle for driving. You can just tape one on to try and you will see the difference. If you remove the fridge wiring cover plate you will notice that it is not plugged into 110 volt but always runs on the 12 volt. Many have ran a 110 volt wire back from the junction coming in or the fuse box, and installed a 110 volt plug behind the refrigerator. The fridge runs better when plugged in and takes some strain off the converter. Remove the Webasto heater and relocate it 180 degrees from its original place. Some minor hose work will need to be changed. This allows you easy access to your Webasto glow plug and wick. Weather proof your front compartment by blocking off some of the vents in the hood and draining off water in the ledge below by installing a drain tube. Install door sweep material on ski locker to waterproof and dustproof this area. Replace the front springs with 3/4 ton GM springs and the rear springs with the heavier springs available from Specialized (vixenrv.com). Replace air shocks with KYB gas filled shocks. You will not believe the difference in handling. Remove the metal hubcaps and replace with Walmart plastic ones. If the rear one ever comes off it will destroy your rear panel and great cost for obtaining a new one. $12.44 for four and they look great! Please feel free to add to this list. This list was compiled to help new owners have years of trouble free service. By: Dave Nicolas Last Update: May 11, 2007