Decelomatic Demise?
Q: I’ve been a member of FMCA since the late 1960s, and this is the first time I’ve contacted “Tech Talk.” I am having a problem finding service for my Mountain Tamer, which is an exhaust brake retarder for gasoline engines. The unit was manufactured by Decelomatic Corp. of Phoenix, Arizona. I have had the unit on my type A coach since 1989. It has performed flawlessly and, to prove a point, I still have the original brake pads on my RV with 52,000 miles on it. I service the Mountain Tamer unit according to a detailed owners manual supplied when I had it installed. Now I have a failure in the operation of the unit.
I tried contacting Decelomatic Corp. by phone, letter, and e-mail, but to date have had no response. The phone is disconnected. I even contacted the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, but had no luck. I also contacted RV repair shops in my area here in the Northeast. I’ve heard that Louis King, president of the company, passed away. I’m very sorry, as he was a knowledgeable man who knew his product and had great faith in its operation. It’s difficult for me to comprehend how a product like the Mountain Tamer could just disappear from the market. Apparently he had a large inventory of parts and yet no one, to my knowledge, has taken over his operation.
I can’t believe that this product and service are gone forever. Perhaps one of your readers would have some information. I know there are others like me who would appreciate any help tracking down parts or service for this product.
Walter Compare, F7236
Island Park, New York
A: If anyone has an idea where Mountain Tamer replacement parts or service might be obtained, please contact technical editor Jim Brightly via e-mail at techtalk@fmca.com or by phone at (800) 543-3622, ext. 444.
Towing A Rover
Q: As I follow the magazine with great interest and read every column, I see a theme of letters and answers about towing vehicles. Your comments always seem to be appropriate and give the best information to the letter writer. However, I think you should tell them that they may need to call the manufacturer’s customer service department directly to receive an absolute confirmation on the towing requirements.
I speak from personal experience. My wife and I wanted to purchase and tow a Land Rover. Both the dealership’s sales manager and service manager said it was towable, and they even pulled out the owners manual and showed us towing information to confirm their comments. We followed the instructions to the letter. After the first time we towed the vehicle it had battery problems; the electronics acted up, and the dash flashed like emergency warning lights; and the odometer racked up many miles. A second visit to the dealer to discuss the problems confused them as well. We went through the setup exactly as written in the owners manual. All seemed to be in order, but the problem was still there.
The dealer’s service department called Land Rover’s technical line and found out that the owners manual had been misprinted; therefore, the towing instructions were wrong. The company never sent a notice to dealers or owners; they just handled the calls as they came in, because they felt the number of people who would tow that vehicle were minimal.
I urge members to check with FMC magazine, check with the dealers’ staff, read the owners manual, and then call or have the dealer call the manufacturer, especially if the vehicle is part of a new product line or one that is not as often towed, to determine whether it can be towed four wheels down.
Ken Cash, F371099
Incline Village, Nevada
A: Thanks for the kudos and for sharing this information. Sounds like a good extra measure of protection, although it might be difficult for the consumer to reach the proper person to answer such a question and/or to convince the dealer that the manufacturer might have information they haven’t shared. One would think the company should have at least issued a service bulletin to its dealers. Of course, we’ve learned from gathering information from the manufacturers for our towing guides that the subject isn’t always top of mind for the manufacturers, given the small niche market towing represents among their vehicle owners. We sometimes have trouble getting a definitive answer from them regarding the towability of certain vehicles.