Goshen Coach Repair and the Sister Nameplate Parts Trick
Written by Fleet Account Manager, Fleet and Commercial Account Manager, OCRV Center. Reviewed by RV Systems Lead
In shortGoshen Coach sits in the same Forest River bus group as Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus, so a part that appears unavailable under one badge often exists under a sister nameplate number.
Where do Goshen Coach parts come from?
From Forest River's bus group in Elkhart, which also builds Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus. That cross reference is how our Yorba Linda shop finds skirt panels and fittings for operators serving Rancho Santa Margarita when a Goshen number shows nothing.
- Impulse and Pacer are cutaway shuttle bodies
- Sister nameplates share components and often part numbers
- Ford and Chevrolet cutaway chassis parts arrive quickly
- Fiberglass caps remain mold specific and ship freight
- Group
- Forest River bus division, Elkhart, Indiana
- Sister nameplates
- Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus
- Body rate
- $210 per hour
- Door and lift work
- $260 per hour
- Estimate
- $150 written scopeCredited in full against an authorized repair
Last verified
Goshen Coach shuttle bodies do quiet work: hotel runs, senior centers, church fleets, campus loops. They are conventional cutaway builds, and the single most useful thing we know about them is where their parts actually live.
Forest River's bus group builds Goshen, Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus, and those products share suppliers and often part numbers. When a Goshen search returns nothing, checking the siblings is the difference between a two day repair and a two week wait.
Cross referencing inside the bus group
Skirt panels, interior fittings, grab rails, door hardware and glass frequently appear under more than one nameplate in this group, because the same plants build all three. A parts counter searching only the badge on the vehicle will report an item as discontinued when it is in stock under a sibling number.
We search all three by default. It is a small piece of institutional knowledge that has saved fleet operators real downtime, and it costs nothing except knowing to ask. Molded caps remain the exception, since a cap belongs to the mold that made it.
Front caps and mounting point cracks
The molded front cap on a shuttle body attaches at a series of points along its perimeter, and cracks tend to radiate from those attachments rather than from the middle of the panel. Vibration over years, plus the occasional low speed contact, concentrates stress exactly where the fasteners are.
Repair means laminating the crack properly and improving the load spreading at the attachment, not just filling and painting. Where an operator has had the same crack repaired twice, the attachment is what nobody addressed.
Entry doors that cycle all day
Shuttle door mechanisms live a hard life. Pneumatic or electric actuators, linkages, hinges and sensors all wear on a vehicle that opens its door at every stop. The failure usually presents as a door that closes slowly, bounces, or triggers an obstruction sensor with nothing in the way.
We diagnose the mechanism rather than replacing the actuator by default, because a binding linkage produces exactly the same symptoms as a failing actuator and costs a fraction to correct. Door work bills at the mechanical rate.
Keeping a small fleet running
Most Goshen operators run a handful of vehicles rather than a large fleet, which means losing one is a bigger proportional hit than it would be for a transit agency. We order commodity parts before the vehicle arrives whenever damage can be assessed from photographs, and we schedule around the operator's calendar.
For church, hotel and senior transport accounts we quote a return to service date and hold to it, or tell you the day it changes. Purchase order billing is available once an account is established, which is how most of these repairs get authorized.
Rates and our standing
Body, cap and refinish work bills at $210 per hour with body supplies at $5 per body hour. Door mechanisms, lifts and electrical work bill at $260. A written estimate is $150 and is credited in full when the repair is authorized.
OCRV Center is an independent shop with no dealer agreement or affiliation with Goshen Coach or Forest River. All work is performed in shop at Yorba Linda. A cutaway shuttle fits any bay we have, and it can usually be driven in and out under its own power.
Goshen Coach lines we work on
- Impulse cutaway shuttle bodies
- Pacer mid size shuttle bodies
- GC II series bodies
- Wheelchair accessible configurations
- Sister nameplates Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus in the same group
Parts. Goshen Coach is part of Forest River's bus group in Elkhart, Indiana, which also builds Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus. That is a practical advantage: a skirt panel or an interior fitting that shows unavailable under Goshen frequently exists under a sister nameplate's number. Cutaway chassis parts from Ford and Chevrolet are unaffected and arrive on commercial timelines.
What we see on this brand
- Fiberglass front cap cracking at mounting points
- Skirt panel and wheel opening damage from curbs
- Entry door mechanism wear in high cycle service
- Body to cowl joint sealant failure
- Interior panel and grab rail mounting loosening
Appendix: questions and answers
- Can a Starcraft Bus part fit a Goshen Coach body?
- Frequently, because the same Forest River bus plants build Goshen, Starcraft Bus and Glaval Bus. We search all three by default. A parts counter checking only the badge on your vehicle will call an item discontinued when it is in stock under a sibling number.
- Why has the same cap crack come back twice?
- Because the attachment point was not addressed. Cracks on these caps radiate from the fasteners that hold them, so filling the crack leaves the stress concentration in place. A durable repair laminates the damage and improves load spreading at the attachment.
- Our shuttle door closes slowly and bounces. Is the actuator failing?
- Maybe, and a binding linkage produces identical symptoms for far less money. We diagnose the mechanism, check linkage geometry, hinge wear and sensor function before condemning an actuator. Replacing actuators by default is how operators end up paying twice.
- We only run three shuttles. Can you work around that?
- Yes, and losing one of three hurts more than losing one of thirty. We order commodity parts before the vehicle arrives where photographs allow, quote a return to service date, and schedule around your calendar. Purchase order billing is available once the account is established.
- Can a shuttle bus be driven straight into your shop?
- Yes. Cutaway shuttles fit any bay in the 35,000 square foot building and normally arrive under their own power. If a collision left the vehicle undrivable, arrange the tow before it arrives so we can stage it into a bay rather than leaving it on the apron.
- What should we photograph before sending a shuttle in?
- Four corners, both roof lines, the seat and securement layout, the lift plate if one is fitted, and the interior before anything is loaded out. Photograph the data plate and the door decals too. Goshen bodies were built to order in small runs, so the plate and decal layout are frequently the only record of how your unit was configured, and reproducing lettering costs far less when a clear photograph exists than when it has to be measured off a damaged panel.
Open a file on this repair
Tell us the vehicle, what happened and whether a claim is open. We will tell you what the scope looks like and what it takes to get you back on the road.
Or call (949) 799-3387