Cargo Van Maintenance Costs
- Thread starter Moot
- Start date
I don't know.
Moot...really good input here...you are a sticky guy now....LOL
Murraycroexp
Veteran Expediter
Excellent info!
I think it's just a sometimes weird crap happens thing. My van, 7.3 Powerstroke, went through water pumps. A bunch of them. I never once talked to another 7.3 owner that went through as many as I did. My mechanic had no real answer as to why.
Murraycroexp
Veteran Expediter
True. I do remember many of my couriers changing fuel pumps every 75K & alternators "more than usual". Many of those we're Express vans from about the 1995-2010 models. It was silly there for a while. With 75-100 couriers (not including str8s & semis) there were always a couple down for fuel pumps and alternators.
I'm honored!
Before I bought my first van I ran some numbers. I didn't have E.O. for guidance so I winged it on maintenance costs. For fuel I doubled the current price for a gallon of gas. I figured this was a worst case scenario and I could still make a living. After doubling the current price of gas the number I plugged into my calculations was $1.50/gallon. I was off by a wee bit!
Just maybe---
During the time I was a courier, I had an issue with my Ford going through fuel pumps. I really began to hate the frequency it could go through pumps, and I found that anything other than a dealership-installed pump was worthless since off-brand pumps could be expected to give trouble before you left the mechanic's yard.
My Sprinter loved to eat the belt-tensioner. You couldn't keep a tensioner much more than 70,000 miles, usually before then it would be toast and have to be replaced.
The very worst for off-brand parts producing trouble was a '79 Chevy LUV. I had to buy the ignition parts at the dealer-- if I bought the parts at a local parts store, the points would fault before I could get the truck around the block. Lucky to get it back home more than once, I had to buy ignition parts at the dealer-- or else. I have to say I don't miss having to replace points and all that stuff.
During the time I was a courier, I had an issue with my Ford going through fuel pumps. I really began to hate the frequency it could go through pumps, and I found that anything other than a dealership-installed pump was worthless since off-brand pumps could be expected to give trouble before you left the mechanic's yard.
My Sprinter loved to eat the belt-tensioner. You couldn't keep a tensioner much more than 70,000 miles, usually before then it would be toast and have to be replaced.
The very worst for off-brand parts producing trouble was a '79 Chevy LUV. I had to buy the ignition parts at the dealer-- if I bought the parts at a local parts store, the points would fault before I could get the truck around the block. Lucky to get it back home more than once, I had to buy ignition parts at the dealer-- or else. I have to say I don't miss having to replace points and all that stuff.
That is a mystery. We only did 1 replacement in 650,000 miles and that was at about 300,000 miles and it was just starting with a weep.
I believe it is running all those aux. batteries. Some alternators are not suited to running all the time. We replaced several in 650,000 miles. We ran golf cart batteries, microwave, cooler,etc. Best to replace 1st one with a new alternator with lifetime warranty. Remanufactured will eat you alive with labor costs.
