Fed up & disgusted!

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I had an issue at Scott's, and after a pretty detailed e-mail, all I got back was were are sorry, but we have added a third shift and everything is not up to snuff yet... But no offer to make things right, or a discount to help pay for my troubles. I was hoping for better. Back to looking... Is there any other good shops in the Detroit/Toledo area that anyone might suggest?

For what kind of work?

I had to go up to Carrier of Detroit today for required work. Scott's had let their certification go on their equipment. That is after they told me it was up to date.

Still waiting on the bill for my APU mess.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Everything... I am still looking for a dependable shop.

If I were getting anything done on my engine/transmission etc I would, if I could, go to the Western Branch Diesel in Canton. They have worked on my truck twice, not warranty work, and have yet to charge me ANYTHING. Once, even after 8 hours labor, they were unable to fix the A/C problem so they did not charge me. Another time, they put a shim in my lift gate, not bought there, no charge.

I have also had emergency repairs done at their place in South Charlestown, WV. That was billed but not to me. They were fast, did the job right, no problems.

link below. Don't know if they can work for you but I will go out of my way when it is work that they can handle.

MTU, Detroit Diesel, Allison, MTU Onsite Energy & WheelTime Dealers in Virginia, West Virgina, Kentucky & Ohio
 

Mdbtyhtr

Expert Expediter
late arrival to this thread but a few things to consider diagnostic wise: Provided the temp and oil pressure switches are working properly, tested by ohm meter, if there is no coolant to the switch due to coolant loss, there is nothing to transfer the high temp to either open or close the switch. Further, the sludge may have acted as an insulator so the temp could not be read as high.

Best of luck,

Scott
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
late arrival to this thread but a few things to consider diagnostic wise: Provided the temp and oil pressure switches are working properly, tested by ohm meter, if there is no coolant to the switch due to coolant loss, there is nothing to transfer the high temp to either open or close the switch. Further, the sludge may have acted as an insulator so the temp could not be read as high.

Best of luck,

Scott

Thanks, it is fixed, for now. There was coolant in the engine, it is plumbed into the truck and had not yet burned it all up. The shop is saying it was caused by the head gasket. Too bad they ignored that gasket a month prior when I told them it was bad.
 

garyatk

Seasoned Expediter
I am still hoping to find a good shop to have work done while the trucks are at home, out of service... But thanks for the tip about Western Branch!
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I am still hoping to find a good shop to have work done while the trucks are at home, out of service... But thanks for the tip about Western Branch!

I am doing the same thing. I used to go a place in Toledo called "John's Standard Diesel" but they are out of business. I have not been happy with any shop I have tried around here in recent years.
 

garyatk

Seasoned Expediter
I have a truck at Diesel Repair Specialists on Van Born Rd. in Romulus... I'll let you know how they do.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I have a truck at Diesel Repair Specialists on Van Born Rd. in Romulus... I'll let you know how they do.

Thanks, I think EnglishLady had one of their trucks there. I do, however, need a shop that does carrier reefer work. This is one of the harder parts of this business.
 

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
I have a truck at Diesel Repair Specialists on Van Born Rd. in Romulus... I'll let you know how they do.

Don't let the surprise costs hit you on the way out. I asked them how much for batteries. They told me. I asked, "Out the door?" "Yep." Nope.
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
For Cummins repairs you can't beat Ed's on Telegraph just north of Oh-Mi line. The place looks alittle trashy. Rate was $65 p/h last time I was there. Maybe 2 years ago.
Ed has been doing Cummins about 50 years. Great people. His home phone number is on his business cards.
When I hauled trucks out of Flint our guys would drive hundreds of miles to let him do their work. And they didn't go because of price.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
UPDATE:

The repair did not work. Ran the APU over night. Got up this morning, down a gallon of coolant. The APU engine was covered in dry anti-freeze. There was nothing but thick, black goo in the engine, no oil. The oil was clear and full when I started it.

TOAST!
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
I got the name wrong, it was a ComfortPro. It does not matter, they are still made in the same place, by the same people. Carrier does not manufacture them. They just sell and provide a service network.

There is more to it than that. Yes, the same people make the unit after Carrier got the distribution rights but Carrier now has input into the company that did not exist before. Many thousands of these units have been installed on tractors since Carrier got involved. I do not know the story well but understand that changes were made to the product after Carrier got involved.

Carrier is a big, big company with a varied line of quality products. They are not ignorant when it comes to quality control and will not be content to let a product with its name on it go south on quality issues.

Many of the carrier reefer shops knew nothing about generators when Carrier picked up the line and some still don't. But as has been suggested above, installation is the key. With all brands, a generator installed well will last for many years but one installed poorly will be problematic at best.

The service manager at a Carrier Transicold dealer once told me the story about a major installation they did for a Wisconsin-based motor carrier. They installed over 1,000 generators on this motor carrier's fleet. The first few did not go well so they called in a factory rep. The rep explained all the shortcuts that can be taken when these generators are installed and also explained why none of these shortcuts should be taken. Again, proper installation is the key.

The dealer did not want to end up doing warranty work on 1,000+ installations and resolved to do it right. It was very interesting listening to this dealer mention the shortcuts that can be taken and I can see it happening often that a mechanic will take the shortcuts because he will want to get the job done quickly and get that truck out the door so he can move on to his next job.

A name that has been mentioned before in the Open Forum is Bill Moore at TSI Western Star in North Jackson, Ohio. Bill owns the dealership but that shop began as a general repair shop before the Western Star line was picked up. He has made many friends and gained many customers in the expediting arena by working on generators of all kinds and fixing problems that could not be resolved elsewhere.

Diane and I got to know this shop when we drove a Western Star truck owned by a fleet owner. We would not hesitate to take our Volvo there for general repairs if needed and if we were in the area.

If I was in your shoes, Layoutshooter, I'd take my truck there and review all the options. Your generator may be toast or may not be. Regardless, if anyone can develop and/or fabricate a solution for you, they can.

You began this thread with the title "Fed up & disgusted." It may be time to take a few steps back, zoom out to view the bigger picture, and think things through from a different perspective.

You don't want a new truck. That is understandable.

You can buy 300 $50 hotel rooms for $15,000. That is true but is it something you really want to do? When you are running hard (as you have been), you don't want to be moving in and out of hotel rooms or going out of service to make use of a hotel room and sleep in comfort. You want to sleep and live in comfort in the truck so you can keep rolling and keep the revenue stream going.

It may be time to approach your generator question as if you were buying a new truck. What exactly do you want from a generator and what is the best way to get it?

Diane and I have thought through the loss-of-generator scenario. Our Onan has performed well. It has only broken down once and that was because of a belt that gave up the ghost. I was able to replace that belt myself with a spare belt we carry.

But if a more serious breakdown would occur, our view is that if we do not have a generator, we do not have a truck. For the expediting life we live and work we do on the road, a generator is as essential as the truck itself.

Hotels are not a good option. Idling is not a good option. If our generator failed, we would go out of service as soon as possible and deadhead to the closest GOOD repair facility we know of. If it was a catastrophic generator failure, we would spend the $10,000 to $15,000 to put a new one in ASAP.

Joe, forget about the past. Forget about the shops and products that have left you fed up and disgusted. Think instead about how it will feel to have a generator in the truck that does exactly what you want it to do and think about the best way to accomplish that.
 
Last edited:
Top