PantherPower
Seasoned Expediter
The following is a detailed account of the nightmare I have experienced with the lease of my 2008 Hino 338.
One day, somewhere around February 20, 2008, I visited with my recruiter. I learned that I could get into my own truck and I proceeded along those lines where, on February 27, 2008, I sent in the documentation fees via overnight mail to the leasing company. I was told that my truck would be delivered within 5 days after receiving the payment. The payment was received the next day, and I took delivery of my truck on March 3, 2008. This is where the problems began;
I immediately noticed several things wrong with the truck. The gearing was wrong for highway use; the rpm's were at redline at 70mph. There was a bench seat on the passenger side which made it extremely difficult to access the sleeper. The exhaust exited directly under the sleeper which is in direct violation of DOT regulations. The rear axle was located too far to the rear of the truck which severely limited my load capacity (this will be covered more later), and I was charged an additional $4000 to install a 1-cubic foot refrigerator, microwave, inverter, charge controller, and two batteries. The inverter isn't even strong enough to run the microwave! The representative models that the recruiters had seen had all that and WAY more at no additional charge! And finally, the fuel tank on the driver side was inaccessible. Meaning that the filler hole was too close to the bottom of the sleeper to be able to put fuel in. The large diesel nozzle simply would not fit in due to lack of clearance.
I had possession of the truck, but could not go in service until I had a plate. The dealer that the leasing company bought the truck from didn't release the title until the end of the month. It was March 27 by the time I finally got the title and plate. A FULL MONTH had passed from the time I sent my fees in to when I could actually go into service. It was during this time that I began to voice my concerns with my sales rep. I got absolutely nowhere with him. He insisted that the truck was built correctly and that I basically didn't know what I was talking about. I eventually got a hold of a the Senior Vice-President of Maintenance, Hino North America. After a phone conversation and submitting a few pictures, he got some people to move. On April 1, 2008, I was instructed to bring the truck to a dealer in Romulus, Michigan. They are the leading Hino conversion expert. They inspected the truck and agreed that everything I had felt was wrong was indeed wrong. After another 2 weeks of the dealer and the lessor blaming each other for the mistakes, the dealer finally footed the bill (over $6600) to correct the problems. I left the truck with the Romulus dealer on April 16.
During the time between April 1 and April 16, I was running the truck as I had received it. The location of the rear axle had limited my capacity to about 7500 pounds. It was so far to the rear that the front axle carried too much of the truck's unladen weight. The front axle weighed in at 10,400 pounds with a 6,500 pound load The axle's capacity is 11,000. I was supposed to be able to carry almost 13,000, but it is obvious that with that much weight, the front axle would be grossly overloaded.
On a run to North Carolina, on April 14, the engine started to rattle really loud. Diesels normally rattle, but not like this was. I knew the oil was full, but I actually stopped and double-checked it again because the noise was very loud and troubling. It was in fact full, and it was about time for an oil change, so I figured I'd stop and have that done after I delivered. The problems got worse. I was coming to a stop on the off-ramp. I felt the engine wanting to stall and I had to put it into neutral and keep on the accelerator to keep it running. It felt to me as if the fuel filter was clogged or something. I immediately brought the truck in for service and had an oil change and had the fuel filter changed.
The rattle was still there, but not as pronounced. It was running fine, though. Seemed as if it was in fact a clogged fuel filter after all. The next load from there was to Michigan. I got about 600 miles down the road and the rattle got louder, it started to run rough again, and the Check Engine light came on. It was then that I went to the dealer in Romulus and told them about the problems and got it on the schedule to have the corrections made to the truck (axle relocation, gear ratio change, etc.), and have these issues with the rattling and Check Engine light diagnosed. The technician hooked up to the truck and found Fault Code P0087: Insufficient Common Rail Fuel Pressure. He said that the rattling was because the valves needed to be adjusted (not due until 50,000 miles but needed to be done NOW). He cleared the code and told me to "keep an eye on it". If it ever happened again, bring it in. The valve adjustment was supposed to be done while they had the truck, but it was not. I was told that the leasing company refused to approve the repair. The truck is under warranty, for one, and any maintenance comes out of MY pocket. Why are they refusing repairs that obviously need to be done. Who said no or why, I have been unable to determine. I was charged $90 to pull the code. Where is the warranty at this point?
Fast-forward to May 27, 2008. After the corrections made by Interstate, the truck averaged between 8.5 and 9.5mpg. It has declined steadily since to about 6.5 to 7. On May 27, the truck suddenly lost power and the Check Engine light came on. The truck will not go any faster than 50 to 55mph and fuel economy drops to 5.5 to 6 (there is a gauge for mpg's). It began where if you shut off the truck and restarted it, the light would be out and it would run fine for 50 to 100 miles before it happened again. I was in New Mexico at the time and checked on the internet for the nearest Hino dealer. Nothing until Oklahoma City, but they weren't open at the time we'd be rolling through. Being that we had a load, it was either limp it along or lose the load. I have bills to pay and the truck payment is due regardless to my situation, so the better choice was to limp it. The next best choice along our path was in Indianapolis. They were open but NO HINO TECH ON DUTY ON SECOND SHIFT!! Can't sit until morning. Kept limping it to our delivery in Ohio and then made a beeline for a dealer in Cleveland. They pulled the code. P0087 again. Spent ALL DAY there on the 30th. They ran some tests and the data had to be e-mailed to Hino to analyze. The guy never got back to them until the 2nd of June. Down for 4 days for them to just change the fuel filter and blow out the lines. The fuel filter was just changed about 2,000 miles ago, which I told them. Doesn't matter; they have to do what the rep tells them to do. Billed ME $170. Again I ask, where is the warranty??
So, I leave there with a load to New Mexico. I get 140 miles down the road and the light is back on and have no power. I get the load on the truck and start looking for a Hino dealer. 8 miles away! Cool! Not open until 8am and its 11 pm. Can't wait. Next one is 350 miles away. Open, but no Hino tech on duty. Next choice is 475 miles out; Nashville, Tennessee. Limp it all the way there at 50mph and 5mpg. Time and money are out the window.
In Nashville, I tell them the history and they pull the code. P0087. I only have a couple of hours to spare and I have to get rolling again if I'm going to keep the load. They tell me it needs a common rail fuel pressure sensor. Ok, next chance I get, I'll have that done. I get billed another $115 for nothing. I get 100 more miles out of it and it gets worse. Top speed of 45. I make the difficult decision to give up the load rather than take the chance of making it be late. I have to meet a truck in Memphis and there is another location (of this particular dealer chain) there. On the morning of Wednesday, June 4, I get the truck in and they road test it. The light comes on for them and they experience the problem first-hand. But again, they have to send the data to Hino to analyze. At the end of the day they tell me that the Hino rep told them they are running out-dated diagnostic software. He will mail them a disc. Thursday comes and goes with no disc. Friday morning I call to see if they got it yet. No, not yet, but they can download it from the internet. Could have done that Wednesday. More time and money wasted. Finally, at 7pm on Friday, a common rail fuel pressure sensor is installed. The following morning I get a load to Laredo. 138 miles into it, guess what?? SAME THING!! I give up the load and head to a 3rd dealer of this chain in Little Rock. Got here Saturday afternoon. Can't even look at it until Monday the 9th. The next day, they pull it in at 08:80 for an hour. More tests. It is then parked until 14:30. The tech comes to get it and I ask him what is on the agenda. Change the fuel filter and blow out the lines. After complaining to the service manager that it was just done 1100 miles ago, he says that the Hino rep said to do that and send him more data. Nothing was done the rest of the day. Come Wednesday at about 13:00, I'm free to go. Blowing out the lines (yesterday) was all they're authorized to do.
So, here I sit waiting for a load. Want to bet the light comes on in 100-150 miles?? The leasing company won't do squat. Hino won't do squat. This is the best warranty in the business??
One day, somewhere around February 20, 2008, I visited with my recruiter. I learned that I could get into my own truck and I proceeded along those lines where, on February 27, 2008, I sent in the documentation fees via overnight mail to the leasing company. I was told that my truck would be delivered within 5 days after receiving the payment. The payment was received the next day, and I took delivery of my truck on March 3, 2008. This is where the problems began;
I immediately noticed several things wrong with the truck. The gearing was wrong for highway use; the rpm's were at redline at 70mph. There was a bench seat on the passenger side which made it extremely difficult to access the sleeper. The exhaust exited directly under the sleeper which is in direct violation of DOT regulations. The rear axle was located too far to the rear of the truck which severely limited my load capacity (this will be covered more later), and I was charged an additional $4000 to install a 1-cubic foot refrigerator, microwave, inverter, charge controller, and two batteries. The inverter isn't even strong enough to run the microwave! The representative models that the recruiters had seen had all that and WAY more at no additional charge! And finally, the fuel tank on the driver side was inaccessible. Meaning that the filler hole was too close to the bottom of the sleeper to be able to put fuel in. The large diesel nozzle simply would not fit in due to lack of clearance.
I had possession of the truck, but could not go in service until I had a plate. The dealer that the leasing company bought the truck from didn't release the title until the end of the month. It was March 27 by the time I finally got the title and plate. A FULL MONTH had passed from the time I sent my fees in to when I could actually go into service. It was during this time that I began to voice my concerns with my sales rep. I got absolutely nowhere with him. He insisted that the truck was built correctly and that I basically didn't know what I was talking about. I eventually got a hold of a the Senior Vice-President of Maintenance, Hino North America. After a phone conversation and submitting a few pictures, he got some people to move. On April 1, 2008, I was instructed to bring the truck to a dealer in Romulus, Michigan. They are the leading Hino conversion expert. They inspected the truck and agreed that everything I had felt was wrong was indeed wrong. After another 2 weeks of the dealer and the lessor blaming each other for the mistakes, the dealer finally footed the bill (over $6600) to correct the problems. I left the truck with the Romulus dealer on April 16.
During the time between April 1 and April 16, I was running the truck as I had received it. The location of the rear axle had limited my capacity to about 7500 pounds. It was so far to the rear that the front axle carried too much of the truck's unladen weight. The front axle weighed in at 10,400 pounds with a 6,500 pound load The axle's capacity is 11,000. I was supposed to be able to carry almost 13,000, but it is obvious that with that much weight, the front axle would be grossly overloaded.
On a run to North Carolina, on April 14, the engine started to rattle really loud. Diesels normally rattle, but not like this was. I knew the oil was full, but I actually stopped and double-checked it again because the noise was very loud and troubling. It was in fact full, and it was about time for an oil change, so I figured I'd stop and have that done after I delivered. The problems got worse. I was coming to a stop on the off-ramp. I felt the engine wanting to stall and I had to put it into neutral and keep on the accelerator to keep it running. It felt to me as if the fuel filter was clogged or something. I immediately brought the truck in for service and had an oil change and had the fuel filter changed.
The rattle was still there, but not as pronounced. It was running fine, though. Seemed as if it was in fact a clogged fuel filter after all. The next load from there was to Michigan. I got about 600 miles down the road and the rattle got louder, it started to run rough again, and the Check Engine light came on. It was then that I went to the dealer in Romulus and told them about the problems and got it on the schedule to have the corrections made to the truck (axle relocation, gear ratio change, etc.), and have these issues with the rattling and Check Engine light diagnosed. The technician hooked up to the truck and found Fault Code P0087: Insufficient Common Rail Fuel Pressure. He said that the rattling was because the valves needed to be adjusted (not due until 50,000 miles but needed to be done NOW). He cleared the code and told me to "keep an eye on it". If it ever happened again, bring it in. The valve adjustment was supposed to be done while they had the truck, but it was not. I was told that the leasing company refused to approve the repair. The truck is under warranty, for one, and any maintenance comes out of MY pocket. Why are they refusing repairs that obviously need to be done. Who said no or why, I have been unable to determine. I was charged $90 to pull the code. Where is the warranty at this point?
Fast-forward to May 27, 2008. After the corrections made by Interstate, the truck averaged between 8.5 and 9.5mpg. It has declined steadily since to about 6.5 to 7. On May 27, the truck suddenly lost power and the Check Engine light came on. The truck will not go any faster than 50 to 55mph and fuel economy drops to 5.5 to 6 (there is a gauge for mpg's). It began where if you shut off the truck and restarted it, the light would be out and it would run fine for 50 to 100 miles before it happened again. I was in New Mexico at the time and checked on the internet for the nearest Hino dealer. Nothing until Oklahoma City, but they weren't open at the time we'd be rolling through. Being that we had a load, it was either limp it along or lose the load. I have bills to pay and the truck payment is due regardless to my situation, so the better choice was to limp it. The next best choice along our path was in Indianapolis. They were open but NO HINO TECH ON DUTY ON SECOND SHIFT!! Can't sit until morning. Kept limping it to our delivery in Ohio and then made a beeline for a dealer in Cleveland. They pulled the code. P0087 again. Spent ALL DAY there on the 30th. They ran some tests and the data had to be e-mailed to Hino to analyze. The guy never got back to them until the 2nd of June. Down for 4 days for them to just change the fuel filter and blow out the lines. The fuel filter was just changed about 2,000 miles ago, which I told them. Doesn't matter; they have to do what the rep tells them to do. Billed ME $170. Again I ask, where is the warranty??
So, I leave there with a load to New Mexico. I get 140 miles down the road and the light is back on and have no power. I get the load on the truck and start looking for a Hino dealer. 8 miles away! Cool! Not open until 8am and its 11 pm. Can't wait. Next one is 350 miles away. Open, but no Hino tech on duty. Next choice is 475 miles out; Nashville, Tennessee. Limp it all the way there at 50mph and 5mpg. Time and money are out the window.
In Nashville, I tell them the history and they pull the code. P0087. I only have a couple of hours to spare and I have to get rolling again if I'm going to keep the load. They tell me it needs a common rail fuel pressure sensor. Ok, next chance I get, I'll have that done. I get billed another $115 for nothing. I get 100 more miles out of it and it gets worse. Top speed of 45. I make the difficult decision to give up the load rather than take the chance of making it be late. I have to meet a truck in Memphis and there is another location (of this particular dealer chain) there. On the morning of Wednesday, June 4, I get the truck in and they road test it. The light comes on for them and they experience the problem first-hand. But again, they have to send the data to Hino to analyze. At the end of the day they tell me that the Hino rep told them they are running out-dated diagnostic software. He will mail them a disc. Thursday comes and goes with no disc. Friday morning I call to see if they got it yet. No, not yet, but they can download it from the internet. Could have done that Wednesday. More time and money wasted. Finally, at 7pm on Friday, a common rail fuel pressure sensor is installed. The following morning I get a load to Laredo. 138 miles into it, guess what?? SAME THING!! I give up the load and head to a 3rd dealer of this chain in Little Rock. Got here Saturday afternoon. Can't even look at it until Monday the 9th. The next day, they pull it in at 08:80 for an hour. More tests. It is then parked until 14:30. The tech comes to get it and I ask him what is on the agenda. Change the fuel filter and blow out the lines. After complaining to the service manager that it was just done 1100 miles ago, he says that the Hino rep said to do that and send him more data. Nothing was done the rest of the day. Come Wednesday at about 13:00, I'm free to go. Blowing out the lines (yesterday) was all they're authorized to do.
So, here I sit waiting for a load. Want to bet the light comes on in 100-150 miles?? The leasing company won't do squat. Hino won't do squat. This is the best warranty in the business??
