A little over a week ago, at about the 5,000-mile mark after the installation of the gold-plated remanufactured MBE 900 engine in our 2006 Sterling (a Daimler/Freightliner product), we went in to a TA to have the oil changed. The first thing the tech did was go right to the oil pan to drop the oil. I watched him. Although I'm aware that it's probably somewhat annoying, I like to hover over anyone that puts a wrench to our vehicle. The oil drain plug was stripped. As soon as he turned it, it spun around and around. The plug was not leaking, which baffled me. However, he could do nothing, and we were already dispatched on a load for the following Monday.
Getting the engine swapped was a major nightmare, with downtime costing us massive amounts of lost revenue. As I said before, we were prepared, but for not much else.
Fast forward to this week. We dropped in Las Vegas yesterday morning, and drove straight to the local Freightliner shop. The engine now has 11,000 miles on it and the oil needs to come out. My wife and I checked into a hotel, as I knew they were busy, and they take no appointments, despite calling ahead by 3 days. After pulling it in, and I have to call several hours later to get an update, the really rude service writer says that the plug is stripped, and he tells me that my bill for that portion is $905 for the pan and 5 hours labor. They were just waiting for me for the authorization to order the pan. Since we're now past the cutoff for the time to order parts for overnight delivery (should have been easy IF THEY BOTHERED TO CALL ME), this is now going to be another night's stay in a hotel. I then tell him it's a warranted part. I just picked up the truck 24 days ago. He says the part may be, but over-torquing the plug is a workmanship issue, and that I will have to call the engine-installing Freightliner shop to have the repair paid for. HUH? Isn't that what you folks do? I guess the word "Service" only applies to the vehicle, and not the customer. I call the old shop, and he commences to tell me it's the Las Vegas' shop to contact them. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I am fuming at this point. After getting hosed by a hotel earlier in the day for refusing to allow access to my pets, because they're aggressive breeds (you know, my black labrador killer who is a sworn enemy of all things deep-fried and attacks them at every opportunity), the spark is already wandering around the powderkeg. I have tons of thoughts running through my head. The first thought is what mountain I can climb and scream to anyone listening to never, ever buy a Daimler/Freightliner piece of crap product again, to wondering who I am going to have to make suing my next hobby just to get them to do the honorable thing. When I explain to the rude service writer that there's no way in Hades that I'm paying for that, he explains that's my problem. I say no, that's a Freightliner problem. He then says that he doesn't work for Freightliner OR Detroit Diesel; not his problem. (This all sounds eerily familiar....almost like several of my phone calls to the shop in Washington last month trying to find out where my paid-for engine was).
My wife and I have never been to a truck show. I'm sure that the bright, shiny metal objects and the slick salespeople there really make you want to own a new _______________ (fill in your preferred truck brand). You sign on the dotted line there, in the truck showroom, or wherever, and I'm guessing that's like where the honeymoon ends. From our experience, the dealer shops treat truck drivers like poorly-cared-for sheep. Everyone is a broke scumbag driving for a 25-30 cent-per-mile mega-fleet. You, the customer, don't even think about trying to have or ask answers. That's for the grown folks to worry about.
We have many years ahead of us in this business, if CARB and poorly-made vehicles or really bad warranties don't push us out of it first. That means we're probably going to own at least 2 more trucks. They might just be new ones.
I wasn't going to say any of this, but the Sprinter oil change thread got my blood roiling just a tad more. Since we've only ever driven Sterlings or a Freightliner business class, I'd like your input....more importantly if you've driven (or owned) multiple brands of trucks. I'm leaning towards a Volvo, but am anxious to hear about Paccar products as well. How do you like each of the trucks you have owned/driven? What is an AVERAGE service experience like? I realize that sometimes everyone (drivers/owners/service folks) will have an off day. My experience is that almost all of them at Freightliner suck. I feel like a complete nuisance at every FL dealer we've been to. If, overall, your product is well-built, and your service experiences around the country are good, I'd really like to hear it. I'd also like to hear some horror stories, too. There's a good possibility that we're going to end up spending over 2x the value of our home in our next endeavor, so I'm taking this serious as a heart attack.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Getting the engine swapped was a major nightmare, with downtime costing us massive amounts of lost revenue. As I said before, we were prepared, but for not much else.
Fast forward to this week. We dropped in Las Vegas yesterday morning, and drove straight to the local Freightliner shop. The engine now has 11,000 miles on it and the oil needs to come out. My wife and I checked into a hotel, as I knew they were busy, and they take no appointments, despite calling ahead by 3 days. After pulling it in, and I have to call several hours later to get an update, the really rude service writer says that the plug is stripped, and he tells me that my bill for that portion is $905 for the pan and 5 hours labor. They were just waiting for me for the authorization to order the pan. Since we're now past the cutoff for the time to order parts for overnight delivery (should have been easy IF THEY BOTHERED TO CALL ME), this is now going to be another night's stay in a hotel. I then tell him it's a warranted part. I just picked up the truck 24 days ago. He says the part may be, but over-torquing the plug is a workmanship issue, and that I will have to call the engine-installing Freightliner shop to have the repair paid for. HUH? Isn't that what you folks do? I guess the word "Service" only applies to the vehicle, and not the customer. I call the old shop, and he commences to tell me it's the Las Vegas' shop to contact them. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I am fuming at this point. After getting hosed by a hotel earlier in the day for refusing to allow access to my pets, because they're aggressive breeds (you know, my black labrador killer who is a sworn enemy of all things deep-fried and attacks them at every opportunity), the spark is already wandering around the powderkeg. I have tons of thoughts running through my head. The first thought is what mountain I can climb and scream to anyone listening to never, ever buy a Daimler/Freightliner piece of crap product again, to wondering who I am going to have to make suing my next hobby just to get them to do the honorable thing. When I explain to the rude service writer that there's no way in Hades that I'm paying for that, he explains that's my problem. I say no, that's a Freightliner problem. He then says that he doesn't work for Freightliner OR Detroit Diesel; not his problem. (This all sounds eerily familiar....almost like several of my phone calls to the shop in Washington last month trying to find out where my paid-for engine was).
My wife and I have never been to a truck show. I'm sure that the bright, shiny metal objects and the slick salespeople there really make you want to own a new _______________ (fill in your preferred truck brand). You sign on the dotted line there, in the truck showroom, or wherever, and I'm guessing that's like where the honeymoon ends. From our experience, the dealer shops treat truck drivers like poorly-cared-for sheep. Everyone is a broke scumbag driving for a 25-30 cent-per-mile mega-fleet. You, the customer, don't even think about trying to have or ask answers. That's for the grown folks to worry about.
We have many years ahead of us in this business, if CARB and poorly-made vehicles or really bad warranties don't push us out of it first. That means we're probably going to own at least 2 more trucks. They might just be new ones.
I wasn't going to say any of this, but the Sprinter oil change thread got my blood roiling just a tad more. Since we've only ever driven Sterlings or a Freightliner business class, I'd like your input....more importantly if you've driven (or owned) multiple brands of trucks. I'm leaning towards a Volvo, but am anxious to hear about Paccar products as well. How do you like each of the trucks you have owned/driven? What is an AVERAGE service experience like? I realize that sometimes everyone (drivers/owners/service folks) will have an off day. My experience is that almost all of them at Freightliner suck. I feel like a complete nuisance at every FL dealer we've been to. If, overall, your product is well-built, and your service experiences around the country are good, I'd really like to hear it. I'd also like to hear some horror stories, too. There's a good possibility that we're going to end up spending over 2x the value of our home in our next endeavor, so I'm taking this serious as a heart attack.
Thanks in advance for your input.
