First hit as a new O/O.

This last trip i noticed a small leak of coolant coming from the tell tale on the waterpump.It gradually got more noticeable as the trip went on. I took it in to a reputable shop yesterday for an opinion. They got into it and said " yep needs doing". They will be finished fixing it by tommorow morning. $1200 for the reman cat pump, $100 per hour for the labor( quoted 6 hours) and $325 for a metal hose that needs replacing as well. Plus $500 core charge from cat on the pump. According to the mechanic I should see the entire refund on the core charge due to the condition of the pump they took off. I have the money to fix this and am well aware and expecting things like this to be needed on an engine getting close to the 700,000 mile mark. But just a word to the wise on becoming an O/O.......dont buy in until you have the required money set aside for maintenance and repairs. I had $10,000 cash and this will put a dent in it until i get a couple of settlments in to replace the money i spend on this repair. A couple of repairs like this in a short period of time and a guy's in trouble. If i went into a minimum (or worse yet zero) down payment finance deal (or lease) with minimal repair fund (worse yet relying on a credit card alone) this would be possibly the first nail in the coffin so to speak. Please dont go into being an O/O unprepared and underfunded, you will not survive.

 

I personally like the cat engines, this is just due to my experience with them. I realy dont want this thread to become a engine manufacturers debate but my hat is squarely in cats corner. They do have the reputation of being pricey to fix and maintain but they are also known for their quality and durability. I like them and will stick by that. This is the first truck i have owned so i hope that my faith in them serves me well. I also dont have anything bad to say about the other manufacturers. I have driven trucks with all the common engine manufacturers engines and honestly think they all work and do the job. I just have a preference for cat due to my experiences with them.

 

Most definately. Mine is 2005 c15. I have zero experience with 07 and newer engines except a dd16 in a volvo. That had plenty of emmissions related problems that cost more than their fair share!

 

The shop I am using is an independant, not a dealer. The rate is actually a bit less than the going rate around my city. Dealers here are in the 105 to 130 per hour range. This shop has a good rep around the place so thought i would try them out and if it goes well will be hopefully doing as you say and making a good relationship with them for the future. When i walked in to the shop it was all older guys so i thought "well thats good" LOL.

 

Yeah totally understand what your saying there rollin coal. I am expecting to be into this truck for a bit by the time its all said and done. I plan on keeping it though so I am willing to just keep chipping away at these things and keeping it in good condition.