Is this truck reliable? Please help....much appreciated...

International has nearly as many dealerships as Freightliner. My last tduck was an International and even when I used TA repair shops parts were not an issue. With a Cummins engine that also helps as it is a common motor that many mechanics are trained on.

As far as reliability, you did a smart thing by not getting the maxxforce engine. The only common problem tjat I'am aware of is some wiring harness problems. But with the mileage on this truck, if this truck has that problem it should have already surfaced.

 

I can't tell you whether the truck you listed will be reliable, but I can tell you that I have owned International for many years. I have never had a problem getting parts or repairs other than once when the transmission went out and we had to wait for a transmission to be shipped from Phoenix to Albuquerque. I still don't see why it should have taken a week to get the transmission. There was nothing special about the transmission. Every truck has a few parts which are proprietary. That means that the only place to get parts is the dealer. Another thing you need to understand is that most dealers will work on other brands of trucks. I have had an International worked on at Freightliner. These dealers don't care about the brand of your truck. They only want your money. And there are International dealers all over the country, if that is where you prefer going. Freightliner probably has more dealers, but you may not need to have anything major done on International like you may on Freightliner. I started out driving International and have owned International for many years. I have also owned most of the major brands and found International to be more reliable than any of them. Most trucks have the same engines and drive-trains (other than some of the brand specific engines). I think that you will find International to be a reliable choice.

 

most mechanics AREN'T trained on the cummins engine. most don't even like working on the darn things.

they are also famous for turbos, and egr's. and when the front cover starts leaking. you'll have to search for a shop to replace it.

internationals are good trucks. but i'll never own an isx again.

 

2009 ISX could be hit or miss. I had one in a 387 Pete governed at 65mph and it suffered from poor fuel mielage nothing could be done about on a good day it might eek out 6.0 mpg the average was about 5.7mpg. Really the 2008 thru 2010 year model trucks are the worst possible emmissions laden POS a person can buy - I would avoid those years at all costs. A newer truck with DPF and SCR would likely be more reliable. The manufacturers beta tested unproven DPF trucks from '08-10 on an unsuspecting industry - they are troubleprone fuel guzzling piles of junk for the most part. Now someone on here may own a truck of those years and be getting 8 mpg without any problems. I'm sure they are in a small group cause a lot of guys on here who own those years will tell you don't buy one...

 

my friend is the breakdown guy for heartland express and has been for years, to me his main complaint about intl dealers is there shop turn around time. those cumminis engines about that time frame did have a lot of egr problems and fuel mileage tends to be low. lots of luck

 

On my second 09 Prostar ... root cause of all the issues is the coolent level ... everyone - including most dealers - will fill the coolant level to the max level when the engine is cold. When the engine heats up this will over pressurize the system ... This generally blows the EGR cooler, coolant blows through the turbo, then gums up the DPF system.

Number one rule, keep the coolant level at the mid point cold. Two, maintain the DPF system - the DPF needs to be baked every 250K and flow tested, clean the DOC prefilter, clean the DZR DPF igniter. Three, check the air charge system every 6 months for leaks, this will also eventually clog the DPF ... and four, have a forced regen done every 6 months and check the exhaust system for leaks, if it is leaking the engine will not adaquatley perform the automatic regens. Last a new airfilter is about $30, I replace it every 90 days.

When eveything is running right I average 7.5 mpg running at 62 mph on a mix of all loads and terrain.

 

dude get a peterbilt there sexy on the outside and the inside and they are the nicest trucks i have ever been in

 

second on the 09 year. 07 being the worst fuel mileage in the history of semi's. you'll need a 10 or newer to get back what the 04's and earlier got.