So, you have a Warranty?

If I had the scratch I'd put a modern engine minus the extra crap into an 80's truck. Mechanically, these new engines are probably much more tougher and reliable than the old mechanicals. Just the extra crap the shortens the life.

 

Yup all the little things that could become big problems later when skipped over.

Like yesterday I put the vdo roadlog in, well when I had my panel down I noticed the wires that feed the diagnostic port were uncomfortably close to the travel range of the clutch. So I moved that whole harness away from the up and down of the clutch pedal and easily zip tied it to a group of airlines.


Yea it took me an extra 15-30 minutes to get it right but, I may have prevented a huge eld / electrical disturbance later on; if pressing the clutch pedal down completely ripped the wires out the plug because they where in the way lol...

Most dealerships dealership & shops? Yea... probably not would have did it in such detail ...

 

My experience with warranty is that it saved my arse a million times. Never waited more than a day to get anything done because I was able to build good relationships with the shops I deal with.

I was never otr though so rarely had to try my luck on a dealer I've never used.

My warranty was about 12k and I got an easy 50k worth of work out of Volvo

 

That's the biggest thing. A dealer will always find a bay for a customer who has been with them a long time, has bought a few trucks from them and buys a lot of parts. The guy from 1,500 miles away who they'll probably never ever see again once they leave is likely not going to be made a priority compared to their regulars.

 

It's complicated (as always)...

Glider kits can be imported and built into trucks here. Completed gliders less than 15 years old cannot be imported from the U.S.

AFAIK Transport Canada is more strict than the U.S. though and even a glider completed here is not registrable unless it takes the VIN from the donor truck (because the glider kit "VIN" is not valid for registration). I'm a little murky on the last part.

• TRANSPORT CANADA POSITION:Glider Kits - Heavy Truck Industry
  
  
• Transport Canada Vehicle Import Admissibility
  • VEHICLE TYPE: Trucks with a GVWR greater than 4536 kg (10,000 lbs) LESS THAN FIFTEEN (15) YEARS OLD
    
  • ADMISSIBLE: All trucks except those listed in the inadmissible column with a GVWR greater than 4536 kg (10,000 lbs) are admissible (see notes)
    
  • INADMISSIBLE: All trucks and truck tractors manufactured from glider kits are inadmissible. All vehicles that have undergone alterations other than typical repairs are inadmissible.
  • NOTES: The truck must bear a FMVSS compliance label affixed by the end stage manufacturer. See EXPLANATIONS section.

Here's the thing, though; import compliance inspections are not in the hands of a government agency. No, no... that would make too much sense. They are contracted out to Canadian Tire.

This means some pimply-faced teenager, still in high school, who works part-time as a tire-buster, is the final arbiter of your import's admissibility.

Mine went smoothly because I let him see the sleeper and sit in the driver's seat.

 

Me wearing the Tilley hat, two years ago I went to St Catherine’s look at their gliders, 2016 Western Star with Series 60 Detroit.
They give you a TransportCanada certificate so it can be registered in any Province.

 

Well......they were allowed. And then there was talk a year or so ago about how they were going to close that door. Not sure what ever happened with that.

 

There still alive and well in Canada folks.

 

Downtime that cost me nothing=big bill at shop, out of pocket cost, or sitting in my drive way all day and night turning a wrench. Im sorry ill take the warrenty alex for 500.

 

Downtime cost you $0?
More likely scenario:
Egr cooler needs replaced. Maybe $2000 repair. Fight with dealer and wait for it to be fixed under warranty. Ends up taking 2 weeks or half a month let's say. Ok if you had planned on going fishing anyway for that time. In a good market you can put away 5k after fuel each week. Nevermind your fixed payments ie insurance and equipment payments.