Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

@spsauerland
do you rebuild calipers yourself or do you just buy new ones?

 

I understand. How often do you sample between change intervals?

Regarding the electronic dipstick, it is indeed a convenient tool. I just like being able to pop the hood, check the oil and coolant, look at belts and hoses, visibly check the appearance of the fluids looking for cross-contamination, etc..

 

Yup. I've said it before. I want to leave town, its 200km to the next nearest town (2 gas stations and a couple houses). Sure I can walk from home to do my shopping but I really don't feel like lugging 4 bags of groceries 1km or so back from the store at -35C. No interest in waiting on public transit either. Now if I lived in a major city where I could have all the essentials within 400 feet of my door and it never got below -5C I might have a different opinion.

 

The manufacturer has different objectives than an equipment owner. Fundamentally, the manufacturer's objective is to sell MORE, the equipment owner's objective is to buy LESS.

In order to sell more, the manufacturers compete on "total cost of ownership". Service is part of that set of costs. Reduce recommended service, reduce total cost of ownership (during the relevant period, usually a three to or five year period). It's in the manufacturer's interest to lengthen the service interval to within an gnat's hair of too many engines wiping out.

The equipment owner may well have a longer time horizon, and HIS optimum service interval may therefore be very different.

And, FWIW, at about 75K miles on our MX, haven't added any oil yet. Matter of fact, it doesn't really show any use at all. Did just change the oil for the third time (severe duty schedule).

 

Good post.

For me, paying an extra $300 now for preventative care is much easier to swallow than $40,000 and downtime for an inframe long before it should be necessary.

@daf105paccar , how long do you intend to keep your current truck?

 

The MX 11 had the rotary bypass filter standard, but is getting dropped for MY 2019 engine. The MX 13 comes standard with bypass centrifuge filter and can't be ordered without it.

 

Subject to changes in laws and costs...........about another 14y,give or take a year.(i will be 66y young by then)
I know that the chances off the engine living that long are close to zero.(it would have around then 30 000hours by then)
I will see.

 

Our 2012 tractors were the first ones we speced with disc brakes and on steer axle only. So far we have only replaced one caliper, and we replaced it with a genuine Bendix remanufactured caliper. No one had the overhaul kit in stock, but I don't have the special tools for them. I need to put pen to paper to see what most cost effective (including liability) solution is. Latest trucks are disc on steers and drive axles.

 

Does the overhaul kit include the mechanisme or only the gliders and rubbers?

 

Well, if you don't get taxed into a new truck in order to save the world, 30,000 is doable. I am just getting done putting one back together with 36,000 hours on it.