Bought a truck from A big fleet.

Why so snarky? If you're going to comment, try being helpful.

 

I bought.mine with the best due diligence I could considering the truck was 1700 miles away. Including having 3 other mechanics look at it.

I still got hung with kingpins, alignment, exhaust manifold gasket and a bunch of other repairs. $6500 of it in the first 6 weeks I owned the truck.

Just realize that you bought a truck at a time that it's going to be a lot of "minor" expenses that will seen to overwhelm you right now. There's a reason fleets dump trucks at 500k

 

Not snarky at all. Nothing in my comment was meant to demean, degrade or humiliate the original poster.

 

Calm down. They were just posting an observation, is all. I don't think it was meant the way you interpreted it.

 

It's just hard for me to believe that with all the abundant, FREE, truly copious amount of information available to anyone these days, that this type of mistake is still being experienced. You don't have to be a mechanic, or even have any real inclinations towards being one to be able to look over a unit adequately along with getting experienced assistance.

Again....things happen. But belts?

 

And neither was my comment. You should practice what you preach.

 

Just re-quoting to regain focus on your actual question.

Some have suggested getting a dealership to do an inspection. A good start, but probably only a little less risky than walking into a casino and paying a random person to show you how to play cards.

Ask your carrier for a referral to a trusted service dealer. If you are the carrier, ask a customer that also has a fleet of trucks the same question. Or you could complete your profile with a location and someone here might have been in the area before and can refer one. I'd even hazard a guess that another person on TTR that's in your area could be bribed with a good meal and/or adult beverages to spend a little time with you introducing you to the underside of your truck.

Even if you have to pay for an hour or two of shop time, have that trusted shop give you some direction on what to look for on a pre-trip inspection. Yeah, not the stupid checklist to make the DMV think you know what you're doing. Actual direction on little things that can turn into big things later on. Then, when you start paying for repairs, you best get over their shoulder and ask questions versus snoozing in the driver's lounge while they work. At least when you have repairs done, make sure you understand why it happened and what signs you could have spotted that would have warned you better. As long as you're not in the way or asking the same thing twice, most mechanics don't mind explaining things.

For example, I'm guessing you meant a wheel seal and bearing failure on a steer hub. While it's possible that could have instantaneously let go, a more likely scenario would have been oil tracks on the inside of that wheel and tire from the leak, along with a low fluid level in the hub sight glass. Had you known what to look for, you probably would have spotted that before the bearings were destroyed from lack of lubrication.

The operator manual that should be in your truck will have recommended service intervals, fluid applications, and fill quantities. If there isn't one, you can download it from Freightliner or buy it from the parts counter. Unfortunately, that book is written with the expectation that the operator has at least a minimal knowledge of the needs of a heavy duty truck. That is, it will probably not tell you things like how to find the steer hub fluid level or how often to check it. This is partly why you are catching so much crap about your questions from the peanut gallery. And why you should get some better instruction than how to pass a CDL pre-trip exam.

With the exception of some more extreme (and really more knowledgeable than you) truck owners, most will do themselves or pay a shop for a basic PM every 10-15k miles. Oil change, oil and fuel filters, and chassis lube, check other fluid levels and condition. It's usually a good idea to lube the chassis in between PM services. You can learn a lot about the condition of your truck by getting under it with a grease gun, not to mention spot the stuff that the PM mechanic missed. Don't forget the fifth wheel plate, at least once a week if you always have the same trailer connected, more often if you're dropping and hooking.

There's no such thing as a tune-up on a heavy-duty truck. A distant equivalent would be "running the overhead," aka adjust valves, fuel injectors, jakes, which should be done at least once a year or about every 100k. I'm not certain about yours since its newer than what I deal with, but on an EGR and pre-DPF ('04-'07) aero body Freightliner with Detroit power that usually costs about $850, not including any parts or additional repairs needed once they're in there.

I hope you get it figured out and good luck!

 

Mmm, see... my shop charges extra if I watch, and even more if I help. Besides, they have free hot dogs and TV in the drivers' lounge.

 

im with windsmith on this one im trying to figure out if the OP even opened the hood on this thing i mean c'mon

"should i give it a tune up?" he wasnt being mean just being honest

 

Wait till that 09 throws an emissions fit on the road. It will make that $1500 look like lunch money.