Need advice... Pulling the plug...after 2 weeks?

I think you are giving up way too soon. If it were me, I would take it to a dealer or shop that can connect to your ecm. They should be able to tell you anything that is going on with the sensors. The ecm can tell you a lot about the engine. It should not cost more than about $40 or so. That is what I paid on one of my trucks. Even if they charged you $100 or so, it is much better than losing $10-13,000 after one trip. If you want to go further, you can have an oil analysis and dyno performed on the engine. Total cost should not be more than $300-400 for everything. Once you have that done, you will have a much more accurate picture of the actual condition of your truck. Not all shops can do a dyno, but most any shop can connect to your ecm. You don't need to go to a dealer to check the ecm. If it is a Cummins or Detroit, find a engine distributor near you and they can check the ecm for you. If the truck has already had work done on the a/c and other issues, you may be close to having everything take care of that needs attention. Any of these new trucks will require more time in the shop than the pre emissions trucks. If something is found wrong, then see what it will cost to repair and then make your decision as to whether to keep the truck or sell out.

Whether you have a new or used truck you should understand that your truck will break down. It isn't a matter of if, but when. If you are not prepared for a breakdown, then you don't need to own a truck. It sounds like what you have going on with your truck is likely something simple. You just need to find someone who knows what they are doing to get to the bottom of the problem, providing a real problem exists. I have a friend who had a sensor problem with his new Cascadia. I think he finally found out the problem, but he drove it for quite a while with the light on without any serious problems. I think it had something to do with the wiring harness in his case. If you have someone connect to the ecm, dyno and oil analysis, you will know if there is something serious going on or simply a faulty sensor. I don't think you have a problem with the engine. I think checking the ecm should find whatever is going on and let you know if it is something that should concern you. If it is just a faulty sensor and I could not find the problem right away, I would probably continue driving the truck until I could find someone who could locate and correct the problem. Right now, you need to generate revenue. From a business standpoint, I don't think it is prudent to give up so easily. I would stay away from dealers and shops on the road and find a local mechanic who has a reasonable shop rate. I have a local guy who charges me $65/hour. I still do some of my own work, but go to him for things that I don't want to do. And if you are trying to run the truck for just over $1/mile you are going to have a difficult time making it. If it were me I would find a better company. You need to be closer to $2/mile to do well in this business. Good luck.

 

What G/MAN said. In my short run of just over three years, I've bought three trucks. All were egr, but pre-dpf ('04 - '07). The first one taught me that I need to budget at least $5,000 for restoration. When you buy a used truck you are inheriting all the stuff the last owner didn't fix and milked to the end. Some people get lucky. I don't. Even a pre-egr truck will have stuff that needs work. Big truck shop bills usually have at least 4 digits left of the decimal. The sticker shock the first time or two is breath taking. The two Freightliners I bought used up that $5k budget in the first 6 months. The KW so far is lagging behind with only $4k for just over a year. I attribute that to it being equipped with an apu, probably since new, that reduced idle time substantially.

If I read your OP right, you're at $1,000 spent so far on restoration. That's nothing. Keep in mind that once you get going, you will have some cash flow to offset some of those costs. Not all at once of course, but excepting some sort of catastrophic failure (it can happen), there is money coming in to fund some shop bills. I agree with others that say you're pulling the plug too quick. You also mention in the OP that you bought a 2011, so ought to be equipped with SCR which I've read is less troublesome than the '08-'10 dpf only systems, as late model trucks go.

Good luck with the sale and backing out, since you all seem to have made a decision. I still agree with G/MAN and a few others that you're giving up too fast.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;3989803]If you know any legal aide, talk with them. Clearly, there was a problem from the get go, and I wouldn't feel sorry for the dealer one bit.[/QUOTE]

Semi is right. I would first go to the dealer and outline the repairs and the timeline. Ask them is they think this is acceptable and something they are ok with. If they refuse to assist, a letter written by an attorney might be the encouragement they need to participate in your initial repair expenses. You don't need to go to court - just make them throw some money at you to avoid going themselves.

I would however have your BF do a gut check as others have said. There is no shame in deciding that o/o doesn't fit with his skill set. I don't know about trucking, but in every business I've been in, the timid get the short straw and are the fist to be forced out. Good luck with whatever you decide.

FYI - I'm not a truck driver - just a business guy trying to help.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you're having so many problems as an owner ooperator. I considered buying a truck a few years before before the market crashed but never gave it try. I hope you can stick it out and give your dreams a chance. Good Luck

 

Hi dewine29, We can talk till were blue in the face, and the ultimate decision is yours, but as you've seen here, the reason I put 35 years in this business, is truckers are a unique bunch. We feel for other truckers, like they are family. I'm not sure other professions are quite like that. KW is without a doubt, the best truck in the business, at least you didn't buy a Frightliner[sic],,,kidding, they are good trucks too, but when you said you got a KWhopper, that to me said something. Best of luck, "semi" retired

 

One other thing, if you do continue on with this truck or another it is going to be very difficult to make it work only making just over a buck a mile.at that rate your $10000 in savings will be gone in no time flat. Not only should you have researched the truck better but also the company your leasing on to.

 

Running class 8 trucks costs lot of money. Spending $1,000 on a single trip is not really much money to spend on maintenance. I have had to spend many times that on a single trip. A couple of tires could cost $1,000 or more, depending on the brand. I would not take a $13,000 loss because of a $1,000 expenditure. It doesn't make any sense. Simple problems can be difficult to diagnose. I think that if it were a serious issue, something would already have happened to the truck. You have a lot of money invested in your truck. You have only had to spend $1,000. I would not consider that as evidence of having purchased a lemon. I think you just need to find a mechanic who knows what he is doing. Look for a small shop that stays busy. Rates are much lower and I find that I rarely need to take a truck back to a small shop. I have a local mechanic that works on my trucks and he gives me a price before he start working on the truck. I have yet to have him try to charge more than his estimate. On the other hand, I have never had a major dealer shop to stay with their original estimate. It seems that they try to charge about double the estimate.

 

I was wondering what happened with the original poster? Things have been quiet.