Owner ops/Lease ops post your maintenance

I said TRUSTED. I have a buddy here who I trust to look at things. The shops are the last place I take my truck to have work done on unless it requires a DDEC computer hook up or else an alignment rack.

 

You're exactly right and I do have a mechanic look it over when something is already broken that I can't fix myself. But he misses things too. I just noticed one of my front brake chambers has a hole rusted completely through it. Probably the original. Very difficult to see I only noticed it when I had the axle jacked up to grease king pins and as many times as I have done that I SHOULD have caught this a long time ago.... Everything - brake chambers, bushings, s-cams, shoes drums back axles is new albiet with 300K miles - the shoes still look to be 50% or better. I'm gonna pick up a couple of brake chambers for the front and slap them on sometime this weekend. The front axle s-cams, bushings, shoes, and drums will be the next "big" job but won;t cost all that much and they should be good to go for at least another year maybe more anyways.

 

My bad. The service dept I mentioned was formerly that trusted second set of eyes. Then they "fixed" a massive exhaust leak by replacing the exhaust manifold that had hairline cracks while totally missing the 1/2" thick soot on the opposite side of those tiny cracks and nearby the EGR cooler with the end blown clean off. Then wanted to charge me again for all the teardown to "fix" it again. Oh that and getting quoted 0.5 hrs to install a new air filter when already in for a PM, plus 1.4 hrs to change out a leaky hub cap. Ummmm.. no thanks. Wrap it up.

 

I hear ya.

The shop I will rely on for the major mechanical, Charged me $65 for a $40 block heater plus another $25 to install it when I did the exhaust manifold gasket back in Sept on me.

When I saw where it was actually installed, I about lost it. Simple plug on the oil cooler, 10 minutes with a 15/16" wrench or therebouts. "You have to get the turbo out of the way to install it."....


Um....####......

 

LoL! that's funny right there!

 

Never buy ANY parts at a TA unless they are needed to get you back on the road in a emergency.they mark up about 40%

i bought my batteries at the Freightliner dealer in Feb for $100 each and they are Exide, not china knockoffs.

Also had the TA quote me $275 for a u-joint plus $200 to install. The Freightliner dealer in Shreveport had it in stock for $65 and only $100 to install......

 

Petro wanted $40 for my fuel filter.cap. Detroit and freightliner both wanted $45 or more.

Shop around for everything.

 

I have had my truck 6 months and this is what I have done. Kw w900 with Cat c15 accert.
Water pump 3000
Re-core rad with 4 row core + replace all pipes with stainless piping+ new coolant 3500
VVA problems all up 2200
New batteries 450
New starter motor 400
Brake overhaul on all rear axle ends 3000
Blown 2 tires 450
Oil change every 12000 to 15000 miles 300

 

Thing that sucks with batteries is that if one goes out it usually takes the others with it. Least that's what happened with mine.