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Why I won't buy another Freightliner

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by OldeSkool, Jan 6, 2020.

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mustang190 Road Train Member

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I use to drive a FLD back in the 90’s, it was a tough no nonsense truck and 900K miles later it was still going strong and holding up.

mustang190, Jan 6, 2020

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201 Road Train Member

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mustang190 said: ↑

I use to drive a FLD back in the 90’s, it was a tough no nonsense truck and 900K miles later it was still going strong and holding up.
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Look at all the old cabovers. Saw this in my home town. Every freight hauler drove one.

201, Jan 6, 2020

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bzinger Road Train Member

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I will admit to being a former century owner and the build quality of that truck was pathetic .

bzinger, Jan 6, 2020

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blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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Good thread topic!

Had a KW T2000, 2001. 1.3 million, still know the current owner.

Mechanic hated it , everything stuffed up under firewall. Dash was integrated, non serviceable. Interior held up very well. Doors reasonable, given the age.

AG 200 was trash, swapped for 400. Paint held up well. Parts available relatively cheap, but stay away from the KW rapist (dealer).

Great starter truck, if maintained.

Current truck - 1995 379 EX hood, 12.7.

Mechanic loves it. Walk into the engine bay. West coast mirrors and brackets still solid on doors that close snd seal well. Dash panels still good, plastic beginning to get brittle.

Parts are fairly generic and reasonable. Nothing too crazy on design flaws.

A lot of it comes down to maintenance and care of equipment. I re bush, re tire and re shock anything I drive, balance all positions, add Centramatics, clean polish and lube.

Bought it for the ICT sleeper, but I’m happy with the 25 year old Pete.

blairandgretchen, Jan 6, 2020

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mover man Road Train Member

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blairandgretchen said: ↑

Good thread topic!

Had a KW T2000, 2001. 1.3 million, still know the current owner.

Mechanic hated it , everything stuffed up under firewall. Dash was integrated, non serviceable. Interior held up very well. Doors reasonable, given the age.

AG 200 was trash, swapped for 400. Paint held up well. Parts available relatively cheap, but stay away from the KW rapist (dealer).

Great starter truck, if maintained.

Current truck - 1995 379 EX hood, 12.7.

Mechanic loves it. Walk into the engine bay. West coast mirrors and brackets still solid on doors that close snd seal well. Dash panels still good, plastic beginning to get brittle.

Parts are fairly generic and reasonable. Nothing too crazy on design flaws.

A lot of it comes down to maintenance and care of equipment. I re bush, re tire and re shock anything I drive, balance all positions, add Centramatics, clean polish and lube.

Bought it for the ICT sleeper, but I’m happy with the 25 year old Pete.
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Hey Blair when did you get that truck? I remember reading your whole post sometime, I think early last year. But havent kept up or checked back since then

mover man, Jan 6, 2020

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MACK E-6 Moderator Staff Member

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"semi" retired said: ↑

You forgot the biggest problem with Frightliner [sic], they have the crummiest dealer network. Who doesn't stock an a/c condenser in the summer, or a heater core in the winter? Terrible, and for the record, Freightliner, is a throw away truck. They do the job, for a while, but the idea is, they need to sell new trucks, not fix the old ones, and corners must be cut. I'm not sure new Pete's or KW's are any better, really.
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Well, my 579 isn’t too bad. The only noise that makes is the two pieces enclosing the steering column rattle at lower engine speeds.

MACK E-6, Jan 6, 2020

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bzinger Road Train Member

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I've owned international, kw , volvo and freightliner...driven Pete and western star .
Absolutely none were perfect !
The closest to perfect was probably the 87 9670 eagle .
As said It boils down to maintenance and the driver .
Last may i had a freightliner tech in salina Kansas go for a check ride in my truck with his lap top hooked up , he commented " i dont see many 700k cascadias this clean and tight "
I said yep it's not owned by an ape and cared for .

bzinger, Jan 6, 2020

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OldeSkool Road Train Member

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buddyd157 said: ↑

i only drove 1 petercar and 1 Western Star, back in my earlier years.

mostly been driving freightshakers, and macks, and Trashionals, i seem to recall 2 Volvos.

as a company driver, i drove what was given me. they all break down, they all have squeaks, creaks, moans and groans....and water leaks. they all rattle at some point and time.

there is NO perfect truck ever made. the roads kill any truck made. we will never have glass smooth roads.

for the o/o, they like a specific brand, but still live with a few annoyances, poor dealer network, and repair costs.

there is no escaping the costs of purchasing, insuring, upkeep, fuel, and what ever else, all trucks (in my opinion) are equal in monies spent.
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I'm proud of you for admitting to the Volvos. It made my day the way you said that lol.

OldeSkool, Jan 6, 2020

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bzinger Road Train Member

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OldeSkool said: ↑

I'm proud of you for admitting to the Volvos. It made my day the way you said that lol.
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What about me ? Lol

bzinger, Jan 6, 2020

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OldeSkool Road Train Member

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bzinger said: ↑

What about me ? Lol
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Hey it takes a man to admit some things lol. I agree with what you said about taking care of a truck being most important. To be fair, my truck had 1.1 million miles when I bought it. I got it cheap and its been a great starter truck. It was just wore out cosmetically when I bought it.

OldeSkool, Jan 6, 2020

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