2010 Sprinter search begins

[LDB]

The other thing that concerns me is the Qualcomm equipment. I know from experience that adding or modifying new vehicles usually voids the warranty. The warranty is one of the main reasons why I would be going with a 2010 model.

A warranty can not legally be voided for adding or modifying equipment. That is federal law. A warranty can be limited narrowly and specifically in certain cases for certain specifics based on added or modified equipment.

If you add some killer 1200 watt lunatic sound system and have brakes or transmission or other trouble the warranty must cover it unless it can be proven that the looney tunes was the direct and specific cause of the problem.

If you put in that system and have an electrical problem due to overload from that excessive wattage then yes, the warranty can be disallowed for that problem. It can not be voided for the entire vehicle however.

[chefdennis]

Yes my van is leased to a company and i am their "Contractor" , i can in turn hire a driver if i wanted to, send that driver to the carriers orientation and then put him in the van..he is then the sub contractor in my van.

some companies require a cdl to drive even a cargo van, bolt does not. Having a CDL does not mean you have to follow DOT Hours of service rules...that is covered by the GVW of the truck, again once you go above 10,000 gvw, you then fall under the DOT rules, 10,000 lbs and under, the DOT has no control over the operation as to hours of service and such.

as for the QC, i can't speack to anyine but Bolt, but our new QC are totally portable and only plug into a 12 volt outlet, there are no holes drill at all as the antenna now just lays on the dash and there is no dome and not large scale wiring at all. As leo said, there is no voiding of a warranty with what we install as look as it is done right.

[cspexpeditus]

Yes my van is leased to a company and i am their "Contractor" ,

Having a CDL does not mean you have to follow DOT Hours of service rules...

but our new QC are totally portable and only plug into a 12 volt outlet, there are no holes drill at all as the antenna now just lays on the dash and there is no dome and not large scale wiring at all. As leo said, there is no voiding of a warranty with what we install as look as it is done right.

ChefD, awesome info thanks. Yeah I happened to notice someone's post of the QC equipped ontop of their ride, which is the reason I asked. Thanks for sharing your position as a cv driver. What you are doing sounds like the sort of position I'd like to be in. Also, probably a good way to start.

I have read the conversations where members talk about how company's operate a little differently than each other, and how those differences suit the driver's individual needs.

Being as inexperienced as I am to the industry, I really wouldn't know how to compare two companies. I have read others saying not to work for flat rates, not to lease on with more than one company at a time, not to take loads that leave you outside shipping lines, no to agree to load refusal policy, etc. I'm sure most of these things are decided with experience, but I don't want to start out by trying to reinvent the wheel.

A warranty can not legally be voided for adding or modifying equipment. That is federal law.

LDB, thanks for letting me know, and what you're saying is completely logical. The problem is big corporations do not build their bottom lines up on logical or sound decisions that seem to benefit their customers beyond the point of sale. I know what you are saying is true, but when a manufacturer, say GM, decides to limit or void your warranty then there is really no recourse for a consumer unless you can legally hire an attorney. But most consumers can not simply hire an attorney because there is an arbitration agreement in place 99% of time. And small claims court lacks jurisdiction because there is a Federal warranty question or the property is worth more than 5k, well at least here in Florida. What's worse is when you have a lemon and your State attorney general's office eliminates their auto investigation team.

[LDB]

It is federal law, the Magnusson Moss Act. If a dealership gave trouble about an obviously legitimate warranty item it might be enough to have a direct conversation with the service manager or the general manager about violating federal law and the potential for recovery as opposed to just doing the work.

[chefdennis]

cspexp wrote:

Also, does Bolt, Panther etc, require CDL for Sprinter? I would have no trouble acquiring one, but does having it restrict your hours of operation? I ask because I would like to be able to move my vehicle any time I want.

Ok the CDL thing was covered but the restriction of hours and being able to move your vehcile anytime you want needs a little explanation. Now i am not sure about how you meant this so ill cover it a few ways. While a 10,000 gvw vehcile does not fall under the DOT hours of service, some companies do limit your total hours and miles in one day...i am sure some drivers from those companies can soeak to the exact limits but I think those that do limit you limit you to 750 miles a day and 12 hrs, again i am not sure. Bolt will let a driver run as long as the driver feels he can do so safely...they do not impose any restrictions on CV's. Now a few companies also have to sit after a freight drop and they control where you move to after a certain amount of time as in a dead move. Again, I move whenever i feel like it and to where ever i want. Now when i move it is always done after talking to dispatch and finding out where we have had freight moving and if we have any cv's in that area and if so if i move there what "board" position will i have when i carry my dwell time there....

another move thing is taking off and going to the walmart for grocery shopping or to bufflo wild wings for dinner...some companies will "ding" you for that, again others don't and i move and go where ever i want without any problems. I have gone to races ball games and been able to watch it all at times, other times i have had to leave when i was called for a run....some companies want you to go out of service for that kind of stuff.

Ok with all of that said, everything i wrote about other companies is strictly based on what i have been told by other drivers and not my experience working for those companies....i have only worked for Bolt....so again hopefully other drivers for other companies can confirm or correct the info i just posted.

[greg334]

Leo, that doesn't cover modifications as you may think.

What I mean is if PJs (an example) installs the qualcomm and didn't take the switched or constant voltage off the upfitters tap but jumped a fuse (installs a tap off the fuse as they did with several installs for me) but now there is a problem with the body computer that the dealer traces if back to improper install and the use of an improper power source, then the warranty can be considered null for that problem and related repairs.

Each manufacturer, especially GM has bulletins on how to install radio equipment and other equipment which is meant to eliminate issues with hack jobs. MB also has bulletins on upfitting vehicles.

[cspexpeditus]

It is federal law, the Magnusson Moss Act. If a dealership gave trouble about an obviously legitimate warranty item it might be enough to have a direct conversation with the service manager or the general manager about violating federal law and the potential for recovery as opposed to just doing the work.

LDB, I agree with you on all points, and bringing an issue to the attention of the owner/GM does carry some weight. Short of turning this into any lengthy story, I will just say that I have traversed these routes and exhausted all options in my case. The law is very grey and sometimes even blind when it comes to statutory limitations of justice.

Basically, the magnuson-moss act says that a dealer or manufacturer must buy back a car if they can not fix it. It clearly says that the car must conform to the warranty during the warranted period.

Why is this important? Because the dealers have a "we can't recreate the problem" "these are normal vehicle characteristics" syndrome. Now the law is suppose to keep the consumer from having to continuously renturn to the dealer for repairs when they have already said they cant be fixed. The laws clearly say, that if the dealer can't or won't fix it after 3-4 attempts then they must buy the vehicle back.

The dealer knows this, but they stall because they also know that most customers aren't aware of the two-year statute of limitations. If you send written notification to the manufacturer within two years of purchase they must fix or buy the vehicle. But, if notice is not sent??? Well the magnuson-moss sets the time limit of notice at "the warranted period." However, the state statute trumps the federal statute by limiting that notice period to (2) years. And if notice is not sent within two years, then the dealer and manufacturer have nothing to worry about. They know this, and that is why they continue to give customers the run around by saying things like "could not recreate the problem, normal vehicle charateristics," etc.

some companies will "ding" you for that, again others don't and i move and go where ever i want without any problems.

Thank you for the indepth explanation. By your description, that is the kind of situation I would like to pursue. You see I plan to take advantage of the 'waiting' to excercise some of my other non-business related interests, and receiving a call for a run while in the middle of said interests would work out just fine for me.

I am sure drivers find their own unique and odd ways of entertaining themselves during the hours they wait. While I have never worked OTR, I was in a salary based route once and the hours of my day were my own. I liked having that freedom especially when I covered for other drivers on routes to places I hadn't been. I enjoy the travel but I do not think that the business of expediting is any vacation, however. I think you put it best when you said, "stopping in walmart."

[LDB]

Greg, if you reread my post I believe I covered just that.