Freightliner Refuses to Honor Warranty!

[The Gibster]

OK everyone, not just a gripe post - I need some collective suggestions on how to handle this one:

We're in Tampa, Fla trying to get an A/C compressor repaired at the Freightliner dealer and they are completely balking, and refusing to honor the part warranty.

The problem is classically historic - on the Cummins ISB series engines the A/C compressor hangs up, and outward from the front of an engine bracket. Picture picking up a popcan with your thumb and forefinger grabbing the top and bottom of the can, lengthwise. That's how the bracket attaches to the compressor. Now sling a fanbelt around the end and ingage the compressor clutch a few thousand times and SNAP, the ears break off the compressor where it mounts to the bracket.

We've been 'round and 'round with Frtlnr, we've been thru 6 compressors in 2 years. We've always said "POOR BRACKET DESIGN", but freightliner always has said the brackets are fine. And as long as the part was less than a year old - it's been covered by warranty.

Now we have one purchased July 7th (less than a year old), the bolts attaching it to the bracket have always been checked and found tight, and yet the mounting ears have broken again.

Now Freightliner says "poor bracket design" and without looking at the truck claim the mounting holes are oblonged out, "appoxiametly, like maybe" .0045/inch (their words), causing the compressor to wobble and break the ears off. They also say "the brackets are Cummins, not ours", and refuse to honor the warranty on the compressor! Remember, they haven't even looked at the truck, yet they are refusing to honor the warranty.

Any suggesstions? Anybody ever been thru this nightmare before? I've called Frtlnr customer service and am being told the 'warranty' only comes from the original manufacturer of the compressor, not freightliner.

And a call to Freightliner corporate in Portland has gotten me shuffled to finally a voicemail, and I still haven't heard back. Quite frankly and unfortunately, I don't think I'll get a response.

Any ideas folks? Course of action?

Thanks to all in advance for your help.

The Gibster

 

[davekc]

Your having a Freightliner experience like we had last week. We had a 98 FL70 that had that problem several years ago. We found out that there are two designs, with the latter being thicker and not prone to breaking. We installed it and it lasted three years and then we sold the truck. We had this installed at Houston Freightliner but I can't remember if it was a Freightliner part or a cummins part (dog ears)? I do remember them saying they had to use locktite on the bolts to keep them from loosening.
A call to the original place that did the work would be my first stop. Then have that place talk to Tampa.
If Freightliner did the work the first time, it should have a dealer network warranty, not a location specific one.
Let us know how it is going.
Rich has a FL70 with a Cummins, maybe he could shed some light.

Good luck and hopefully it gets worked out.




Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[RichM]

I have a Cummins C Series and have not experienced that problem. Orlando F/Liner is just up the road and I think they are a better dealer. You might try them.

 

[The Gibster]

Well, we found someone to finally fix The Problem - Peterbilt of Tampa!

They indeed found the bracket to be defective and replaced it with the new, stouter bracket. Freightliner has always said "I think there's a new bracket available", but could not or would not produce one after discussing the problem and remedies available.

I have a lot of respect for mechanics, and anyone else for that matter that uses their skilled hands to support a family. I have in the past not fully agreed with others calling freightliner mechanics mere parts-changers. But after a Pete mechanic actually fixed the root cause of the problem, parts-changers seems to more correctly describe those earlier who kept fixing the resulting failure than the cause.

The Pete mechanic also rotated the compressor 90 degrees to use the other mounting ears, saving the cost of a new compressor. It was still compressing, so it's sensible. In and out in 8 hours total.

It was a 36 hour to 48 hour wait to even be seen at Freightliner.

And I don't know if the refrigerant fill levels are spec'd different in Pete shops than Freightliner shops, but the a/c is much colder now than anytime it has rolled out of a freightliner shop.

Peterbilt has once again told me they want my business, will earn my business, and took measures to make sure that I'll give them my repeat business.

Freightliner has, well, lost a customer. And it never had to be that way. What a shame.

So this doesn't just sound like a gripe session let me pass on a little observation, for what it's worth. This whole episode just again illustrates to me that when everything seems like dead ends, there is usually an answer waiting right around the corner. A better answer. A fantastic answer.

Just don't give up.


The Gibster

 

[davekc]

Glad to see you are up and running.




Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[ATeam]

Readers of this thread will be intersted in another thread about Freightliner service too:

http://www.expeditersonline.com/dcforum/DCForumID16/1107.html

 

[ATeam]

We've been to that Freightliner dealer in Tampa. Based on my experience there, if I found myself broke down in their parking lot again, I believe I'd be money ahead to have the truck towed someplace else.

 

[davekc]

If it is not a warranty item, Bayshore Truck repair is excellent. Alittle farther south in Ft. Meyers.
We have service done there just about every other month.



Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[The Gibster]

We can certainly understand that individual dealerships can differ greatly, and each of us can have a different experience with that dealership if you walked in right behind my service request.

What really disturbed me was the lack of a call back from Freighliner Corporate in Portland OR, it's been 2 days and no call back. Poor customer service.

And the spliting of hairs and dodging of the whole thing by the customer service rep on the 1-800 number. Ifyou buy a part and it's warrantied, then that company that sold it to you replaces it and covers the warranty.

Freightliner told me that they don't warranty it, the manufacturer does. So am I supposed to take it off, ship it back to Freightliners' manufacturer for warranty? Now how do I do that? But that's what I was being told.

For 25 minutes I heard excuses why it couldn't be warrantied, and they had not even lifted the hood!

Just my opinion but I think we're seeing a company in financial turmoil or restructuring, and that tells me I need to look at other product lines.

The Gibster