Freightliner highway robbery!

[Tennesseahawk]

I was wondering if anyone had any dealings with Wolverine Freightliner West in Ypsilanti, MI. If so, how did yours go? Here's mine:
Started out Friday when I took the truck in for a faulty reading on the coolant temp gauge along with a few other things which they neglected to fix the week before.
The mech leaves me a message on Saturday. I call him back on Sunday, and he tells me I have a blown water pump hose. I know that's wrong because there was no heat when my gauge went to 260. He says it should be in on Monday and it's $220 for the part. I went in first thing on Monday to look at the truck. The mech showed me the hose which was split half way length-wise. Also, he shows me an upper radiator hose with a split in it. I told him that there were no leaks when I brought it in, and he said that it had no coolant when they brought it in the bay. Here are my questions:
1) How can I make it from Lansing to Romulus, MI with a burst hose?
2) How could I not notice coolant erupting from a gash in the hose, either by smell, steam from the engine and manifold, or coolant spraying my windshield?
3) Why would he have to drain the rest of the coolant if he said there wasn't any in the system?
4) They changed the sensor. Why would they have to if the coolant was overheating? The sensor was only telling the temp... not causing the problem they said I had.
Today, while on a run, the gauge pegged out max again, and back to normal several times. When I got home I opened the panel, fiddled with it, and found that wires were pushing against the back of the gauge causing it to misread. To me, it sounds like they punctured the hoses, either by accident or by purpose. Either way, I forked out almost $500 because I have no proof... only logic. All of the repairs were wrong. I believe a good mechanic would've seen the clues and came to the conclusion of a sensor or gauge problem as there was no overheating.
I'm just curious if anyone's had this problem before. And moreso, take your business elsewhere!!! Don't trust these people. Other than that, just watch your back when dealing with mechanics. We all know that too many people want to take advantage of truckers.

 

[Glen Rice]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune! It has been my experience, to try and use "my own mechanic". I know that is not always possible. I have called my mechanic and run the problem past him to get his input. Kinda like having a Doctor on call! It sounds like you know your truck pretty well and your probably correct in your assesment of the shop that "fixed" your truck. Learn from your mistake and go forward. Don't waste your energy being ticked at them. They will not be around to long if this is there business practice. Try talking to other drivers about who they can recommend when you are in that area, if you are working there and know you will be there in the immediate future. Good luck, and keep the attitude positive.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Thanx Glen...
I needed to vent cause I'm just starting out, and they not only took most of my fuel money, but they wasted Monday and Tuesday for me. I just wanted people to know to watch that place.
I live in the Detroit area, so that's why I went to them. Unfortunately, I don't know any diesel mechs personally. So if anyone from around here trusts one, I'd appreciate the input.
Thanx

 

[NEVERHOME247]

You need to call the service manager or general manager of the dealership. If I read your post correctly. You say you drove the truck to the dealer with no sign of coolant leakage. They say it had no coolant in the engine,due to the spit hose. Well, if there was no coolant in the engine. You would have never drove it to the dealer. Truck is equipped with low coolant sensor. Truck would have shut down and left you sitting. It would have cranked, but would not have started until you topped off the coolant. Also hoses very seldom spit or crack length wise. I would not just blow it off. Tell them you are going to call Freightliner Customer Service. Also ask them their district service reps. number. Good Luck!

 

[NEVERHOME247]

Freightliner Customer Service 1-800-FTL-HELP

 

[davekc]

While there are a few decent freightliner dealerships, the quality ones seem to be shrinking. Just read all the posts. Very few positive comments. Hopefully they read your complaints and take some actions. Even though you have a freightliner, many other places will work on it. Two damaged hoses at the same time seems alittle suspect.
Davekc

 

[LDB]

I'm sorry to hear of your bad start. I hope things are looking up now. Have you talked to Bill or anyone at the company? Maybe they could help you out somehow. Good luck and take care.

 

[RichM]

I recently got nailed for an alternator that appeared to be erratic. I always thought alternators either worked or did not. After starting up the batteries would not take a charge for about a 100 miles then the readings would gradually get normal. New alternator was installed,after a day or two the same problem seemed to be coming back.Today I crawled underneath and the negative battery cable which attaches to the frame was covered with grease ,corrison etc. I cleaned it up and I think that was the source of my problem. But the altenator was replaced at a Freightliner dealer that I have dealt with for years. It's best to do as Glen said,find a local guy who only does service and repairs so he needs to keep a good reputation to stay in business.

 

[davekc]

That kind of problem would have been caught if they had done a load test on it. This is the kind of stuff I can't stand. Poor quality on service and workmanship.
Davekc

 

[bigjimhp]

Thawk, go to paul's diesel service in Southgate, mi on Goddard road. Alittle pricey, but the service is first class, do it right the first time, 734-285-5130. tell em jim young sent you!!!

 

[mhoy40]

ouch sounds to me like they did a number on ya man just remember that you should know the details of your own truck or the truck u are driving for someone better than any one else u r the 1 that inspects everyday i learned a while back that when i take the trucks that i drive even if its someone elses or even my own car when it comes to the little ##### like that when i take it to the shop for something that is vage like a over heat problem that i try to elimenate as much of the system as i can before i take to the mech. that way when i drop it off ican say like in this instance i know it aint the hoses or such that way they know i looked at it first and the greedy mech can get me for a bullsh... repair add on like that where it ends up being 2 or 3 hundred more than they quote to begin with its a little extra work for u but but if it keeps the money in your pocket and not the mech. than it was an hour or two well spent inspecting it thouroly.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Thanx, everyone, for your replies! I'm going to try and get my money back from Freightcrapper, and find a new local mech. So far, the truck hasn't had any problems. Crossing my fingers.

THawk

 

[kempers_gramp]

New alternator was installed,after a day or two the
>same problem seemed to be coming back.Today I crawled
>underneath and the negative battery cable which attaches to
>the frame was covered with grease ,corrison etc. I cleaned
>it up and I think that was the source of my problem.

I believe, this "grease" should be what is known as di-electric grease. It is commonly used in automotive applications to promote the quality of the connection, while deterring corrosion. If not, I would suggest checking into using di-electric grease for this purpose as it will help to keep you from having to crawl under your truck, in the dead of winter, to "clean" the corossion off of a "caked" cable end when your truck won't start or your batteries aren't charging. You can purchase it at any local auto parts store at a very reasonable price.
Just for kicks I searched di-electric grease here on the net and here is a link that you may want to check out, it could save you money in the end. Battery manufacturers wont tell you about it because they want you to replace your batteries every 5 yrs. or less.
http://websearch.cs.com/wm/boomfram...REVIEW/BATTERY/BOAT/DIELECTRIC%2520GREASE.htm
Just a guess though!
Kempers_gramp

 

[diamondusmc]

Hello T-hawk, boy did you get ripped off at Wolverine Freightliner-WEST. I used to work for these guys(MARCH 04-JUNE 04) as a driver/porter. I am a ASE master certifed mechanic. Also master state certs with auto and partial heavy truck. Now I am not writing to bash these guys just to have fun. I feel this place rips a lot of truckers off. The general feel I got was that the basic pride and knowledge for the job was of no concern just get it in and out. I also feel that many of the mechs were hacks they were just not qualified in my opinion to work on these rigs. I have been wrenching since age 12 and am now 40. Not once have I ever had someone bring their vehicle back cause I did an improper or wrong repair job. I take pride in my work and ripping someone off is not an option. From he simplest repair to the most major, do it right. Now, I think you should contact the state to tell them of the fraud pulled on you. No way in hell could you of not known you had a leak when you coolant hose is ripped. No way could you have missed that kind of leak. These guys think people are idiots. I have dealt with dealer mechanics all my career. They always tell me how they make bogus or un-needed repairs to line their pockets. Especially when it's a customer pay(no warranty). I cannot believe the incompetence many of their mechs display. I have found several missed problems when delivery repaired vehicles back to the busines we serviced. Just simple overlooked things. Such one as a airline to the drivers seat being so danmed shirt as not to allow for travel. This is stupid that someone could have said this job was finished; I fixed the problem and delivered the tractor back to JB Hunt. This is the kind of business they seem to perform at this place. I know I was not wrenching there but I seen the crappy service they provided and did not seek to get employed as one of their mechs. The ownwer of this company is just profit driven. She barely provides the equipment the mechs need to speed repairs. The shop is very basic no hoists just jackstands. Everything is done on your back. I wish one day to own my own truck repair shop. I will make danmed sure that these kinds of mistakes will not be tolerated. People depend on these truck to provide thier families with lifes necessities. And allowing mechs to rip someone off as in your cas should not be allowed. The service manager(Dave Draka) should have seen that how could you have not seen a hose was ripped and suspect the mech of ripping you off in the first place. Take my advice and call the state.

 

[LDB]

Could someone who knows how fix the link in this thread so it isn't
12 miles long and the thread can fit the width of the window again?
Either that or put carriage returns into the posts so they don't scroll
12 miles off the right side of the screen? Thanks.

Leo
truck 767

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[davekc]

It would be nice to have a general comsumer report type information survey on peoples experiences with dealers. Just a 20 point questionaire so dealers or repair facilities aren't unfairly trashed. Something like speed of repair, quality of service, expected price on repairs, warranty work? was it handled properly ect. Just a thought anyway.
Davekc

 

[Larry]

As the owner of a '98 FL70 that I bought used 3 years ago, I automatically went to Freightliner dealers when problems developed out on the road. It didn't take long to learn that I needed to come up with another plan. With the exception of the dealer in Kansas City, MO., I cannot say anything nice about my experiences at any of them. That includes, Grand Rapids, MI; Youngstown, OH; Monroe, MI; & Belleville, MI. . Although probably more expensive, if I need any engine work done on the road, I search out a Catapillar dealer. Otherwise find a local mechanic and make sure you have his cell phone number. I gave my mechanic $50.00 to be able to call whenever I needed over the phone assistance and told him to lem me know when I used up the $50.00 buck!!!!

Drive Save.

 

[Tom Robertson]

Hawk~
thanks for this posting... it gave me an idea that I floated on this Forum titled "Expediter Rated Truck Service"

I asked Lawrence and Glen Rice to put an additional area on this site where "we" the owners and drivers could rate services received by the various shops...

Please go to that thread and read all of it... It looks like E.O. is going to take the idea and run with it!

thanks

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Larry, I think that's a great idea!

Tom... glad I could be some help. Your idea has alot of merit. I hope it doesn't step on toes of advertisers here, but in the interests of helping each other out, it's a necessity.

T-Hawk