Good Truck News ... For Some One Else (Sigh)

[ATeam]

We completed our Landstar TVAL qualification in Fort Wayne this morning. Everything is good. Being close, we headed next to our favorite and trusted Volvo dealer to have a transmission quirk checked out. It turned out to be more than a quirk. Diagnosis: clutch.

I guess we should not be too surprised given the 770,000 miles on the truck. While the truck will be sold in a few months, it is not a good idea to take chances out there with an iffy clutch and maybe end up getting towed into a shop we do not know. Better to fix what needs fixing.

It's going to cost several thousand dollars to replace the clutch and a wire harness that is also an issue. That benefits us in the short run by keeping us running in a reliable truck for the next few months. But it will benefit someone else longer term. Someone is going to get a really nice truck with a lot of life left in it when this one changes hands. Truck Photo

We have always known the importance of maintaining an emergency fund to be prepared exactly for situations like this. I did not realize until today that the money we carefully saved would end up being spent mostly for someone else's benefit. It's not like we can raise the price of this used truck $5,000 to $10,000 to recover the cost of a recent major repair.

 

[runrunner]

I understand your despair but look at the whole picture. I'm sure that truck has paid for itself and made you some.

 

[LDB]

I'm sure you couldn't ask $10k more based on a $10k repair but I'd think you could get $3k-$4k more based on that. What's your overall mpg on 3/4M miles and is that with reefer included?

 

[ATeam]

I'm sure you couldn't ask $10k more based on a $10k repair but I'd think you could get $3k-$4k more based on that. What's your overall mpg on 3/4M miles and is that with reefer included?

I could say, truthfully, that in ideal conditions, this truck gets 12 mpg. But this is the real world where conditions are rarely ideal. According to the spedometer reading over the last several months, we are getting 9.3 mpg. It varies by season. It also varies by speed, temperature, altitude, wind and terrain. That does not include the effect of the reefer and generator, since the dash board number is measured apart from those devices.

The presence of those devices on the truck make overall truck fuel economy impossible to determine by using your miles and fuel receipts, so the dashboard number is the best I can do. I know a printout can be obtained from the ECM but we have never had reason to do it. Thus, the dashboard number is the best I can provide. Based on experience, I can say that the number will improve in the spring.

 

[ATeam]

I understand your despair but look at the whole picture. I'm sure that truck has paid for itself and made you some.

You are correct, runrunner. After all is said and done, we made good money with this truck.

 

[Rocketman]

$10k sounds pretty extreme for a clutch and a wiring harness, did I miss something?

$5k would be believable but still pretty steep?

 

[ATeam]

$10k sounds pretty extreme for a clutch and a wiring harness, did I miss something?

$5k would be believable but still pretty steep?

I originally said $5,000 to $10,000. Leo picked up on the 10. A lot of labor is involved in replacing the harness. It runs nearly the full length of the truck and has many branches. The clutch is for an Arvin Meritor Freedomline 12 speed, not a manual transmission. And the part's ain't cheap.

 

[Rocketman]

I originally said $5,000 to $10,000. Leo picked up on the 10. A lot of labor is involved in replacing the harness. It runs nearly the full length of the truck and has many branches. The clutch is for an Arvin Meritor Freedomline 12 speed, not a manual transmission. And the part's ain't cheap.

I understood the wiring harness wrong. It thought you were just doing the transmission harness. That sounds like nearly a full harness and yeah, it won't be cheap to replace. The clutch for the auto I would expect to be expensive also.

 

[LDB]

I used the $10k for easy math to speculate a 30-40% return on the expense.

 

[paullud]

I have heard there are wiring harness issues with the 12 speed autos, not a cheap repair. If you come up with a figure for what you will sell the truck for please let me know.

 

[ATeam]

I have heard there are wiring harness issues with the 12 speed autos, not a cheap repair. If you come up with a figure for what you will sell the truck for please let me know.

When the truck is sold, our preference will be to make a clean break from the thing and let the market decide the price. Our thought now is simply to put it on our Volvo dealer's lot and have them sell the thing.

Naturally, we'll want to get the best possible price but it is difficult to be objective about the price of something in which you have spent most of your days and nights for over six years, and into which you have poured your time and treasure and vested your pride.

We are open to suggestions about how to best sell the truck, but it must be a clean break, all-cash (to us) and an as-is sale. When we are done with the truck, we're done. I don't want to be the one handle inquiries and negotiate price. That's what dealers are for.

One thought is to put it on the lot, let the dealer set the price and then before making it available at that price, put it on eBay with a reserve price to see if we can do better. I don't know anything for sure at this point. Just thinking out loud.

Open to ideas. The goal is to get the best possible price and a clean break from the truck.

We will keep the truck until the first of two fitness centers is up and running. Expect to see it for sale sometime around mid-year.

 

[paullud]

I watch a lot of eBay auctions looking at TT and it seems like there are a lot of them getting relisted due to no payment or not hitting the reserve. I know a few people looking for a ST and finding one that is well maintained is tough. I will send them the link for your truck and please let us know when you plan to sell it.

 

[jujubeans]

Good luck with your new endeavor!

 

[ATeam]

I watch a lot of eBay auctions looking at TT and it seems like there are a lot of them getting relisted due to no payment or not hitting the reserve. I know a few people looking for a ST and finding one that is well maintained is tough. I will send them the link for your truck and please let us know when you plan to sell it.

Will do, paullud. Thank you.

 

[jjoerger]

When we had our clutch replaced in 2010 on our Eaton 10 speed Ultrashift the bill came to $2944. That included a new clutch, used flywheel, new input shaft, seals and all labor.

 

[moose]

I have no dought your Volvo Dealer will do you well, but i am posting it for others to consider.
normally i take a motor problem to a motor shop.
a transmission problem to a trans repair facility,
or a drive train to, well, ITP {Inland Trucks Parts & Service}
wheels & tires are handled in a tire shop, not a truck stop or a dealer.
& so on.
they normally do a better/Quicker/cheaper job.
BTW, dose the work comes with warranty? if so, is that warranty transferable to a new owner ?, if so, that WILL be a case for upping the truck sale price.
Good Luck.

 

[zorry]

Wow. CARB is getting in your pocket no matter if you stay or go.
Good Luck with the gyms.

 

[ATeam]

Wow. CARB is getting in your pocket no matter if you stay or go.

How do you mean?

 

[scottm4211]

I used the $10k for easy math to speculate a 30-40% return on the expense.

A 40% return on an expense for keeping a vehicle roadworthy? Good luck.

 

[zorry]

If you stay, CARB will cost you loads or money to upgrade.
If you sell the truck, the CARB issue will decrease the value to some.
It would make it undesirable to some.
As equipped it will still be very marketable to a smaller group.
W/O CARB it'd be a truck many more people would love to own.

So I believe CARB is possibly hurting you even as you exit the industry.