Our Freightliner Nightmare Continues. Your Opinions, Please.
- Thread starter usafk9
- Start date
zorry
Veteran Expediter
It's common to hear Freightliner and whole in the same sentence. It's usually from someone unhappy.
guido4475
Not a Member
Glad to hear it is finally working out for you. Nothing worse than having to go through what you had to to get it right.
I bought a fl-70 that was actually a to good to be true deal back in 2002. Knowing full well it sat in the previous, original owners driveway for 2 years without being driven, I expected alot of dried up seals, and knew I'd have to replace alot of that stuff before making it roadworthy., Even when it came time to get the A/C working, I simply told Freightliner to order the whole system new. I did not want to be plagued with ongoing problems. Nip it in the bud the first time. Needless to say, all summer long, and it finally got fixed right, to where it would blow cold,and a good compressor was found, after several of those blowing up....It was a nightmare,. But, Thank God for the guy in Washington, or Oregon, who stuck with me and made the dealers pay the repair bills.
Glover's Freightliner in Little Rock on the bypass is an awesome place to go to.Also, the same with the one in Lousianna, Across from the Petro, if I have it right.
Like I said, glad I can be of some help.
jonnyjacob
Active Expediter
Pleased with this freighliner update. Whatever has been done is in our favor. Looking forward for more such exciting news.
The one in Little Rock is across from the Petro on I40.
guido4475
Not a Member
No, this one is on the bypass. The same exit as where the Truckpro parts place was. On the right side, going west, south, whatever it is....lol... Yup, they are still there.
| |
| Glover's Truck Center | |
| 1200 Baucum Industrial Drive | |
| North Little Rock, AR 72117 | |
| (501) 945-2000 |
|
This may explain it...theyre a western star dealer.... but whatever the case is, they are awesome, and did it right, (34 degree cold a/c on a 84 degree day) and freightliner covered all that they did to make it correct.There is an old, gray haired guy there, the shop foreman, that knows his a/c. He did mine, and showed me with the truck running how the evaporator was just starting to get ice on it before going into the defrost mode.it was cool.He took his time with it, and it was cold!
Here's the skinny:
We got the Customer Care folks at Freightliner involved just before we picked the truck up. While they're fairly slow, and had to get two District Service Managers involved, they're refunding all of that portion of our bill, minus the oil change (the reason we went in, in the first place). The amount they're eating is about $1400.
The service manager at Valley Freightliner in Pacific, Washington, threw every lie but the kitchen sink to avoid paying. After the engine-swap fiasco, I shouldn't be surprised. They are a poorly-run outfit, that exists mainly to serve the interest of Gordon Trucking, who owns that franchise.
The folks at Las Vegas Freightliner are not much better. If I had a nickel for every time I heard the word "swamped" for a reason I didn't get a return phone call, or they were slow to actually refund my money, I wouldn't be driving a truck. They are truly busy, but are only open 7-7, and only have one shift with real mechanics. Must be full of people, like me, who didn't know any better.
Here's some things I've learned through this debacle:
1. If it's your engine or transmission, never, ever take to a Freightliner dealership. Take to a Detroit shop.
2. Owning a Freightliner dealership, in my opinion, is a license to rape. We had a hood cable replaced while in LV. $18.00 part, $18.00 in overnighw charges, and $120.00 in labor. Really? For 5 easily-accessible bolts? "Oh yes, that's the flat rate". Must have had their bean-counters come from the hospital business.
3. I'm still not convinced that Freightliner isn't where to go with future purchases. I keep reading about Volvo. While their ride comfort is often swooned about, their service locations are fewer in number. There seem to be valid complaints from all truck manufacturer-owners. I am convinced that arming yourself with every morsel of detail about your truck before and during ownership will save you money and headaches.
4. I believe, as Jim Joerger suggested, there be a place here on EO, where folks can post positive (or negative) experiences with truck service locations. Knowing what I now know may have saved a few headaches. While again in Seattle this week, I had to stop in to a small shop that used to be a Sterling Dealer for a part. We were due for a DOT inspection. This place is the Truck Shop in Auburn, Washington. Wife told me to ask if they could do our 6-month DOT, as we were close. Likewise, they were real busy, but fit us in. They found a couple of items that I never would have (absent crawling under the truck). They sent a runner for parts, and had us out of there in less than two hours, and for a real reasonable price. They put the 'serve' in service, and I let the owner of the shop know. That experience was refreshing.
I want to thank everyone for their input and guidance here. We probably have a year or tow left in our truck, but our quest for knowledge on the next truck continues.
Again, thanks.
We got the Customer Care folks at Freightliner involved just before we picked the truck up. While they're fairly slow, and had to get two District Service Managers involved, they're refunding all of that portion of our bill, minus the oil change (the reason we went in, in the first place). The amount they're eating is about $1400.
The service manager at Valley Freightliner in Pacific, Washington, threw every lie but the kitchen sink to avoid paying. After the engine-swap fiasco, I shouldn't be surprised. They are a poorly-run outfit, that exists mainly to serve the interest of Gordon Trucking, who owns that franchise.
The folks at Las Vegas Freightliner are not much better. If I had a nickel for every time I heard the word "swamped" for a reason I didn't get a return phone call, or they were slow to actually refund my money, I wouldn't be driving a truck. They are truly busy, but are only open 7-7, and only have one shift with real mechanics. Must be full of people, like me, who didn't know any better.
Here's some things I've learned through this debacle:
1. If it's your engine or transmission, never, ever take to a Freightliner dealership. Take to a Detroit shop.
2. Owning a Freightliner dealership, in my opinion, is a license to rape. We had a hood cable replaced while in LV. $18.00 part, $18.00 in overnighw charges, and $120.00 in labor. Really? For 5 easily-accessible bolts? "Oh yes, that's the flat rate". Must have had their bean-counters come from the hospital business.
3. I'm still not convinced that Freightliner isn't where to go with future purchases. I keep reading about Volvo. While their ride comfort is often swooned about, their service locations are fewer in number. There seem to be valid complaints from all truck manufacturer-owners. I am convinced that arming yourself with every morsel of detail about your truck before and during ownership will save you money and headaches.
4. I believe, as Jim Joerger suggested, there be a place here on EO, where folks can post positive (or negative) experiences with truck service locations. Knowing what I now know may have saved a few headaches. While again in Seattle this week, I had to stop in to a small shop that used to be a Sterling Dealer for a part. We were due for a DOT inspection. This place is the Truck Shop in Auburn, Washington. Wife told me to ask if they could do our 6-month DOT, as we were close. Likewise, they were real busy, but fit us in. They found a couple of items that I never would have (absent crawling under the truck). They sent a runner for parts, and had us out of there in less than two hours, and for a real reasonable price. They put the 'serve' in service, and I let the owner of the shop know. That experience was refreshing.
I want to thank everyone for their input and guidance here. We probably have a year or tow left in our truck, but our quest for knowledge on the next truck continues.
Again, thanks.
AJ: I'm glad, too, to hear that your nightmare is over.
I'd also like to see a forum, thread, or sticky for service locations, but it'd almost have to be one where posts get previewed by admin before appearing. Way too many of the "Joe Blow sucks" kind of nonhelpful posts otherwise. Thoughtful and intelligent reports, though, [like yours] are a huge asset, IMO.
I'd also like to see a forum, thread, or sticky for service locations, but it'd almost have to be one where posts get previewed by admin before appearing. Way too many of the "Joe Blow sucks" kind of nonhelpful posts otherwise. Thoughtful and intelligent reports, though, [like yours] are a huge asset, IMO.
That brings to mind a time when fleet owner truck we drove was in a Freightliner shop. They blew it in ordering parts, costing us a day. They then did the same thing again. We were in a hotel across the street. I went over the third morning to be there when the delivery truck arrived to check on parts.
No one was at the service desk. I waited. No one. Waited more. No one. Out of frustration, I called Diane in the hotel and asked her to call the dealership to see what she could learn by phone. At that moment, the service manager happened to return to the desk and answered the phone. While I stood there and watched, he explained to Diane that the truck was in the shop and they were working on it now. In fact, the truck was in the lot, sitting where it had been for the last two days. The man flat-out lied to her. Knowingly, and intentionally, he lied.
Then, to my utter amazment, he lied to me too. When he hung up the phone, I told him that was my wife who had called and asked him why he lied about the status of the truck. "No I didn't," he said.
"What do you mean, 'no I didn't,' I just stood here and watched you say the truck is in the shop when it is out in the lot. You lied."
"I didn't say that."
This was the service manager and it became clear to me at that moment that he had learned that lying worked. It worked with me because I walked away in frustration. How do you argue with a liar as bold as that? He knew it and had refined it into what was for him an acceptable strategy.
We finally got out of ther with a repaired truck and never returned.
The number of service locations was a consideration when we made our brand choice. Yes, without a doubt, Freightliner has more service locations than Volvo, we noted. But given our years of experience with Freightliner, we also noted that many of those locations are worthless. What good does it do to have lots of locations if only one of three (our estimate) can actually be counted on to get you in and out without incident?
After driving our Volvo for over six years and nearly 800,000 miles, we have not found a need for a lot of service locations. The truck has never been towed and many repairs can be done at any truck shop. When repairs or service was needed for things that were uniquely Volvo, we were able to drive the truck in.
What you say about complaints from all owners of all truck brands is true. I have voiced some about Volvo myself. But I would urge all readers to take such complaints with very large grains of salt. There are a whole lot of drivers out there who do not know how to maintain a truck or make even the most basic repairs themselves. They lack mechanical knowledge so when something small develops, it gets ignored until it becomes something bigger and then the driver blames the truck.
These trucks are very sophisticated mechanical devices that are operated in extreme conditions. Because they are machines, they will deteriorate and fail over time. That is true of all trucks, not just one brand or another.
The driver who does not follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and does not have little things fixed before they become big things, and then changes to Brand Y because Brand X sucks, will almost certainly find that Brand Y sucks too; not because of the truck but because the driver thought he was smarter than the truck and its manufacturer.
Indeed, it seems that the people who take care of their trucks the least are the ones who complain about them the most.
BigRed32771
Expert Expediter
I have a friend with a 2001 FL XLT with the Cummins N14. He has been very happy recently with a shop called L&N Truck Services in Atlanta (Ellenwood) near the airport. They get him in and out and have been very good to work with he says.
