Truck Repair shops - Dealer vs local service shop

[bubba-one]

Just lost it with my local Int'l dealer here in hamilton when I got the bill to find they needed 4 different mechanic's to do the job.
Truck went in for a annual safety and misfire ( bad injector ).
They billed for 1 mechanic to do saftey check and re-inspect other mechanic's work. 1 mechanic to change a piggyback, 1 mechanic to change a wheel seal and a dash light, 1 mechanic to do the engine diagnostics and change the injector. Is this normal for other dealers to have multiple mechanic's for different types of work. I also use a local shop for general repairs, just they were busy and didn't have time when we needed it. I would prefer 1 mecheanic to start and finish with my trucks but with the way things are changing in this industry the above may be the new norm. Just wondering what others feel on this.

 

[lowmiler88]

Most shops you go into now have 1 or 2 true Mechanics and everyone else is a Tech (they charge the same). Chances are it was the same mechanic they are billing you off of book value ie wheel seal 1.2 hours, injector 3.4 hours when in actual fact it probably took them a lot less. We where always 50/50 with leasing and owning trucks but we have changed our attitude and are 90/10 in favour of leasing, trucks today are so complicated and a lot of downtime, to us it is worth leasing because as soon as something goes wrong that they can't fix in 2 hours we get a replacement truck and the driver is on the road again. We found that the gap between owning cost per mile and leasing cpm has started to be almost the same and we do not account for the down time and frustration of the driver. We always maintained our trucks at the top level, serviced them early etc but the cost is getting out of hand.

 

[Nawk]

We had a similar situation with Altruck in Hamilton. We'll pay to have a unit towed home before going back. Freightliner in Mississauga is the worst I've ever experienced. We sent one in there when a driver was off on a weeks holiday that needed little things like you described. Called to check a few times "yepp... almost done - yepp all finished." Driver goes to pick the truck up the following Monday. It was in the same spot he'd left it. They never touched it. "Sorry, we must've forgot about it." Have since switched to KW's the dealer service is better than most (but still not great). Anything that's not warranty goes to a private garage. Tough to find a good one but they're out there. Check with your trucker buddies / colleagues in your area. Word of mouth is the best endorsement.

 

[martinetav]

we find that no matter what we have done or where we are pretty sure to have it done again. We had a truck towed to PeterBilt in London, ON. Brand new truck bought in December. There was a problem with the battery connections. Everything was done on the guarantee. the only thing is that 2 days later in MI the truck breaks down again. After a full day looking for the problem, they decided to start from the beginning, not taking into account what we had done in London. Low and behold, they found the same problem, that had supposedly been done 2 days earlier. Only thing is that this time we had to pay the Tow, and the repair. Contacted Peterbilt in london to try and at the least get a credit. They've been LOOKING IN TO IT for almost 2 months now ... at least that is what they keep telling me... still waiting... and I get the same answer everytime I speak with him. One time he said 'I sure wish you had pictures. A wiring problem... could someone please tell me what PICTURES could tell him. We gave him the computer diagnostic...

 

[bubba-one]

The more I think about this the more I think it may be necessary to leave my driver at the dealer, and pay him on the clock to supervise the work in progress.

 

[Salma]

The more I think about this the more I think it may be necessary to leave my driver at the dealer, and pay him on the clock to supervise the work in progress.

I know many owner/operators that do exactly that. If they are not allowed in the shop then they watch the work from the nearest window (or they stand outside the bay doors) and keep track of how long the mechanic actually works on their truck. There is no other way around it.

 

[rickwill]

I know many owner/operators that do exactly that. If they are not allowed in the shop then they watch the work from the nearest window (or they stand outside the bay doors) and keep track of how long the mechanic actually works on their truck. There is no other way around it.

I've done same thing if I can't stand next to truck then out she goes. They use this insurance excuse to keep you away while screwing you.

 

[Dave in London]

The Peterbilt London comment surprises me. Thats the ONLY OEM dealer I will go to in London...won't darken Kenworth's door, my butt seems to ache everytime I have tried. Most are of the same cloth...they love the "remove and replace" theory. I guess thats what warranty pays for and thats the lion's share of their business. It seems like less and less shops can actually 'fix' anything anymore.
If you don't have your own mechanic, and you can find a small shop that isn't busting to the seams with trucks, thats the place to go.
I do a combination of a mechanic that comes to my shop, 2 local shops that are both good, and London Peterbilt. If I go to the dealer, its only to have them fix specifically what I already know is wrong. I leave the diagnosing and mysterious problems to the small shops.