Wow, it’s hot… as it should be in August. Summer is full on and some of us don’t have air conditioning. Normally we only have a few days per year where the thermostat reaches 95 degrees or more, and today is one of those days, and I’m really feeling the heat. Probably not a great time for an equipment failure, with or without a warranty. You guessed it, I’m having yet another transmission issue, and the dealership has more excuses than a teenager on prom night.
I just got a text that said, “I will check with the shop and get back to you.” I would hope so! It’s 11:00 AM Monday, and I was in your shop last Thursday for the diagnosis. The truck is still here at my place some 89 miles away, so that means even if we get a green light for repairs, the earliest I could get in will be tomorrow – if there is even room in the shop. Time is money, and if the wheels are not turning, you are not earning. In hard times, we often need to remember to take a breath and step back, because stress doesn’t help anyone.
Let me set the stage for you. Last year I rebuilt the engine in my old 379 after it got tired and needed a freshening up. Along with the engine I replaced the transmission, clutch, bell housing, and one drive axle. While I was at it, I did the best I could do to find quality and dependability in the replacement parts I used, including a fully warranted reman transmission by Eaton, not a third party builder. When I bought this high dollar product in February last year, I met their basic requirements, and they issued me a three year unlimited mileage warranty on both the clutch and the transmission. But now, I’m beginning to think the guaranty is only good provided nothing breaks during that timeframe!
If you have been following my exploits, you know I don’t drive that many miles a year. I have only put 58,000 miles on in almost 18 months. Not exactly burning up the highway or terrorizing my equipment. Most of those miles are at speeds under 63 mph on two lane roads, and many of them were empty miles. When you get paid for what you do, not how far you drive, it makes all the difference. In general, I’m not one to abuse my equipment, and you will have to go far to find a driver smoother on the shifter or fuel pedal. I don’t use the clutch except to start or stop, none of that double clutch nonsense, and I watch the transmission temp religiously.
When this first appeared to be a problem, I finished my pre-arranged assignments and headed to the barn. Parked in the shop, I grabbed a dog bone (creeper) and then slid under to analyze a potential problem. No air leaks or fluid seepage from my transmission cooler. I use a fluid type trans cooler utilizing the radiator (antifreeze) instead of a forced air style cooler. Half of our year here in Michigan is cold, so I use it in the winter to warm the transmission. After a full inspection, I retired to the office (kitchen table) to research potential causes for grinding of the transmission between low/high range while shifting.
This issue had the potential to be a pricey repair with multiple possibilities. I may know a little about a lot of things, but I don’t always know everything about all things. When in doubt, use your lifeline and call a friend, to at least get a second opinion. I called a couple smart friends, and they all suggested a synchronizer failure most likely on the high side of the transmission. Once again, back to the internet, where most of the info lent itself to a bad synchronizer in the back box. This should not be the end of the world, as the part itself is only about $400, plus labor. However, that’s where my train ran off the rails.
No one wants to pay for the labor, and they can’t give me a range of time needed to make the repair. I’ve said it before, this is not rocket science! A lot of the related book hours are available online, including instructions on how to do the repair. The more prepared a customer is in relationship to the trouble, the better they are to convey the need to repair it. I also contacted two major rebuild centers in our area to get a feel for possible oversight on my part when doing the diagnosis. None of us are infallible, and we can’t be responsible for knowing everything about trucks or trucking. I don’t say that to give myself an excuse, but to allow the possibility of thinking outside the box.
Once I, the owner, had determined there was a legitimate problem, then it was up to me to find the solution. I can hear the guy in the back asking, “You said it was warranted, right?” It was, but I hit a few roadblocks in the process of following their process. First, I don’t want to go blindly into a service bay without a good estimate of time and cost of repair. Okay, we have stumbled on to a catch 22 here. The shop can’t give a good estimate on repairs without doing a complete diagnosis and then a follow up with procedures for warrantable repairs. This month I hope to walk our readers through an actual repair, and touch on some of the actions that happen outside the customer’s view.
First off, I want to complement Palmer Truck Sales in Fremont, Indiana. I have been doing business there for a while and will continue to do so in the future. When you have a good repair experience or transaction you’re inclined to return and do business there again. The products you purchase there may not be representative of their work, but rather an opportunity to participate in volume purchase programs. I mention this fact because I did purchase my transmission at this dealership through the PACCAR inventory and distribution program. They acquire the parts from the product provider, and in this case, it was the Eaton E.P.P. Program. All this information is relative and should be filed and kept in your maintenance file.
Once again, regarding keeping good records, I hear a voice asking, “Why me? Don’t they have those records at the point of sale?” The correct answer is maybe, provided the business hasn’t closed shop or traded hands. Something as simple as an upgrade to their computer system can lose or make unavailable old records. In this case, the dealership had moved into a new facility. It’s still located just off the Indiana Turnpike where it intersects I-69 in Fremont, Indiana, but after making the move, not all of their associates have access to the old records. That’s where my records proved to be helpful. I have and keep a very complete set of maintenance records going back to and including the purchase of each piece of equipment. When I sell a vehicle, the buyer has the option to get the records, but in doing so, I relinquish any responsibility for future issues.
I mentioned I would walk you through the process, so here it goes. Bear in mind, I am dead in the water when I’m not available to work, so I am motivated to find a solution. The first step is to verify the problem and then troubleshoot possible issues. As a driver, you can do some of the leg work, or in this case, the shift work. I noticed the grinding between range shifts, however it only ground between low to high range, not high to low range, and not between gear selection when air shifts were used (1st to 2nd or 6th to 7th), and not between the main gear box in either range. This is important information that the service manager will need prior to test driving your truck. It’s also going to be needed to open a case file for warranty.
Not all repairs are warranted, and you will be held responsible for payment should they not be covered. I’m aware of this, so I had a verbal commitment from the dealer to bring it in for diagnosis. It’s 180 miles round trip, so I’m not wanting to waste my time or theirs with a frivolous request. Even though I had already performed all the diagnosis tests in my shop, they still needed to confirm their tests to open a case. After a road test and pressure reading on the slave cylinder/range selector, it was confirmed the synchronizer could be our issue.
This is the point where most of us disconnect and walk away, leaving all responsibilities to the service provider. There is a charge for any shop service performed, but in this case the manager suspended payment until the case or repair was completed. The dealership is at the mercy of factory or representative agents for the warranty, most of which don’t care if you get serviced or not. These agents are salespeople who aren’t interested in you, the customer, but rather in the chance to make another sale.
The original response from them (sales rep for Eaton) was for me to buy a second transmission first, then send my original one in for testing to see if it was a “warrantable” fix. Then what? They send it back to me and I have two of them, or they say it was not their fault and return a box of loose parts? Ah, no! You don’t replace your car when the radio quits, and I’m not buying an extra transmission. They get a paycheck at the end of the week, and it doesn’t affect them at all, but it does affect me.
The dealership on the other hand put their reputation on the line. They are now acting on my behalf as my agent. If they fail, I will be looking to buy my parts and service somewhere else the next time. Since my truck was still mobile, I chose not to leave it there. Why? Simple, if it’s left sitting in their parking lot, they know they have work when and if they have time. By driving it away, they now have to work harder to get my business. It also keeps me in the driver’s seat, so to speak, should I choose to use some other shop for the repair.
So, now I’m four days into this, and there is still no confirmation or response from the warranty provider. My point of service (dealership) has conveyed multiple times the case file is “PENDING” with no action warranted. This is where I recommend every owner of equipment get and stay involved. Remember when I said I had a complete set of maintenance records? Well, that included the original warranty form and application I sent to Eaton Corporation, which included a contact person, should I have an issue in the future. There is also troubleshooting references and tech support for licensed providers. I was not a licensed provider, but I had one at the dealership. I mentioned before, time is money, and I don’t know about most operations, but I’m operating on a very thin line for profit these days, so don’t waste my time!
My last contact with the manager from Kenworth had updated me on the progress (or lack of it) and gave me the case number. This process had started on a Thursday and now it’s Tuesday of the following week. I had made my mind up that we were going to be fixed soon or I was going to do the repair myself. The reason I hadn’t already ripped it apart was because I did not want to void my warranty completely. But I have never been accused of sitting quietly when the world needs action, so I let my fingers do some walking, on the keypad of my phone, and began making calls.
The first couple times I didn’t get anyone to answer their Warranty Hotline. Not one to be detoured easily, I called the number to purchase a new warranty or to update an existing one. Well, what do you know, someone picked up right away. I got a knowledgeable associate who explained the options for using the warranty and the procedures to make it happen (and he didn’t mention having to purchase a second transmission in order to get the first one fixed). Next, I asked him to reference an open case for me. Again, he walked me through the process. Turns out the case number had been misfiled by the factory rep. There is a whole line of folks who get involved in a warranty claim. Why he did this is hard to say – it could have been an honest mistake, but it never got fully input in the system. With the push of a button and an apology from the agent, we were in!
Next, I was transferred to the truck division for additional help. They also picked up the phone and answered in a reasonable amount of time. Since it was a transfer call from within their phone exchange, it got priority. Again, I got a cheerful and helpful associate who walked my now “new claim” through the review system. When I had these corporate reps on the phone, I was able to get answers to many of my questions the dealership couldn’t answer. First and foremost was who is going to pay for the labor to diagnosis and test for repair. Then, since I installed the transmission, would labor be included to remove and repair internal parts?
This was an important part of the conversation, so I had him review it multiple times, and asked him to email me a confirmation affirming the labor cost. Provided the work is done in an approved maintenance facility by a licensed associate (mechanic), all labor and parts will be covered. If no failure is detected after a complete inspection, then the cost of labor is on the customer. I agreed to the terms, and they sent a confirmation through to the dealership stating to proceed. He said it was in the hands of our dealership to proceed on their best available time for a shop appointment. Once again, with the push of a button, it was done.
But I didn’t stop there. I called back to the dealership to make certain the email was received and read by the service department. While I was on the phone, I scheduled an appointment for the next morning. True to their word, they had an open bay with a man standing there to direct me in. Most of our readers have never climbed under the truck to see where the back box is located on an 18/13-speed transmission. This poor man had his work cut out for him since my truck has all those dress up options like 8-inch Pickett elbows, low toolboxes, and full under body lighting. There is not much room to maneuver under there when taking things apart. It was even worse when the time came to reassemble. Corbin (the technician) worked his magic, and in no time the rear box was on the bench for inspection.
Again, I need to reinforce the need to stay involved. Don’t just drop your truck off and disappear into the vapors of home time. This is your livelihood and your means of financial gains. This can also be a major expense if you are found to be responsible. I was present when the team at Palmer Trucks made the decision on the bad synchronizer. I was also present when the service rep showed up. At that point, he spoke only briefly to the service manager and then left. Had I not been standing there to inspect the bad parts he may have tried to refuse the claim. I will again say thank you to Palmer Trucks – they had my back on this and stood behind the claim. Sure, it was more work on my part, but I’m the one who had the most to lose and gain by using my warranty.
By spending 30 minutes on the phone and thinking outside the box, I was able to assist the service provider in pushing my claim through. Then, I spent time in the customer waiting room, while the mechanic did his thing. I peeked in on him from time to time to watch the process. Not that he needed any help, but sometimes three hands speed up the process when timing the counter shafts. After the repair was completed and the transmission was reassembled, it was time for the test drive. Before they replaced the fluids, I inquired as to their policy on new fluids. The terms of the warranty call for reusing the original fluid. Doh! Seriously? What part of “it’s contaminated” don’t you get?
Hopefully someone in the warranty claims department reads this and changes that requirement, because I want new fluids in the gear box, even if I have to pay for it. Matthew the parts manager and Dustin the service manager called Corbin the mechanic and when they strained the fluids, they all agreed there was contaminated material in the oil. The lining from the synchronizer had separated and been ground up in the gears. If for no other reason than my peace of mind, my transmission got new synthetic 40 weight oil per the original warranty request, at their expense. Once again, had I not been standing there asking questions, no one would have noticed that (not so) small detail.
I’m back on the road again, trying to make a living, and the old workhorse “Just Steppin” is knocking down the miles in perfect form. I keep saying, as owner operators, it’s your responsibility to be informed on every aspect of the business – not just on the freight rates or its availability. Each load any of us take on is the signature we guarantee to the customer, it’s our warranty, and if you are in this business for the long haul, then stand behind your product. Thank you to the entire team at Palmer Truck Sales for getting me back on the road and eating concrete, 10-4!
