Got ripped off twice, for along time!

[Romen2]

When we started traveling almost 4 years ago we had a major breakdown after climbing a range. The next day we started out and the bus just started to loose power and stopped on the highway. After getting help from mobile mechanic got into town then they found algea in the fuel and bypassed all filters to get us running, when I questioned this action they replaced and re-plumbed the filters. A month later injector pump and injectors had to be replaced, had another mobile diesel mechanic come to us and remove these and send away to have replaced, when he returned a month later to fit new ones he did not time the pump. After he followed me into town so I could pay him cash I expressed my concern that it felt sluggish and under powered, his exact words were " get the auto checked, it could be slipping" For the next three years we drove the bus clocking up 20,000 ks with the pump timing out by ten degrees. I have had the timing set by a heavy diesel mechanic with thirty years in the industry and we have truly have a new bus, fuel economy has improved heaps and so much more power and no accelerator needed to start cold.
It has cost us over $8000 and has been one huge learning curve.
Travellers seem to get taken for a ride.

[rustbucket]

It al depends on who you get to help, and that is a huge lucky dip.
On a recent trip south from Brisbane we hit the flats at the bottom of Cunninghams Gap in 1st as 95% of power disappeared, got it in to second and managed to get to the top of the range. Thought it was a brake dragging, pulled over, all wheels just warm.

Started back up, perfect !!! WTF

Got nearly into Warwick and did it again so rang a mobile heavy diesel guy and met him at a truck stop in Warwick. He had worked for a bus company (McCaffertys) so knew the detroit 2 strokes well.Spent hours and hours trying to find the problem without success, testing fuel pressure etc. only thing that seemed wrong was that the jakes released a bit later than they should have when he revved it. We decide to continue on with the jakes switched off and had no further problem that trip. .

Point of the story, when it came time to pay he charged us $100 as he felt that he had not done anything that nailed it, although he had without realising it. I told him it was too cheap but no, he was adamant, Turned out to be a dud micro switch on the jakes.

So, yeah, it really depends on who you get, I can feel for you, but glad you have your power back.

[kelvin12]

Isn't this a common story these days. Unless you know something about your bus then you really are at the mercy of crooks and there are plenty of the bastards out there that's for sure. Shame there isn't an area or section in some of these forums that repairers, good and bad could be listed. Guess its mainly the good ones we need listed otherwise the crooked ones might decide you have slandered them but of course you haven't been ripped off of course.

Dirk