10-4 Magazine August 2024

10-4 Magazine / August 2024 51 but I hit a few road blocks 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