Started yesterday Juneteenth Holiday he was at work and NO PARTS to fix any of the machines down so rode the day at double time. Today sent home about two hours early, gets full day pay after four hours as again NO Parts. Seems is at all components levels electrical AC, Engine drive train even brakes. Works Metro Bus Line STL. Said is deepening not getting better and with that their electric units are crumbling as they watch, Supplier has staff at the sites working them but they also have hit similar snag.
The supply chain shortages are all over the place. It's so bad that I will not tear anything down until all parts are in hand. I can't have a machine blocking my bay waiting for the parts to come in several weeks later.
Needed a right steer brake caliper {Only one in Idaho Falls in existence} No DC's no other dealers had it on nation wide search. We have a account there also had a truck passing through in a half hour. Now there are none.
Sucks to be in trucking at the moment
How does that work? I'm guessing this is for a fairly late model truck, and you're saying there isn't another one in the whole of the USA? It's not like it's a real obscure part either. It's not good with a company like yours but at least there are many other trucks in your fleet if one goes down. How does the poor old owner/driver survive if he can't get a brake caliper for a relatively new truck? Madness.
If this is a relatively New Truck and is under warranty the rest of the units out there with this brake system could be experiencing EXCESSIVE Faults, leads to supply shortage. At the yard I had been working out of had a twin to the unit I Drove, PCM Failure long out of warranty, been sitting now over 150 DAYS no repair parts.
Late 2019 Freightliner. And there are none to be had, one showed up on search at a dealer in Pacific, Wa. I called-told them to go lay their hands on it. Nothing on the shelf, so called Idaho next. This one uses a Wabco air disc brake system as most of ours. Haven't had too many caliper problems with Wabco. But the Bendix calipers are chain driven on adjustment, if the cover cracks or moisture gets in where the outside manual adjuster is it's {Goodnight, all over with} chain will rust up and the adjuster star will snap off when you try to back it off. Wabco caliper {550.00} Bendix caliper {1,300.00}.
Yeah been there done that with the Bendix caliper. It was only about 12 months ago and I had no dramas getting one over here, also took out the rotor as well, price wasn't much fun but availability wasn't an issue. Don't know if I was just lucky or if things have changed over here in the last year.
Doesn't matter what business or industry, if you need it, its not available. Ed
I go by that theory also, and also to keep them in service if possible, but half the time I end up regretting it because on teardown you find some other thing that ought to be fixed, and back to waiting on more parts.
Or they send you the wrong parts and you end up waiting twice as long
The best approach-if it's something you could use {buy it} especially if it's hard to get, that way you have it and they don't. {What the hell, it's the american way}.
I stopped working on trucks before the covid and i know its worse but not a new thing to not be able to get a part for a newer truck . I need a power steering reservoir tank for a KW. None of the KW places any were had one they did a world wide search for one i was told i could be put on a list of close to 50 guys needing one and when they had over 50 built i would get one. I JB welded the old one and finly found one after 30 days of looking. I cant remember now what it was but i had to get on the factory list and weight i would call and they would tell me if the had started building any yet it was over a year before i got it but what ever it was the truck was getting by i think it was a coolant part and we filled it up every night. What about the guy that buys a new truck and has problems spending time at the dealers shop? The only new semi they had ever bought were i worked was a lemon. Luckily they had a spare truck.
eBay and salvage yards
I have access to one if the largest salvage yards in the nation. {Hagerman in Umatilla, Ore}. Hagerman has the first access to Freightliner Surplus. The amount of new surplus Freightliner parts is staggering. I have bought some rotors and calipers from them. But these calipers {no can do}. Hagerman sells to Vander Haags. Ebay--I won't bother.
Your missing out with eBay, about the only place parts can be found
No I know all about Ebay. I still find what is needed for a lot less money. and no shipping.
If it wasn't for ebay. 1 I'd have less snapon tools and more money 2 my die-cast collection would be tiny 3 the fleet would cost alot more to maintain lots of good deals on cat parts to be had.
We don't have time to waste on ebay. We don't have any cats.
Truck Shop it sound like your picking up what I use my share time for.
BIL actually TEXTED me this morning, got a NEW Cell Phone(He has not ever had one), got to work had parts boxes all around a current brake job he started, opened boxes to find INCORRECT parts, Bus has Air Disc WABCO, received Air Disc WABCO but NOT for Bus configuration, said are subtle variations that the kits would not interchange so moved to a AC job, similarly had it all torn down awaiting the Electric Drive and Compressor unit that failed, Is a Transicold system close relative to a Nose Mount which is what the supplier sent, will NOT work in the confines of the chassis so it is going back, so back to twiddling thumbs and wiping down tools all day.
There is a first and second generation when it comes to Wabco air disc. Most of it is the mounting to spider. Early design used four vertical Allen head bolts, later is six bolts horizontally. But uses same pads. The part numbers have been updated three times now and lefts or rights.
See post #11
Well text him back that I'm in STL for dance and will come with a hammer and fix it if he wishes
What's in post 11?
I had to count the posts to see, it's the one where he says the parts will be the wrong ones
America is now just like a third world country.
Pretty damn close.
Well that is a fairly pat bet.
Who uses a computer? Can't surf the web on a computer and drive 10 over very easy like that while eating.