Diesel Mechanic Near Dallas

[tdelorme]

I knew for awhile that I had a small leak at my drivers side exhaust manifold. Talked to Stewart & Stevenson back in March and was told to expect the job to run around twelve hundred if no problems came up while doing the work. But, the guy told me to expect at least one stud to break during removal and that would push the price up even more.
I knew the mechanic that did the code read and ran the valves on my engine last year was somewhere around Dallas, so I called Paul Davis and got his phone number. This guy worked for Stewart & Stevenson for several years and knows his stuff around Detroit Diesel engines. Took the coach to him a week ago today. I also bought and delivered to him new manifold gaskets for both sides, new studs, nuts & washers, 8 gallons of Power Cool antifreeze ($20 a gallon) and told him to call me if he found anything else that needed replacing. We talked several times during the week. He wanted to replace both pyro probes and we found them at Buddy Gregg in Dallas, and new turbo tube clamps.
Now I will say that my engine has never leaked oil, and before I took the coach to him I cleaned the engine and engine compartment real good. Every time we talked he said something about how nice and clean everything was and it sure made the job go faster.
OK, all of that to say the mechanic called around noon today to say the coach was ready to pick up. Great, how much cash should I bring with me??
Well, he says, how about $450 bucks.
Dang, this guy does BOTH sides and a few other things for one third of what S&S wanted for one side. Yea, I can live with that.
So, if anyone around Dallas needs a good DD mechanic and is willing to pay below what you might expect, send me a PM and I will get you this guys info.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

This is harsh and is meant to be.

S and S seems to be going to the same school Prevost has gone lately. The stories I have heard lately about the Prevost pricing policy is almost identical to what Ted related about S and S and their quote.

The manifold gasket replacement on an 8V92 almost always involves an unintended stud removal and sometimes a broken stud. But since the process actually only involves the removal of the manifolds I would guess that 4 hours per job would involve the glitches that occur, including coolant removal and replacement. The excessive pricing is exactly what Prevost is now doing in Mira Loma and possibly other locations and as a result they are likely going to lose customer loyalty which in the case of both companies has been high.

[Coloradobus]

Our S and S is what I call fair. Last month after traversing a slock slide taking out our oil pan, I took the coach to Commerce City , Co. Harvey, in the bus shop found an oil pan at a sister facility in Dallas for $1219.00. I thought maybe I could do better not satisfied and called DD. They gave me the number of the other DD shop here in Denver, TransWest Trucks who we had used with when we had plastic coaches. They could get me an oil pan out of Freightliner/DD Reno for $924.
I went back to our S and S, Harvey said they would install anything I bring. so R/R oil pan change out filters since it was time, and I had 10 gallons of Mobil Delvac, likewise coolant filter for $367.00. TransWest gave me a quote using my pan they ordered, do the same servicing, cost almost $600.00 (5 hours labor+ parts and shop supplies. I guess it all depends on where you go and who you know.
Oh ya, I would like to know the name of that DD mechanic in Dallas.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Jim As soon as I read what you paid for that oil pan the red flag went up. I can get a whole used engine for 2500 to 3500 bucks.

So I did some looking around.

The first place I called www.rivercitytruckparts.com 502 957 6829 said they needed to know if it was a front or rear sump the number off of it and 175 bucks. They are in Louisville.

The next call I made was to my local guys who will be calling me back, and will probably be less

Didn't a thousand dollars for a used oil pan seem a little extreme to anyone else???????????????????

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I suspect that the companies that repair our coaches are establishing niches for themselves.

We have historically used Prevost and Detroit Diesel / Allison dealers and as a group have avoided the local truck repair shops. I think in the past we were assured by using those shops such as Prevost and DD that the job would get done right and we would only spend a few more dollars.

This group however has had bad experiences lately with the quality of repairs at the very shops that have used to serve us properly. We have heard lately of ridiculous pricing for certain jobs. We have heard of POG members that have had poor quality repairs and multiple returns until the repairs were finally correct. We have heard of "repairs" actually causing further damage. The problems have not been limited to any specific problem but have ranged from curing the leans, replacing hub seals, air bags, and reskinning the coaches.

The work has either been too expensive, or unnecessary work has been performed, or the repair stretched beyond what was a reasonable time. Some POG members are now specifying a particular mechanic because of bad luck with others. Some POG members are "greasing palms" to get better treatment. Some POG members no longer know what to do because their list of needed repairs never gets finished.

I really think the members of this group need to arm themselves with knowledge about what parts should cost and how much time specific repairs should take. Between us we have either done the work or paid to have the work done, and from our collective knowledge we should be able to create a comprehensive listing of these repair or maintenance items so we can get a clear picture of what a reasonable cost will be for any given task.

Those of us who do our own work are relatively unaffected by the raping that is taking place at repair facilities, but that does not mean we cannot help those who choose to have others do their repairs. It seems that repair shops today are using fixed prices to do repairs with little regard to what is actually involved. These fixed prices seem to be too high, but worse, it was discussed in Pahrump that work that is supposed to be included is often not done. Is there any interest in a work session at an upcoming rally to gather data to include in a document listing material costs and times for common service taskes?

The upper tier repair shops we have traditionally used may be pricing themselves out of the market and perhaps as Ted did we need to find alternative sources for service that will be priced fairly and who will do quality work such as independent shops or charter bus companies.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Anyone care to finance opening a service facility?

I got the time, knowledge and ambition.

[Seabyrd]

Thanks for the info and thread please send me the name and contract info for the mechanic and address Larry and Diane Byrd

[Timia]

I saw this thread today and just finished having my bus serviced for an upcoming extended trip to Alaska. I called a service in Buellton, Ca named "R & M" Enterprises, which is a diesel service and general repair, at (805) 688-6969 or 688-2246. He came to my campsite, drained 10 gal of oil, changed all my filters (fuel, oil, coolant), lubed underneath and checked and filled my tires and inspected brakes, hoses, belts, etc, etc,... I was very impressed with the thoroughness and his knowledge of the Detroit Diesel. (One of his favorite engines). His name is Matt Satterthwaite. His mobile rig is impressive and he takes all containers and oil and left over parts. He works on all engine repairs and knows his business. The best part is he is honest and charges a flat $97.00/hour. He charged me for an hour and a half and my total bill came to $156.04 which included Santa Barbara County environmental fees etc. I supplied my own oil and filters. I can't get work on my car done so reasonably. Some of the best money I have ever spent on our bus, except, of course for our POG yearly fee, which is worth every penny! He does work for the Air Force at Vandenberg AFB and has his own business.
Anyway, if you are ever in the Santa Ynez area you can stay at Flying Flags RV park, or somewhere nearby, or stop by his shop, and get a fair deal with a knowledgeable mechanic.
By the way, I am not related to him.
Thanks,
Tim Sparks

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Tim,

You say he charged for an hour and a half. How long did he work?

I have a pit, a commercial lube pump, all the tools, stands (for safety, even with the pit) and while I can do a decent job of changing oil, filters, and lubing the bus there is no way I can do the job in less than 3 hours, and usually 5 hours if I am to inspect everything with the attention to detail that is required.

When I was working on my back before I had a pit, the same work took 5 hours instead of three.

[Timia]

Well... it was longer than an hour and a half. I don't know exactly how long it was, however. I was busy eating and passing out a bunch of the largest strawberries I had ever seen to everyone. My wife brought back a couple of flats of these whoppers. I would guess that it was over 3 hours. He was more interested in being thorough than he was in watching his watch. I would have to believe that he is a better mechanic than a business man. I asked him if he shouldn't have charged more and he said no. I gave him more anyway.
He probably didn't do as good of a job as you could have though.