Regeneration problems

[Rawze]

Just about everyone on this forum has been where you are at. The sad part is that everyone seems to blame the equipment, but the reality is that it is mostly neglect/lack of proper education towards keeping the truck and engine healthy long term that makes for all the problems you have now.

If someone had put a bypass-oil filter on it when the truck was new, and kept the soot out of the oil, then the cam would not be an issue along with about 40% LESS WEAR IN THE ENGINE OVERALL.

If someone would have done regular EGR Tune-ups on at regular intervals and kept after everything BEFORE it was in dire need and failing, the engine and emissions systems would not be in the shape they are in now.

The real problem lies in the fact that people buy used trucks with the hopes of thinking that at least some of those things took place, but the reality is that 90% of all trucks that get sold used, NONE OF IT HAS HAPPENED and the first owners(s) have seriously neglected it, knowing that it will not be their headache as it ages. Here is the life-cycle I see over and over...

*** Truck gets purchased from the dealer(OEM) usually by a fleet or mega-fleet for pennies on the dollar ($80,000 - $90,000).

*** It then gets shoved onto a company driver who could give a S$#$T about the truck, holding the fuel pedal to the floor for the first 500,000 miles of its life, beating the crap out of it and driving it as hard as it will go!.

---- OR ----

*** It gets leased onto someone in a terrible, un-achieavable "lease-Purchase" deal, where they mark its price back up to $130,000 - $140,000 dollars, making a $30,000 - $40,000 dollar PROFIT off it EVEN BEFORE IT HAULS ANY FREIGHT (Think companies that have lots of owner-ops similar to Prime, CR-England, Schnider, Swift, etc.etc.etc.). YES, They buy them that cheap, and gouge the holy hell out of their own owner-ops when they lease them out. They do this so that they can use that extra $30-40k profit up front to make up for the fact that it will be sold at a lower price later on when the warranty is used up!!!. --- YES, that is how it works,.. and I think it should be illegal, but it is all in the name of big corporate profit! Those big companies HAVE ZERO DOLLARS WHATSOEVER invested in the equipment in the end by the time the warranty is up and it gets sold at a "supposedly" much lower price (yeah right). It is their own Owner-ops that they milk dry to make up these differences, claiming those trucks are worth the $140K price-tag PLUS FREGGIN' INTEREST!!! they lease them out at (when they bought them at only roughly $85k). What a feregin;' jokE!


*** Either case,.. the driver of the truck could give a S$$T! less about all that soot eating away the insides of the engine like an acid. They could also give a care less about all the sensors and EGR components being rapidly packed up with nasty soot and carbon with it re-breathing its own dirty exhaust farts. The truck seems to run fine to them, so why should they care!. Because it is unseen, they take the attitude quickly that it is "not their problem". -- Why should they care,.. That's what the warranty is for!. All they want to do is drive it as hard and fast as the governor will let it go, and could care less about its long term lifespan. These newer trucks START THEIR LIFE OUT being severely neglected, and that piece of paper that says "WARRANTY" is NOT going to keep after this. It is actual regular preventative Maintenance that is required, not a piece of paper. The so-called "Warranty" up front brainwashes everyone into a new sense of thinking. One where no one cares what is happening until real damage had already been done. Because it has a so-called "Warranty" everyone takes the attitude to the tune of -- "But it will pay for the fire to be put out, after the forest has burned away all the trees!", then arguing about it like it is something good. -- I say,... WHAT ABOUT THE TREES?!?!

*** The oil changes get neglected, emissions systems get neglected, hell, even the axles and the rest of the truck gets neglected all in the name of more profit! -- Who cares,.. When that warranty is out,,.. It will be traded in and be someone else's problem!. Who cares if it is ready for an inframe from all the neglect, and has been beaten to death! -- Not my Problem!. All the while, you got some Mega-Fleet Supervisor telling the fleet owner that he can save 2.5 million dollars a year JUST BY NOT CHANGING THE OIL, AND BY USING CHEAP STINKO-BRAND OF OIL! in all the thousands of trucks they own trucks only half as often!. The supervisor gets a raise, and no one cares because they know damn well it will not be their problem as long as they can get it to last just long enough for the warranty to run out and sell it to someone else FOR ABOUT $20,000 DOLLARS LESS THAN THEY BOUGHT IT FOR BRAND stinking NEW!!! --- AND HAVE already made that $20,000 dollars BACK from the poor bastard they duped into "leasing it to" at full retail price plus interest! (that should be against the law in my book). -- Like I say,.. HUGE PROFITS WITHOUT ANY FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS OR LOSS OF ANY KIND!.


**** The truck, now abused, beaten up, neglected, soot-packed engine, failing DPF system, Driven like crap, etc.etc.et. once the warranty is up, and all the neglect starts catching up to it,.. gets pawned off onto the used truck dealer network, not a single penny spent on it to fix it back up. The used truck companies buy them up like candy, paint them a bit, polish and clean them up nice so that they "look" newer than they are,.. change the oil, pull off the DPF can and have it cleaned, so that it will at least go a couple weeks without the check engine lights coming back on. God forbid it does that during the test drive!. That way they can dupe their customers into thinking that they are buying something of quality. WHAT A JOKE!.

*** Some other unlucky bastard who is sick of driving for pennies and wants to own their own truck now, buys it and has nothing but problems out of it. They have NO CLUE WHATSOEVER HOW TO MAINTAIN OR TAKE CARE OF ONE OF THESE NEWER TRUCKS AT ALL! -- nonetheless inspect it well enough to see how neglected it is,... BUT INSTEAD, buy it and drive it like a blind fool, taking it to the nearest stealership every other week,.. and blaming all their problems on everything but the fact that they HAVE NO IDEA how to actually own a used truck!.

*** they go through this for a year or two,.. making little to no profit, engine only being run into the ground now from all the excess soot, failing emissions system, etc,. etc. etc. -- until one day they become so desperate,... that they have had enough!@ --- But only NOW- IT IS TOO LATE!!! AND EVERYTHING ON THE DAMN TRUCK IS FAILING AND FALLING APART INCLUDING THE ENGINE ITSELF!.

*** One of two things happen at this point,...

*** A) it gets re-sold and the truck owner buys something much newer in the hopes that they have less problems, only to repeat the cycle of neglect and abuse because they have learned NOTHING WHATSOEVER and have NO IDEA towards actually owning something long term.

--- OR ---

*** B) They get desperate because they are failing and cannot make any money(or very little) at trucking,.. and ONLY AT THAT POINT --- Do they start to realize that what they are doing is not working. They then either go back to becoming a company driver and telling everyone that it is impossible to own a truck these days,,.. OR--- They start looking on-line and asking around about what they should do to get out of the pit they have dug themselves, blaming their entire situation on THEIR EQUIPMENT instead of looking in the mirror.

*** The lucky ones make it over to Youtube and find my Tune-Up videos. They make a lot of sense, and they start getting brave, and doing some of that stuff that is mentioned,... only for them --- IT IS TOO LATE!!!--- THE LONG TERM DAMAGE IS ALREADY DONE TO THE ENGINE AND TRUCK!--- Chewed up cams, worn out rings, Soot packing, 600k+ miles or more of neglect, driving to fast beating everything in the truck to death, soot packing, carbon buildup, etc. etc. etc.

*** They then go through the all too familiar cycle of trying to "get on top" of all these problems, now in sheer desperation, they replace sensors, and do what is recommended, but those things should have been done a very long time ago, before all the abuse, when the TRUCK WAS STILL IN GOOD SHAPE! -- Does it help? -- Well, yes, it does,... but now it is like using a water hose on a forest fire! You are loosing the game at this point, and the road to recovery becomes very expensive.

*** Some start pouring out money towards it and also buy the software for the engine. They learn to keep after the emissions systems the hard way, and do get somewhat on top of it,.. but in 40% of cases.... they end up "removing the Mandate" (doing a delete).

*** 95% of those who get a delete,.. end up with BIGGER PROBLEMS because there are just so many bad deletes out there and bad delete companies who rip truck owners off for way-overpriced garbage,.. then still end up no further ahead,.. and then...

*** This is sadly the point where MOST people find my forum and start to realize that what they have been doing is very wrong, and that it is actually difficult to own a truck these days,... they start researching and reading, and learning what it actually takes. --- THE WHEEL OF SUCCESS IN TRUCKING HAS ALREADY BEEN INVENTED!!!--- ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FOLLOW IT,.. AND STOP BEING SO GODDAMN STUBBORN IN YOUR OWN WAYS!!!. It only costs you money to be that way!. throw that ego in the trash can, drive slower and for profit, grab a wrench when necessary, get brave, and see the light!.

*** For those who work through these problems (mandate removal or not) and learn to stop taking their truck to the stealerships every time they get a check engine light,.. They struggle and pour thousands upon thousands into their equipment to try to get on top of it,.. only to realize that it will now need an in-frame too because of all the previous soot packing and neglect!. They blame the engine, they blame the poor design of the emissions system, they blame everything but the fact that it could have all been prevented if someone would have just taken care of the truck from the beginning and had driven it in a way that would have made it last and be reliable instead. In the same breath of despair, they sit on this forum and bragg about how fast they go, how much power they want to get out of their truck, how they saved 10 bucks on cheaper oil and after-market parts --- And on and on being completely blinded by their own terrible ways of how they intend to somehow squeeze more from own their trucking business by "saving money" or "cheating" somehow, bad practice and bad decision, one after another... Arguing against those who would have them change what they do to actually make a decent dollar instead. I GUARANTEE THAT EVERY THING YOU ARE DOING ... HAS BEEN TRIED BEFORE, AND THE SAD PART IS THAT MOST WILL NOT STOP AND LISTEN but instead, Argue against those who have come before them and have already been down the road they are on. -- I have no sympathy or remorse for them and therefore have NO QUAM WHATSOEVER in telling them to WAKE THE F$$K UP and get with the program or get the hell off my forum!. I purposefully try to piss people off like that just enough so that they will actually get off their arse and get their head straight towards learning proper truck ownership methods on these newer trucks!.

*** They always end up at the end of a tow-hook and end up with a busted engine at some point VERY EARLY ON with no warning wehatsoever!. That inframe comes with no warning at only 600k - 800k miles on the engine (usually). -- Then after getting over that sinking feeling of complete failure and desperation and lost hope, ---broke now--- They seem to always somehow borrow, steal, beg, etc. and scrape just enough out of the bank and the finance company,.. now deeper in debt and backwards on payments,.. They get that inframe, and are right back where they started from. Penny-less, higher interest, and 2 more years of truck/repair payments in front of them again. -- At this point, their old-lady is bitching they got no money, etc. and everyone is miserable around them too, struggling just to pay bills at home at this point.

*** With the illusion of new hope that everything is now somehow "restored" and after all that money poured into their engine now,.. Mandate finally removed, custom tunes so that the oil stays clean and reduces wear, Engine running rock solid after that inframe, them now desperate to get some freight moved to "pay for all of this" ... Now the rest of the truck starts to show how badly it has been abused its whole life!.

*** Next comes the suspension, king pins, Air compressors, Alignment problems, Hoses, Radiators, CAC units, Air Conditioners, APU Failing, Air bag problems, Funny tire wear, Rear end, drive shaft, bearings, Transmission, Clutch, Wiring problems, and the list gets big fast!. --- It now eats them alive and takes EVERY RED CENT they are making just to keep it ion the road,.. then one day --- BAM!-- There goes a brake chamber, on the side of the road with another $700 service call,.. and towed somewhere else,.. the turbo just popped,... it just seems like BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Something broken again,.. Down again,... --- no end in sight!.

*** (A little exaggeration and humor injected here lol) You are married to your truck now, living in it half the time -- The IRS is now looking for you because you can't afford you own taxes, -- and your wife and kids has left you for someone else who actually earns a paycheck, i hate to break it to you, but a woman who does this never loved you anyways,, -- she was married to your paycheck,.. not YOU!.

*** You push on, and manage to make some decent paychecks in between all the crap you are now replacing on your truck,... ALL THE MEAN WHILE!!! -- RAWZE IS STILL BITCHING AT YOU TO SLOW THE f#$K DOWN AND STOP BEATING THE HELL OUT OF YOUR TRUCK! -- Telling you that MOST of the problems you keep having is BECAUSE someone drove it too hard all its life!.


*** Slowly -- and I mean,.. SLOWLY,.. in a year or so,.. you FINALLY LEARN THE HARD WAY!-- That when you drive only 60-63 MPH or LESS! and you always keep your boost levels below 20 PSI or so,.. You start to realize that your troubles are less and less,.. and that things do not fail so often any more,.. and you start to get on top of all the problems,.. and your truck is finally being somewhat good to you again,... and your floating above the water financially again,... You look back --- You look back at it all and tell yourself,... WOW,... IF I KNEW THEN, WHAT I KNOW NOW,.... BOY WOULD I HAVE DONE THINGS DIFFERENTLY!

Rawze has been bitching at you this whole time to wake the he$ll upp,. and everyone else on the forum who has already gone thru this scenario, well thay are also screaming at you, saying ...
RAWZE IS THAT GUY TRYING LIKE HELL TO TELL YOU ALL THESE THINGS THAT YOU WISHED YOU KNEW ALL ALONG!!! --- STOP ARGUING WITH HIM!


and finally, after a lot of headaches, all the lost profits, the struggles, the brake-downs and then rebounds + all the rest,.. you become the next guy shaking your head at the new guys who just joined my website and are screaming at them too to wake the hell up.. -- New guy is just as thick-headed,... And the cycle repeats.

=========================


- I know I go off on a tangent sometimes and piss people off,.. I know I rant heavily against those who "want more power" and "cannot drive 60 mph because it is too boring or some other lame excuse" and all those things,.. but there is a damn good point to what I preach on here over and over,... It is because I ACTUALLY CARE! and I see every day all the things that could have prevented all those things that truck owners get caught up in. Some of the people who come to this site see this light early on the right away,.. and become successful LONG BEFORE EVER REACHING THE POINT OF DESPERATION,.. and save their money, invest properly up front in their equipment with long term goals in mind. For those,.. they become happier truck owners and take pride in their equipment, wanting to make it better. For those who learn these things early on,.. they don't have nearly the problems that others do,.. and are ALWAYS AND CONSISTENTLY SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR TRUCK OWNERSHIP LONG TERM!.

But for those who struggle, and want to "save a few bucks" by buying crap off e-bay for their engine, and are constantly taking shortcuts, looking for saving a couple hundred bucks for an overhaul kit they can buy off e-bay, and driving above 63+mph everywhere, and have to pass people, and drive their equipment hard, and fool themselves into thinking that oil change can wait another few thousand miles,... etc.etc.etc. and all the bad habits that surround those people who look at things that way,... for them--- THEY ALWAYS HAVE BIG PROBLEMS AND ALWAYS STRUGGLE AND ALWAYS EVENTUALLY BECOME MISERABLE IN THEIR OWN CAREER IN THE END! --- Arguing away what I have just said to themselves because for them,.. That is much easier than actually doing the things that can make them more successful. For them,,.. their EGO and short-sightedness IS MORE IMPORTANT than making a long term profit. Capitol ism brainwashing at tis best,.. but that does not mean I will give up trying to point them into the right direction.


That is my personal protest to the world,... Get drivers to slow the hell down, drive safer and actually KEEP the money that they earn instead of repeatedly giving it away to the already rich oil companies, and already rich stealerships, and already rich bastards with their hand out just because you own a truck!. The less people that they can steal from and take advantage of the better off we all are. Educate yourself in the ways that make you the most money, and when you do spend some of it to get you going again,.. make wise decisions,.. not desperate ones. Read my book on driving for profit instead of glory,... practice it,.. and stay on top of things long before they bite you in the arse!. I ask for nothing in return,,. and I even made the book and this site FREE for anyone to learn from!. --- The more you can stuff into your head, the smarter you become, and the fatter your wallet gets as a result. No one can take away from you the things you learn,.. no one. Those are tools that you can keep forever, benefiting you --- You will always prevail in the end.

Tags:

regen, regen issues, regen problems, aftertreatment problems, truck life cycle, truck abuse, mega-fleet abuse