How to Meet Fleet Maintenance Milestones and Keep Warranties Intact
Every minute that your fleet spends on the road is necessary to meet your customer’s deadlines and service their needs. You simply can’t afford downtime headaches and costly repairs. The key to keeping your trucks moving is following a regular schedule of fleet maintenance to retain your warranties. Here at Advanced Emission Control Solutions, we provide the complete maintenance formula that keeps you rolling without interruption.
Did you know that some manufacturers established mileage thresholds on scheduled maintenance? Technicians must carefully perform the following services according to OEM guidelines to prevent invalidating warranties:
• Valve Adjustments—Standard recommendation by manufacturers is every 40,000 miles. Exhaust valves need to have the proper clearance to allow the engine to “breathe” normally and operate efficiently. Mysterious clattering noises, loss of engine power, and rough idling can be prevented with a valve clearance adjustment.
• EGR Cooler Cleaning—Standard recommendation by manufacturers is every 80,000 miles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve and cooler keep cylinder head temps in check and reduce NOx emissions by regulating the amount of gas entering the intake manifold. Symptoms of a failing EGR system include engine knocks and pings, overheating, cracks in valve seats, exhaust leak hissing, and check engine light warnings of insufficient flow. Such issues can cause a domino effect of catastrophes: head gasket failure, valve seat cracks, bent rods, and broken pistons.
• DPF Cleaning—Standard recommendation by manufacturers is every 150,000 miles. The diesel particulate filter (DPF) is the emission control device that efficiently burns soot to reduce particulate matter (PM) in the air we breathe. The federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and CARB (California Air Resources Board) require regularly scheduled DPF cleaning and maintenance, in addition to OEM warranty requirements. Telltale signs of a gunked-up DPF include frequent regeneration cycles, loss of horsepower, runaway fuel costs, failed smog inspections, and the constant glow of that DPF warning light on your dashboard.
Hauling off to the dealer for maintenance is a costly venture. Taking each unit to a different specialist to perform each of these three services is a waste of your valuable time. Make one stop at AECS to get it all done.
Or even better, rely on our popular mobile services! We meet you wherever you are parked, remove and inspect your DPF, perform minor repairs that are needed, clean your DPF, and then reinstall it. Need parts? We have a complete catalog of retrofit and replacement parts, including premium Dinex emission products, to save you from spending thousands on a new DPF at the dealer.
Contact our in-house emission consultants, Bob Gaffney and Stephen Davis, to map out a schedule of maintenance for your entire fleet. With over 12 years of CARB compliancy experience, rely on our experts to ensure you avoid emission fines and retain warranty coverage: 559-240-6076.
