Quality PMs Don't Cost, They Save
Cutting corners on PMs may bite you down the road.
Jim Winsor
Executive Editor
This month I'm passing along more sage maintenance advice from Darry Stuart of DWS Transportation and Fleet Management Resources. Stuart has more than 35 years in fleet maintenance and is one of the best in the business.
Take the time to do quality PMs, says Stuart. Good preventive maintenance service should be a lot more than a quickie oil/filter change and lube job. This may have a place as an "A" service, but for a real PM ("B" or "C" service), ample time and quality work practices pay off in the long run.
Mechanics need a work plan and sufficient time to methodically go over, under and around the vehicle and really inspect it following precise instructions. Stuart feels "B" and "C" PM services should be done by seasoned Class A mechanics working from detailed worksheets that clearly define what's to be done, not just "checked."
"The objective should be to inspect and/or correct deficiencies that, if overlooked, could be cause for that vehicle to be returned to the shop (or worse yet, a road call) before the next scheduled service," he says. "Ideally, a vehicle should make it from one PM service to the next without a road call or driver write-up that brings the unit back to the shop."
Here are several of Darry's favorite examples of PM service items many fleets pass over:
• Load-test batteries at each "B" service. "When I was in the leasing business, I dreaded cold Monday mornings because of all the no-start calls." That's when Darry started to add battery load-testing to his PM sheets. "If batteries are weak, a load test will show it up. It's a lot cheaper to replace a battery in the shop than on the road."
• Pressure test the cooling system. That's another Stuart "must." I've heard mechanics say if it's not leaking, why add pressure? That might make it leak. Darry shakes his head and explains that if a radiator, hose, clamp or water pump is going to let go, have it happen in the shop and not be the cause of an expensive road call. "Today's cooling systems operate under higher pressures than ever before. We can't afford to just walk around vehicles looking for coolant puddles on the pavement to alert us to problems," he says.
• Retorque spring U-bolts. These are, perhaps, Stuart's favorites. "Constant twisting, turning, bumping curbs and grinding through dirt or landfills loosens things up. Loose U-bolts lead to broken spring leaves. I guarantee it." Some mechanics fight it or fake it because retorquing U-bolts to the prescribed settings can be hard and dirty work. I've seen Darry crawl under a dump truck with a broken spring leaf and check bolt torque. Invariably they were loose, proving his point. Replacing a spring pack is really hard work and time-consuming. And it's costly.
• Retorque wheel lug nuts. Keeping wheel nuts tight is a critical safety matter. Any sign of rust is a giveaway that nuts are loose, he says. "Hammering" nuts on with an air wrench is NOT the way to do it, either. A scheduled retorquing of wheels with an accurate torque wrench insures a strong defense in liability situations, he says.
"A special word of advice: If you have tires changed by road service vendors, be sure to retorque wheels the next time you see that truck. It's the only way you'll know if the replaced tire/wheel nuts were correctly torqued. I have heard too many horror stories about losing wheels. It's a serious issue."
• Do PM audits. "The best way to find out if your PM program is really being followed is to bring in a vehicle which has just been PM'd and spot-check items on the work sheet. It's best to do this with the mechanic who did the PM and with the shop supervisor or foreman, for obvious reasons. It's also a great training technique.
"And if you contract out your maintenance work, still do the same thing. It's the surest way to find out really what's going on and if you're getting what you paid for. My people learned early on that I would not tolerate 'paper maintenance'" — check marks on the PM sheet without actually doing the work.
So much for Darry Stuart's maintenance philosophy and "rules." If you care to reach him, his email is: DarryWST@aol.com.
