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jakeyism
New Member

United States
5 Posts

Posted - 02/04/2015 :  12:07:08 PM  Show Profile  Visit jakeyism's Homepage  Reply with Quote
We are having trouble with our local dealer and their turn around times for warranty work. Does anyone have a phone number to anyone at IC Bus or Navstar we could talk to about this dealership / shop? We have already gone the route of service writer to the service manager to general manager to owner of the business.


If some of you guys have warranty work what is the turn around for your local dealers?

RonF
Top Member

867 Posts

Posted - 02/04/2015 :  12:31:28 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
We are in the same boat as you here in the Savannah Georgia area. It is taking 3 to 4 weeks to get anything back from our dealer warranty and other. The bus will sit for 10 days to 2 weeks before they even look at it. Total feed up. It's been going on for 10 years and is only getting worse. My former director has complained to corporate IC. No change.

US Army retired CMBT
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JRob
Advanced Member

207 Posts

Posted - 02/04/2015 :  1:58:58 PM  Show Profile  Visit JRob's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
It's been going on for 10 years and is only getting worse. My former director has complained to corporate IC. No change.


Have you continued buying from them over that amount of time and if "Yes" why?
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Trailboss
Senior Member

United States
196 Posts

Posted - 02/05/2015 :  04:24:54 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Put or bus in for warranty work over Christmas break. Just got it back yesterday Feb.4th. Ours are always in for at least a month. That has been a big complaint of mine. Their excuse is they have to wait for Iknow to tell them what to do and if that doesn't their back to waiting again for Iknow.
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slippert
Top Member

USA
630 Posts

Posted - 02/05/2015 :  05:02:45 AM  Show Profile  Click to see slippert's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
I think you will find its a nationwide epidemic with IH.... Same story at every dealer here, no less than 2 weeks down once it hits their lot.. just a couple of my opinions below..
1)Dealers hands are tied to follow corporate protocal file case and wait for instruction or not get paid warranty
2)Many engine warranty issues to deal with , so backlogs both ends of system..
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jakeyism
New Member

United States
5 Posts

Posted - 02/05/2015 :  05:38:15 AM  Show Profile  Visit jakeyism's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Thanks guys. At least we are not the only ones with dealer issues.

Edited by - jakeyism on 02/05/2015 05:38:37 AM
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sambrutay
Advanced Member

United States
271 Posts

Posted - 02/05/2015 :  08:20:41 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
same story here.

Bruce
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C2FAN
Senior Member

United States
114 Posts

Posted - 02/05/2015 :  1:47:43 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Its the same story here all the time.... What a pain IC is to deal with and how many problems their buses have. But yet they continue to sell the most school buses of any manufacturer in the US. Our obsession with "low bid" purchases is what allows them to continue doing business this way.
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RonF
Top Member

867 Posts

Posted - 02/06/2015 :  09:38:43 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
JRob, Just like C2FAN stated. Our Superintendents, Assistants and board members don't always listen to us at ground level and IC will almost always bid lower then anyone else. The low dollar amount at the time of purchase is all the care about, not what it will cost you later.

In June I left my last school system and started working for another county and so far I believe we have turned them away from IC and onto BlueBird. We just finished a bid to have 5 VT365's replace in 06 and 07 buses. $82,000.
I do fear that the purchase of BlueBird my be over ruled due to "connections" with the IC dealer in our county!!! If you know what I mean.
I have plenty of ammo as to why not to buy International and Thomas for us.

US Army retired CMBT
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Bassman
Top Member

USA
558 Posts

Posted - 02/09/2015 :  03:27:31 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Your dealer has someone he answers to. Here it is a CSE...a Customer Service Engineer. Some are useless. Some are ok. They usually call and check your complaint with the dealer. Sometimes it can help. Becoming really good friends with the service manager and helping back and forth on tough issues can get you moved up in the order some if they are reasonable and competent. Many just yell at the guy and it usually fixes nothing. We have a great working relationship with ours and it helps although wait times are still too long at times. Doing a lot of the test driving and diagnoses of tough intermittent problems yourself helps your case and trains you for the time they go off warranty (although you shouldn't really have to do it!) Sometimes the best thing to do is team up with the dealer AGAINST tech support. When tech support keeps running the technicians around in circles, YOU email the CSE and have him look at the ridiculous courses of action on the case file and he can then get action for the dealer which helps both of you. Just some suggestions for a tough situation.
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valleybusman
Top Member

USA
798 Posts

Posted - 02/09/2015 :  07:53:50 AM  Show Profile  Send valleybusman an AOL message  Reply with Quote
I think everyone here is voicing a complaint against dealers ?It's not the dealers I feel .It's IC and International .International doesn't want to pay for needed repairs under warranty . I had the rear end f a bus go out 3 months after I received the bus . Towed it to the dealer ship 90 miles from me . International said they wouldn't pay for it because they claimed we giving bus shock treatment causing the rear end to fall apart . The dealer did the repairs and wanted to charge 3000.00 and I said no way .Anyway the dealer got International to pay because they said there were to many shims in place . So this is why dealers aren't really anxious do warranty work.
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jakeyism
New Member

United States
5 Posts

Posted - 02/09/2015 :  10:33:13 AM  Show Profile  Visit jakeyism's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I think ours might be our dealer, Friday I called and they said that there were putting 6 injectors and pucks in and then I call this morning and they said they were still putting the injectors and pucks in. We had another bus to take over for another issue and the bus that was supposed to be getting injectors and pucks was sitting outside.
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Bassman
Top Member

USA
558 Posts

Posted - 02/10/2015 :  03:11:17 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Try to communicate with your dealer. The dealer creates a case file and then a tech sends them off in one direction. Then, they post a response and it goes to the next tech at tech central who may or may not send them in a different track. I have had vehicles at the dealership following ridiculous directions from tech central for weeks at a time. If you have ISIS and your dealer gives you the case number, you can follow the crap online. When it gets too bad, I email my CSE to get involved.
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Bassman
Top Member

USA
558 Posts

Posted - 02/10/2015 :  03:14:21 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Jakeyism, if you do get to talk to a corporate person, it will make you feel so much better when they tell you that "You're the only one having these problems!"
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jakeyism
New Member

United States
5 Posts

Posted - 02/11/2015 :  10:01:50 AM  Show Profile  Visit jakeyism's Homepage  Reply with Quote
We have talked to someone at corporate now and also have a case number now.
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krmvcs
Advanced Member

362 Posts

Posted - 02/11/2015 :  11:14:39 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
with all the engine problems being discussed on this forum, how is it that 90% (give or take) have to do with internationals? and combined with all these problems seems to be a complete lack of adequate customer service. im amazed IC is still in business.

-Ken-

Edited by - krmvcs on 02/11/2015 11:15:41 AM
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jakeyism
New Member

United States
5 Posts

Posted - 02/13/2015 :  04:52:28 AM  Show Profile  Visit jakeyism's Homepage  Reply with Quote
The bus finally came back on 2/12 after 23 days. They could have at least cleaned up the oil mess the left under the hood. Bus drove like a school bus, sent it on its run in the PM. Lets hope for the best.
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