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slippert
Top Member
USA
630 Posts |
 Posted - 05/15/2012 : 07:43:48 AM
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http://s1248.photobucket.com/albums/hh488/Slippert1/?action=view¤t=2012-05-11_15-49-21_596.jpgJust a heads up, I have 4 2012 IC's that I am having an issue with the ceiling panel fasteners coming loose all the time. These buses are ranging in miles from 10,000 to around 40,000. Apparently some time in the recent past year or so, IC decided to quit using Rivets/mono-bolts to hold panels in place and just use screws. I am told you can still get rivets but it cost more and you have to spec it in your bus bid otherwise you will get the panels screwed in place and from what I'm seeing unless you are operating your buses on really smooth roads the screws won't stay in the roof. I can usually count on having from 2 -10 screws missing and 2-3 times that many loose when these buses come in for service. Has any body else had this issue yet?
I have some pic's on photobucket just need to figure out how to add a link to here. I think I figured it out. I hate being Technically Challanged  |
Edited by - slippert on 05/15/2012 07:55:25 AM
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RichBusman
Advanced Member
453 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 07:53:01 AM
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Very common on the screwed in ceilings, definitely have seen this on a lot of the AmTran/IC products.
They are probably installed hastily, usually they don't even line up the screws in a straight line in spots, super crooked. |
Edited by - RichBusman on 05/15/2012 07:55:11 AM |
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slippert
Top Member
USA
630 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2012 : 08:21:02 AM
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Funny thing is I have 2002 IC's with close to 200,000 that are screwed in and have yet to find a screw loose or missing, and all the Ic's from 02 up til these 2012's ceilings are riveted in place and have higher mileages and look great. I am in contact with dealer to get these in over summer and hopefully get them corrected under warranty, (they will probably want them to put in oversize screws or glue them)this issue is just really annoying to me as it seems they took something that worked or seemed to be holding up and replaced it with poor engineering. Probably is cost savings for corporate but you wonder if they look at the big picture and what some of these decisions might do to sales?
They must have some of carpenters buses old engineers working at IC. |
Edited by - slippert on 05/15/2012 08:35:26 AM |
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slippert
Top Member
USA
630 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2012 : 07:07:50 AM
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Well I am told by IH that these buses can be repaired in warranty, so they will be traveling to shop in a week or two to have rivets installed in place of the screws.
My advice is since the factory is using screws again, to be sure and spec riveted ceilings in your new bus bids on future purchases. As I hear IC will install rivets as long as you don't mind paying a little extra. The way I look at it, will be worth 1-2 hundred at purchase to not have the ceiling fasteners falling out and hitting someone in the head. and one less thing to deal with on top of the normal issues with buses. |
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Cal Mc
Advanced Member
303 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2012 : 11:22:48 AM
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dwight
Senior Member
USA
58 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2012 : 12:35:20 PM
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I would ask the Mfg.Representative what is the correct procedure to eliminate the problem? If your able to accomplish the procedure in-house you can negotiate a cost for them to reimburse you. It will be less cost if you can hire a student to do a (glue job) over the summer.
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20 SCHOOL BUS FLEET OWNER/OPERATOR (Retired) |
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slippert
Top Member
USA
630 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2012 : 7:00:20 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Cal Mc
Our 2010 and 2012 buses have screws falling out of the ceiling.
Mine are just the 2012's. All the rest of my IC's from 2011 and back to the 01-02's are riveted ceilings. according to my source, someone at factory decided that, it was more costly to rivet as too much time was consumed on assembly line and rivets were more expensive. So they went back to using screws.
Salesman tells me you can still get rivets in new buses but you have to spec it and pay extra for it. |
Edited by - slippert on 05/31/2012 7:26:31 PM |
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slippert
Top Member
USA
630 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2012 : 7:24:00 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by dwight
I would ask the Mfg.Representative what is the correct procedure to eliminate the problem? If your able to accomplish the procedure in-house you can negotiate a cost for them to reimburse you. It will be less cost if you can hire a student to do a (glue job) over the summer.
The asking has already been done these are going in for warranty repair. I was given the option to take to my dealer and have oversize screws put in place of all screws in ceiling or get an estimate from an authorized IC body shop and have rivets/monobolts installed, so it was a no brainer to me, to send to the body shop and have rivets installed. the body shop has already done the warranty claim and told me got approval for repairs.
As far as doing them myself, yeah I can do it in house but with the mechanics I have(Me, Myself and I)and a fleet of 37 buses(down from 41 at the start of this school yr),plus vans, pickups and lawn equipment. I really don't have the time to do it myself. Right now the way budgets have been in MI, with all the cuts our state legislature has made the school wouldn't let me hire anyone even a student to do the job.
As long as IC's footing the bill which they should as the buses are only about 13 months old(IMO)these four are going to someone else to have repairs done and I am going to make sure we have riveted ceilings spec'd in our bus bids as soon as they find money to buy any new ones |
Edited by - slippert on 05/31/2012 7:28:07 PM |
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2012 IC ceiling fasteners
