News Car Maintenance
- Thread starter jpcreel3
- Start date
thru-the-lens
Well-known member
Keeping up on timely oil changes and getting the generators in the live trucks in for service when their hours are reached. Preventive Maintenance keeps going. Batteries get replaced when they expire...keep the fleet on the streets.
thru-the-lens.
thru-the-lens.
I don't do this anymore... But, I found it extremely valuable to take the units to the dealerships. Make a deal, you can get a good one if you approach it the right way. Plus, you get warranties, guarantees, and true help. I tired of the mom and pop shops. Although m/p's gave us a great deal, it was difficult to work with them. One shop worked on a single problem for two months in one of our units before I fired them. It sucked because I had known the owner for years. I took the same SUV to the dealership on Broadway and they fixed the problem in a single day. It costs more in the short term, but less in the long term. Go through your budget, forget your business loyalties, and figure it out.
By the way... If safety is a problem with one of the trucks, make it known.
By the way... If safety is a problem with one of the trucks, make it known.
Lost in Alaska
Well-known member
Two shops ago, when they took hold of the new fleet of leased vehicles, the first time they were taken in for oil changes, we also purchased the maintenance package from the dealer. This was oil changes for the cost of the filter and other basic maintenance for $199 (or something like that), but it was for four years, the lease time of the vehicles. It cost more up front, but much less in the long run.
Drew Yaussy
Member
If safety is an issue...fix it! The dollars you skimp up front don't compare to the end results of an accident. Add to that the long term reputation your shop gets for not looking out for your own people. My ND firmly stands behind me on this. Yours should too.
News Ops
We've haven't cut safety corners here! We fix safety issues of all varieties! I'm just interested in what everyone is doing on vehicle maintenance. Are you fixing things, waiting for things to fail, or do you have some other ideas? I'm looking for a NEW definition of "routine maintenance".
How much car maintanance have you dropped off the list that comes with the car? We run commercial Crown Vics and we may soon drop items from our list that local police garage says are important. I want to be proactive in my approach to management and SAFETY CONCIOUS.
We've haven't cut safety corners here! We fix safety issues of all varieties! I'm just interested in what everyone is doing on vehicle maintenance. Are you fixing things, waiting for things to fail, or do you have some other ideas? I'm looking for a NEW definition of "routine maintenance".
How much car maintanance have you dropped off the list that comes with the car? We run commercial Crown Vics and we may soon drop items from our list that local police garage says are important. I want to be proactive in my approach to management and SAFETY CONCIOUS.
Drew Yaussy
Member
We still follow the recommended procedures for maintenance. We keep our cars on the street a long time, so routine maintenance is critical to keeping our photogs on the street.
Maintenance of Fleet
The bottom line is this: its MUCH MUCH cheaper to maintain a news vehicle properly than to payout a liability settlement due to neglect and improper maintenance. And--keep logs of EVERYTHING--even down to turn signal and brake bulbs being replaced. In the case of something were to fail and cause a accident, resulting in some sort of liability, you have the records to back you up to reduce exposure. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that, but prepared to do so if it ever comes to that.
I have been faithful to keep up on general maintenance of our fleet from the beginning... at this point I have several 2000 Ford Explorers well over 200k miles and still going in a rough, coastal, sandy, salt air environment. The generators on our live vans are about to surpass 10,000 hours, one has been a problem child however--I think it was a "Friday Generator. Generator are maintenance hogs, you just have to budget them in, or risk failure when you most need them.
TM
The bottom line is this: its MUCH MUCH cheaper to maintain a news vehicle properly than to payout a liability settlement due to neglect and improper maintenance. And--keep logs of EVERYTHING--even down to turn signal and brake bulbs being replaced. In the case of something were to fail and cause a accident, resulting in some sort of liability, you have the records to back you up to reduce exposure. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that, but prepared to do so if it ever comes to that.
I have been faithful to keep up on general maintenance of our fleet from the beginning... at this point I have several 2000 Ford Explorers well over 200k miles and still going in a rough, coastal, sandy, salt air environment. The generators on our live vans are about to surpass 10,000 hours, one has been a problem child however--I think it was a "Friday Generator. Generator are maintenance hogs, you just have to budget them in, or risk failure when you most need them.
TM
Tallinvegas
Well-known member
We use ARI Fleet Services at my station. We use them for gas and all maintenance on our fleet. Every week I get an E-mail stating who is due next for an oil change or anything else we have added to get changed on a routine basis. All the photographer does is hand in a slip of paper for the oil change at the jiffy-lube (or who ever you use) they bill ARI. So far it has worked really well.
thru-the-lens
Well-known member
Nice touch.
thru-the-lens.
We have some company called Allstate Leasing that tracks and bills all our maintenance. But they don't do e-mail on the oil changes like your services does. I have to result to grabbing the keys and going through the parking lot looking at the stickers periodically.
thru-the-lens.