reputable rebuilders?

[Bob's 6.5TD]

More Power, sometime back someone posted a question about who members had good experiances with, and if I recall correctly you mentioned a least 2, one I thought was in GA, at least in the good ole south somewhere. As well as KennnedyDiesel, if you can remember, would you tell me who else that may have been.

[JohnC]

Diesel Depot (http://www.thedieselpage.com/vendors/avant.htm) is in Georgia.

[moedog]

MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE 18-1 PISTONS IN IT TO GET SOME HEAT AND HEAD CRACKING OUT. DEISEL DEPOT SEEMS TO HAVE A GOOD REP.

[Steve O.]

I had a nightmare experience with the Diesel Depot. Ordered it with the cooling upgrades, etc...

Short version is that the engine they sold me last year didn't last 48 hours in my truck. The crank was bad I guess. This was after the engine was impounded by the shipping company because of payment problems on Diesel Depot's end. Cost me almost two weeks of trying to get the engine released and faxes every day to the Avants begging them to clear up the problem with the shipper.

They accepted responsibility for the bad engine, but it was like pulling teeth to get them to ship me a new motor. Don't even ask me where we are on getting them to reimburse me for the cost of the second install.

I know others here have had a good experience with them, and I don't doubt those to be true at all. I bought from them soley on the good reviews from the Diesel Page. But for me it was a total nightmare. As they say, your mileage may vary.

Good luck.

Steve

[john8662]

I'm steadily following this post, especially to read responces from others that didn't have a good experience with The Diesel Depot. Member "The Buffalo Guy" is tearing his Diesel Depot engine down that failed after 30k, and is finding what appears to be maching/assembly problems with bushings on the pin side of the rods. Thanks for the insight with your problems with Avant/Diesel Depot, Steve O. And, I've also read a few problems with dealing with replacement engines for mistakes on their part.

Keep em coming!

[More Power]

If you have had a less than satisfactory experience with a product or service offered by any advertiser here in TDP, please feel free to talk about it in the BB - fairly. By the same token, please provide a final report as to how the situation was ultimately resolved. Think "fair & balanced".

Second, engine suppliers (even the very best) will have an occasional issue. The real measure of an engine builder is the percentage of problems and how he handles both them and the customers.

Thirdly, we appreciate vendors who satisfy their customers. We've lost vendors who couldn't satisfy reasonable customers who were satisfy-able. In the end, your satisfaction is more important.

Lastly, I'd rather discuss vendors who work hard to deliver good products at fair prices. Being positive is of more help to people...

MP

[ 12-22-2004, 11:22 AM: Message edited by: More Power ]

[BuffaloGuy]

I figure in the interest of fairness I should weigh in here even though I'd rather wait until my situation has been settled.

My Diesel Depot motor does have over half of the wrist pins shot after 30,000 miles, and the crank is under spec's. Right now Jamie and I are working this out.

As can be expected he is making sure that this didn't occur from something out of his control such as an IP that was out of time or the motor being overheated.

Neither are the case and I have given him what I believe is the positive proof of such.

I am with More Power in that all people and business's make error's. It's the way the error is handled that sets one apart from the rest. Right now the ball is in Jamie's court.

I will give a final report at the conclusion of this very bad chapter in the history of my truck.

[Steve O.]

>>Think "fair & balanced".<<

I agree. In my case, I've never come onto TDP to badmouth the Diesel Depot in the year since my problems began because thats not how I do business. I only responded to the original messages because I feel I owe it to the other members here since they were mentioned by name by someone else. I was purposefully restrained in my comments. I hope my post reflected that.

>>>Second, engine suppliers (even the very best) will have an occasional issue. The real measure of an engine builder is the percentage of problems and how he treats customers when there is a problem.<<<

I agree. Nobody is perfect. Engines are machines and machines are not perfect, especially since the weak link is often us, the human, building them. I accept that. A few hundred miles on a $3000+ engine is an aberration, no doubt. They wouldn't be in business long if that was the norm. But the response by them bordered on the obscene. As I said, I only have my one experience to go by.

Unfortunately, my situation and the lack of a resolution over such a long time speaks volumes, I think. I own my own business. Made my share of mistakes over the years. Stepping up to the plate when I mess up is something I'm proud of.

>>>Lastly, I'd rather discuss good vendors and not waste time listing the bad ones. Being positive is of more help to people... <<<

I agree. I think the members here have been pretty clear about their praise for guys like Bill Heath and John Kennedy. I almost never read anything truly negative here. I know I've said good things about both on this forum, while until now, have resisted negative comments based on my bad engine and treatment from the Avants. I'm being restrained in my comments because I want the facts to speak for themselves for the guy who is now looking for a new engine.

Steve

[MikeC]

I just went through a partial rebuild. I was all set to put a rebuilt 18:1 compression engine in it.

I posted here that I was looking at the 18:1 and Kennedy replied with "Your first engine went 107K, why won't another fresh factory engine?" He also referred me to a somewhat local shop, 100 miles away, where he knew the mechanic and believed him to be reputable.

I called Jim (the mechanic) and spoke with him about my truck. He believed, from the description I gave him, that it was a head gasket and not a fatal problem for the engine.

I took the truck to him and 3 weeks later picked up a truck with fresh heads. My heads had the normal cracks between the valve openings but they had the bonus of cracks across the cylinder openings, which made them good boat anchors.

The problem was the head gasket at the back of #7 between the cylinder and a waterway. Jim told me this is where the factory gaskets seem to fail most often.

A new crank balancer and harmonic damper were installed as the rubbers were dry and starting to go.

He also asked me if the truck seemed, to me, to crank slow. I told him I had noted that earlier this year but things seemed better after the new Optimas in April and the alternator in August. He then told me the starter was slow and drawing "GOBS" of power. It probably caused the previous problems and would probably fail soon itself, so a new starter was installed.

This AM, the truck fired and ran after a very short bump on the starter after one cycle of the glow plugs. It had sat out in our cold blast (Zero degrees F) and not been run for at least two weeks.

It cranks faster than I ever remember and runs as well as I remember.

As of today I am very pleased. There was an issue with the truck when I got it a short way up the road but Jim took care of it promptly, and he seemed genuinely upset that I had the problem.

Jim is the owner of Croghan Farm and Truck in Wilmington, Ohio. Phone is 937-486-4013

If you are reasonably close to him give him a shout, he does good work, communicates about what needs done and best of all, he cares about his customers being happy.

Happy Holidays,
Mike Cooper

ps - Tell Jim you got the referral from me, I don't get anything for it but, I think he needs to know he has a very happy 6.5 driver here.