"All the trucks under R&M have been rectified as standard.
Whereas we were doing several intercoolers a month, it's now down to just a
handful. That's why we issued the letter to customers that have not yet come
forward, so we can close this issue down."
Davies also makes the point that nobody has paid for any high-pressure
intercooler or EGR repairs resulting from this problem. "And where crank
shaft bearing issues have been identified, we've covered them 100%, unless
their workshops hadn't followed manufacturer's guidelines in terms of oil drain
intervals."
MAN Truck & Bus UK – which wrote to all customers with Euro 5 D26
engined trucks, suggesting a maintenance check be carried out on the EGR
(exhaust gas recirculation) system – says the problem with Van Hool coaches is
unrelated. "If vehicles are maintained properly, in line with recommended
intervals, then such damage is very unlikely," he says. "Build-up of
residues is slow and, if the oil is changed when due, it rarely contaminates
the oil enough to create a problem," he asserts.
Problem engines are mostly D26 Euro 5 EGR 440bhp. There are some 6,500 of
those operating in UK trucks but, according to Davies, the issues are on
pre-2012 built units, bringing the numbers down to some 3,000.
John Davies, MAN's head of UK service and support, explains that the
numbers showing problems on buses and coaches are "proportionately very
small", compared to those on its trucks.
Further, these engine issues are not the same. Being transversely mounted,
the engines are equipped with cooling systems that are "entirely
different" to those found in its trucks, he says, and it is the Van Hool
cooling system that has been a "major factor in these failures". MAN
believes it has been quietly very proactive. "Our dealers have been very
aware of the importance of checking coolant strengths and levels, as well as
checking oil for contaminants. We have also been using that information to go
back to customers where we find problems and suggest they look at the quality
of oils they're using," says Davies.
Says Davies: "Trucks are where we have had the bigger issue, the
problem being around the high-pressure intercooler on Euro 5 engines built up
to the end of 2011, which can leak slightly internally."
He explains that, if undetected over a long period, this leak can lead to
residues in the engine oil, which can occasionally impact the lubricant quality
enough to result in crankshaft bearing failures.
"The vast majority of those have already had rectification work done,
because we've know about the problem since early 2012 when we started replacing
the intercoolers with the later version," says Davies.
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