Access Freightliner

[Craig P.]

I have seen some chatter on various RV forums about the benefits of subscribing to Access Freightliner. I recently subscribed and went on their site.

It is obviously engineered for FL techs, so it was kind of difficult to navigate for me. I'm probably missing something, because the only benefit that I can see is that I can access some info about my chassis, such as recalls. Anybody able to find any other benefits?

Craig

[Craig P.]

I have seen some chatter on various RV forums about the benefits of subscribing to Access Freightliner. I recently subscribed and went on their site.

It is obviously engineered for FL techs, so it was kind of difficult to navigate for me. I'm probably missing something, because the only benefit that I can see is that I can access some info about my chassis, such as recalls. Anybody able to find any other benefits?

Craig

[Harry B]

Craig,

I agree with you that it is not an easy site to negotiate.

However it has more info than what you mentioned. You are also able to look up specific info such as serial #'s for major assemblies such as the engine, transmission, rear axel and part numbers, etc.

It also has wiring diagrams available, but again it is not easy to get to and that is the biggest problem. There is a user's guide available for downloading that might help. I am not the one however, that can tell you how to get to it. Perhaps others can. Over time I have kind of learned to find what I needed. I worked in the IT industry my entire career and this is what the mainframe industry looked like 25 years ago. There really is no excuse to have a site like this today.

[JRP]

I use it frequently and after learning how to navigate around it, I dont find it all that difficult. As you said, it was designed for FL techs, who go through a weeklong training session on how to use it. It could definitely be setup to be more user friendly for untrained owners, but thats not who it was setup for. It's main value to owners is in granting direct access to detailed FL assembly & parts drawings. Thats a value mainly to DIY'ers who can use it to lookup parts info, assembly info, and wiring info. Its not a "How to" instructional source. Its more, if you're already comfortable diving in and changing your own air dryer filter; here's a source to show you the drawings on how your air dryer is mounted and which bolts you need to remove to get at the filter. etc

Jim

[chasfm11]

I'm sorry guys, but Access Freightliner is a big disappointment.
1. I'm a computer professional and the EUI (end user interface) on this application just plain sucks. Perhaps it is just my chassis but there are more "dummy" entries than real information in the sub-design diagrams. I have to agree with Harry B. There is no excuse in this day's computer environment to still be running a dinosaur like this.
2. A lot of the information is just plain wrong or incomplete. For example, I just completed a hose replacement on my engine. I had to contact FCC directly who e-mailed me a parts diagram for over half of the hoses in the configuration (for the surge tank) that were completely missing from Access Freightliner diagrams. That is just wrong!

To me, Access Freightliner is like throwing a board to a drowning man. He is very happy to have it but, in the grander scheme of things, it isn't going to help him all that much. It is now wonder that the Oasis dealers do such a lousy job of finding and fixing our problems. To me, the problem starts with the very limited information that they are provided through Access Freightliner.

By contrast, contacting FCC directly has yielded a lot better results. I have a complete wiring diagram (though it took a couple of phone calls to make the needed corrections to it) for my chassis. I've found the techs who answer the phones very helpful. They were the ones who provided the detailed diagram that helped me to resolve my A/C belt problem.

I agree that, after you get used to it, getting around Access Freightliner isn't all that difficult. It is just that the information that it contains is so limited that I'm not sure that it is worth the effort.

[Craig P.]

Just as an FYI: when needing part information, pricing and ordering, I've found Todd at FCCC's Parts Technical Support to be very helpful. I sent a parts request via their link at the above web site, and Todd responded back in under 5 minutes. The part is now on order.

The link is kind of hidden on the FCCC web site, so make sure you bookmark it. I forgot to the first time around and spent some time searching for it again.

Craig

[chasfm11]

I'll second your suggestion about FCC parts. They are very responsive and, in my case, significantly cheaper for exactly the same part out of exactly the same depot as my local Freightliner. Go figure.