Community Forums

guitarguy · 06-30-2021, 08:24 AM

Anyone have any comments regarding DEF system parts availability? We've all read about the nightmare being experienced by Spartan owners but my 2019 40AP currently has me stranded 400 miles from home in Amarillo, TX with a DEF system problem (tank is full but computer says it's empty so I have an engine code and a "Low DEF" light). The Freightliner repair shop here is not the most desirable place to be parked and I won't be in line for initial diagnostics for at least a week. I'm getting really concerned about the amount of damage that may be incurred leaving my coach parked for weeks on end in a dirty parking lot with my back end overhanging an empty, overgrown field....

B52Rnav · 06-30-2021, 10:11 AM

Call Tiffin and and they will connect you to right person. On Tiffin website you can search for nearby service centers. You can also look for Rush truck centers; we have had good luck with them. You can also try starting/stopping engine 4 times to see if codes will clear. Have heard that taking cap off DEF tank and replacing works sometimes (not verified).

Rush near Amarillo
8000 Interstate 40 Access Rd, Amarillo, TX 79118

guitarguy · 06-30-2021, 10:26 AM

Thanks B52. Tried the multiple engine starts and the cap thing to no avail. Appreciate the heads up on the local Rush truck center. Oddly when I search "Freightliner Service" via my mobile browser I didn't see a local Rush location...

garykk · 06-30-2021, 12:35 PM

If your bus is on a Powerglide chassis you need to contact Gary Harris at Tiffin, Tiffin is responsible for the Def system. Have any codes etc ready when you call.
They will send you out the new sender and can point you to a shop that can install it if you don’t want to.
A lot of us have had the Def sensor failures and replaced them ourselves. Not much work?
Rush is now supposed to be an authorized Tiffin repair facility for Powerglide chassis.

guitarguy · 06-30-2021, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garykk

If your bus is on a Powerglide chassis you need to contact Gary Harris at Tiffin, Tiffin is responsible for the Def system. Have any codes etc ready when you call.
They will send you out the new sender and can point you to a shop that can install it if you don’t want to.
A lot of us have had the Def sensor failures and replaced them ourselves. Not much work?
Rush is now supposed to be an authorized Tiffin repair facility for Powerglide chassis.

Dang thanks Gary! Wish I'd know this yesterday. Will follow your advice. I'm an engineer so I'm handy with tools and technology; probably could have knocked this out in no-time....

MevetS · 06-30-2021, 03:02 PM

Tiffins claim is that they will OverNight the DEF Header for PowerGlides Chassis. Yes, they will. But that assumes you can actually stop playing phone tag long enough to get one on order. Then it assumes that Parts has them in Inventory. They did have them in Inventory for the Breeze with the ISV5.0, when we finally got through. Then the part in Inventory actually has to make it out of shipping. It took us 5 days to finally get our replacement. My wife was supposed to be back at work on the Monday after the Amana Rally, she wasn't. And we had to call every day to make sure it did not get lost in the Tiffin system during the process. Their Parts and Shipping service is stuck in the 70's.

The humor came into play when the Parts guy told my wife that we would have the part before he would ever be able to provide the UPS Tracking #.

I suspect that the THOR system is now being implemented successfully within Tiffin. Yes, we owned a THOR product prior to purchasing our 2017 Breeze.

B52Rnav · 06-30-2021, 06:11 PM

Today's environment may be entirely different. In July 2020, we were having persistent DEF issues. We were in Rock Springs, WY. Called Tiffing about 0700 CDT and talked with Powerglide shop. They agreed we needed new DEF head. Next day, the DEF head was delivered to Cummins in Rock Springs about 1000, and we drove out before noon. Tiffing reimbursed me for Cummins labor to install new head.

Based on environment today: short supply of DEF sensors, supply chains disrupted, workers not wanting to work - who knows.

Good luck.

MevetS · 07-01-2021, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B52Rnav

Today's environment may be entirely different. In July 2020, we were having persistent DEF issues. We were in Rock Springs, WY. Called Tiffing about 0700 CDT and talked with Powerglide shop. They agreed we needed new DEF head. Next day, the DEF head was delivered to Cummins in Rock Springs about 1000, and we drove out before noon. Tiffing reimbursed me for Cummins labor to install new head.

Based on environment today: short supply of DEF sensors, supply chains disrupted, workers not wanting to work - who knows.

Good luck.

Today's environment has nothing to do with a shortage of parts, at least in the case of the DEF Header for a Breeze. It had to do with inept ordering and shipping. Phone tag and no ability to trace what happened to a order were the issues. It may partially due to lack of qualified personnel, but that's no excuse for Tiffin parts not following up in a timely fashion for a part that was, as noted "In Inventory". And that was to ship Overnight. At the bare minimum, they should have been a honest about their internal issues and provided a accurate delivery date.

Sure, people complain of forums. Isn't a forum supposed to aide in resolving and letting people know what transpierced ?

There is no excuse for not being able to provide a tracking number for a product that has been placed on order. Some companies, also aggravatingly, do so a week before they ship. It makes tracing the progress of a order much easier. Every time we called Tiffin about our order, it was like calling a Telecom. You had to start the litany about your prior discussions from scratch.

For the short supply of DEF Headers, Tiffin is making adjustments. They will currently not fill any orders, to my knowledge, for those who do not have a critical need. So no buying one for a backup. Which also means, that you can be stranded for a unknown length of time, as the DEF Headers are known to fail. It depends on your coach model. Not everyone who owns a TIFFIN is a retired Full Timer.

SargeW · 07-04-2021, 08:54 AM

Tiffin over nighted my new Def sensor head and it arrived the next day as promised. I installed it in a campground. I made a detailed post with pics of the install if anyone is interested on a different forum. I can send the link if interested.

garykk · 07-06-2021, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarguy

Dang thanks Gary! Wish I'd know this yesterday. Will follow your advice. I'm an engineer so I'm handy with tools and technology; probably could have knocked this out in no-time....

So what was the outcome??

guitarguy · 07-13-2021, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garykk

So what was the outcome??

Still stuck in Amarillo. Tiffin was supposed to overnight parts on 7/1 but the service center here says they didn't arrive until 7/9 so my experience is paralleling that of MevetS. Apparent disconnect between Tiffin's CS and parts/shipping departments. Disappointing to say the least. I'll be missing my next CG reservation, a month in Galveston, if I'm not out of here by the end of this week.

guitarguy · 07-13-2021, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SargeW

Tiffin over nighted my new Def sensor head and it arrived the next day as promised. I installed it in a campground. I made a detailed post with pics of the install if anyone is interested on a different forum. I can send the link if interested.

I wouldn't mind seeing those photos.....

trdj · 07-13-2021, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SargeW

Tiffin over nighted my new Def sensor head and it arrived the next day as promised. I installed it in a campground. I made a detailed post with pics of the install if anyone is interested on a different forum. I can send the link if interested.

SargeW
If you can send a detailed post to me with pics of the install, that would be great
Ted

NorCal Hal · 07-13-2021, 04:48 PM

We just returned from a 6,225 mile month long trip in our 2017 Allegro Bus (25,000 total miles on the coach) with one solid amber fault light ("MIL"), one intermittent amber "check engine" light accompanied by a BEEP every 60 seconds, and one one - time only amber "temperature gauge" light. For $ 330 Cummins diagnosed the DEF header as culprit. Then quoted me an additional $ 2,349 to replace with parts not available until late August or September. I called Ricky Brown in Tiffin chassis department and he confirmed the parts availability date.