My $40K wrecker (M936A1) refurbished at Memphis Equipment

[Norinco666]

So my father and I were interested in a wrecker to use around the farm and Memphis Equipment was only a 5 hour drive away so we figured we would give them a shot in building us a 936. We gave them the deposit they required to start on the truck at the end of March. We had visited memphis a couple times over the coming months to check out the progress of the truck and told them we were not in a rush and for them to take there time with it and make sure everything was right. So here it is finally july 22 rolls around and its on a flatbed headed to Alabama im super excited to see and finally get it the truck rolls up and first thing i do is visually inspect it to make sure there is no damage. Everything looked fine i climbed up in it and started it up drove it off the trailer and into my driveway onto a concrete pad. Upon further inspection i noticed some oil dripping down the side of the oil pan im like wtf! So i immediately start taking pictures and sending them to the sales guy Ryan that i have been dealing with for months next i get a phone call from Chris one of there shop techs asking me if the dipstick wasnt fully tightend and where the oil was coming from i told him around the area where the dipstick screws into the block. He tells me hes sorry and it should of never left the shop like that and they would mail me a new dipstick for it. At this point im already dissapointed being we just spent right at 40,000$ for this "reconditioned" truck so i go to drain the air tanks next and 3 out of the 4 tanks came spewing out a shitload of rusty ass water out of them again i say to myself wtf! So i end up calling it a day and go inside. Woke up the next morning for work and decided to drive it to work to see if anything else was messing up on it park it on the black top behind work come out on my lunchbreak to look it over and i notice a puddle of fluid which i assume was hydraulic oil dripping down bewteen the 2 rear axles and the oil leak around the dipstick was still oozing oil. So i get it home park it back on the concrete pad and start to look around the truck again and notice on the passenger side a fuel line is cracked leaking fuel and a fitting on the drivers tank is loose leaking diesel fuel the whole time im taking pictures and blasting them off to Ryan at Memphis he gets the tech to call me back and hes asking me about the issues and im like look dude i work full time just paid 40 grand for this truck i dont really have time to play mechanic and start replacing stuff on it he tells me they will make it right and is gunna send a new dipstick assembly in the mail lol. So here it is july 24th my dad and I were going to test the wrecker boom today to see if there was any issues with it so we start the truck up it fires up just fine we are moving some stuff around the side of the truck when it abruptly dies and shuts down i look at my dad he looks at me like wtf just happend and a few seconds passes when we hear a loud electrical POP and smoke immediately starts pouring from the engine bay and inside the cab. Of course i panic and start to run for a fire extinguisher in my other truck while my dad jumps into the cab of the smoking wrecker to grab the fire ext in there and i start to hook up my water house thats close by because this thing is parked 10ft from my house and under some power lines my dad uses the fire ext and spray up under the engine bay. So at this point im mad angry upset. The truck has a bunch of leaks i opened the battery box under the seat looked like some wire had melted i called Ryan and the Tech and no answer from either i guess because its a saturday. So here we are 40000$ with a truck that we didnt even get to use we are hoping Memphis Equipment will make this right as my father and I are very very upset about this ordeal will upload pics when i can

 

[Tow4]

So my father and I were interested in a wrecker to use around the farm and Memphis Equipment was only a 5 hour drive away so we figured we would give them a shot in building us a 936. We gave them the deposit they required to start on the truck at the end of March. We had visited memphis a couple times over the coming months to check out the progress of the truck and told them we were not in a rush and for them to take there time with it and make sure everything was right. So here it is finally july 22 rolls around and its on a flatbed headed to Alabama im super excited to see and finally get it the truck rolls up and first thing i do is visually inspect it to make sure there is no damage. Everything looked fine i climbed up in it and started it up drove it off the trailer and into my driveway onto a concrete pad. Upon further inspection i noticed some oil dripping down the side of the oil pan im like wtf! So i immediately start taking pictures and sending them to the sales guy Ryan that i have been dealing with for months next i get a phone call from Chris one of there shop techs asking me if the dipstick wasnt fully tightend and where the oil was coming from i told him around the area where the dipstick screws into the block. He tells me hes sorry and it should of never left the shop like that and they would mail me a new dipstick for it. At this point im already dissapointed being we just spent right at 40,000$ for this "reconditioned" truck so i go to drain the air tanks next and 3 out of the 4 tanks came spewing out a shitload of rusty ass water out of them again i say to myself wtf! So i end up calling it a day and go inside. Woke up the next morning for work and decided to drive it to work to see if anything else was messing up on it park it on the black top behind work come out on my lunchbreak to look it over and i notice a puddle of fluid which i assume was hydraulic oil dripping down bewteen the 2 rear axles and the oil leak around the dipstick was still oozing oil. So i get it home park it back on the concrete pad and start to look around the truck again and notice on the passenger side a fuel line is cracked leaking fuel and a fitting on the drivers tank is loose leaking diesel fuel the whole time im taking pictures and blasting them off to Ryan at Memphis he gets the tech to call me back and hes asking me about the issues and im like look dude i work full time just paid 40 grand for this truck i dont really have time to play mechanic and start replacing stuff on it he tells me they will make it right and is gunna send a new dipstick assembly in the mail lol. So here it is july 24th my dad and I were going to test the wrecker boom today to see if there was any issues with it so we start the truck up it fires up just fine we are moving some stuff around the side of the truck when it abruptly dies and shuts down i look at my dad he looks at me like wtf just happend and a few seconds passes when we hear a loud electrical POP and smoke immediately starts pouring from the engine bay and inside the cab. Of course i panic and start to run for a fire extinguisher in my other truck while my dad jumps into the cab of the smoking wrecker to grab the fire ext in there and i start to hook up my water house thats close by because this thing is parked 10ft from my house and under some power lines my dad uses the fire ext and spray up under the engine bay. So at this point im mad angry upset. The truck has a bunch of leaks i opened the battery box under the seat looked like some wire had melted i called Ryan and the Tech and no answer from either i guess because its a saturday. So here we are 40000$ with a truck that we didnt even get to use we are hoping Memphis Equipment will make this right as my father and I are very very upset about this ordeal will upload pics when i can

Man, that sucks. I guess a ride over to Memphis to look at it before they shipped it might have been a good idea. For that kind of $, they should be sending a mechanic to fix all the problems. I don't care if they send the parts, you are not the one that should be putting them on.

Good luck getting it resolved.

 

[Mullaney]

So my father and I were interested in a wrecker to use around the farm and Memphis Equipment was only a 5 hour drive away so we figured we would give them a shot in building us a 936. We gave them the deposit they required to start on the truck at the end of March. We had visited memphis a couple times over the coming months to check out the progress of the truck and told them we were not in a rush and for them to take there time with it and make sure everything was right. So here it is finally july 22 rolls around and its on a flatbed headed to Alabama im super excited to see and finally get it the truck rolls up and first thing i do is visually inspect it to make sure there is no damage. Everything looked fine i climbed up in it and started it up drove it off the trailer and into my driveway onto a concrete pad. Upon further inspection i noticed some oil dripping down the side of the oil pan im like wtf! So i immediately start taking pictures and sending them to the sales guy Ryan that i have been dealing with for months next i get a phone call from Chris one of there shop techs asking me if the dipstick wasnt fully tightend and where the oil was coming from i told him around the area where the dipstick screws into the block. He tells me hes sorry and it should of never left the shop like that and they would mail me a new dipstick for it. At this point im already dissapointed being we just spent right at 40,000$ for this "reconditioned" truck so i go to drain the air tanks next and 3 out of the 4 tanks came spewing out a shitload of rusty ass water out of them again i say to myself wtf! So i end up calling it a day and go inside. Woke up the next morning for work and decided to drive it to work to see if anything else was messing up on it park it on the black top behind work come out on my lunchbreak to look it over and i notice a puddle of fluid which i assume was hydraulic oil dripping down bewteen the 2 rear axles and the oil leak around the dipstick was still oozing oil. So i get it home park it back on the concrete pad and start to look around the truck again and notice on the passenger side a fuel line is cracked leaking fuel and a fitting on the drivers tank is loose leaking diesel fuel the whole time im taking pictures and blasting them off to Ryan at Memphis he gets the tech to call me back and hes asking me about the issues and im like look dude i work full time just paid 40 grand for this truck i dont really have time to play mechanic and start replacing stuff on it he tells me they will make it right and is gunna send a new dipstick assembly in the mail lol. So here it is july 24th my dad and I were going to test the wrecker boom today to see if there was any issues with it so we start the truck up it fires up just fine we are moving some stuff around the side of the truck when it abruptly dies and shuts down i look at my dad he looks at me like wtf just happend and a few seconds passes when we hear a loud electrical POP and smoke immediately starts pouring from the engine bay and inside the cab. Of course i panic and start to run for a fire extinguisher in my other truck while my dad jumps into the cab of the smoking wrecker to grab the fire ext in there and i start to hook up my water house thats close by because this thing is parked 10ft from my house and under some power lines my dad uses the fire ext and spray up under the engine bay. So at this point im mad angry upset. The truck has a bunch of leaks i opened the battery box under the seat looked like some wire had melted i called Ryan and the Tech and no answer from either i guess because its a saturday. So here we are 40000$ with a truck that we didnt even get to use we are hoping Memphis Equipment will make this right as my father and I are very very upset about this ordeal will upload pics when i can

.
Wow. Hoping that they take care of you and that you understood what you think you bought for that money. Specifically what a "reconditioned" truck really means... There are a lot of moving parts on just a simple cargo truck. You have a wrecker and that very easily adds twice the complexity of a cargo.

Don't get too wound up on the forum. Try and let them do "the right thing" without calling them out in public. You will get more help from ANYBODY that way. Not a lawyer, but I would guess when money started transferring from your hands to theirs - there should be a signed Purchase Agreement. That document should have specified what they would do and what exactly you have bought. If it isn't writing, Ryan (or just insert any name here) can say whatever but what you can expect to get is what is in the written, signed document. So again, I am not an attorney. Just sharing what I have learned over too many years and transactions that have gone perfectly - and those that have not.

Hopefully it may be minor things that you can fix. Remember though that you didn't buy a new truck. That paper that you signed is going to be really important...

One other minor edit: Is there a Warranty on the purchase that you made from them?

 

[Norinco666]

If reconditioned means 40,000$ for a truck that leaks like sive and only lasted 50 miles then damn shame on me

 

[Mullaney]

If reconditioned means 40,000$ for a truck that leaks like sive and only lasted 50 miles then damn shame on me

.
I understand. Really. And yes, it sucks for sure!

I seriously doubt that anybody who sells a truck intends to allow what happened to happen.
There isn't any way they could stay in business if everything (anybody) sold was that way.

Just trying to help you think through the problem...
Also trying to help you be prepared.
Nobody likes to read fine print on a contract, but start looking. Now rather than later.

----

Just so you know, I have one of those trucks. Mine is a 1984 so it may be a few years older than yours. I have fixed "thing one" then made a few trips around the block, over the hill and through the dale. I have come back and done the same trip the next week and came limping back home with my truck dribbling something. First time it was an oil seal on the front axle.

When I fixed that first oil seal, I personally needed to see it solve the dribbling problem. It did, so I replaced the other 5 of those seals (one on front and one on back of each "hogs head" on top of the axles. Honestly, I only found one more seal that seemed hard and "crumbly" in the other five positions.

While I was there under the truck, I looked and saw several more output shafts that need to be done the same way. Transfer Case and Transmission and the PTO that drives the wrecker bed pump AND the front winch motor seals. All of those should eventually be fixed on a 35 year old truck.

Believe me, there are times when I go to fix one thing and find two more that need my attention. Have noticed over time that the number of things like that is happening less frequently... Sometimes I have cut loose with a stream of "not so nice" words, but over time it has improved.

----

Having said all that, investigate what defines "reconditioned". You might be impressed after you get to talk to the guy there who signs the paychecks. Don't hesitate to talk to "the big dog" sooner than later...

 

[Norinco666]

Some pics

 

[frank8003]

They didn't even clean it!?

 

[NDT]

Memphis Equipment has been in business since 1946, they have shipped 1000's of trucks all over the world to happy customers. Your truck looks like it missed final QC inspection. It happens. The company I work for screws up stuff too, it happens. What is important is how they handle the warranty work. The electrical problem happened after the truck left their shops, unless the batteries were loose and flopping around, that issue could happen to anyone. Please report back how this ends up. Remember this is a 35year old truck, maintenance issues will be ongoing. You did not pay for total remanufacturing.

 

[Russ Knight]

I'd be disappointed too.

 

[gem1410]

I have sold a lot of military trucks and other expensive items--and if I was the seller of this truck I would be offering you the choice of all your money back or repairs of whatever you list--Dont let them set the rules--Let them know exactly what you want--You were misled into thinking you were buying a fully functional truck and ended up with an expensive project

 

[simp5782]

Well. They haven't done a complete reset truck in the past 10yrs. Cost more than folks were willing to spend. Even governments like Morocco and Vietnam. And they are scarce on some parts needed for a full reset.

They pulled it in, pm'd it. Few test runs and made it look pretty and out the door it went. There are only about 2 people in that shop I would let put diesel in a truck much less do some maintenance let alone a full reset.

They are turning out 1/8 of the trucks they used to so most guys don't get much work in.

A wrecker alone has about $3000 in hydraulic hoses and labor to swap em all on the cheap end.

 

[Elk1111]

$40000!!! Hope they gave you some vasoline first!!!
That’s a crazy amount of money for a solid running truck much less one with this kind of problems. My friend just bought a 936 for $12000 and it just needed a little brake work.
Hopefully they make it right for you.

 

[Mullaney]

$40000!!! Hope they gave you some vasoline first!!!
That’s a crazy amount of money for a solid running truck much less one with this kind of problems. My friend just bought a 936 for $12000 and it just needed a little brake work.
Hopefully they make it right for you.

.
Truck in question is supposed to be a "reconditioned" truck according to the member ( Norinco666 ) who posted the thread on the problem.

Before we beat a vendor over the head that supports our organization, I would like to plead for our members to give them the opportunity to do the right thing. It really isn't my place as a newer member to tell you guys what to do - but please read this entire thread before jumping to conclusions.

As far as price is concerned, that deal is done. Reconditioned could be worth that depending on what the contract called for. Cleaned and Painted - not so much in my personal opinion.

AND to be honest, it isn't any of my business. (AND I am not an employee of Memphis or other truck seller)

 

[Norinco666]

My biggest concern at the moment is they will jerk me around and not make it right we will see

 

[wheelspinner]

My biggest concern at the moment is they will jerk me around and not make it right we will see

“Reconditioned” seems to be the lowest rating. I agree with above-that means check the oil and kick the tires. Sad.

 

[162tcat]

40k is a lot for an old hunk of surplus military equipment. If I was buying anything that age (especially at that price) I would do a thorough inspection to make sure I was satisfied with what I was getting before money changed hands. If you can spend 40k on a toy, what’s a few hundred for a flight out to test drive and check it out? The reality is even if it was in perfect shape the resale on it is maybe 20k on a good day so what you are really paying extra for is the Memphis equipment support. Send it back to them and let them make it right. Don’t take delivery again until you go check and test it in person.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jcollings]

Wow, very, very disappointing and discouraging. I recieved m923a2 from
GP, besides checking fluids changing oil no issues like anything at all,
Oh wait that's right a couple light bulbs.
I would say have a lowboy/ RGN pick it up and take it back and make it right oh and bump price down for your inconvenience. Good luck

Sent from my SM-J337U using Tapatalk

 

[Mullaney]

So my father and I were interested in a wrecker to use around the farm and Memphis Equipment was only a 5 hour drive away so we figured we would give them a shot in building us a 936. We gave them the deposit they required to start on the truck at the end of March. We had visited memphis a couple times over the coming months to check out the progress of the truck and told them we were not in a rush and for them to take there time with it and make sure everything was right. So here it is finally july 22 rolls around and its on a flatbed headed to Alabama im super excited to see and finally get it the truck rolls up and first thing i do is visually inspect it to make sure there is no damage. Everything looked fine i climbed up in it and started it up drove it off the trailer and into my driveway onto a concrete pad. Upon further inspection i noticed some oil dripping down the side of the oil pan im like wtf! So i immediately start taking pictures and sending them to the sales guy Ryan that i have been dealing with for months next i get a phone call from Chris one of there shop techs asking me if the dipstick wasnt fully tightend and where the oil was coming from i told him around the area where the dipstick screws into the block. He tells me hes sorry and it should of never left the shop like that and they would mail me a new dipstick for it. At this point im already dissapointed being we just spent right at 40,000$ for this "reconditioned" truck so i go to drain the air tanks next and 3 out of the 4 tanks came spewing out a shitload of rusty ass water out of them again i say to myself wtf! So i end up calling it a day and go inside. Woke up the next morning for work and decided to drive it to work to see if anything else was messing up on it park it on the black top behind work come out on my lunchbreak to look it over and i notice a puddle of fluid which i assume was hydraulic oil dripping down bewteen the 2 rear axles and the oil leak around the dipstick was still oozing oil. So i get it home park it back on the concrete pad and start to look around the truck again and notice on the passenger side a fuel line is cracked leaking fuel and a fitting on the drivers tank is loose leaking diesel fuel the whole time im taking pictures and blasting them off to Ryan at Memphis he gets the tech to call me back and hes asking me about the issues and im like look dude i work full time just paid 40 grand for this truck i dont really have time to play mechanic and start replacing stuff on it he tells me they will make it right and is gunna send a new dipstick assembly in the mail lol. So here it is july 24th my dad and I were going to test the wrecker boom today to see if there was any issues with it so we start the truck up it fires up just fine we are moving some stuff around the side of the truck when it abruptly dies and shuts down i look at my dad he looks at me like wtf just happend and a few seconds passes when we hear a loud electrical POP and smoke immediately starts pouring from the engine bay and inside the cab. Of course i panic and start to run for a fire extinguisher in my other truck while my dad jumps into the cab of the smoking wrecker to grab the fire ext in there and i start to hook up my water house thats close by because this thing is parked 10ft from my house and under some power lines my dad uses the fire ext and spray up under the engine bay. So at this point im mad angry upset. The truck has a bunch of leaks i opened the battery box under the seat looked like some wire had melted i called Ryan and the Tech and no answer from either i guess because its a saturday. So here we are 40000$ with a truck that we didnt even get to use we are hoping Memphis Equipment will make this right as my father and I are very very upset about this ordeal will upload pics when i can

.
Any Update?

I am not looking for a blow-by-blow, just hoping that maybe you are making forward progress?

 

[charlesmann]

So what is the verdict, they gonna make it right?

 

[Norinco666]

They sent a low boy to come get the junker didnt tell the driver it was inoperable and wouldnt start made my poor dad and the truck driver wait hours for a wrecker to come tow it out my yard they said the would fix it gunna find out this weekend if they did or not