11
Page 108
Page 109
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
1:1111111
makes money
Long before the new FMs came on stream last year, Volvo had begun examining ways to extend oil change intervals and to develop more precise servicing programmes.
Prospective buyers really needed to know how much downtime they might expect for programmed maintenance over a proposed contractual period—after all, downtime is simply another way of saying lost earnings. Right at the early design stage, Volvo's main priorities were to raise product quality and running reliability; to stretch the FM's service intervals out even further than the FL's and take some of the time and cost out of contract maintenance.
There were many design improvements along the way which were major factors in the development of the new servicing programme. These include the use of synthetic transmission oils, maintenance-free propshaft universal joints and optional central lubrication systems fitted on-line.
The ActiveSERVICE maintenance concept is based on the chosen vehicle's specification, its likely annual mileage, operating conditions and, importantly, the haulier's 0-licence requirements—in other words the frequency of the Ministry vehicle inspections. By combining all this data a Volvo dealer can tailor precisely a specific maintenance contract for any operator across an agreed contractual period. The package contains the date of the service, the time needed in the workshop and the cost, thus clearly defining when the vehicle can be out on the road, earning its keep. Service product manager John Dempsey confirmed that Volvo includes the cost of the first 2 years R&M contract into the new FM's price "so a customer is effectively buying a five-year deal for the cost of three".
Mileage maintenance Although it shares about 78% of its parts with the FH range, Volvo believes the FM is far more advanced and efficient than the FL equivalents. For example, the 012A engine in the old FL needed oil changes at 50,000km (minimum every 18 weeks) coupled to 6 week ministry inspections, but the engine oil drain intervals for an FM used on general road haulage extend to 75,000km (minimum 24 weeks or at least twice per year) together with 6 week Ministry inspections,
To calculate the right service intervals for an FH or FM12, Volvo uses the following formula: multiply the 75,000km oil drain interval by 52 (weeks in the year) and divide by 24 (weeks between engine lube service) to get an annual driven distance potential of 162,500km.
This result, to keep the arithmetic easy, can be rounded down to a 160,000km annual driving limit. For that annual distance and to coincide with the 0-licence inspection, an FM12 4x2 will have its oil changed at the 75,000km/24 week stage; a plan that takes into account the varying driving distances and time limits set for fixed cost items such as filters, oils, lubricants and coolants.
Under normal circumstances, coolant liquids in FMs and FHs last for 500,000km or four years, and synthetic transmission oils for 400,000km or three years. Filters for the engine air cleaner and brake air dryer should be OK for two years. By combining all this data Volvo is able to base its FM/F1-1 service contracts over five years, or more if required (the datum point is the date and frequency of the 0-licence safety inspections) but in general, the frequency rises with the mileage. If an operator's vehicles are going to cover 200,000km a year the Traffic Commissioner will probably want them inspected every five weeks. At, say, 260,000km or more this might well be reduced to four weeks. Of course much of this depends on how the authority regards an individual haulier, but a specific maintenance contract through a franchised dealer is generally regarded as better controlled than an in-house situation, so this alone might well extend the periods between workshop visits. The beauty of Volvo's ActiveSERVICE is in having a service agreement spelled out so clearly.
With all the necessary details entered into the dealer's computer, the customer is supplied with a complete four, five or six-weekly plan showing every service date, from the start of a contract right through to the end of the package. The dealer will then produce a comprehen
sive servicing schedule chart that indicates the date and type of service, and whether oils are to be replaced or topped up. All of this is on a fixed cost basis, but package prices will vary according to the model and annual driven distance. For example, the preventive maintenance contract (ie: oil/filter changes and inspections) with an FM12 (driving 160,000km/year) will cost in the region of £25 a week. Volvo takes the view that there are no bad trucks out there any more, so one way to sell more trucks is to step up the quality and add value. In the run up to the launch of the FM it took Volvo more than two years to hone the ActiveSERVICE maintenance packages so trucks spend the absolute minimum of time with the dealer. The company never forgets that when its vehicles are in the workshop, they're not earning.
The result, says Dempsey, has been to cut about £1,500 out of an equivalent 1110 or FH12 contract, And that's the sort of saving you really can't argue with.