Trucks operate under all sorts of challenging and harsh conditions, while carting varied loads across varied distances. This means your truck parts are critical to the overall safety, reliability, performance, efficiency and cost of your truck over time. Your parts are subject to wear tear, and this will vary on the specific application of your truck and the conditions it operates within.
Problems arise with trucks when parts are not properly maintained, so below we have detailed some of the common truck part problems we see which leave drivers standard, and how you can keep your truck running smoothly.
Corrosion
Corrosion is common problem faced by truck parts. Corrosion is something that needs to be caught early before extensive damage is caused. Corrosion and rust to your parts can result from exposure to moisture, salt and other corrosive substances. Corrosion results in these parts often weakening and failing over time, then resulting in downtime for you truck and potential long-term impacts. Common areas we see corrosion include the truck frame and under carriage, suspension, door sills, exhaust and wheels.
So how do you prevent corrosion from occurring? Keep your truck clean and dry as best you can. This means regular washing to help protect you metal surfaces. You can also look to invest in protective coatings for your truck and of course, ensure you’re purchase high-quality genuine or after-market parts.
Damage
Wear and tear go hand-in-hand with owning a heavy truck. We know this. So how do we reduce this and try to mitigate the impact of harsh conditions and that of a specific truck’s application. Common sources of wear and tear damage include rough terrain – potholes, rough road surfaces, weather and environmental impacts, heavy loads, poor maintenance and driver behaviour, to name a few. Damage impacts many parts of your truck, including your parts. Common part impacts we see are around those high impact / high stress areas, like your suspension, steering and brakes.
We want to help you prevent damage and minimise the impact of challenging conditions. Firstly, you want to ensure you maintain your truck regularly, ensuring you have a structured maintenance schedule set up with your truck service centre to meet the unique needs of your truck and its application. Regular checks and balances help you reduce the change of serious problems arriving with your truck and truck parts.
Overheating
Trucks often face the issue of an engine and transmission overheating. There are many different reasons why a truck engine might overheat, from a faulty or clogged radiator, fluid leak, airlock in the cooling system, coolant levels, faulty thermostats etc. The flow on impacts from your engine overheating can result in huge costs and downtime for your truck. Not to mention, the damage to your engine and other parts which can result. It’s important, that as soon as you have an indication that your engine is overheating, that you pull over and contact your truck service centre to assist you.
So, how to you prevent your truck engine from overheating? You know what we’re going to say, regular maintenance. Ensuring your truck has a regular maintenance schedule is key to ensure you engine and all parts of your truck are operating as they should.
We all know trucks are subject to wear and tear, therefore this can easily result in common damages occurring over time. Ensuring your tuck is well maintained is key to ensuring you avoid these common truck part problems and keep your truck operating in tip top condition, while reducing downtime and the costs which are associated.
It’s important that your truck parts repair and service provider, and your parts supplier are under the same roof, or work hand in hand. CLA Truck parts has this covered, working closely with our sister company Truckfix WA, to ensure all your trucking needs are met. You don’t want to be caught out with long wait periods because your truck repairer and parts supplier operate separately.
At CLA Truck Parts, we ensure we independently source the required parts and accessories for our customers. Working with our network of independent parts partners to ensure we can meet your needs.
Get in contact with Perth’s Independent European truck parts specialist today!