Espar heater issues

[DonFitzwater]

FYI for anyone interested in purchasing and Espar product, Think twice and look at Webasto. I am going through warranty nightmare with Espar right now. My heater failed October 2nd of this year(melted wiring harness due to fuse that decided not to blow) and they haven't even shipped the necessary parts for repair as of this writing. I have made dozens of calls to the factory with no results or even what I feel a competent response from any of the customer service employees.



Espar has had a good rep in Alaska in the past, however, due to lack of customer service they are falling behind quickly. From my experience with Webasto products, they are not as high quality as Espar but the customer service is very good. I will post more as this progresses... ... ... ... .....

 

[jelag]

We looked at taking on one of the two lines when the shop was open... . in a review with both companies (Espar & Webasto) we found that neither of them were much interested in what we did, even though we sold the heck out of PacBrake and the other lines we had. . We just were not a truck dealer... they both offered their line but were sort of wishy washy if you get the drift... Later I contacted another distributor who was 100 miles away... his service was great, because he didn't have a truck dealer within 100 miles of him... .

If your close to Cummins, Freightliner, etc... they just didn't want to rub the dealers... . know what I mean... BTW - we passed... .

If your under warranty see if Cummins, or Freightliner will look at the truck and deal with Espar... they might have the ability to make the decision on the spot and get parts from their PDC. .

 

[mwilson]

Hi,

As Jim says above a Freightliner Dealer may be able to help, they will have access to the full line. In addition to the Freightliners we handle Thermo King who also offer the Espar line as a stand alone unit or in combination with the Tri-Pac truck genset. If you have a T/K dealer in the area it might be worth a try. We have installed at least a hundred of these just in our little corner of the world so should be very popular item where you are. The T/K dealer should be at least if not more proficient with the line than a truck dealer.



If I can assist you with part numbers or parts availability please let me know. I can check both FTL and T/K stock for you in your area.



Espar can be a little difficult to work with. You might benefit if you e-mail the rep. in the area and expalin the situation.



I see you sig shows it a being a Dodge kit. Are they not helping you??? How long have you had it???



Mike.

 

[AlaskanCummins]

Hopefully; knock on wood, my luck will continue to good when it comes to my Espar. This is my third year with it and it's ran flawless.



I believe that I'll have to clean the flame sensor in the near future.



Other than that, I've been very pleased and haven't had the need to contact anyone at Espar.

 

[Shadrach]

I have sold Espars for years and now have one on my 03. I love it. The small Wabastos like the T1700s aren't as rebuild-able like the Espar D5 is, although they are cheaper to buy. For those of you who have D5 make sure you use it once and a while in the summer on a regular basis also. It helps keep it working properly. Shadrach

 

[DonFitzwater]

Chrysler offered a 12 month warranty which has expired. The Espar warranty expires this month (2 year). The Espar rep has been, how shall I say this... ... ... ... ..... less than helpful. I actually had fitment issues when I bought the kit and they were pretty decent about over nighting parts to me, however, the service I'm getting now is garbage. I am nearing letter writing stage. I don't know if anyone at the company in Canada has enough gumption to do anything about it. I'm to the point of fixing the darn thing my self.

 

[subodh]

sorry for stealing the thread but which espa was orginally on our trucks?

or what heater was factory option??

ive installed a espa 7kw

was looking at 5 but now i sad about not putting in 9kw

the waranty has always been moore of a problem with espa

than with webastu. . on the other hand after waranty

the espa is alot less difficult to find parts to cause

webastu only sells bigger modules to their heater

 

[mwilson]

Did you fill out the warranty registration when it was new???



What is the reps name??? Don't see a listing for a rep in AK.



If you given the rep plenty of chances and feel you need to climb the food chain then contact this gentleman..... ehart@espar.com



That would be your reps boss.



Be polite!!!! Warranty money is tight, policy money even tighter now. Don't start off on the wrong foot.

Would not hurt to mention that there are many interested parties (potential buyers of an Espar product) on several Cummins/Ram forums watching the progress of your issue, if you get my drift.



Are you wanting it repaired at an authorized facility or would you fix it yourself if they sent you the parts???



Let me know and will be glad to try to advise and/or help you.

Mike.

 

[DonFitzwater]

I filled out a registration card that was mailed to Espar when it was new. Kenworth Alaska is the shop doing the warranty and dealing directly with Espar. I have been calling Espar as needed when they don't return calls/emails to Kenworth withing a couple of days. El Vira Depirna is the warranty rep and Chris Fruck is the technical assistant that we are in contact with. Basically, when the KW shop calls, Espar doesn't respond and I end up calling. Espar then returns calls to me and Kenworth, says they are going to help us and then drops the ball... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... repeat.

#@$%!

What is Policy money?



I would prefer it be repaired at a warranty center but am more than happy to fix it my self if parts showed up.



Thanks for the interest Mike.



Subohd, Hydronic 5 is what came in the Mopar heater kits.

 

[mwilson]

Alright, then contact the e-mail link in my previous post below and explain your situation. Ask if he could just a look into it.



If there is an issue then you need to know what it is.



Where you filled out the registration when new and are still within the warranty period then it should be cut and dried.



They are very strict on repair times paid out for warranty repair so there may be too much diagnostic time already and the KW dealer is reluctant to eat it.

Sometimes there is more to the story.



If you sense that could be the case and you are close to expiration of the two year time period then offer to accept the parts only and put the harness in yourself.

Get it done and making heat again.



Policy (sometimes referred to as "Goodwill") money is a certain amount of funds set aside each year by a company for use by the reps to help with situations that don't quite qualify for normal warranty.

For example something fails that is a month out of warranty but the customer is loyal and owns/operates several of your product.

That is to help take care of loyal customers and/or situations that arise which don't follow the rules exactly.

The dealer has to be the customers advocate to get the ball rolling.

I don't know how common it is in the automotive game but with trucks we argue for it a lot and sometimes get help.

I brought it up because the companys have clamped down by reducing or even in some cases eliminating it when the economy wound down. So if you play nice, your odds are far better at getting help if the rep has any policy money available at all.



All companys are understaffed right now so you need someone on the inside to get your claim to the top of pile... ... :-laf



Mike.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Kenworth is giving them another day to resolve the issue. Our rep here in Alaska is Mike. Don't have a last name, however, he lives Anchorage. Basically, the whole issue isn't diag time. It's the fact that Espar doesn't return calls or seem to know and understand it's own products. The technical department is incompetent at best. I have talked with three different tech reps that all gave me incorrect information regarding diag and model info for my hydronic 5. It seems like none of the employees at the Canadian office seem to care?



I am very familiar with goodwill warranty as it is alive and well in the marine industry.



Thanks for your help.

 

[mwilson]

The Hydronic 5 thing is confusing me.



If you look at and breakdown the current Dodge kit shown on the Espar website it appears to be a Hydronic D4W. Could that be causing trouble for you???

Or is that what was used on the 2nd gen Dodges? 3rd gen is different???

The Espar website needs a little attention.



Just found it, never mind. D5SC for a 2006.







You are doing everything right, this shouldn't be that hard.



Mike.

 

[DonFitzwater]

I'll update some tomorrow.

 

[DonFitzwater]

As of Friday, no response from Espar or rep in Anchorage. I'll be contacting Espar again this week and sending off some more emails. The saga continues. #@$%!

 

[mwilson]

Man, that is just ridiculous.



I will be gone tomorrow but will check Weds. to see if you have made any progress.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Just sent an email to Kenworth, and three folks at espar. We'll see what happens.

 

[DonFitzwater]

As of today, Kenworth has been called by Techline at Espar and parts are being shipped today(as per espar rep). I hope parts are coming as I have heard this story before. I should know something by early next week.

 

[mwilson]

Let's hope that they follow through this time.



My interest in this is twofold,



#1) I want to see you get taken care of, you are in the right.



#2) I sell the Espar product both through Freightliner and Thermo King. It does not make me happy seeing a customer jerked around and makes me reluctant to sell the line if this becomes the norm. I assume for now it is not but am watching closely.



Mike.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Ok, a little clarification on my part. Mike (the espar rep I claimed earlier lived in Anchorage) lives in Michigan and is responsible for tech and dealer support services. He has been forwarded my case and has called me. He is dealing directly with Kenworth and has taken the factory "people" out of the loop. He called me and gave me his personal cell number so that I can keep him posted if I am not happy with progress from here. Seems like a good guy and he understands the situation. I'll post on more progress.

 

[monkeyman]

I have used Espar for years, the one on my truck is eight years old, I can take it apart with my eyes closed! I think they are great! If you understand them

Rick