Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
mwilson
TDR MEMBER
I have learned much this week under duress regarding the orphaned Sterling Bullets...
A little background on these first. The Sterling Bullet is a re-badged Dodge as most of you know. However there were software blocks in place so that a Dodge dealer couldn't communicate with a Sterling and vice versa. It had to be that way for warranty purposes, etc....
So any Sterling dealer had a Wi-Tech that could read a Bullet. Freightliner and Western Star dealers had no reason to even know WTH a Wi-Tech even was.
Then around 2010 Daimler pulled the plug on the entire Sterling line and dumped it onto the Freightliner and Western Star dealers to worry about with very little notice and/ or support...like none.....
So the words "Sterling Bullet" broke us out into a cold sweat until Monday.....when I burned up a good strong day looking for a solution.
I have a Ram dealer that I know very well who contacted me Monday with a conundrum... He had purchased a Bullet at an auction, nice unit with a Fisher plow and dump body. Sold it last week and was prepping it when he discovered the DPF was at 100% and his Wi-Tech would not communicate with the truck. Truck was also in derate mode.
I started making calls and discovered the above software block situation. It starts to really p*ss me off as these Bullets are long out of warranty. I am not getting any answers from Daimler at all and they are considering buying 10 Wi-Techs to share among all of us dealers if we have to diagnose a Sterling (remember me saying that the line was dropped in 2010 and NOW its an issue?????)......
Finally got the number of the girl that handles the software side of Sterling who is in the same office as the rest of the Wi-Tech support team. She tells me that now RAM dealers can read Sterlings provided they have the correct Wi-Tech at their dealerships. I gave her the name of my dealer friend and she checked his registered equipment. She said they had what was needed for a Wi-Tech and she would provide whatever patches, downloads, etc. needed to get them up and running. I called my dealer friend and give him the contact info. Within two hours it was working and happily communicating with the Sterling Bullet.
I am offering to help any RAM dealer facing this same situation and save everyone a bunch of time. I have her contact info and will provide it when requested from a RAM dealer or one of you TDR members trying to assist your dealer.
This way you can get your Bullet properly taken care of at a RAM dealer or affiliate with an authorized Wi-Tech.
PM or Call.
Mike Wilson
Freightliner Of Maine
800-432-7936 Ext. 121
A little background on these first. The Sterling Bullet is a re-badged Dodge as most of you know. However there were software blocks in place so that a Dodge dealer couldn't communicate with a Sterling and vice versa. It had to be that way for warranty purposes, etc....
So any Sterling dealer had a Wi-Tech that could read a Bullet. Freightliner and Western Star dealers had no reason to even know WTH a Wi-Tech even was.
Then around 2010 Daimler pulled the plug on the entire Sterling line and dumped it onto the Freightliner and Western Star dealers to worry about with very little notice and/ or support...like none.....
So the words "Sterling Bullet" broke us out into a cold sweat until Monday.....when I burned up a good strong day looking for a solution.
I have a Ram dealer that I know very well who contacted me Monday with a conundrum... He had purchased a Bullet at an auction, nice unit with a Fisher plow and dump body. Sold it last week and was prepping it when he discovered the DPF was at 100% and his Wi-Tech would not communicate with the truck. Truck was also in derate mode.
I started making calls and discovered the above software block situation. It starts to really p*ss me off as these Bullets are long out of warranty. I am not getting any answers from Daimler at all and they are considering buying 10 Wi-Techs to share among all of us dealers if we have to diagnose a Sterling (remember me saying that the line was dropped in 2010 and NOW its an issue?????)......
Finally got the number of the girl that handles the software side of Sterling who is in the same office as the rest of the Wi-Tech support team. She tells me that now RAM dealers can read Sterlings provided they have the correct Wi-Tech at their dealerships. I gave her the name of my dealer friend and she checked his registered equipment. She said they had what was needed for a Wi-Tech and she would provide whatever patches, downloads, etc. needed to get them up and running. I called my dealer friend and give him the contact info. Within two hours it was working and happily communicating with the Sterling Bullet.
I am offering to help any RAM dealer facing this same situation and save everyone a bunch of time. I have her contact info and will provide it when requested from a RAM dealer or one of you TDR members trying to assist your dealer.
This way you can get your Bullet properly taken care of at a RAM dealer or affiliate with an authorized Wi-Tech.
PM or Call.
Mike Wilson
Freightliner Of Maine
800-432-7936 Ext. 121
