Budget for post bus purchase repairs and maintenance

[ourmefa]

I am working on budgeting repairs and maintenance for our busy after purchase. Assuming a pre-1999 front engine, 30'+ bus that passes a mechanic inspection with no major issues, what do you think I should budget for immediately after purchase?

Here are items I have listed as high priority repairs/maintenance:

• Oil Change
• Transmission cleaning / servicing
• New brakes
• New tires
• Replace bulbs with LED
• New Batteries
• Engine Rebuild?

We may not address all of these at once, but I want to build in some repair money into the budget.

Thoughts on cost?

[EastCoastCB]

I buy my oil cheap. $29.99 a 5 gallon bucket on sale cheap.
You can save big doing most of the maintenance yourself.

Tires will run you a minimum of $1600 or so for six new ones.
I buy cheap batteries as well. Just replaced both g31's for $160.
the other stuff I havent messed with. Some of it I hope not to, like that engine rebuild. A rebuild can cost a few thousand to tens of thousands depending on what bus you get.

[milkmania]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I buy my oil cheap. $29.99 a 5 gallon bucket on sale cheap.
You can save big doing most of the maintenance yourself.

Tires will run you a minimum of $1600 or so for six new ones.
I buy cheap batteries as well. Just replaced both g31's for $160.
the other stuff I havent messed with. Some of it I hope not to, like that engine rebuild. A rebuild can cost a few thousand to tens of thousands depending on what bus you get.

Not to distract too much from the original post.... But, it's CAT related.
My heavy equipment mechanic buddy tells me it's nothing to walk out of the CAT dealership with a medium sized paper bag in one hand with $6k in parts!

[roach711]

Other common replacement opportunities:

Engine bolt-ons - alternator, steering pump, starter etc.
Rusted brake lines on hydro brakes
U-joints
Axle bearings

I replaced all those on mine at one time or another.

[superdave]

depends on when it was last serviced.
oil, it was just changed before I got it
tranny, the fluid looks new
brakes, you can see how much pad is left from under the bus, mine are great
tires, check the date code. my back are 2011, front 2014
bulbs, all are working
batteries, check date,two years old, great shape
rebuild, nope buy another bus
my first trip my front main seal went bad, lost 3 gallons of oil on the way home. you just never know what your buying. didn't have any heat so I opened the valves, that's when I found out the front heater core was pissing fluid.i sent away for an oil analysis and it came back great, got my fingers crossed. look at everything and hope for the best. the cheapest bus isn't always a great bus or a cheap one in the long run. good luck

[Iceni John]

Why do you assume you will need to do all that? Getting the bus's service records is important, or at least discussing your bus with the mechanics who worked on it. An oil analysis will tell you if your oil (and transmission fluid) needs to be replaced or not. Does it actually need new brakes? Are the brake cans OK, do the slack adjusters work, is there sufficient thickness on the friction surfaces, does the compressor and air system work to DOT standards? What are the tires' DOT date codes and tread depth? Changing lights to LEDs is usually not a priority - I would instead suggest making sure all grounds and connections are corrosion-free and without resistance, and maybe just changing the individual bulbs themselves for now. And as for the engine, if you're already thinking about a rebuild, maybe you shouldn't get that bus at all? There's plenty of good rust-free buses out there that won't need major work immediately.

John

[ourmefa]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

Why do you assume you will need to do all that? Getting the bus's service records is important, or at least discussing your bus with the mechanics who worked on it. An oil analysis will tell you if your oil (and transmission fluid) needs to be replaced or not. Does it actually need new brakes? Are the brake cans OK, do the slack adjusters work, is there sufficient thickness on the friction surfaces, does the compressor and air system work to DOT standards? What are the tires' DOT date codes and tread depth? Changing lights to LEDs is usually not a priority - I would instead suggest making sure all grounds and connections are corrosion-free and without resistance, and maybe just changing the individual bulbs themselves for now. And as for the engine, if you're already thinking about a rebuild, maybe you shouldn't get that bus at all? There's plenty of good rust-free buses out there that won't need major work immediately.

John

I think you may have misunderstood the nature of my post. These are all hypothetical repair options that may or may not need to be done on a bus that we purchase. I am just trying to get a good feel for what extra I need to budget after we buy the bus.

For example - I will now budget $2K for tires in the future. We may not need them, but this gives me a good idea of the cost range.

Does this make sense?

[Jolly Roger]

Yes budgeting for future problems/issues does make since.
There are a few I would like to comment on?
Depending on your plans for the bus I wouldn't buy new tires for it to sit on if your build is going to take a few years to complete before you hit the road.
I use mine to drive Boy Scouts around every Monday and one camp out a month but am still on the same school district tires. They are out of date,starting to dry rot after 4-years but almost look brand new as far as tread depth.
And an oil analysis once you get it will let you know what the guts of the engine/motor are doing and you can plan from there.
I bought mine from a school district and received there full records. For me it was from 1986-2013 including lab analysis every 3-months.
I can recommend Blackstone laboratories. They will send you sample bottles and mailing package for returns. The amount isn't in my head right this minute but it is between 18-25$? The report is cheap insurance.

[roach711]

I'll second the Blackstone Labs recommendation. I think I paid $28 last time but it's well worth the cost. They'll do engine oil, trans fluid as well as other lubricants.

[jpm9909]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

Yes budgeting for future problems/issues does make since.
There are a few I would like to comment on?
Depending on your plans for the bus I wouldn't buy new tires for it to sit on if your build is going to take a few years to complete before you hit the road.
I use mine to drive Boy Scouts around every Monday and one camp out a month but am still on the same school district tires. They are out of date,starting to dry rot after 4-years but almost look brand new as far as tread depth.
And an oil analysis once you get it will let you know what the guts of the engine/motor are doing and you can plan from there.
I bought mine from a school district and received there full records. For me it was from 1986-2013 including lab analysis every 3-months.
I can recommend Blackstone laboratories. They will send you sample bottles and mailing package for returns. The amount isn't in my head right this minute but it is between 18-25$? The report is cheap insurance.

Sorry to jump in.... don't mean to hijack, but a quick question for another newb....

Can you request an oil sample before buying a bus, say - while still on auction?

[cowlitzcoach]

Oil analysis is a good idea. Purchasing Texas Refinery Corporation lube oil, transmission fluid, and gear oil is not cheap but it comes with free oil analysis.

Sending oil off for analysis and not changing oil at a predetermined mileage or date can save a lot of $$$ in oil very quickly. Just change the filters after oil analysis comes back if you don't need to change the oil.

There are a few school bus contractors that are running Cummins ISB engines that are running five years between oil changes with annual oil analysis.

Some over the road truckers routinely are running in excess of 100K miles between oil changes.

One trucker had over 2000K miles on an engine that routinely went over 50K between oil changes.

Full disclosure--I am an independent lubrication specialist and sell TRC products. I wouldn't sell their products if I wasn't convinced of their efficacy and value.

https://www.texasrefinery.com/products/engine-oils/