Joining the I hate Scania brigade

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Been driving R series Scania’s for the last week or so, and I hate them with a vengance.

OK they are only fleet motor’s with ASDA but I can’t wait to be back in with Tesco and drive thier Axor’s.

The gear box is so sloppy and clunky.

I cannot get comfy in the seat, after 1/2 an hour my lower back is killing me.

Had a respite last night and drove an Actros for PD Logistics, now that was nice to drive( apart from the clicking you got when you were to quick with the clutch).

I know its been said before about Scania’s, but now I have had to put up with them I know the truth. They are ■■■■■■

Wayne

2

Never been much of a Scania lover - thought the 142/400 was great after an ERF E290 but prefer the DAF XF/SSC suits my driving style and is very comfortable.

3

Wayne:
I can’t wait to be back in with Tesco and drive thier Axor’s.

Wayne

That’s not a phrase you hear often! I used to get mostly ASDA work out of Portbury last year and while I never had an R series I found the older ones so much better than the Axors at Tesco. I’ve had a couple of nice Axors out of Chepstow but always seem to get the rough old ones from Magor. When the Axor gearboxes get sloppy you can’t feel where the range change is and if you want reverse you have to push the lever over the Severn Bridge!

4

Wayne:
Been driving R series Scania’s for the last week or so, and I hate them with a vengance.

OK they are only fleet motor’s with ASDA but I can’t wait to be back in with Tesco and drive thier Axor’s.

The gear box is so sloppy and clunky.

I cannot get comfy in the seat, after 1/2 an hour my lower back is killing me.

Had a respite last night and drove an Actros for PD Logistics, now that was nice to drive( apart from the clicking you got when you were to quick with the clutch).

I know its been said before about Scania’s, but now I have had to put up with them I know the truth. They are [zb].

Wayne

NO NO NO,
This must be a wind up
:open_mouth: AXOR`S & ACTROS :open_mouth:
The rattling crap that Hitler has put on us a some kind of curse can surely not be favoured over any other motor on the road :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
The day they go from our place will be a day to behold :laughing:

5

nianiamh:
NO NO NO,
This must be a wind up
:open_mouth: AXOR`S & ACTROS :open_mouth:
The rattling crap that Hitler has put on us a some kind of curse can surely not be favoured over any other motor on the road :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
The day they go from our place will be a day to behold :laughing:

[zb] gogs - always got to argue with the real Welsh boys :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

6

[zb] gogs - always got to argue with the real Welsh boys :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
[/quote]

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: never even noticed that :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

:open_mouth: The fact of wanting to get back behind the wheel of a AOXR just blew my mind :open_mouth:

North Wales,
NOW THERE`S WALES FOR YOU :wink:

7

I would take the Mercs over a Scania any day, they’re not great but they are better IMHO.

8

I’d take a volvo over any of them .

9

The truth is if you drive the same vehicle every day your body and muscles get used to it, if it has a stiff gear change your left arm builds itself up to compensate, same with a heavy clutch pedal. I used to drive a 16 speed slap through the gate range change renault premium but for the last 9 months have had a daf with as tronic, if i went back to the renault I would be cursing about everything but before I thought it was an ok motor!

10

drove a o5 plate r series all day today and my only complaint would be how hard the seat was, the truck other than that drove well

11

:open_mouth: :open_mouth: Well I’ve just had an 05 R series all week and I found it pretty good :smiley:

My back is fine, in fact better than after a day in a MAN :smiley:

Of course it could be down to my slender physique and how I set the seat :blush:
You should never be able to SEE a Scania driver :sunglasses:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

12

I had a few 4 series 420 Scania’s and thought it would be difficult for Scania to improve them, I now have an R Series 420 and I think they are excellent… :smiley:

13

I love my 07 topline apart from two things. 1, outside lockers too small and 2. i’d like to meet the chap who designed the bottom bed,as with my quilt on it looks a bloody shamble’s when you’ve got it folded up,but when the bed’s down and i’m sleeping in it i don’t want to get up as it is so darn comfortable!

Driver’s hey,never happy are we.

14

nianiamh:
NO NO NO,
This must be a wind up
:open_mouth: AXOR`S & ACTROS :open_mouth:
The rattling crap that Hitler has put on us a some kind of curse can surely not be favoured over any other motor on the road :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
The day they go from our place will be a day to behold :laughing:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

I’ve had an R124 for a few weeks now, and it’s OK.

I had an Actros Long Distance MP2 before it and so far, these are my observations:

i) The 440 bhp engine in the Actros will out-pull the 420 bhp Scania lump. You expect a bit of difference due to having 20 bhp less. But this is a serious difference. I think the Scania is really a 320 with a 420 badge!! :laughing:

ii) M-B Telligent gearboxes are far nicer to use than a 3 over 3 with a splitter.

iii) I really miss having steering wheel mounted audio controls.

iv) The outside storage lockers on a Topline are pathetic. Oh no, that’s wrong. Can’t be ‘lockers’, because you only get one. My Merc had one on both sides. I can squeeze in a small bucket, a jug of oil, a few straps, and a warning triangle and that’s about it.

v) The internal size of a Topline cab is great - loads of room to move about in.

vi) The top bunk in a Topline is really nice and gives you an excellent night’s sleep.

vii) Black is a much better colour for mudguards than light grey. Any spots of grease do not show up nearly as much.

viii) The standard seat Topline seat is heaps more comfy than the standard one you get in a 2544LS.

ix) More people say ‘Nice truck, mate’ when you drive a Scania than they do when you drive a Benz. :confused:

x) The brakes on a 4 Series (both service and exhaust) are pants compared to those on an Actros.

xi) The steering on a 4 Series feels much more positive than on an Actros - you really feel much more in touch with the road.

xii) ALL 6x2s should be twin steer. Mercedes-Benz, MAN and Volvo please take note. :stuck_out_tongue:

So there we are - my own personal opinions of them. I don’t think either are bad motors as such, but I think the Actros would get my vote as a driver.

Would I buy an Actros? No chance. I’d buy the Scania every time until Mercedes-Benz improves the customer service within their dealer network.

Go into a Scania dealer with a problem and they seem to drop everything to get you sorted and on your way. An M-B dealer will leave you sitting in a dingy little room, with no complimentary refreshments for an hour and a half before they even look at your truck. Another hour later they will have found the fault, but you can bet your arse they won’t have the required part in stock.

If you’d bought a Scania, you’d have been home by this point.

15

Mercs are Hitlers revenge… :angry:

16

flying_fenman:
Go into a Scania dealer with a problem and they seem to drop everything to get you sorted and on your way. An M-B dealer will leave you sitting in a dingy little room, with no complimentary refreshments for an hour and a half before they even look at your truck. Another hour later they will have found the fault, but you can bet your arse they won’t have the required part in stock.

If you’d bought a Scania, you’d have been home by this point.

you’ve never been to keltruck nottingham then?

i have never in my life experienced anything like this dealership, they really don’t care.
i took my brand spanking new 06 plate r series topline in to nottingham for it’s initial service.
i told the reception desk that i don’t wear shoes in the cab so they must put a paper mat on the floor, make sure they also put a seat cover over the leather seat too and to wear clean gloves, make sure they use a digital card for moving the truck. disable the seat belt pinger as it’s very annoying and enable the top and bottom spotlights to work at the same time if required.
they had it overnight and i went to collect it saturday morning.
there was thick grease all down the drivers door and wheel arch, there was the same thick grease on the passenger side wheel arch and battery cover, the door handles were covered in thin grease, the inside was a nightmare, there was grease on the seat, grease on the inside of the drivers door panel, the floor looked as if they had taken the rubber mat out and thrown it into a grease bucket then into the cat litter soak up they use and they hadn’t used a digi card when they moved or done the bits i asked for.

i was absolutely fuming and walked straight back into the reception and dragged the reception girl out to look at it to which she urmmed and squirmed something about them being very busy on a friday night which made me even worse - she let me use the steam cleaner free of charge to clean it off, told me they aren’t allowed to disable the seat belt pinger because it’s law and you can’t have both the top and bottom spots working at the same time - it isn’t possible.
i have never taken my truck back there since and refuse to ever take it there again.
i now go to either lutterworth or rugby and they are the best lads i’ve ever come across, lutterworth don’t even climb in the truck - they let me do the light checks and brake test and the lads at rugby put a couple of paper mats down on the floor and 2 seat covers on and try not to get inside at all if they can and they always complement me on the exceptional condition i keep it in.

17

Smee:
Mercs are Hitlers revenge… :angry:

And Scania’s were designed by dwarfs, I can’t see out the winscreen unless I’ve got the seat on the floor, even then I have to make sure I lean forward so I can read overhead signs well in advance.
Now in a Merc :stuck_out_tongue:

But they do say that when Merc were looking for a name for their new truck in the mid ninties, they decided on Actros because there wasn’t enough space to write Atrocious across the front. :wink:

18

johnny:
you’ve never been to keltruck nottingham then?

No I haven’t. But I have been to the Scania dealer at Willenhall, and I feel sure that was Keltruck. :confused:

They were brilliant - no problem. I’d have gone mental if I what happened to you at Nottingham happened to me. :open_mouth:

Our local dealer, TruckEast, have just been bought by Keltruck. So far so good… :confused:

19

Have to agree with Big Joe. I have to have the seat oop top to get me legs in, which means I spend the day bending down to peer through the top of the screen.

But even this is better than sitting on the floor with my knees up round my chin.

20

This morning at Scania’s Australian HQ 11 shots were fired into the building;
news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ … 61,00.html