Manage a fleet of vehicles? ENGINE GUARD can save you £ £ £
Equipping fleet vehicles with an ENGINE GUARD is a simple business decision- just like regular maintenance, accident insurance or driver training. It’s an inexpensive way to help prevent a single large expenditure that will quickly erode business profitably. And it’s not just the repair cost- it’s also the lost productivity due to the repair ‘down time’.
Sadly overheating is MOST common in commercially operated vehicles. This can be due to the heavy usage plus commercial vehicles are frequently driven under time pressures. And frankly, contractors or employees may not have the same level of care for the vehicle as a private owner/driver.
Regardless of the size of your fleet, the value proposition of ENGINE GUARD is impressive. The ‘standard’ system can be customized to reduce costs, particularly for large fleets. By using a combination of bulk packaging and clever accessory selection options we can trim all waste out of the purchase and installation of the systems- further enhancing the great value.
Case Study
We have recently supplied a second order for 500 ENGINE GUARD EG01/3 systems to a large taxi company in United Arab Emirates. This fleet is comprised of mostly Toyota Camry 4 cylinder vehicles- and these vehicles are known to be very reliable. However, the most common issues that require significant and expensive repairs are 1. overheating and 2. low oil pressure.
1. The overheating is generally related to radiator leakage or other gradual coolant loss, and this tends to reach a critical point where engine temperature suddenly ‘spikes’. The factory temperature gauges tend to be unresponsive to small incremental changes- and when the sudden spike occurs, drivers tended to miss the delayed reaction from the factory gauge. This is solved by the ENGINE GUARD. The system can be set to warn the driver at ‘just above normal’ operating temperature. This audible warning is designed to show ANY incremental change that may be a sign of impending catastrophic overheating. The vehicle can then be checked over and any gradual leaks or other faults can be identified.
2. The low oil pressure issue relates to the OEM materials employed in the harmonic balancer. At higher mileage, the balancer can erode causing a reduction in the size of the oil galleries resulting in blockages. This situation would normally be identified by the low oil pressure warning system. This would normally alert the driver via an illuminated light on the dashboard. However, in a fleet of heavily used taxis navigating busy streets and highways, drivers can miss this critical warning. The solution provided by ENGINE GUARD is to trigger a loud audible warning to augment the factory light. Low oil pressure is a ‘time critical fault’ so shutting down the engine immediately can potentially save thousands in repair costs.
We recognised that the ‘package’ for this large fleet was important to maximise value and efficiency so we customised the systems to suit. Each system had custom length sensor cables and the software was modified to suit the low oil pressure warning system. We also worked with the customer to provide the product in a bulk package with each ‘kit’ readily identified for ease of installation. We also minimised the carton size to reduce freight costs and waste.
We have completed another order (6th) for National Taxi with the following change:
Feedback from the Head Mechanic has meant the ‘package’ that we supply has changed over time. Firstly, the total number of engines damaged due to the low oil pressure problems has dropped to the point where adding the low oil pressure alarm is no longer justified. So we now supply just the single temp sensor system. However, a different issue has emerged. The drivers have tended to ignore the normal volume alarm is triggered- they have just kept driving. We solved this problem by supplying an extra loud (112dB) buzzer. Now the drivers find it unpleasant to continue driving and more engines are being saved!”
Case Study
We were contacted by a mid-size Australian-based service agent for commercial vehicles servicing the mining and other sectors in Western NSW. They were considering ENGINE GUARD for customer vehicles and their own fleet of 50+ service trucks.
After a sample trial of the systems to be used as overheating alarms, they started ordering ‘in bulk’ to suit large vehicles in particular. For their customer base, an engine rebuild was not just a large cost BUT in many instances the vehicle down-time created supply chain disruptions that could cost significantly more.
For the majority of vehicles, the total cost of the supply and installation of an ENGINE GUARD would be less than the cost of a standard service!
That makes the decision a ‘no brainer’- especially when vehicles are operating in 45°c or more day in, day out.
Case Study
This is a response to a request for feedback from our Distributor in Africa by the fleet manager of an NGO that helps drill water bores in Uganda:
Dear Wayne,
Below is my response.
1) when were they installed? They were installed in October 2017
2) how many units were installed? 15 units
3) what types of vehicles were they installed into? SUV, Landcruiser pickups, 4X4 trucks, Heavy trucks and small vehicles.
4) what problems did you experience on the vehicles prompting you to order the units? We were having a couple of Engine overhauls resulting from over heating of the engines and in somecases total replacement of the engines.
5) your own technical staff must have installed the units – how did they find the installation process of the units? Our staff installed the devices but the first installation was a collective effort from myself and a wiring technician but once we figured out the first installation, the rest was easy. There is no need for experienced personnel but you can save time if you have one.
6) did you require technical input from Engine Guard Australia – if so – was the support received good enough to overcome any on-site problems? There was not great need for technical support. We only made a request when one vehicle had the alarm going on regularly so we thought that particular device was faulty but we received the reply in time and it was sufficient.
7) how are the units performing? So far they are doing fine and we have not registered any malfunctioning. They are doing their designed job.
8) have you experienced any incidents whereby the Engine Guard units have performed as expected – prompting early intervention and thus saving your vehicles – as designed to do? In one particular situation, One of the Landcruiser GX we installed developed some issue on a route with a new driver who didn’t pay attention to the temperature gauges and so the alarm went on then it became too loud that he could not drive anymore. He parked and called me then I told him to let the car cool a bit then he checks, and indeed, he found out that the radiator was leaking and the water had reduced so the engine was starting to overheat. The engine guard helped save the day. In another scenario, we could have lost the engine of Landcruiser VX if it were not for the Engine Guard but we managed to change only the Head gasket.
9) based on the successes would you recommend / purchase additional units should you require them? Definitely we would purchase more devices.
9) would you be prepared to act as a reference should my client wish to email / call you directly? I have no reservations to this at all.
Interested to hear more about our Custom Fleet Solutions?
SUPPORT: 07858 190185
Email: enquiries@engineguard.eu.com
