My two Cleanco’s have taught me that they are far less troublesome if, and only IF, they are properly installed AND maintained.
My first Cleanco has been a headache from the beginning and every time I’ve had
TCS “fix” it, it’s just got worse. I’ve just about worked my way through all the issues myself. I could have saved myself a lot of money and frustration if I’d just dove in and figured it out myself from the beginning. My second unit has been a breeze with few issues.
Much of my problems were not initially related to the unit. They started out as GM problems that led to unit issues later.
Both of my units were installed under the supervision of a Cleanco rep. The dude who did both of them is now the service manager at Cleanco, I’m told. When he installed my first one, I think he was fairly new. The second time he did a better job because he had more experience.
There are very few, if ANY, true professional mechanics in our industry. Nobody seems to REALLY understand all the ins and outs of the units they maintain. If one accidentally passes through one of our suppliers, they tend not to last long. Another industry will head hunt them away with better pay and benefits. If you really think about it, this is true of most industries and people today. Doing a really good job and being a pro is just not looked at like it once was. (Case in point is Mikey and pad cleaning.)
When it comes time for another unit, I’ll either go back to basic meat and potatoes
TCS slide in’s or another Cleanco, because I can work on them, or a
Butler. The thing that might make me choose not to go with another Cleanco is the GMC van … it’s the weak point. The thing that might make me not choose a meat and potatoes slide in is the constant nagging little things that need fixing (but can be fairly easily fixed) and the propane and exhaust fumes/soot in the van. Plus, I hate having to buy propane every three or four days!
If I go with a
Butler, I might STILL get it installed in a GMC van because (I’m told)
Butler does a better job managing the heat generated in the engine compartment and I “think” they HAVE to be more reliable at installation. I’d also consider buying one in a box, but I don’t quite know what driving one of those things around all day is like, nor how hard they are to get serviced.
I do know one thing. I can properly park a box truck.
Matt, you might want to second guess yourself before buying a box.
. Once I get it completed, we’ll see what other issues it might have
