Given how more folks tend to share bad experiences, I figured I'd share a positive one I had at Special Trackwork Inc in Denver.
A couple of weeks ago, I got a light indicating that the ODS/RPA (Object Detection System / Rear Proximity Alert) was disabled. "Well that's not so good." I thought, and then proceeded to search around here (and other Cat forums) for what I'd hoped was a simple explanation. The most common scenario was that someone had bumped the machine but didn't dent the cowling and either moved or damaged one of the proximity sensors. I'd seen costs ranging from $300 - $1200 and started to get nervous. I tend to park well away from other equipment, and there was not even a hint of anything on the cowl to indicate that it was hit. I also saw one instance in an Ascent where it was apparently a low battery voltage issue...
A day later, the light went off and the ODS/RPA all worked fine - then a few days later the light came on again. This time I drove straight to the dealership (I've got a Gold 7yr/5000hr extended warranty). They said to set up an appointment and indicated that unless it was deemed to be under warranty I'd have to pay $170 for a diagnostic on top of the cost to repair. Which made me nervous... I was worried that the dealer could just say that it was a damaged sensor from me being hit... I stopped in to a mechanic friend who plugged in a reader and it showed code B2350...
The next day the warning lights disappeared again. I brought it in anyway and they said they'd need to take the rear cowling off and have a look. I gave them the pic of the reader showing code B2350. A few hours later, they said that the tech was inspecting the harness and found a wire that had broken right next to one of the plugs by the proximity sensor. It was covered under my warranty and I drove away with a smile on my face.
Kudos to the tech at Special Trackwork Inc who took care enough to find the broken wire and for the service folks for honest and excellent customer service.
A couple of weeks ago, I got a light indicating that the ODS/RPA (Object Detection System / Rear Proximity Alert) was disabled. "Well that's not so good." I thought, and then proceeded to search around here (and other Cat forums) for what I'd hoped was a simple explanation. The most common scenario was that someone had bumped the machine but didn't dent the cowling and either moved or damaged one of the proximity sensors. I'd seen costs ranging from $300 - $1200 and started to get nervous. I tend to park well away from other equipment, and there was not even a hint of anything on the cowl to indicate that it was hit. I also saw one instance in an Ascent where it was apparently a low battery voltage issue...
A day later, the light went off and the ODS/RPA all worked fine - then a few days later the light came on again. This time I drove straight to the dealership (I've got a Gold 7yr/5000hr extended warranty). They said to set up an appointment and indicated that unless it was deemed to be under warranty I'd have to pay $170 for a diagnostic on top of the cost to repair. Which made me nervous... I was worried that the dealer could just say that it was a damaged sensor from me being hit... I stopped in to a mechanic friend who plugged in a reader and it showed code B2350...
The next day the warning lights disappeared again. I brought it in anyway and they said they'd need to take the rear cowling off and have a look. I gave them the pic of the reader showing code B2350. A few hours later, they said that the tech was inspecting the harness and found a wire that had broken right next to one of the plugs by the proximity sensor. It was covered under my warranty and I drove away with a smile on my face.
Kudos to the tech at Special Trackwork Inc who took care enough to find the broken wire and for the service folks for honest and excellent customer service.
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