Don't use U-Haul.

I'm not Takumi · July 29th, 2007, 7:59 AM

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business...ness-headlines

Quote:

Among U-Haul's 100,000 trucks are many aging, high-mileage vehicles. Many have logged more than 100,000 miles. A recent court filing by U-Haul underscored the fleet's age: A company executive, referring only to the type of truck rented to Waldrip, said 4,595 of them were still on the road with 200,000 miles or more.

U-Haul has purchased about 38,000 new trucks over the last two years and has sold nearly as many older ones. But the company says it does not automatically retire vehicles at a fixed mileage or age.

Penske Truck Leasing, one of U-Haul's two major competitors, says that it replaces up to half its consumer rental fleet every year and that its oldest trucks are about 3 1/2 years old. Budget Truck Rental says the average age of its trucks is 2 to 2 1/2 years.

Yipes.

Spectre · July 29th, 2007, 9:34 AM

Their trailers are pretty frightening, too.

Worst of all, they almost never perform preventative maintenance on their gear - and they knowingly send people out in trucks with major defects.

YF19pilot · July 29th, 2007, 3:13 PM

Yeah, my brother recently moved and the van/truck he got from them had to have been built early 90's at best. You see their trucks, and they always look old and warn, whereas everyone else's looks new and fresh.

GM_IV · July 29th, 2007, 6:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectre

Their trailers are pretty frightening, too.

Worst of all, they almost never perform preventative maintenance on their gear - and they knowingly send people out in trucks with major defects.

That is very true, they even go far to use trucks in Canada with different plates to be exempt from testing. CTV's W-FIVE has done reporting on U-haul, I'm guessing the same story will occur sometime in the Fall of this year.

2005:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...1022?hub=WFive

2006:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...1021?hub=WFive

There is video, its shocking.

Donington · July 29th, 2007, 6:41 PM

That's unacceptable. You see companies here like Freightliner who use quite old trucks, but most are kept in good nick. Not deathtraps like the ones here

thedguy · July 29th, 2007, 7:04 PM

I thought people already knew this? Everytime we've moved in the last 8 years we never went near a U-haul. U-haul has been using old as hell equipment for ages.

Penske FTW!

jetsetter · July 29th, 2007, 9:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thedguy

I thought people already knew this? Everytime we've moved in the last 8 years we never went near a U-haul. U-haul has been using old as hell equipment for ages.

Penske FTW!

Yeah, this has been known for years.

Viper007Bond · July 29th, 2007, 9:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donington

You see companies here like Freightliner who use quite old trucks, but most are kept in good nick.

Eh? Freightliner?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/SNC44384s.jpg

Or are we talking about a different Freightliner here?

Donington · July 29th, 2007, 9:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

Or are we talking about a different Freightliner here?

A different one. Remember where I'm from.

Viper007Bond · July 29th, 2007, 9:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donington

A different one. Remember where I'm from.

Yeah, I know, but I wasn't sure. They're owned by Mercedes, so they do quite a bit of worldwide business too.

Vette Boss · July 29th, 2007, 10:06 PM

This isn't really shocking news to me, last time my family rented from U-Haul, the van was about twenty years old, had bald tires, the check engine light was on and the parking brake barely held it. I also recall it having more than 125,000 miles, as well.

I'm not surprised this van isn't an exception. After reading this report, everyone I know is being told to avoid using them.

KaJuN · July 29th, 2007, 10:40 PM

Last year I helped my brother move from one apartment across town to another. He went with a U-Haul truck since it was the cheapest. The truck itself was fairly new and not really all that bad. But the brakes were downright scary. They had two settings: off or screeching halt. There was no in between.

tigger · July 30th, 2007, 5:34 AM

I've always used U-Hauls; they are the cheapest, and any damage you do will probably not be noticed. I would take one back if it had scary brakes though.

Punisher Bass · July 30th, 2007, 5:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaJuN

Last year I helped my brother move from one apartment across town to another. He went with a U-Haul truck since it was the cheapest. The truck itself was fairly new and not really all that bad. But the brakes were downright scary. They had two settings: off or screeching halt. There was no in between.

Sounds like the Mercedes SLR.

KaJuN · July 30th, 2007, 11:39 PM

^

I just remembered something about the truck that was even scarier. The side mirrors were very poorly placed and when driving at night they made a car that was behind you appear to be a car coming at you from the side. Yeah, some screeching brakes and a few expletives were shouted because of those near heart attacks. We would have asked for another truck but that was the only one they had and we were on a bit of a tight schedule to get everything moved. At least it added some fun and excitement to the stress of moving.

poptya · July 31st, 2007, 12:34 AM

We've moved 8 times in the past 7 years, used U-Haul every time. No problems AT ALL.

thedguy · July 31st, 2007, 1:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poptya

We've moved 8 times in the past 7 years, used U-Haul every time. No problems AT ALL.

Ahhh the old "Rents due, time to move!" trick images/smilies/lol.gif

Spectre · July 31st, 2007, 3:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poptya

We've moved 8 times in the past 7 years, used U-Haul every time. No problems AT ALL.

I rented a truck and trailer from Uhaul to move a Series III once. The trailer brakes malfunctioned while driving the properly loaded trailer and truck down a hill at 20mph. The truck and trailer jack-knifed and spun off the road and had to be recovered by a tow truck due to the damage.

I know what you're thinking - Spectre screwed up and doesn't want to admit that he didn't drive the trailer combo properly. Well, not so fast. The truck wasn't drivable due to the front end damage, so the tow truck hauled it and the still attached trailer back to Wichita Falls, TX. Halfway there, the trailer brakes again malfunctioned, ripped the truck off the tow sling, and sent the whole rig spinning into the large median. The tow truck driver hadn't believed my story - but when it did it to him, with me not being involved, he became a believer.

Long story short, since I made sure I had purchased the insurance, UHaul ended up eating the cost of an ancient trailer, a nearly new GM truck, and ended up buying me another Series III, as the two wrecks had heavily damaged the car. Of course, it took them nine months and some legal action on my part to get them to honor their agreement and pay up.

And as the cause was equipment malfunction due to improper servicing and falsified service logs, I will never rent from UHaul again unless I have no other choice.

July 29th, 2007, 9:34 AM	#2
Spectre Joined: Feb 1st, 2007 Last Online: 9:12 AM Location: Dallas, Texas Age: 32 Posts: 8,359 Car: 87 XJ6, 95 XJR, 90 WD21, 86 CB700SC, 98 PC800 Rep Power: 191	Their trailers are pretty frightening, too. Worst of all, they almost never perform preventative maintenance on their gear - and they knowingly send people out in trucks with major defects. __________________ Enough is enough. We are not here to subsidize your clueless business plans or reward your failures. 1986 Honda Nighthawk 700S (project, light restoration in progress) 1987 Jaguar XJ6 Series III Vanden Plas (modified) 1990 Nissan (WD21) Pathfinder SE 4x4 (little red offroad commuter box) 1995 Jaguar (X300) XJR 1998 Honda Pacific Coast PC800 (two-wheeled pickup truck/utility bike)

July 29th, 2007, 3:13 PM	#3
YF19pilot Joined: Apr 15th, 2005 Last Online: 4:36 AM Location: Fargo, ND Age: 25 Posts: 2,114 Car: 1990 Volvo 740 GL LFS Status: Rep Power: 30	Yeah, my brother recently moved and the van/truck he got from them had to have been built early 90's at best. You see their trucks, and they always look old and warn, whereas everyone else's looks new and fresh. __________________ I can finally say that, yes, I have driven a car with a front mounted V10.

July 29th, 2007, 6:41 PM	#5
Donington Joined: Jan 26th, 2007 Last Online: 4:28 AM Location: Now in Plymouth, Englandshire Age: 20 Posts: 4,263 Rep Power: 176	That's unacceptable. You see companies here like Freightliner who use quite old trucks, but most are kept in good nick. Not deathtraps like the ones here __________________ I live in Botswana, saving lives. DO YOU!?

July 29th, 2007, 7:04 PM	#6
thedguy ^ will bore you to death Joined: Jun 18th, 2004 Last Online: 8:12 AM Location: Under the Counter at McD's Posts: 7,435 Car: 1990 Mazda MX-5 & 91 318i. Rep Power: 148	I thought people already knew this? Everytime we've moved in the last 8 years we never went near a U-haul. U-haul has been using old as hell equipment for ages. Penske FTW! __________________

July 29th, 2007, 10:06 PM	#11
Vette Boss Joined: Nov 14th, 2004 Last Online: 9:16 AM Location: United States, Britain, in time Age: 23 Posts: 3,641 Car: 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Rep Power: 66	This isn't really shocking news to me, last time my family rented from U-Haul, the van was about twenty years old, had bald tires, the check engine light was on and the parking brake barely held it. I also recall it having more than 125,000 miles, as well. I'm not surprised this van isn't an exception. After reading this report, everyone I know is being told to avoid using them. __________________ 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T. Das Auto

July 29th, 2007, 10:40 PM	#12
KaJuN Disco Inferno Joined: Jul 31st, 2006 Last Online: 7:46 AM Location: American in Okinawa Age: 23 Posts: 5,069 Car: Suzuki Swift, Honda Benly CL50 Rep Power: 176	Last year I helped my brother move from one apartment across town to another. He went with a U-Haul truck since it was the cheapest. The truck itself was fairly new and not really all that bad. But the brakes were downright scary. They had two settings: off or screeching halt. There was no in between. __________________ ...and Michigan still sucks. D-Fence: Kajun is just outside caressing his Discovery....touching it gently, you know......it is such a dirty bitch.....but he seems to love dirty girls in high heels who are taller then him and have "quite a few pounds" on their hips ^^ This post was accidentally unearthed from a shallow grave by construction workers. My Flickr

July 30th, 2007, 5:34 AM	#13
tigger Joined: Dec 11th, 2006 Last Online: November 19th, 2009 Location: Suburbia Hell Posts: 3,219 Car: 1984 BMW 325e, 1996 Pontiac Bonneville Rep Power: 77	I've always used U-Hauls; they are the cheapest, and any damage you do will probably not be noticed. I would take one back if it had scary brakes though.

July 30th, 2007, 11:39 PM	#15
KaJuN Disco Inferno Joined: Jul 31st, 2006 Last Online: 7:46 AM Location: American in Okinawa Age: 23 Posts: 5,069 Car: Suzuki Swift, Honda Benly CL50 Rep Power: 176	^ I just remembered something about the truck that was even scarier. The side mirrors were very poorly placed and when driving at night they made a car that was behind you appear to be a car coming at you from the side. Yeah, some screeching brakes and a few expletives were shouted because of those near heart attacks. We would have asked for another truck but that was the only one they had and we were on a bit of a tight schedule to get everything moved. At least it added some fun and excitement to the stress of moving. __________________ ...and Michigan still sucks. D-Fence: Kajun is just outside caressing his Discovery....touching it gently, you know......it is such a dirty bitch.....but he seems to love dirty girls in high heels who are taller then him and have "quite a few pounds" on their hips ^^ This post was accidentally unearthed from a shallow grave by construction workers. My Flickr

July 31st, 2007, 12:34 AM	#16
poptya Joined: Dec 27th, 2006 Last Online: November 6th, 2009 Location: California Posts: 337 Rep Power: 15	We've moved 8 times in the past 7 years, used U-Haul every time. No problems AT ALL.

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