If you have a fleet of trucks to maintain, you need to make sure that they are in peak operating condition and sufferer as little downtime as possible if you're going to take maximum advantage from your investment. Each truck is, of course, very expensive to buy at the outset, and you have to ensure that it lasts as long as possible before it's replaced. This means that you will inevitably have to schedule some comprehensive maintenance work at intervals during its lifetime and will be faced with the option of rebuilding or remanufacturing certain key parts as you go. What is the difference here?

How to Decide

The majority of the key mechanical parts in any truck these days are engineered so that they do last as long as possible. While this is good news, it nevertheless presents someone in charge of maintenance with a difficult question when it comes to a major overhaul. There can be quite a difference in cost between an engine rebuild and an engine remanufacture, for example, so you need to determine what your overall goal is and how much you're happy to spend before opting for one or the other.

Rebuild

In short, a rebuild involves changing or servicing only a part that is currently causing an issue. This could be simply a flywheel in an engine, for example, and the rebuild will focus only on that part. It may not be apparent that any work needs to be performed to other components, but remember that these other parts will have encountered as much wear and tear as (in this case) the flywheel, so additional problems may arise down the road.

Remanufacture

In contrast, an engine remanufacture involves a complete disassembly of the motor, following which each component is inspected, cleaned as necessary and tested. This will involve all of the associated components in addition to the flywheel in the previous example, and some pieces may be replaced altogether following such an inspection. Furthermore, everything is tested according to standards laid down by the original manufacturer before being reassembled and passed for use.

The latter process, consequently, engages a much higher level of quality control and precision build than the former, and it will obviously be more expensive at the time. However, it could well head off any unforeseeable failures which could lead to downtime and emergency repairs.

Making a Choice

It can be difficult to determine which is the best approach, but generally it's best to remanufacture the engine when it gets to a certain age, especially as it is usually not cost effective to consider installing a brand-new replacement engine instead.

Getting the Right Parts

Always ensure that you insist on the best-quality parts, no matter whether you opt for a rebuild or a remanufacture process. Contact a company that sells Japanese truck parts for additional advice.