chu613

Hello guys I am looking to upgrade my headlights on my 2012 Mack chu. The factory rectangular headlights are not that great and are outdated. I am not sure how old is the design but I can see this type of headlights on the last generation R models. They were upgraded from the round headlights to the rectangular ones in mid 90`???. Anyways that time is not really important, what is important is the fact that the design of this headlight is probably coming close to 20 years pretty soon. The light you get from this headlights is mediocre more or less depending on the brand of bulb you use. But even with the top brands like PIAA, VISION, HELLA that cost @ 120-130 $ \ set, you will not get anything spectacular. The other trucks on the market have options to upgrade but not us which is sad and shows how important is Mack for the aftermarket business. TRUCK-LITE has design the first LED headlight in the world and that is for CASCADIA. CORONADO can also be upgraded with LED headlights. So both FREIGHTLINER trucks can benefit from new and latest in lightning technology, when we...... I called TRUCK-LITE a while ago and asked if they have any plans for Mack but they couldn't give me an answer, they didn't now. It all comes down to sales n's and that is an area where Mack is not a strong player. All the trucks that have the 4 rectangular headlights like KW-W900, WESTERN-STAR, FREIGHTLINER-FLD, PETERBILT can also be upgraded with LED lights made by TRUCK-LITE or JW SPEAKER. Paccar is the ONLY truck manufacturer to offer XENON lights on some KW and PETERBILT models, technology that is only offered in the top end and luxury car segment. So the conclusion is that most of the guys out there have some options as long as they don't drive Mack. Anyways even if I new that there is no way to get some better lights on this truck something came up; I seen a picture of a Mack chn with 4 round headlights; the truck is a north American Mack because it has the left hand steering wheel. What do you think about those headlights? Do they belong to some kind of car, van, bus etc.? I showed that to my Mack sales guy and he was helpless with anything regarding this matter. There is also some hope on the Australian built Mack Trident that seemed to have had some similar lay out but with 4 round headlights instead of one rectangular one; this is an older Trident model but is pretty hard to find pictures of it on the net. There is one here on this website (bigmacktrucks) if you type Mack Trident on the search bar will get you to a topic from Feb.2013 about this particular truck; there is a picture of a green Trident day cab with 4 round headlights. The signal light is identical with the one on the CHU( with the exception of the one they have on top of fender) and even the whole look and size of it; The truck, according to the picture belongs to DOOLAN'S heavy haulage which has a website; went there and checked and found a couple more pictures with a Trident with sleeper with the same headlights so is pretty clear that they had this kind of headlights installed on Trident's before. The problem is that I don't now when that particular model was build which makes my hunt even harder. If you Google Mack Trident, all the pictures you get show a different Trident, something similar with Titan( the hood and headlights). I am sure that those headlights are way better than what we have here on CHU, and as far as I now the round type of headlight will always project the light better than any square or rectangular type of headlight. If I would have a year of manufacture or a specific model or code for that Trident I would get the ball rolling and get some headlights from Australia; I'm sure they will fit. Any input of any kind on this matter is really appreciated guys. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

AMEN brother

Can you repeat that? I think that Volvo brought Mack to the 21'st century. They have invested millions in a aging engine factory, they offered Mack a new chassis, 3 new modern engines, one of the best tranny if not the best tranny in the world, lately 2 new suspensions, and who knows what else; The Mack sales are booming in Canada just because one thing: THE ENGINE LINEUP and the super M-DRIVE tranny (aka-I-SHIFT) You guys are funny.

Sorry to break your bubble man but let me ask you something; did you check a Mack cab lately? if not you should and then come back and let's talk about QUALITY; I can assure you that there is no other truck on the market that has a lower level of quality, fit and finish, than Mack; I am a Mack owner and it hurts to say it but it's the truth; I bought my first Mack in 2008; was a 2008 CXU 613 with a 485 MP8 engine in it; I pulled B-train with it (140000 pounds) going head to head with the big guys; I was proud of my truck but I just couldn't ignore the way this truck was put together; I'm talking about exhaust, doors adjustment, doors seals, window seals, hood alignment, cab and sleeper alignment on the frame,( one of the sleeper's squirts was rubbing on the exhaust elbow) interior fit and finish, and the list can go on; this is fact not fiction; all this made me to get rid of the truck cause I just couldn't look at that truck every day the way it was; so after 3 years and 4 months I decided to get another one hoping that this one will not be built on a Friday; I traded mine in for a 2012 CHU 613 RAWHIDE that I ordered; again this truck was a nightmare; the headliner had an air bubble in it (it is the leather one) right next to the speaker; we put the order out for a new one and guess what? the new one came with the same defect but on the other side; how is that for a change? how many trucks do you think they have the same problem and the owners don't care or worse they don't even see it? when the second one came I didn't now what to do or how to react but I was mad; I had to wait for a third one that finally was ok; for some reason the sleeper doesn't have any power plugs; the truck was ordered with a premium sound system which means an amplifier and a bigger speaker under bed, but guess what? the system was not working so I got it in and the dealer discovered that the harness from the radio to the amplifier was missing; and I mean NO HARNESS; had to ordered one and get it done like removing the floor, fridge, the whole nine yards to get the harness from the radio to the under bed area; 10 months down the road and the cab got flooded during a heavy rain fall while the truck was parked at the shop; the seal between the cab and the sleeper failed; at this time the truck had less than 12 months but more than 100000 miles so the 1 year 100000 miles warranty of a brand new truck was a debate; my dealer told me that they have seen this before but not to often and they can talk with Mack about it, but they can't guarantee that Mack will engage in repair due to high nr of hrs. for labor(separation of sleeper and cab) and the fact that the truck is over 100000 miles; I had to work a deal with my dealer and split the bill; and that was a 10 months old truck that cost me 147000 CAD; with that kind of money I could've bought a Kenworth or a Peterbilt that have an exceptional fit and finish, quality, and resale value; yes I could've but I didn't cause I liked Mack; I had to replace both hinges on both jockey boxes doors cause they had a big play on them; how's that sound for a brand new truck? Weeks after the sleeper repair the doors seals came off in some spots leaving wind and water in the cab specially when I was washing the truck; again this is fact not fiction; the only thing that was keep me going was the mechanical side of it; good reliable truck; as of today the truck has 410000 km on and with some exceptions it is a wonderful truck mechanically speaking; I am really disappointed with Mack and this will be my last one; don't tell me that maybe I was out of luck cause is not true; I go thru my dealer's yard at least every two weeks and check things out hoping to see some improvements in quality or something that can make me get back to them in a couple of years; but no the sun is still down on that road; Let's think for a second here; Mack has design this cab back in the 80' when the CH series was launched; the cab is not quite the same now days but most of it is; the lines, the look, they are not that different except the headlight, windows and some other updates; go check the new KW 680 and see that it has a triple sealed door not one seal that falls apart it has 3; see how they've got hundreds if not thousands of drivers to help them design the new truck; that is for me a statement of dedication, perfection, and most off all the will to succeed, to be nr one to be on top; that is serious business, and the sales n's show that; no matter how much we love Mack, they are still at the bottom with 6% market share when KW and Freightliner lead the way. That has to say something no matter what we think and say; I will still check on Mack regularly the way I do maybe...maybe; driving a black RAWHIDE like mine you stand out from the rest of them, guys now me cause I'm the only one with that kind of truck on that road(I do a dedicated run) but I will refuse to by another one if things don't improve.

I have seen a brand new pinnacle at the dealer with both stacks smoked; something is not right but what is interesting is that there are no codes or check engine lights with that; makes a guy wonder how in the world an engine that is supposed to be super clean runs like that and there are no fault codes.

you got that right; Mack sucks when it comes to sleeper storage space; you should check the 60inch midrise, is worse than 70inch;i had a 70 inch midrise and it was not that bad for a guy that spends 4 to 5 days on the road, it depends how much staff you want with you but I was ok. I sold that truck and got one with 60 inch midrise; the reason was $$; went for a RAWHIDE and those do not come cheap; paid 147000 CAD for it; another reason was the ability to keep that big 70 warm in the cold Canadian winters; the webasto was working hard at -30 to -40C; but I made I huge mistake; this sleeper is small and almost no storage in it; I had to come up with ideas to store my staff and make my life easier. makes a guy wonder when you look at another trucks out there; But the huge problem I have with Mack is QUALITY . The way they put everything together, fit and finish etc.is just disappointing. The seal between the cab and the sleeper failed after 10 months flooding the sleeper with water during a heavy rain night.The truck was still under 12 months but it had more than 100000 miles on it and I had to kind of split the bill with my dealer. When I look at other trucks and the way they are built I wonder why did I pay so much money for this POS. Just take a look at Volvo, PACCAR products, freightliner etc. and you can see the huge difference in design, quality etc. No wonder MACK is not a strong seller on the sleeper or hwy side.