I spent many years running COE & conventional Scanias on overnight express linehaul work in Australia. Most of these were 450hp V8's. Fine trucks with very few vices. Our only complaint about them was the lack of an engine brake. Scania now has a very good hydraulic retarder mounted in the transmission that makes a Jake brake totally redundant. That said, the only thing, apart from regular maintenance, was brake-lining replacement which was a result of the above. If you get the opportunity to get a look inside a Mack V8 & the Scania side by side, you'll see some surprising similarities. In fact, according to my sources, Scania was contracted by Mack, to sort out some of the crankcase issues Mack V8's were suffering. Nice things like cracked main-bearing support webs & persistent breaking of main-bearing cap buttress bolts which leads to spun bearings etc. Some of these issues were the direct result of long steep grades at maximum revs on the engine brake in the high country in Tasmania. Mick.