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Karst Stage In Bozeman Montana
Vehicle Maintenance Program
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Maintenance Overview
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“Keeping your vehicles in good working order”, that pretty much sums
up vehicle maintenance. As graded by the Department of Defense, which
has one of the most stringent inspection standards, Karst Stage
currently has the highest quality vehicle maintenance programs around,
receiving the highest score possible. Our staff prides themselves on
keeping vehicles in working order, minimizing the frequency of
mechanical breakdowns.
Through the use of our daily vehicle inspections and the rigorous
preventative maintenance program, issues can be identified early and
taken care of before they become problems. When a maintenance issue is
identified, it is evaluated by the maintenance department immediately. A
determination is made to the severity of the issue (be it a clearance
light that is out or a leak found) and appropriate action is taken. This
action could be anything from fixing the problem immediately, putting
non critical issues into the maintenance schedule or putting the bus out
of service until the issue is fixed.
Our maintenance staff is committed to providing the highest quality
service to all vehicles. Our shop has certified technicians on staff for all
equipment we operate, including;
- Prevost Shop
- MCI Shop
- Van Hool Shop
- GMC Service
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Driver Inspections
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The maintenance process starts with the driver. Each driver is
trained to do a complete vehicle inspection each time the unit is
driven. This includes both a pre-trip and post-trip inspection. We
believe the people who drive the vehicle can accurately identify vehicle
problems.
If at any point the driver feels the vehicle is unsafe,
then the driver can put the vehicle “out of service” and have a mechanic
look at it. This process is one of our most powerful tools we give to the
driver as we give them responsibility to determine the safety of the
vehicle. If the driver puts a vehicle out of service, that vehicle
cannot be used until a mechanic completely inspects the vehicle and
signs off that the issue has been corrected.
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Mechanic Inspections
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The drivers do a great job of looking for and identifying issues.
However, it is imperative that a mechanic also inspect our vehicles. Our
maintenance program is designed to have a mechanic look at every vehicle
a minimum of 45 days or 4000 miles. Our fleet does over a million miles
a year and as a result, the frequency in which vehicles are inspected by
a certified mechanic is usually more frequent.
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Preventative Maintenance
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Our preventative maintenance schedule is second to none. As part of
our routine maintenance program, we have 4 inspection services designed
to address every vehicle system. The preventative maintenance schedule
is outlined below.
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A-SERVICE
(Every 45-days or 4,000 miles)
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- Check brake adjustments.
- Check brake systems leaks, low air warning device.
- Check two-way check valve in dual air system.
- Check all mounting brackets.
- Check battery water and clean connections.
- Check tires, lug nuts and wheels
- Check tire wear.
- Check entry door operation & lock.
- Check all interior seat mounting brackets.
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- Check steering & suspension.
- Check all safety equipment (Fire ext., reflector, jack, belts & bulbs).
- Check all A/C motor brushes, clean condenser and filters.
- Check S-Cam bushings and height, wheel seals, and brake springs.
- Check tire pressure.
- Check all belts & hoses.
- Check emergency exits.
- Check Shutter operation.
- Check Clutch pedal height 1 1/4" play.
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B-SERVICE
(every 12,500 miles)
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- Brake adjustment.
- Take oil sample.
- Replace engine oil.
- Replace oil filters.
- Replace water filters.
- Replace primary & secondary fuel filters.
- Check fuel pressure.
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- Check voltage regulator - 27.2V.
- Lubricate drive shaft U-joints.
- Lubricate slack adjusters.
- Fill blower oil.
- Steam clean undercarriage.
- Check freon pressure at compressor 24-28lbs.
- Clean air filter.
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C-SERVICE
(every 25,000 miles)
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- Inspect and adjust brakes.
- Inspect all electric motors & brushes.
- Take transmission oil sample.
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- Drain and refill transmission oil.
- Inspect undercoating.
- Lubricate all zerk fittings.
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D-SERVICE
(every 50,000 miles)
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- Brake adjustment.
- Drain and refill differential.
- Replace power steering filters.
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- Check ride height.
- Check alternator output.
- Check all regulator valves
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