Called my local HFO this afternoon. Confirmation that the main board is no longer available. Upgrade 10K, maybe more.
I am not one to say I told you so, so how about "you have been warned"?
I too have experienced the rapidly rising cost of the service calls, and service quality variance. Some guys are closer to top of the game than others. Some seem to be less than interested in being the best.........
The problem with our local HFO isn't whether or not they are on their game. It is that they are green and should not be in a damn van by themselves yet.
It's like the guy who changed his own oil, and put new windshield wiper blades on, and now he is a mechanic. They are severely under-trained/qualified.
There are a few good techs local to me as well (Allan, Travis, Rob) but they never get sent here. I am too small-time.
They send me the damn moron who spends more time talking to Allan, Travis, or Rob on his phone trying to figure out what is wrong, than he does actually working on my machine. Because he is under-qualified.
There are also hacks here. When I had the gear-box replaced a while back, I came in to a mill-table covered in oil. Hmmmm? Ended up being a loose hose clamp.
Guy who fixed it found kinked lube line, 3 loose clamps, and a few pinched wires. NICE!
And he was a greenie! Although, his attention to detail, and mechanical ability were very on-point. If he sticks with it, he will be a great tech.
I have stories! Ohh, do I have some stories!