Interstate usage days and usage miles (#operationbulletproof)

[InterBlog]

I propose that we begin employing these two new terms, defined as follows:

USAGE DAYS - The number of van-in-use days between trip-impacting failures and breakdowns.

In other words, let's NOT talk about how many *calendar* days you experienced between breakdowns because, in the context of a non-daily driver, that measure is far less relevant.

Similarly,

USAGE MILES - The number of miles that you drove between successive breakdowns or trip-impacting failures.

My example:

Our Interstate's engine blew up on May 14, 2019. It took over a month to get a new engine installed, but then we were into our subtropical summer, where van use is hardly feasible, so I did not use the van again until July 7, when I took a short trip to Louisiana.

On July 8, the driver's window fell down into the door body, which means I had no cab window. Under some circumstances, this might NOT be a trip-destroying event, but it turned out that:

(a) the spare parts we had on board for this common failure had been incorrectly specified in a Sprinter Forum thread, so I had no on-road repair hardware; and,

(b) I was in a pocket of unusually hot weather where the local temperature hit 106 degrees. I just could not wrestle solo with a door repair under those conditions, so I had to abandon the trip and get back to Houston.

I may have had 56 calendar days between successive unrelated debilitations, but I only had 3 usage days (and IIRC, about 320 usage miles). So from this example, you can really see the perceptual difference in the way it is regarded.

SIMILARLY, we now have a new issue with our electrical system which caused the complete destruction of our chassis battery this past week. Until we run it down and isolate the cause, I can't use our Interstate, and I'm sidelined once again, for the third time this year alone.

So while we may have had 74 calendar days between this latest pair of breakdowns, we only had about 32 usage days - that being the trip we took from Houston to Nova Scotia. And about 6,000 usage miles associated with that.

I'll close with a nod to fellow IGers with a 2006 Sprinter camper van upfit who are now using the hashtag #operationbulletproof to describe the process by which we are all doing our level best to ferret out impending failures with the goal of maximizing our usage days and usage miles. I'm not sure who first coined this hashtag, but Million Mile Sprinter has been using the term "bulletproofing" for some time now.

When (not if) you experience successive Interstate failures that lead to breakdowns, please post your experiences in this thread citing usage days and usage miles, so that we can all see them in perspective and learn from them.

[Lily&Me]

I cannot imagine wanting to track that information, and post it here.

Deal with whatever comes up, and go on.

Maggie

[rowiebowie]

Just a rare gas model for comparison (although I'm statically insignificant in numbers, so take my experience as anecdotal).

Purchased my used '2012 Avenue on the Chevy Express 3500 chassis in October '2017. Gasoline 6.0L V-8 with 25,000 miles.

After two years of ownership and 17,000 miles over 55 days of travel, we've had zero mechanical issues on the road with this chassis. No burps, no noises, no oh-oh's, no warning lights, or any glitches whatsoever. Averaging 15 mpg overall.

As far as service, I've done shocks, tires, and a MAF sensor (as a precaution because tailpipe seemed a little sooty indicating it was running a little rich) and 3 oil changes so far. Will get transmission flushed before our next trip.

I've been extremely pleased so far with my "plumber's van".

[InterBlog]

It is by tracking all such information and posting it that we can help other people to preemptively avoid the same fate. It can be a very, very expensive fate. Sometimes it can be a life-threatening fate, such as with the propane hose degradation issue.

If someone doesn't feel the need to do this, then they don't have to participate. That is the beauty of forum threads. We all pass over threads and issues that we don't feel are relevant to our personal situations.

Of course, for those people who choose NOT to evaluate their Interstates within this type of context, arguably they risk blowing themselves to smithereens via things like uncontrolled propane line breaches (a risk which has been talked about extensively in this B-van forum). Or engine explosions leading to loss of control at highway speeds. Or other failures. No matter - they have a rightful choice to concentrate instead on whatever other aspects of Interstate ownership are of personal concern to them.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

It is by tracking all such information and posting it that we can help other people to preemptively avoid the same fate. It can be a very, very expensive fate. Sometimes it can be a life-threatening fate, such as with the propane hose degradation issue.

If someone doesn't feel the need to do this, then they don't have to participate. That is the beauty of forum threads. We all pass over threads and issues that we don't feel are relevant to our personal situations.

Of course, for those people who choose NOT to evaluate their Interstates within this type of context, arguably they risk blowing themselves to smithereens via things like uncontrolled propane line breaches (a risk which has been talked about extensively in this B-van forum). Or engine explosions leading to loss of control at highway speeds. Or other failures. No matter - they have a rightful choice to concentrate instead on whatever other aspects of Interstate ownership are of personal concern to them.

Well said. I have to also follow the b-van forum to find others with my chassis. And I'm always interested in other's experiences and problems just in case I should encounter the same.