Iceman- call me Darth- I'm from the dark side! The bells & whistles I speak of are the "arm rest hydraulic controls, transmissions that are in both forward & reverse at the same time so that it mimics plugging of an electric lift, gas pedals having their own "brain" because both forward & reverse can be operated at the same time"-etc.

These are just a few of the bells & whistles that newer Hysters & Yales have. I think they're fine in theory, but on a gas powered lift I think it's a little bit much. Adds nothing but complexity & cost to the unit- along with A LOT more downtime & repair costs.

As an independent I don't have access to the laptops & programs needed to service some of these issues- frustrating not only for me but also the customer- nothing like paying dealer rate for a tech to chase a Canbus problem all day & not being able to find the culprit. Not all dealer techs are as well versed in these systems as the guys on this site.

Customer service means (to me) that when a dealer is called for service, a local repair tech is sent that has detailed knowledge of the machine (as long it's their brand), has the proper tools to diagnose & has timely access to parts (again- if it's their brand machine & it's not an antique), is friendly (I'm paying the bill), can explain in plain english to me what the problem was & when finished that unit is back up & running as it was intended with no on going issues. This is how I run my business. Too bad that the dealers in my area don't follow this mantra.

The tech's I've had the pleasure of working with from dealers try to bullsh*t me on what the problem is, usually have to come back with the"proper diagnostic equipment" because they didn't bring the correct laptop or program for this exact model etc. This may be of the tech's doing, or may be from the home office- I- as a paying customer don't really care which it is, all's I know is that the cost of the repair goes thru the roof & downtime is extremely increased.

So- when I talk of bells & whistles- this is the soapbox I speak of. Nothing wrong with being green- saving the planet, etc etc, but when repairing new equipment is more expensive than repairing old equipment- somethings gotta give. All's dealers seem to care about is making money- today- and lots of it. Doesn't seem to be a thought about keeping a customer for tomorrow- that's too far in the distance.