any idea what is the lenght of life of iveco stralises ('09-'10 plates) ?
are those trucks able to cover similar distances as volvos,daf,scanias ( lets say 1.300.000 kms ) without any major breakdowns ? properly serviced.
many thanks
Just wondered what everyone on here thinks of the Iveco Stralis, preferably if you drive/operate one!! Looking at tractor units to put on a bulk tipper and the Stralis seems to be a fairly cheap motor and alot of them haven’t done many k’s. Seen a few 55-56 models ranging from 480bhp to 540 bhp and like I say they seem a tidy motor just wondered what the common problems are (if any) and also if they are reliable. cheers.
It would be a shorter list to say what is right with them. Do a search on the site, and you’ll get plenty of replies.
Unless I’m mistaken, a Renault Premium is lighter and just as cheap. (But not as powerful.) Ask Repton as he runs one on bulk.
Ken.
Warning lights constantly
Bits just breaking off
Reliable not a hope we used to have one as spare in yard for when the other piles of cr@p broke was just constantly in garage
they are tempting given the price but you could buy new renualt premium for the repiar bills over space of owning it .
put together with chewing gum one we had less than year old had bits falling off it on light work so on bulk would quite possibly be dead within the week
“One story’s good till another’s told” My mum used to say!!
We have 2 on contract to a UK pallets carrier, both run Liverpool / Magna Pk 5 nights a week & work local / middle distance each day, both are 430’s and neither have given any real problems. One is 05 reg bought new the other a 55 plate bought 2 yrs old.
We run one ourselves on Bulk tipper work with one driver who’s away all week on middle distance, the driver loves it, air-con, well appointed interior and reasonable performance. It always returns mid 7’s mpg and one day I drove it I got 8.8mpg, that was;
29 tons of wheat Seaforth to Stockport, empty back to Seaforth,
29 tons of wheat to Stockport, re-load Stockport 22 tons wheatfeed to Oswestry then MT back to Liverpool. (the regular driver would usually park up and load a stone from that area for Manchester or Liverpool area)
We also run 2x Scania 124’s 1x02 plate 420 1x51 plate 470, 1x05 plate Volvo 460 ishift & an 02 Foden 420 ■■■■■■■ and the Strallis is by far the most economical, but most of the others don’t do as much light load work.
We do have a 2006 480 & a 2006 540 but neither have had tipping gear fitted yet, one of these will be replacing the 51 plate Scania. There’s no doubt the plastics of the interior aren’t as durable as a Volvo or a Scania, but make no mistake, these trucks are not the joke that the ‘wallet on a chain, feet stuck in dead rats’ brigade would have you believe. The 540 we just bought has only covered 380,000k’s and is like new & if I was to go back driving I’d gladly go away in it. Oh, & I’d rather drive a Strallis than a Premium!! IMHO!!
Ross.
Hi, having read the other replies I can only tell you truthfully my own experiances. I own a 57 plate 500 euro 5 6 x 2 stralis. It works on european work full time. weekly average fuel is 10.7mpg .It has never been off the road apart from routine checks etc. Yes it has its faults but then so do volvo scania etc. I firmly belive that for a one man one truck operation you will not beat it. I am away 5 nights a week and it is perfect for living in.drop down table, fridge, aircon, swivel pasenger seat,telly shelf , more cupboerd space than volvo or scania can dream about.2very large lockers outside and 2 smaller ones as well. ALL STANDARD!!! Unlike some other trucks.I like it so much i have just ordered a new one.And I was offered a bloody good price for this one despite what all the knockers say about them . horses for courses .
As a driver at DHL for quite a short period, we had MAN, Mercedes Actros and Stralis, and to be honest apart from the Comfort Shift I think I preferred the Stralis 
Wheel Nut:
As a driver at DHL for quite a short period, we had MAN, Mercedes Actros and Stralis, and to be honest apart from the Comfort Shift I think I preferred the Stralis
Another vote for Iveco, I would like to ask the people who ‘knock’ the Stralis if they’ve actually owned/driven one or is it hearsay about them falling to bits?
Ross.
I had a 430 LDH for a while and it served me well. Yes there were always warning lamps on, but nothing too serious. Where it is better than anything I’ve had since is the way in which the cab has been designed. Mine was an 03 plate but had the swivel seat, fridge and important for me, somewhere to sit and eat. I can’t abide being in a big cab but having nowhere to sit and eat, even a bowl of soup that doesn’t involve sitting on the bunk and having it balanced on your lap.
Since then I’ve bought 3 Actros Megaspaces, two of them new and have yet to find comparable comfort levels provided by the Stralis.
With regards the financials of running it, it was no better or worse than any other second hand truck you would buy. Fuel was pretty good, but I only run light, and servicing worked out no more expensive than other units I had.
And, yes I agree, most opinion on here is heresay and does not come from real experience!
Plambert:
And, yes I agree, most opinion on here is heresay and does not come from real experience!
Absolutely, also we put a new clutch in our 05 plate 430 that we run on tippers today, it’s done over 700k and the ‘CW’ (clutch wear) warning came on a couple of weeks ago. The one we took out was indeed knackered and the new one cost £500 in parts.
Ross.
bigr250:
Wheel Nut:
As a driver at DHL for quite a short period, we had MAN, Mercedes Actros and Stralis, and to be honest apart from the Comfort Shift I think I preferred the StralisAnother vote for Iveco, I would like to ask the people who ‘knock’ the Stralis if they’ve actually owned/driven one or is it hearsay about them falling to bits?
Ross.
i had a brand new one on demo about a yr ago,it only had about 40ks on it,the salesman who brought it to us was sitting in the passenger seat to show me what knobs did what,as i slamed the drivers door the door speaker cover came off,i handed it to him with a smile,his response was they all do that,it seemed to go downhill after that with various warning lights showing on a regular basis,and for some reason headlight bulbs kept blowing,shame really because it was a nice truck to drive,and good on fuel.that was the last we saw of ivecos we ended up with mercs again. 
bigr250:
I would like to ask the people who ‘knock’ the Stralis if they’ve actually owned/driven one or is it hearsay about them falling to bits?Ross.
Drove a 56 plate one today, and I took pictures of the interior which are below, so yes, I have drove them, in fact being an agency driver, many of them.:
I had a 10 plate one this year when driving for a customer for about 8 weeks, that had to go back to Iveco because the drivers door was very badly aligned, and when it rained, all I needed was a bottle of shower gel.
Ken.
You must excuse my ignorance as i havent posted before, but as i feel quite stongly about the Stralis and all the bad press they get i could nt resist the temptation !!
The 1st question i feel you must ask yourself before you purchase any vehicle is what is the main reason for being an O/D operator ? I would hope the answer is profit/ betterment etc, etc
Every other reason falls below this i.e fuel consumption,reliabilty,purchase cost,image,etc i `m sure you can list them all just as well as i can.
If you are paying less initally it stands to reason you going to pay less back + the interest on the additional money you would have had to borrow to purchase a Scanis/Volvo.
Fuel consumption is all down to your right foot, the Stralis if treated correctly will equal if not better most other makes { i know this because we operate a mixed fleet of 30 trucks 7 of which are Stralis}
The other stigma attached to Iveco is the stength of their dealer network {or lack of it} if you tell me where your based i`ll give you an opinion of your local dealer.
The cab plasics are an issue , caused mainly by heavy handed drivers/ rental company customers who dont give a --uk . Ultimately as a tool to make money you wont better them , cheap to buy ,cheap parts, good on fuel,reliable ,light ,good manouverability,{positively steered middle axle so they don`t scrub middle axle tyres } etc etc
As an example i know of some 55 plate 540 6x2 mid lifts going for less than 12 k, how much would these be if they were Volvo or Scania
All trucks have there faults, Iveco`s lack of appeal in my opinion is your gain !!
Good luck, if you need any further info don` t hesitate to contact me.
Stralisnumerouno:
As an example i know of some 55 plate 540 6x2 mid lifts going for less than 12 k, how much would these be if they were Volvo or Scania
Tell me were 
PM if needed. 
We have a 560 Stralis - From the first day we had it with delivery miles it had no night heater and no air-con
Once these were rectified it was a dream - the one fault is the seat and bunk being hard as nails - but both were eventually worn enough to be a bit softer.
while the first driver had the truck it was fine , everything worked and nothing fell off .
However the second driver managed to break small plastic bits and lose the washer bottle cap.
after 9 months the thrid driver managed to kill the batteries , and the air trailer valve .
Since putting a more experienced driver in it we have had no problems , everything is fine including fuel economy and power.
Its a superbe pulling motor and even 44 ton up it will go up windy hill at 55 mph in top gear !!
Its got a smooth gear change but sometimes forgets its gear going round a roundabout if you need to stop .
All in all the most powerfull truck in the fleet , the MPG is middle to high compared with the other trucks , the ttuck is nice and clean as well.
Could do with being a bit less plastic inside but for what we paid its a bargin.
cheers
Steve
From Quinnys photos I would be having a word with the drivers more than the Iveco salesman, that can only be caused by size 10 workboots on the dash!
Wheel Nut:
From Quinnys photos I would be having a word with the drivers more than the Iveco salesman, that can only be caused by size 10 workboots on the dash!
As a Stralis supporter I have to say that even our best kept Iveco’s have suffered this plastic peeling, maybe some factor 50 might keep the sunburn away?? But this is without doubt their worst problem, as for the one woth water ingression, I’ve seen plenty of Scania’s & Volvo’s with exactly the same issue.
As for price, we bought a 2006 55 reg 540 6x2 last week with only 380,000k’s on it and it was almost £8k less than a similar spec & age Volvo FH XL Globetrotter 460 that had done just under 800,000k’s. As a dreiver I would personally rather drive the Volvo, but as a haulier there’s no question, the Iveco is in the yard.
Ross.
bigr250:
As for price, we bought a 2006 55 reg 540 6x2 last week with only 380,000k’s on it and it was almost £8k less than a similar spec & age Volvo FH XL Globetrotter 460 that had done just under 800,000k’s. As a dreiver I would personally rather drive the Volvo, but as a haulier there’s no question, the Iveco is in the yard.
but was the lower mileage because the Iveco spent too much time in the workshop 
Denis F:
but was the lower mileage because the Iveco spent too much time in the workshop
Quality.
I think the Stralis is a Marmite truck, and I actually don’t like it.
Ken.
Bloody hell the opinion is pretty much split right down the middle. Think I might go out and have a look at a few on offer next weekend and see whats about. Im based East Yorkshire so if any of you know of any decent secondhand motors about(preferably with tipping gear) then let me know and i’ll have a butchers!!