There’s a load (24 I think), of new Dafs sitting in our yard ready to go on the road next month…
Should I be worried or looking forward to one compared to the MAN I’m currently driving…?
Look forward to it mate. They’re head and shoulders above a MAN in driving terms and in cab space and ergonomics. Tbh, IMHO I’d say that it’s the next best truck on the road behind a Scania nowadays.
You dont say which model? The latest XF has been on demo at our place and the driver, who had an older model XF says its noticably better, especially regards the gearbox. Fair to say there was plenty of scope for improvement with the first Euro 6ss! But if theyve sorted out some of those issues then they could be very good.
Has the reliability issues been sorted? Pretty much put us off buying DAF’s
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dunlopc:
Has the reliability issues been sorted? Pretty much put us off buying DAF’sSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What issues did you have? Ours have been as good as our Renault Scania and Merc.
Franglais:
dunlopc:
Has the reliability issues been sorted? Pretty much put us off buying DAF’sSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What issues did you have? Ours have been as good as our Renault Scania and Merc.
Personally we never ran DAF’s. it’s only from feedback from friends running them. Seemed to be constantly going back and forth to the workshop.
Currently running a Volvo FM. Mechanical wise is pretty spot on but the electrics are a bit suspect.
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Goldfinger:
There’s a load (24 I think), of new Dafs sitting in our yard ready to go on the road next month…Should I be worried or looking forward to one compared to the MAN I’m currently driving…?
Get a hold of the handbook and read it …And read how to use the Cabin Cliate Control…The night heater needs a degree to use properly…You can programme it for a week ,butthat is from monday to sunday ,So no point progranning it on a sunday for the following week as it will lose the programming midnight on sunday going in to monday …And before you ask i do not have a clue why it works like that ,someone way cleverer than me thought that was abrilliant idea ,wether it was DAF or the heater manufacturer
norb:
Goldfinger:
There’s a load (24 I think), of new Dafs sitting in our yard ready to go on the road next month…Should I be worried or looking forward to one compared to the MAN I’m currently driving…?
Get a hold of the handbook and read it …And read how to use the Cabin Cliate Control…The night heater needs a degree to use properly…You can programme it for a week ,butthat is from monday to sunday ,So no point progranning it on a sunday for the following week as it will lose the programming midnight on sunday going in to monday …And before you ask i do not have a clue why it works like that ,someone way cleverer than me thought that was abrilliant idea ,wether it was DAF or the heater manufacturer
Oh God, does this mean that one of the “new developments” has had the same testing as previous new ideas? The manual mode that reverts to auto on a whim, the shelf too small for A4 docs, with the power points for electric items put cleverly under the cup holder, the suspension designed to make smooth motorways smoother, and make uneven roads like a sea in a storm ten!
Do DAF employ development drivers? If they do, are they overnighting in hotels to avoid the condensation running down the windscreen after sleeping in the things? Do their drivers take the ■■■■ things anywhere except main roads in nice weather?
Franglais:
norb:
Goldfinger:
There’s a load (24 I think), of new Dafs sitting in our yard ready to go on the road next month…Should I be worried or looking forward to one compared to the MAN I’m currently driving…?
Get a hold of the handbook and read it …And read how to use the Cabin Cliate Control…The night heater needs a degree to use properly…You can programme it for a week ,butthat is from monday to sunday ,So no point progranning it on a sunday for the following week as it will lose the programming midnight on sunday going in to monday …And before you ask i do not have a clue why it works like that ,someone way cleverer than me thought that was abrilliant idea ,wether it was DAF or the heater manufacturer
Oh God, does this mean that one of the “new developments” has had the same testing as previous new ideas? The manual mode that reverts to auto on a whim, the shelf too small for A4 docs, with the power points for electric items put cleverly under the cup holder, the suspension designed to make smooth motorways smoother, and make uneven roads like a sea in a storm ten!
Do DAF employ development drivers? If they do, are they overnighting in hotels to avoid the condensation running down the windscreen after sleeping in the things? Do their drivers take the ■■■■ things anywhere except main roads in nice weather?
you have me there Franglais…Afraid im not that good ,though the MY2017 model is totally different from the original Euro 6 version
Run…run away now… 
norb:
Franglais:
norb:
Goldfinger:
There’s a load (24 I think), of new Dafs sitting in our yard ready to go on the road next month…Should I be worried or looking forward to one compared to the MAN I’m currently driving…?
Get a hold of the handbook and read it …And read how to use the Cabin Cliate Control…The night heater needs a degree to use properly…You can programme it for a week ,butthat is from monday to sunday ,So no point progranning it on a sunday for the following week as it will lose the programming midnight on sunday going in to monday …And before you ask i do not have a clue why it works like that ,someone way cleverer than me thought that was abrilliant idea ,wether it was DAF or the heater manufacturer
Oh God, does this mean that one of the “new developments” has had the same testing as previous new ideas? The manual mode that reverts to auto on a whim, the shelf too small for A4 docs, with the power points for electric items put cleverly under the cup holder, the suspension designed to make smooth motorways smoother, and make uneven roads like a sea in a storm ten!
Do DAF employ development drivers? If they do, are they overnighting in hotels to avoid the condensation running down the windscreen after sleeping in the things? Do their drivers take the ■■■■ things anywhere except main roads in nice weather?you have me there Franglais…Afraid im not that good ,though the MY2017 model is totally different from the original Euro 6 version
Sorry.
The 2006 DAF I had was a lovely truck. The 2015 is a dog. It could be, and indeed SHOULD be a good un, but silly, stupid faults knock it back. Both were/are reliable enough* but the early Eu6s have problems. Do I get overly wound up about this? Maybe, but why cant they sort em out before selling em? Took me all of two weeks living with one (even after looking forward to one after hearing good reports on it!) to hating it. Good enough on average runs, with average loads on average roads but anything vaguely different and its horrible. Im not in work that is overly difficult, not overly heavy, or long, or off road, just not main road/ motorway all the time. Looks to me like someone has crunched the numbers and come up with a good solution, but hasnt actually tested that solution.
Thought experiment: if a salesman offered you a gearbox 99.99% reliable offering 99.99% better fuel economy 99.99% in correct gear and 99.99% ease of use, would you buy it?
Answer, in your own minds, if any one wishes? I`ll give my opinion tomorrow. (Hardly earth shattering, edge of the seat stuff is it?)
*Barring head gasket issues on 480s, which were cured after the things were on the road. But that SHOULD have been sorted during development, surely? A pattern maybe of poor testing/development?
I don’t personally have any problems with the 2016 DAF xf I drive,the only problem I do have is other muppet drivers damaging it quite frequently and tramping mud over to the passenger side,the latest damage being a scrape along the nearside headlight casing and causing a small crack in said casing,but when you say about it all you get is ‘‘not me fella’’ or I know nothing about it,or no one knows who drove it during the night,i give up now
Never known any head gaket failures on any Eueo 4 /5/6 motors …Anytime I have removed a cylinder head is due to other engine related issues ,never for a Head gasket
AndrewG:
Run…run away now…
On some days, I wish I could…
But to where?
As there’s nowt else out there round here… 
norb:
Never known any head gaket failures on any Eueo 4 /5/6 motors …Anytime I have removed a cylinder head is due to other engine related issues ,never for a Head gasket
I was referring to the Eu3, pre MX engines. I had one on a 2005/6 truck. Must have been one of the last? The problem was, I believe, the head bolts passed into a waterway, the “goop” used failed to seal after a while and water would seep into the head gasket. Cure was to strip off head, recoat bolts with hi-tech “goop”, dry overnight, then assemble. Something like that anyway? They`d fail about 200k. Took a few attempts with different sealants etc before a cure was found if I remember. But once cured, ■■■■ good engine. Reliable and not too juicy.
In fact that old truck was about three-quarters of an mpg worse than my current 2015. Seems not bad for old technology to me.
Water cooled head bolts…a sure recipe for disaster…
Franglais:
norb:
Never known any head gaket failures on any Eueo 4 /5/6 motors …Anytime I have removed a cylinder head is due to other engine related issues ,never for a Head gasketI was referring to the Eu3, pre MX engines. I had one on a 2005/6 truck. Must have been one of the last? The problem was, I believe, the head bolts passed into a waterway, the “goop” used failed to seal after a while and water would seep into the head gasket. Cure was to strip off head, recoat bolts with hi-tech “goop”, dry overnight, then assemble. Something like that anyway? They`d fail about 200k. Took a few attempts with different sealants etc before a cure was found if I remember. But once cured, ■■■■ good engine. Reliable and not too juicy.
In fact that old truck was about three-quarters of an mpg worse than my current 2015. Seems not bad for old technology to me.
Thats the XE engine a proper old school lump, very tough and pretty damned reliable, used to get the odd one in for rebuilds, I did loads of head gaskets on them though mainly due to the sore plugs between the two heads rotting out.
We used new bolts all the time and they did have some sort of sealant on the threads, what it was I havent a clue and so long as the block threads had a tap run down them you had no issues.
Franglais:
norb:
Never known any head gaket failures on any Eueo 4 /5/6 motors …Anytime I have removed a cylinder head is due to other engine related issues ,never for a Head gasketI was referring to the Eu3, pre MX engines. I had one on a 2005/6 truck. Must have been one of the last? The problem was, I believe, the head bolts passed into a waterway, the “goop” used failed to seal after a while and water would seep into the head gasket. Cure was to strip off head, recoat bolts with hi-tech “goop”, dry overnight, then assemble. Something like that anyway? They`d fail about 200k. Took a few attempts with different sealants etc before a cure was found if I remember. But once cured, ■■■■ good engine. Reliable and not too juicy.
In fact that old truck was about three-quarters of an mpg worse than my current 2015. Seems not bad for old technology to me.
The xe/xf engine .the goop wasn’t the problem as such, the head gaskets where crap and the heads would crack at the rear,so that would be cylinders 3 and 6 …The only issue the goop had was the workshops couldn’t apply and leave it the correct period of time ,so along with the new multi layered head gasket, a modified head and new bolts where also to be fitted …To be honest it was a nice job ,except when it came to cleaning the old goop out the block with a tap
Goldfinger:
AndrewG:
Run…run away now…On some days, I wish I could…
But to where?
As there’s nowt else out there round here…
DONT PANIC ! Even the 2015 arent bad in everyday use. Good cabs, andtheyre fine on main roads and around town. The problems I rant on about have hopefully been cured in the latest ones. Maybe theyve introduced some new ones 
but dont sweat it. Maybe Im doing you a favour? If I tell you they are absolute rubbish youll be pleasantly surprised. If youre told they are the best ever you`ll be disappointed.
Franglais:
Oh God, does this mean that one of the “new developments” has had the same testing as previous new ideas? The manual mode that reverts to auto on a whim, the shelf too small for A4 docs, with the power points for electric items put cleverly under the cup holder, the suspension designed to make smooth motorways smoother, and make uneven roads like a sea in a storm ten!
Do DAF employ development drivers? If they do, are they overnighting in hotels to avoid the condensation running down the windscreen after sleeping in the things? Do their drivers take the ■■■■ things anywhere except main roads in nice weather?
Clearly not driven one then.