A few days ago I bought a 2002 MAN 8.155 BLRC ML 4.9, or at least that’s what it says on the plate.
It says LE150C on the cab. It’s a 7.5 tonne box van with a tail lift. The ‘4.9’ probably refers to the engine size in litres, I don’t know what the rest means. I don’t have an HGV licence and I don’t plan to operate the vehicle commercially - I plan to use it to move house. It drives like a dream. The van, that is, the house is a nightmare. Don’t ask.
The truck came without any kind of operator’s handbook. I’d have thought it ought to be a legal requirement, is it not? I’ve Googled for hours and emailed MAN to ask if they can supply one. They haven’t replied yet and I’m (a) impatient and (b) completely clueless about the finer points of the machinery and instrumentation, not to mention other little details like tyre pressures. For example this morning when I started it, the warning light that I assume is for the glowplugs started flashing after I’d started the engine. I have no idea what that might mean, although one of my other vans once did that when I used the indicators after it had been up the road for a service. Anyway I didn’t think I liked it so I waited a few seconds and then turned the engine off. The light didn’t come on again (at all) the next time I started the engine.
Enough of this babble.
Does anyone out there know where I can get an owner’s handbook for this truck?
Hello, try this it should be possible to Go and visit
your nearest MAN workshop, and be able to order
a vehicle handbook,EVERY VEHICLE does leave the factory
with one, Take your logbook with you so the people can
get all the correct information they need to order one for you
brit pete:
… visit your nearest MAN workshop … Take your logbook with you …
Good advice, I should have mentioned that’s exactly what they said. But I haven’t got the log book back from DVLA yet, and foolishly I didn’t take a copy before the seller sent it off.
Good advice, but I’ve searched for hours and come up with nothing except more trucks. Maybe I’ll go to see another two or three and casually ask if I can borrow the handbook for an hour or two…
Take your truck (or even just the Reg number) and your local MAN dealer should be able to trace the vehicles history.
As I run a MAN (artic though ) I’ve found the dealers to be very helpfull, not just my local 1 at Gateshead. They should be able to give you all the info you want! When your known to them, they’ll even help you over the phone! lol
ged:
. I don’t have an HGV licence and I don’t plan to operate the vehicle commercially - I plan to use it to move house. It drives like a dream. The van, that is, the house is a nightmare. Don’t ask.
you must have more money than sense, or was it a real bargain? would it not have been cheaper to rent one? or do you plan to move about 14 times in the next 12 months
Giblsa:
you must have more money than sense, or was it a real bargain? would it not have been cheaper to rent one? or do you plan to move about 14 times in the next 12 months
Well regarding money and sense it’s debatable.
I paid 2800 for the truck. It’s done 434Megametres and drives like a dream. MOT until April. It has a sleeper cab. It’s tidy, with just a few little bits of damage – only one bit of the damage (to the bottom panel of the shutter door) really needs any work which will probably take me a couple of hours and cost me next to nothing. Someone’s fitted a lovely hardwood trellis to strap things to the sides, I lashed my FJR1300 to it when I picked up the truck:
There are enough goods and chattels to fill two 40’ containers, one of which will be for sale after the move, probably five or six loads for the truck as with a tare of 4880kg according to the weighbridge just up the road I’ll be limited more by a maximum load of about 2400kg + driver etc. than by the volume. To be honest I was a little bit disappointed that the empty truck was so heavy, I was expecting more like 4500kg. I have to move everything about 1,000 miles from Derbyshire to the Franco-Spanish border near the Mediterranean coast where I’ve rebuilt a 600 square metre farmhouse.
I reckon on it taking a week per load to load it and unload it, plus probably two days each way driving; say ten days per load if I’m lucky.
So I’m looking at 50 to 60 days or more rent at a minimum of 50 quid per day (2500 to 3000+), under quite a lot of pressure, with nothing to sell at the end of it; or taking my time with my own truck which I can then sell. If I even want to sell it – I like it a lot already.
Still no reply from MAN about the owner’s manual though, so I’ll try the (semi-) local dealers as has been suggested.
Surely you would have been better off contacting a removal company and getting them to move the stuff for you. It could have been done and dusted in 2 weeks and you would only have to pay for their trucks on the ferry once as opposed to the amount that you need.
It wouldn’t have been cheap but by the time you factor in fuel, ferries, tolls and your time you will end up paying 3/4 times that amount. Good luck to you, hope everything goes well.
farmer:
can i sugest u go to ur local removal company and purchase some blankets and place them over every thing that u dont want marked [snip] used to find 90 to 100 was enough
Wow! That’s a lot of blankets! I’m managing with odd bits of old carpet and packing the squishy things between the lumpy things.
farmer:
ohh and as for the glow plug warning light dont worry about it mine always did it usually when startin from cold
That’s exactly what mine does. Just on starting from cold. If I run it a little bit, then stop and restart it, the light doesn’t seem to flash. You’ve given me some comfort at least. Was yours a MAN truck?
You guessed right. Various Michelin, some retreaded some not, pressures in the range 52-87 psi when I bought the truck. At least they were all the same size, 215/75 R17.5.
And this truck WILL have a manual before it goes anywhere else!
farmer:
can i sugest u go to ur local removal company and purchase some blankets and place them over every thing that u dont want marked [snip] used to find 90 to 100 was enough
Wow! That’s a lot of blankets! I’m managing with odd bits of old carpet and packing the squishy things between the lumpy things.
farmer:
ohh and as for the glow plug warning light dont worry about it mine always did it usually when startin from cold
That’s exactly what mine does. Just on starting from cold. If I run it a little bit, then stop and restart it, the light doesn’t seem to flash. You’ve given me some comfort at least. Was yours a MAN truck?
farmer:
[snip] as for the glow plug warning light dont worry about it mine always didit usually when startin from cold
The manual arrived.
According to the manual, the flashing warning light indicates the “post-ignition phase”, after which the light stops flashing. The engine should not be run at more than 800rpm during the post ignition phase.
) I’ve found the dealers to be very helpfull, not just my local 1 at Gateshead. They should be able to give you all the info you want! When your known to them, they’ll even help you over the phone! lol 
