We are sorry to hear today that Panelite has closed as of February 10th.  Panelite had a great selection of chrome accessories for all makes and models of heavy-duty trucks and was known as one of the great names in truck accessories.  Panelite's Volvo Truck selection was a great product line for VTChrome.com and always sold well. 

Class8TruckParts.com and VTChrome.com have taken our complete listings of Panelite accessories off our site tonight.  We will however do a complete inventory of Panelite inventory remaining in inventory and sell our remaining inventory.   VTChrome.com will still continue to offer our large selection of Dieter's Truck Chrome Accessories, and American Chrome products for your Volvo Truck Chrome and Accessory needs.

It's official we are now starting the snow season in most parts of the country.  Wheeling Truck Center has recently added a variety of snow plow lights from Truck-Lite and Grote to our site.  It may be a good idea to keep a spare set in your truck with you when you're out working.  The last thing you need on a cold day in bad weather is poor visibility because your lights don't work.  Also check out Grote's LED snow plow lamps for great visibility and long-life.  Click here to checkout our complete selection of snow plow lights

We are proud to announce that one of our companies Lobster Truck Leasing & Rental, Inc.  has been named a 2009 NationaLease Rising Star Award Winner.  We appreciate our many customers that have helped us grow throughout the years.

Check out the press release http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=68551&news_category_id=10

Lobster Truck Leasing & Rental, Inc. offers the following services at our locations in Wheeling WV and Steubenville Ohio.

• Truck Rental
• Full-Service Leasing
• Contract Maintenance

For more information about Lobster Truck Leasing & Rental, call Chad at 304-232-1440. or email chremp@lobstertruck.com     

Anyone operating a commercial vehicle has dealt with it, electrical wiring corrosion.  Chemicals used to treat roads (magnesium and calcium chloride) hang around on vehicles and do not easily wash off.  These chemicals tend to find their way into electrical connections and down wires causing corrosion problems. 
While this is a big problem to fix, it's even worse when you aren't sure which wire has the problem.  Dan Sullivan has come up with the answer to finding wiring faults FAST! Dan has invented the TESlite, a special set of leads that work with a digital voltmeter. Simply change the leads out with the TESlite tool and now with the push of a button, you can load a circuit to identify the wiring faults fast.  This tool doesn't damage wiring and has SteadyPin tips.  

The TESlite Voltmeter Leads can be purchase from ClassTruckParts.com


Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7_yV7jtQWE

Replacement lights are usually an easy fix to take care of for your vehicle, simply remove the lens, unscrew the old burnt out bulb, and install a new one.  That is of course if you have the new replacement bulb on hand.  We've talked before in earlier blogs about the importance of having an emergency parts kit in your truck.  One of the items on our recommended list are replacement light bulbs. 

If you look at a list of possible replacement light bulbs you'll see that many of these lights look alike.  Make sure you replace the old light with the correct new light.  Most miniature replacement bulbs have the part number stamped on the brass base, and most manufacturers use the same part numbers for the lights.  So if you pull the bulb and see 1156, you can buy a GE 1156 or Sylvania 1156, they are the same bulb. 

Class8TruckParts.com has a large selection of Sylvania Mini Replacement Bulbs available for purchase on line. 

We've recently added some video to our website on how to install some commonly purchased Volvo Truck Chrome Accessories.  You can view them on our website:

• Volvo Truck Chrome Headlight Trim
• Volvo Truck Chrome Fender Guard
• Volvo Truck Front Hub Cover

If you have suggestions on other instructional videos for Volvo Truck Parts and accessories, please give us some ideas on what you would like to see.

Anyone who's driven a truck long enough has had the unfortunate experience of the "Fender Bender".  In the fall we see a lot of minor collision damage done from deer.  Sometimes this minor collision damage can be a major cost due to radiator and cooling pack damage.  This is not only expensive to repair, it involves a great deal of unnecessary downtime.  Volvo has come up with a minor vehicle modification that can significantly reduce damage to the radiator and cooling system. 

The Front Under Reinforcement is a Genuine Volvo part that helps to minimize front impact damage to your radiator and cooling fan. It installs between the bumper and the cooling package to help deflect items from impacting the lower portion of the radiator. It requires less than 30 minutes to install and can be done without removing the bumper or the hood; all you need is an air wrench and a small jack for the front end.

Cost of the parts are $171.99 for post 2003 model year trucks and $247.22 for pre 2003 model VN trucks.  The price of this kit is a bargain compared to the price of a radiator assembly and more importantly the downtime that goes along with it.  To order this Front End Radiator Reinforcement .  If you're not sure which kit your truck needs, call us at 866-464-0183 with the serial number of your truck and tell our parts professionals you need a Deer Guard for your Volvo Truck.

http://hsmackvolvo.com/video.html

Seeing is believing, and that is why Volvo has put together this video showing a collision without the reinforcement, and then a collision with reinforcement.  You can order this kit from www.Class8TruckParts.com Deer Guard
and protect your vehicle from unnecessary downtime and expenses.

Grote has recently introduced LED strip lights for sale.  These 18" and 48" high output strip lights are available with or without a switch and in 12 or 24 Volts.  These strip lights make ideal compartment lights for tool boxes, truck cabs, sleepers or even van bodies.  The strip lights are very low profile and have a rugged polycarbonate lens.  As with all of Grote's LED interior lights, they are:

• Low power draw
• Generate very litte heat
• Use LED's rated up to 50,000 hours.
• High Output 500 lumen white LED

To purchase the new Grote LED Stip Lights, please visit Class8TruckParts.com

Yesterday we came across this great article from Fleetguard / Cummins Filtration on maintaining the lube system on your engine.  In today's tough economic environment there is pressure to extend oil drain intervals beyond manufacturers recommendations.  While this may save money in the short run, it can be much more expensive later.  For all your Fleetguard Filter needs, please visit Class8TruckParts.com

Ensuring proper lubrication is critical to maintain the performance and life of the engine. It is essential to use oil and filters that are designed for each specific engine application. Without regular oil changes and filters, the oil becomes saturated with impurities and contaminant particles, preventing it from functioning properly. To ensure your lubrication system is always functioning properly, follow these guidelines:

• Change the oil and filters according to the instructions of the operator manual.
• Verify the oil level daily, or each time you use the engine.
• Conduct regular oil analysis to prevent potential failures. Oil analysis detects wearing down of the engine and verifies the state of the oil.
• It is normal that an engine consumes some amount of oil (but not in excess). Please review the operator manual to know how much it is allowed to consume.

Why I must change the oil and filters?
Engine lubrication is perhaps the most important aspect in a good maintenance program. The engine oil lubricates all moving parts, provides protection against corrosion, absorbs and neutralizes the contaminants, serves as a coolant and is a sealant.
Through regular oil and filter changes, the oil is able to remove contaminants from the engine, translating into a cleaner engine with diminished wear.
Maintenance Benefits
The benefits for a fleet or an organization with focus on maintenance are:

• Diminished risk, preventing the probability of an occurrence of an engine failure
• Improvement of service efficiencies
• Reduction of operating costs
• Prolonged equipment life

Truck-Lite has recently introduced the world's first standard 12-Volt LED Headlamp.  What does this mean?  As many of you already know LED lights have a longer life compared to incandescent lights, and they also consume a lot less power.  The life of these lights exceeds a typical headlamp life by as much as 50 times.  What does this mean?  You would need to replace your normal headlamp 50 times before you change one of these LED headlamps.  While the initial cost is high for these lamps, they are a bargain in the long run.  That's why the US Army uses them on their Humvee vehicles.

Some of the other benefits of these new lights are:

• Better visibility and improved safety
• Pure-white, aesthetically pleasing beam patters through precision optics
• Low-power consumption
• Solid-state circuit board assembly to combat shock and vibration
• Hard-coated polycarbonate lens offers 30 times more impact strength than glass
• Meets or exceeds all applicable DOT requirements
• Made in America
• Exceeds typical headlamp life by as much as 50 times.

"The LED technology used in Truck-Lite's headlamps will offer improved visibility over conventional incadescents, as the color temperature of the assembly is around 5000K, far closer to sunlight than incandescent or halogen lamps." explains Charlie Lambis, OEM sales manager for Truck-Lite.

To purchase your own Truck-Lite LED Headlamp please visit Class8TruckParts.com.