Kenworth Truck Repair in Austin, TX
T680s running freight and W900s that have earned their keep — we keep Kenworths on the road and out of the breakdown lane.
Kenworth service at an independent Austin shop
Kenworth shares PACCAR power with Peterbilt, so the engine and aftertreatment work is familiar ground. What differs is how these trucks are used: highway miles pile on the air system, steer tires, and emissions hardware, and that is where we spend our diagnostic time.
Kenworth models and drivetrains we service
- T680 — The current highway truck — PACCAR MX-13 or Cummins X15, with full aftertreatment.
- T800 — The vocational mainstay before the T880, and still everywhere on Texas job sites.
- T370 & T270 — Medium-duty box, service, and utility trucks running PACCAR PX-7 and PX-9 — the Cummins B6.7 and L9 under PACCAR badging.
- W900 — The long-nose classic — steering, front axle, and engine work on high-mileage trucks.
- T880 & vocational — Dump, mixer, and heavy vocational trucks that live off pavement.
- PACCAR MX & Cummins — Diagnostics and repair on MX-11, MX-13, and Cummins ISX/X15 power. See Cummins repair.
- Older Cat & Detroit power — C15 and Series 60 trucks still earning a living. We keep them running rather than telling you to buy new.
What we see fail on Kenworth
- DEF and SCR faults — Dosing failures and quality sensors that derate a loaded truck without much warning.
- Air leaks and slow build — Dryers, valves, and lines — the things that fail a DOT inspection.
- Steer tire wear — Almost always alignment or front-end wear, and cheaper to fix than to keep buying tires.
- Aftertreatment derates — DPF loading and SCR efficiency faults that pull power on a loaded truck — DPF cleaning.
- Turbo and EGR problems — Lost boost and soot-loading that shows up as poor fuel mileage first.
- Charging and electrical faults — Batteries, alternators, and intermittent circuits that strand a truck overnight.
Kenworth work we handle
- PACCAR MX and Cummins engine diagnostics and repair
- Aftertreatment service — DPF, DEF, and SCR faults
- Air brake systems, dryers, and full brake jobs
- Heavy-duty alignment and front-end rebuilds
- Annual DOT/FMCSA inspections
- Preventive maintenance on a fleet schedule
Keeping a Kenworth on the road
- Front-end and kingpin inspection — The highest-value item on a long-nose truck — caught early it is a bushing, ignored it is steer tires plus the front end anyway.
- Alignment on an interval — Steer tires cost enough that alignment pays for itself.
- Fuel filters — MX and X15 injection both turn dirty fuel into four-figure repairs.
- DPF cleaning before the derate — Scheduled beats stranded, and ash accumulates no matter how well the truck runs.
- Air dryer cartridge — Cheap, routinely skipped, and how moisture ends up in the air system.
- Charging system checks — Batteries, alternators, and connections — the usual cause of a truck that will not start on a cold morning.
Intervals depend on how the truck is worked, not on the odometer alone — see diesel truck maintenance schedules for how we set them, or fleet preventive maintenance if you run several.
The independent alternative to the dealer
Kenworth service around Austin generally means the dealer, and for an open recall or a factory warranty claim that is the right place. Outside of that, an independent shop is usually quicker to get into and easier to deal with — which matters when the truck is the business. We run full-size bays with lifts, alignment equipment, and parts on the shelf, so a real front-end job or an aftertreatment repair gets done here rather than diagnosed and sent elsewhere. You also deal with the person who actually worked on the truck, and get told plainly when a job belongs at the dealer.
Modern Diesel is an independent, Christian, veteran-owned shop — we service Kenworth trucks but are not a dealer or affiliated with the manufacturer. Warranty coverage on our work is set with your service advisor at the time of service.
Related services
Other makes we service
Peterbilt · Freightliner · Volvo · Mack · International · Isuzu · Hino
Bring it to the shop
We work on Kenworth at our shop at 2900 N FM 973, Austin, TX 78725, serving the Greater Austin Area (Travis, Bastrop, Williamson, Hays) — Austin, Del Valle, Manor, Elgin, Pflugerville, Round Rock, and the surrounding counties. Call 512-717-2777 and tell us what it's doing, or send us the details and we'll get back to you.
Common questions
Do you service PACCAR MX-13 engines?
Yes — MX-11 and MX-13 diagnostics, aftertreatment faults, and engine repair. We work from live data and fault history rather than swapping parts, because on these engines the code is often a symptom of something upstream.
My T680 is eating steer tires. What is wrong?
Usually alignment or front-end wear — kingpins, tie rod ends, or a bent component from a curb strike. We measure the alignment on our heavy-duty equipment and show you the numbers, so you are not replacing tires every few months.
Do I have to take a Kenworth to the dealer?
No. Diagnostics, engine and aftertreatment work, air brakes, front-end and alignment, and DOT inspections are all independent-shop work and we do them in full-size bays. The dealer is the right call for open recalls, factory warranty claims, and certain proprietary programming — we say so up front when that is the honest answer rather than keeping your truck to find out.
Is a PACCAR MX-13 the same engine as in a Peterbilt?
Yes — Kenworth and Peterbilt are both PACCAR, and they share the MX-11 and MX-13 engines. The medium-duty PX-7 and PX-9 are Cummins B6.7 and L9 under PACCAR badging. So a shop that works on one works on the other, which is exactly how we treat them.
Can you work on a W900 with an older Cat in it?
Yes, and gladly. Pre-emissions trucks with Cat C15 or Detroit Series 60 power sidestep the aftertreatment problems entirely and are worth keeping on the road. We do engine work, air systems, front ends, and inspections on them — we are not going to tell you the truck is too old to bother with.
Do you work on fleets of Kenworths?
Yes. Fleet accounts get priority scheduling, fleet pricing, and on-site service at your yard, and you can track every unit through the FleetGood portal. See our fleet maintenance and management services for how it works.
Ready when you are.
Drop by the shop at 2900 N FM 973, Austin, TX 78725 or call and we’ll get you scheduled.