You might be in trouble if.....

[garyhaupt]

Your busted down RV is being repaired by a guy with a yard like this....












On my supposed 10 day photo/fishin safari...a number of thngs went sideways. One of them being...blowing a spark plug right out of the hole. 4.5 hours waiting for the tow truck..he had a dr's appointment, so....then, overnight in the fixer's yard..

I kid you not....



But...he did know how to re-tap the hole, place the insert and get it all hammered in and a plug in..so, I am grateful. Now...if the tow truck guy had just marked which bolts went into which holes, I wouldn't have that vibtration.


Gary Haupt

[2lazy4U]

Better to find out in the shop than out somewhere a million miles from nowhere, but I do feel your pain.

[garyhaupt]

Drive shaft bolts weren't tight. Had all the plugs replaced yesyterday. Found rear brakes need replacing, muffler and tail section too..and just a whole bunch more. What a great day, yesterday was.



Gary Haupt

[almcc]

We have relied on "local knowledge" numerous times in the US, Canada and Mexico. We've found that in smaller towns the folks know who can do a good repair, if they don't they don't stay in business long as the word gets out, not like in the larger cities where "fly by night" people abound.

Ran into this in the US in Tucson, Lazy Days RV had "parts changers" who couldn't fix our RV, went to Yuma and Al's RV had an on site repair truck that fixed the RV problem in a short time at lower cost!

[GaryKH]

Quite true! One year, we were coming up the hill from Bella Coola (quite steep), when the fuel pump went. I managed to limp our van into a resort (Escott Bay Resort) at Anahim lake. The lady running the place said that it would take 3 days for a part to come from Williams Lake (this was in the mid '80's), but that maybe her neighbour could help, so she phoned him. He came over, took a look & went back home, saying he would be back. He came back with a brand new fuel pump in the box! Seems he used to have the contract to fix the police cars at the time & this was a common item. We spent 2 hours on the side of the road in mosquito & horsefly territory & got it working again, perfectly! It was a true blessing! And to top it off, he wouldn't accept any money for all of thhis.

[fanrgs]

Sounds similar to a friend's RV repair in Smithers, BC, in 2012. The transmission on his early 1970's GMC motorhome went kaput when he was returning home from Alaska on the Cassiar Highway. After a 100-mile RV tow and toad drive to Smithers, the GMC reached the nearest RV repair shop.

If you aren't familiar with those futuristic motorhomes, they use the Oldsmobile Toronado front-wheel drive 455 CI engine and transmission (no drive shaft) to ensure a low, flat floor in the living area and a low-drag, more streamlined profile on the road. So where do you find an early '70's GMC FWD transmission in a place the size of Smithers?

Well, you drive 10 miles out into the forest to a tarp-covered trailer. When you remove the tarp and search for a bit through all the used transmissions, you find just what you knew was there--an early '70's Cadillac Eldorado transmission that the tag says has only 36,000 miles on it. And you know that the FWD Eldorado from those years used the same transmission as the Toronado/GMC even though Cadillac had its own 500 CI engine.

Problem solved--transmission replaced the following day and back on the road the day after that. And three nights in a motel after two months on the road to Alaska in a small motorhome may actually have been a nice change for the couple. Not a cheap stay in Smithers by any means, but that transmission is still in the motorhome, which has been to Maine, California, Mexico, and everywhere in-between since 2012!

Sometimes these rustic, out-of-the-way places have just what you need!

[daily_double]

Everybody makes fun of rednecks until they need their car fixed. :B

[buta4]

Carrier wrote:
I've owned transport trucks and trailers and have been a heavy duty mechanic for 40 years and like the old saying "never judge a book by its cover" is true for repair shops. Seen ones like this and not always but many times have some really good mechanics or owners. Especially when they let you stay there.
Try that at any in the city!!!

X2!

I needed a new exhaust system in a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. My mechanic looked under the hood. He said new exhaust system is needed at $840 for the part plus other sundry parts at $1,300 inc. labor. Internet searches found system and parts alone for $1,500.

Went to Auto Zone to see about the part. Auto Zone Mgr said to see HIS mechanic for a second opinion. I went to his mechanic's ramshackle shop with a dozen or so cars in the messy overgrown yard.

He put the car on a lift, found the exhaust leak in one of the bellows and repaired it with a new bellows and welded it on.

Cost was $150!

Got me a new mechanic as of that moment.

[garyhaupt]

profdant139 wrote:
Glad you're back on the road -- that could have been a ba-a-a-a-d situation!

It would be pretty handy to have a sheep like that one in a machine shop -- now I know where they get steel wool!

How many sheep does it take to change a spark plug? Two: one to hold the wrench and the other to play with the dog.

Compared to what this would have cost at Camping World, I'd say that you got out of there pretty sheeply.

One more request -- instead of posting pictures of farm animals, Gary, could you switch back to shots of that talented nurse?? Just sayin' . . . .

FINnnaaaaaallly....yes! Someone with a sense of fun!!!!


You do know where they get virgin wool, right?

This was an un-escorted trip. Thus the diversion. Next time out, I shall endeavor to persude my home-care team to join. In fact, we are off to Port Simpson soon. And the Haida Gwaii, end of August, for 10 days. yes, yes..I know...names you are soo familiar with. The Blog has all.


Gary Haupt

[profdant139]

Glad you're back on the road -- that could have been a ba-a-a-a-d situation!

It would be pretty handy to have a sheep like that one in a machine shop -- now I know where they get steel wool!

How many sheep does it take to change a spark plug? Two: one to hold the wrench and the other to play with the dog.

Compared to what this would have cost at Camping World, I'd say that you got out of there pretty sheeply.

One more request -- instead of posting pictures of farm animals, Gary, could you switch back to shots of that talented nurse?? Just sayin' . . . .

[garyhaupt]

Tachdriver wrote:
Did you say how much he charged? For the repair I mean.

No charge for the sheepish looks....


Gary Haupt

[garyhaupt]

Maya wasn't quite up to playing kissy face with Baby. But, there was peace in the valley.

Not quite 'fixed' up. The truck is into the shop on Wed. That vibration, replace ALL the plugs and there is a track-bar to be looked at.

I did say he charged the going shop rate. $100 an hour. Job was 3 hours. Plus bits/pieces and tax. I didn't price shop before he started work, either. He showed me the Ford book that says to remove head before doing any of the plug work. He was able to do it by feel..you sure can't see anythting in there. I have no complaints at all. I just thought his yard was worth a comment. Usually, when one is going into a new-to-you shop..one kind of sizes up the place and who works there. A pile of rusty metal, spilled oil, tools just willy-nilly...and a sheep wandering..is usually not a good sign.



Gary Haupt

[3oaks]

Shadow Catcher wrote:
Some of them farmers know a thing or two 🙂

More than just a thing or two. Most are skilled at knowing how to improvise, making do what is on hand. 🙂 And most would give a stranger a willing hand. More than could be said of most city slickers. :R Most can't even change the oil in the own vehicles and would not have the fancy yards if it wasn't for the hired landscapers and caretakers.

[K_Charles]

When you take the drive shaft off remove it from the spline and put it back so the two yolks on the ends line up. As said above 180 out won't make it vibrate.

I worked on construction equipment for many years and that place you found has a nice parts department out back.

[Tachdriver]

Did you say how much he charged? For the repair I mean.