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| A neat experience... |
| 03.07.09 (6:10 pm) [edit] |
Good afternoon Boys and Girls.This is, if I've kept track correctly, my thirtieth trip to Iowa in the past 16 months. No great shakes if I were a truck driver, but for me it's meant more driving on a regular basis than I've ever done in my life. Over the last year, along with my usual travels around West Michigan for work, It's meant over sixty-thousand miles for my trusty old Jeep Cherokee. Now, I suppose I should mention I virtually stole the old girl three years ago the very same week I moved into my home in Rockford, Michigan when I noticed it for sale down the street. The folks who were selling it have four or five Jeeps all the time. Every few years they buy a new one and slide the next oldest down a peg, and so on, so that their youngest son, who may now be about twenty, and therefore perhaps getting close to being out of the loop depending on what his plans are, has the oldest Jeep in the family; the very oldest having been put up for sale there along the street. Well, the last time this happened, I ended up buying their "very oldest" Jeep. I've mentioned before that I've been working around new cars and dealerships since I was a kid. As such, I've watched the new models come and go every few years for the better part of four decades, AND I've watched the way car values sink so very quickly. It's always amazed me that people on limited budgets are willing to sink such a big chunk of their available funds on huge car payments for the fleeting pleasure of driving a new car for a few weeks. As for me, I've always enjoyed finding a beater for next to nothing, and then doing my level best to nurse it through it's last few years 'til it's ready for recycling. It gives me an, admittedly strange but, nonetheless, real pleasure. I paid all of 800 dollars for my old 1993 Jeep Cherokee. Granted, at the time I bought it, it had just over 200,000 miles on it. Yes, that IS a lot of miles, no question about it, but it has one of those wonderful 4.0 liter straight six engines that haven't changed much since WWII when Chevy started making the block it's based on. Yes, Chevrolet. (Back then, it was called a 218 c.i. straight six.) The body was in good shape too, with just a couple of dings in the sheet metal and some of the ubiquitous cancer in the rocker panels common to that body style. Since September of '06, I've put over 130,000 miles on it myself including three trips to Florida and the aforementioned 30 round trips to Des Moines. To date, the total cost of repairs and maintenance have been right around 650 bucks. And did I mention I get twenty-four to twenty-six miles a gallon? So, I had no real reason to complain when, just an hour or so south of Grand Rapids Wednesday, when I stopped to fill the tank and check the oil, the cashier who took my money said, "Wow. Look at that! Man, you're leaking something under there." And boy oh boy, was I. At first I thought it was oil, but no, my transfer case was leaking, and how. During that four or five minute stop, I must have dropped half a quart of black fluid in a puddle right under my car. After a few minutes of thinking it over; I wasn't familiar with that particular part of Southwest Michigan; the cashier suggested I take it to a place called P & R Auto Service a couple of miles away in Stevensville, Michigan. I drove slowly. It's really just a standard looking sixties era Shell station that at some point had been added on to out the back. Eleven mechanics work full time there for a guy named Al Poschke; the "P" of "P & R". After being called to by the cashier there, he came to the front of the building a minute or two later wiping his hands on a rag, and smiling a genuine smile. I explained my problem as best I could. He could see I was a little worried and asked me if I was traveling. I told him I was. He nodded and said he'd see what he could do. A few minutes later, he had one of his guys pull my car into one of the back bays, and I crossed my fingers. He'd said it might take a while to clean off the fluid and see what the problem really was, though we both thought we knew what it would turn out to be, and since I'd left my cell number, I walked around the corner to grab a sandwich at a cute little diner called "Rick's". Fifteen or twenty minutes later, Al called me and asked me to come back. He wanted to show me the problem. Oh oh. From what I understand, the transfer case distributes power to both the front and back wheels from the transmission depending on whether you've engaged the four-wheel drive option. Inside the transfer case, there's a chain that, when the four-wheel drive system is on, supplies power to the front wheels. Well, evidently the chain in my transfer case had become so slack that it had been wearing on the bottom of the housing - probably had been for years - and now the constant friction had actually worn through the aluminum case and created a hole in the bottom of the darn thing. Damn. The upshot? Even a used transfer case from a junkyard, once installed, was going to run me about six hundred bucks. Bummer. Both Al and I had figured it was probably going to be that the gasket between the transfer case and the transmission had given way; a replacement repair that would have cost a couple hundred bucks at the outside, but no. There was a small but clearly visible hole where one just ought not be under ANY circumstances. Hmmm. What to do. I KNOW I've been on borrowed time with the old Jeep since the day I bought it, but now, after it's given me such great service for such an unexpected length of time, would putting that much money into it be worth it? Should I just call SweetLady and tell her I'd be another couple of days, call for a ride home, then approach one of my many dealers and buy something new (er)? Quite a quandary. I thought of an idea (though probably a dumb one) and decided to bring it up. "Al", I asked, "is there any way to just patch the hole? Maybe some epoxy?" He said, "Well, if it was my car, that's exactly what I'd do. But I'm leery to recommend that to a customer. I couldn't guarantee that sort of repair. It might last a mile, or it might last thousands of miles." "How about if I don't hold you responsible. What do you think it'd cost me?" "Hmmm. Maybe sixty bucks. We'll have to clean the area real well first, and then it'll have to stay on the hoist a while to let the epoxy cure before we can refill it with fluid." "Go for it." I told Al, and we sort of smiled conspiratorially at each other - as if we might get away with something, at least for a little while. Wednesday, SweetLady had three mid-terms and we yapped as she ate a quick lunch before her last test of the day, then she said goodbye and went back to some last minute studying. Meanwhile, I sipped some coffee and awaited... "the expoxy verdict". About forty-five minutes later, I noticed my car was sitting outside where I'd parked it when I pulled in. I walked out, got down underneath to check out the repair, and saw they'd also put a layer of hi-temp silicone over the epoxy patch. Nary a drip or wet spot on the pavement, and as I reached up and felt the patch area, I found the rubbery silicone was already dry and I could easily feel the firmness of the patch underneath. Cool. What a job they'd done. And my bill? -fifty-two bucks plus tax. I gave the cashier an extra ten to give to the mechanic who actually worked on the car, and after shaking Al's hand, I was back on the road an hour and a half after I'd pulled off for gas. I made it to Des Moines without fanfare, and have now driven the Jeep another five-hundred and forty miles since Al's patch job. What a wonderful experience, to run across a mechanic who was willing to FIX something, instead of just replacing the parts, even if it went against his better judgment He knew, and chose to understand, my predicament. I know it'll soon be time to look for another vehicle, but I'll have a hard time parting with this one. It's been, and continues to be, a real trouper. And again, thanks Al. P & R Auto Service. Stevensville, Michigan 32 years of service and still growing. (I love it.) Be good to everyone. |
posted by: fractalmom (reply)
post date: 03.07.09 (4:40 pm)
ppl like that make the world go around. quite literally. i'm thinking uh...angie's list?
and don't you freakin LOVE LOVE LOVE nu dough!!!!
And I am really glad that it all worked.
posted by: Ladyg (reply)
post date: 03.07.09 (5:00 pm)
I am so glad that it all worked out for you and that you found an honest mechanic.
posted by: tampi (reply)
post date: 03.07.09 (5:33 pm)
YOU GOT SOME REAL MILES CLOCKED ON THAT ENGINE GREAT GOING
posted by: auntconi (reply)
post date: 03.07.09 (6:20 pm)
WOW ~ that is service above and beyond!!!
How very fortunate that it could be repaired like that; and be so cost/time effective; for such a relatively small amount of $$$ and done within an hour and a half!!! Excellent!!! Good for you!!!
posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 03.07.09 (7:33 pm)
Boy, are you cheap. Errr, frugal. Smart? I've driven many old and ragged vehicles, and generally they end up costing more in ongoing repairs than would be a regular car payment. But, I've never been smart enough to ask for an epoxy patch job, not knowing it would be a possibility. So, I hope you get another 100,000 miles out of the Jeep.
posted by: OldSchool (reply)
post date: 03.07.09 (9:26 pm)
Glad you were able to get it fixed at least temporarily.
With the travel you are doing, you probably should find something that would give you peace of mind. If it were me, it would always be in the back of my mind that the patch could go.
Safe travels as always. Just to say it again, I am happy to have you posting again. I always enjoy reading them. Take care.
posted by: Kram1000 (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (3:13 am)
Good story.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:23 am)
Reply to: fractalmom
Definitely. Angie's List. Hadn't thought of that. Thanks.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:24 am)
Reply to: Ladyg
I've since found out he has a great reputation all over that area. You're right, it was very nice to find an honest mechanic.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:26 am)
Reply to: auntconi
It was fun. I'll do what I can to pass on the word about this guy.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:30 am)
Reply to: tampi
My '93 with 330,000 miles used to be "the champ" at the place I get my oil changed, but recently another guy's been bringing in a '94 with 450,000 miles on it. Same motor.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:34 am)
Reply to: PastorDave
Well, I suppose they can, but even though I buy old stuff, I usually know what I'm looking for. Some cars have pretty good reputations for lasting a long time and I deliberately half keep my eyes open for something on my mental list, and I try to buy before I absolutely have to - ya know, so I can plan a proper funeral for whatever the new one is replacing.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:45 am)
Reply to: OldSchool
I may have other problems with the transfer case - like the chain might finally come apart from all that wear and tear - but I seriously doubt if the epoxy will ever let go. They used JB weld - amazingly hard stuff once cured - certainly harder and stronger than the aluminum housing itself. I've heard stories about guys molding replacements for hard-to-find moving engine parts out of JB weld that have lasted years. In any case, I'll be looking for a new vehicle soon, then the debate will be whether to junk the Jeep or sell it to a high-school kid looking for something to work on and fix up a bit.
posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:51 am)
Reply to: Kram1000
Thanks. A gratifying one to tell.
posted by: pretensions (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (8:02 am)
Really enjoyed the story. Being of the category of motorist that might be hard-pressed to fix a flat tire should it occur, I have always gone for the "1 careful owner" style of used car. I'm also in enough of a customer-facing job that image counts - tho' I definitely don't have the dough for a Lexus. Fantastic mileage out of the old girl 'tho and I bet she's fun to drive!
posted by: bawdy (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (1:15 pm)
It's nice to know there are some mechanics out there not trying to take advantage of customers. And if a vehicle makes it to 200,000 miles in the first place, that speaks volumes about its reliability.
posted by: emerging (reply)
post date: 03.08.09 (7:31 pm)
Should we start taking bets - will the rust overtake her before the patch gives out?? There's someone in Des Moines who is both amazed and thrilled at your willingness to make that trip - and her name ISN'T Kathy!
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