Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:28:27 -0700
Reply-To: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Phrydae Question: Anyone Know Stephen's Auto Haus?
In-Reply-To: <v2te30c845b1004160408z38711f20je16c7709bffa6f98@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
dear reputation checker
i have had dealings with Stephen's Auto Haus
i purchased my latest vanagon in chico california from an owner whose only
act of preservation was to park it under cover ... mostly ...
all maintenance was performed by a mechanic ... same one for the life of the
van .... but that was the only other consistency offered to the vehicle ...
so ... while doing many needed repairs to the vehicle before driving north
to canada ... i found i required the yellow O ring that goes on the pipe
running from the starboard head aft to the thermostat housing port side
aft... there were none but aftermarket pieces available in chico ...
aftermarket O rings are totally inadequate unless one is the most skilled of
mechanics ... A GROUP WHICH I DO NOT FIT INTO ...
so ..i believe it was Peter DiFalco (whose driveway i was working in) who
mentioned stepans to me ... it might have been mike the subby conversion
installer in chico ... (both vanagon gerry list members) anyway i called
asking if they had this O ring ..and then i drove down on the thursday
morning to pick it up ... it cost about 1$ and change ...
then mike came over to peters house and helped me install the pipe without
further incident ...
friday afternoon i left chico ...
Sunday morning got north to stmarys oregon and the motor died ... in a puff
of steam ... sigh ... towed to portland
(Ya BCAA Premium) ...
monday morning as i was heading back from halseys auto with the new hose
that i thought would repair my engine issue my phone rang ...
it was stephan .. he simply wanted to know how i was getting along ... did
the O ring work correctly as designed and was i on my way ... I was stunned
... i had purchased a part worth less than 3$ and he was using his valuable
time to do follow-up ...
when i questioned him about why he would take the time to make this call he
responded with an even more stunning revelation about his self ...
he said ... Vanagon owners ... well we are a community and we have to look
out for one another and be concerned with one another ... (small paraphrase
on my part )
wow i was amazed indeed ...
but wait .. there's more ...
the news on my vanagon was not good ... the reportedly new engine had not
blown a hose but had bent a few rods and etc etc etc ... halseys said it was
up to me how i wanted to proceed but i would certainly require a new engine
of some sort ...
i asked halseys if i got an engine would he put it in and how long would
that take ... he told me and i called stephans .. knowing they do
conversions and may-well have an engine sitting to the side ...
he said he had two ... one still in the van he wanted to drive the donor van
a little then he would decide which to sell me based on his opinion as to
which was best ...
i rented a truck in portland and drove down to sacremento ...
stephan had the motor at the door waiting for me when i got there ...
his shop is clean and well appointed his work seems to be well thought-out
...
he is still offering personal touch service ... (same thing at halseys in
portland)
stephan has knowledgeable person running his front service counter ... she
can look up parts with dexterity ... and skill ... and fill your order by
seeking answers from you using her own experianced sense of vanagon
knowledge
while there getting the motor i saw a van with tags from hawaii ... i asked
if that van was sent all the way from there and stephan leaned in close and
whispered ... "we're that good" ... then he smiled ... we both laughed ...
he then revealed the van was now in the main 48 with owner having moved to
mainland ...
bottom line ... stephans ... reasonable and knowledgeable people who have a
genuine concern about the part they play in your enjoyable vanagon owner
experience ... all bundled with an easy going sense of good humoured
niceness ...
what more could a girl ask ... :)
yours
On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 4:08 AM, Peter T. Owsianowski <
pnoceanwesty@gmail.com> wrote:
> Good article - although the writer needs some deeper research of the
> Vanagon
> facts:
>
>
> http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/24743/VW_Vanagon_Engine_Conversions_Specialty_For_Popular_Local_Auto_Shop
>
>
> Pete
> '79 Westy "Aardvark"
> '87 Westy "JoesVan"
> WWW.Busesbythebeach.com
>
--
roger w
From Proverbs:
Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a
servant who becomes king ...
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