Hello folks,
I posted a message here a week or two ago, but didn't get any responses, so I thought I'd try again with a bit more detail...
Here's my situation: I run a small (i.e. 1 person) :-) business delivering arcade games and pinball machines for collectors in the Eastern US. I have a van/trailer combo that I use for this, and the van is in need of some work at the moment.
I'm fairly new to the area I live in (Battle Creek), and as a result don't have a mechanic here yet. I have talked to almost every garage in town, and they are all booked solid for at least several weeks, and apparently, that's pretty much the normal status quo around here. It's kind of a slower page of life in this area than what I'm used to, and most folks apparently don't mind being without them for several weeks to a month at a time, when they need something fixed.
I had an appointment with one garage a week ago, the one that everyone local to the area recommends, and I dropped off the van on time. They've hung on to for a full week, and haven't done anything to it. I called them yesterday to ask for an update on it, and now they tell me that I should probably come and get it and bring it somewhere else, because they don't think they're going to be able to find the time to work on it. Wonderful. Nice of them to waste a week of my time rather than telling me that up front. :-(
Anyway, this down-time is killing me. I'm literally turning away business and losing money every day that I can't get this vehicle back on the road, not to mention alienating my customers who already had deliveries booked with me when all this started several weeks ago. Given the amount of miles that I travel, the van is going to need regular service. I know that this is going to be an ongoing problem if I don't find someone more reliable to take it to.
Is there anyone here in Southwestern Michigan that can help out? I'm willing to drive a bit of a distance to bring it to someone if they're willing to actually work on it, and not just stare at it. :-)
At the moment, it needs to have a fuel pump replaced (in the tank), and the tank cleaned out. It may also need brake work. Since I just bought it and don't know the vehicle's history, I would also like to have someone go over all the major systems in it and make sure that there isn't anything else that's about to let go and leave me stranded somewhere, and it would probably be a good idea to change all the fluids, install new plugs, etc. It was very low on transmission fluid when I bought it, so I'm concerned the transmission may have a leak (although it's not slipping and seems to be shifting just fine, so hopefully it isn't anything more than a gasket or the transmission cooler hoses.)
I need to use the van to pick up a trailer on Tuesday of next week, so it's imperative that I at least get the fuel pump and brakes taken care of by then. It's currently drivable, but I don't feel comfortable hauling a big trailer with it for several hours in the state that it's in.
Thanks in advance!
- Jeff