Saturday October 10, 2015 at approximately 7:00 PM headed
west on I-40 at milepost 43, about 20 miles east of Quartzsite, the trusty
Cortez EM-50 misfires a couple of times but then within a couple of miles
stalls out and won’t restart. Seems like
it’s not getting a spark. Called AAA for
a tow. AAA suggested looking for a shop
in Blythe, California which I started researching and found a likely prospect.
They dispatched a truck that was on scene in about an hour but had to call out
for a flatbed to tow the Cortez. When I mentioned the shop I had come up with
in Blythe the tow truck driver advised me not to go there. When I asked why he stated “Too much
crack!” He suggested a place in Quartzsite,
trusting his advice as a local I agreed.
Arrived at the shop in Quartzsite just before midnight.
Sunday October 11, 2015 spent the entire day cleaning up the
motorhome and doing laundry since the shop was closed Sundays.
Monday October 12, 2015 7:45 AM the shop, which by its name
proclaimed to be the best, opened and they started working on the Cortez. Within about 90 minutes the Cortez was
repaired. The ignition coil within the
HEI distributor had failed. Cost
$119. I considered myself lucky that
they had the part on hand and was on my way.
So confident that I even posted on Facebook that repairs were
complete. Spent the rest of the day
tooling around town and catching up on my blog.
As I was leaving town the Cortez began idling poorly,
stalling and dieseling. I managed to
limp it back to the shop just before 4:00 PM when they close. I was told they would get to it first thing
the next day.
One of my Facebook friends, Fred Timmons, had given me a
number of an acquaintance in Quartzsite.
I gave Thom Hill a call that evening and shared my dilemma. When I told Thom which shop I was at he
gasped. This shop has quite a reputation
for being less than straightforward.
Thom said he would come out with his friend Dennis and take a look at my
rig on Tuesday morning before the shop opened.
Tuesday October 13, 2015 6:45 AM. Thom’s comments got me thinking. I began looking at everything in the dog
house. What I discovered was spot on
with Thom’s comments. The power plug to
the distributor had been just placed on enough to make contact and get me
running again until it would vibrate loose breaking contact and leaving me
stranded requiring another visit to the shop.
An old trick used by unscrupulous auto mechanics. I secured the plug and waited until morning
when Thom and Dennis showed up. They
agreed to follow me around town to make sure everything was AOK. If not they were going to get me to a buddy
of theirs for repairs. We took off just
as the shop opened much to the shady mechanic’s chagrin. They made sure that everything was running
good for me. They declined my offer to
buy them both breakfast. They even
followed me up the highway to the next exit just to make sure everything was
good.
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| My discovery-the scene of the crime |
I continued on my way.
I made a stop in Blythe at Mead Automotive and RV Repair. I could see by the number of RV’s of various
makes and vintages here that this is where I should have gone. I spoke with the owner about the incident and
he told me that the tow company wouldn’t do business with his firm because he
would not give them kickbacks. I told
him that both the shop in Quartzsite and the tow company picked the wrong
person to try to take advantage of. He
was glad to hear that someone was going to give them their just desserts.
 |
| The worst |
I can’t help but wonder how many people and how many times
these firms have taken unfair advantage of those in difficult
circumstances. I have already filed a
fraud complaint with my credit card company.
Upon my return their will be complaints filed with the AAA, the BBB, the
Quartzsite Police Department and the Arizona Attorney General.
I again want to express my gratitude to Fred Timmons, Thom
Hill and his friend Dennis for their assistance. I will return their good deeds by “Paying it
Forward”.
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