Hi Guys,
Here's a piece of information that could be of interest to diesel owners.
Terry
----------------
on 11/16/03 7:23 PM, AirstreamList@yahoogroups.com wrote:
> I went out to the end of Long Island to see the truck at a dealer that only
> sells Chevy trucks. I'd be afraid to have it serviced at a dealer that didn't
> have diesel experience. But this is a 45 min. drive each way! I don't even
> have a gas station here in my town that sells diesel! Long Island is rough
> for people with trucks and trailers!
Patti,
Why don't you talk with Don Montegari (800.832.8844) about buying a diesel
truck? His diesel shop is on Long Island. It is at 74 Bell Street in West
Babylon, NY 11704. He writes a monthly newsletter ($30 yearly) for diesel
owners. I've subscribed to it for the entire time we've owned our diesel
suburban. The previous owner of our suburban also subscribed to Don's
newsletter and kept all the copies. I read every new issue the day it
arrives and have reread all the old copies many times.
You have my permission to tell Don that I recommended contacting him. Don
has helped me four times by phone in four different parts of the country
when my diesel truck needed service. I have come to regard him as a friend.
The first two times, Don provided free consultation to the mechanic. On both
occasions, I was in a diesel garage and the mechanic was standing next to
me. I told him about Don and his consultation offer. Each time, the mechanic
encouraged me to call Don, which I did and described my problem, then asked
Don to talk with the mechanic. He agreed and I handed my cell phone to the
mechanic. They discussed the problem and how to solve it. Very simple and
straight forward - plus the mechanic was highly appreciative. Both instances
resulted in a successful repair.
On a third occasion, Don had the exact part in stock when the correct part
wasn't available locally. I asked Don to ship it to the mechanic overnight
express. He did and this saved our bacon in spades.
On the fourth occasion, I called Don from a remote campground when my diesel
truck wouldn't start. He walked me through the process of testing components
(with my head under the hood, the phone next to my ear and following his
directions). I did as he said, then got back in the truck, turned the key
and the truck started. I took the truck to a diesel garage, explained what I
had done to get it started and the mechanic knew exactly how to fix the
problem. He fixed it and the truck has run fine ever since.
Bottom line, in addition to going to Don's garage and talking with him, you
might want to consider becoming a yearly subscriber to his newsletter just
for the benefit of having your own private expert at your elbow -- at the
other end of your cell phone -- no matter where you are on the continent.
On the other hand, the On-Star service may be all you want or need.
Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net