Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 01-20-2020, 06:33 PM   #21
Senior Member
 
SierraHawk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 323
I have taken my '04 SMB to have the front diff repaired twice at a Ford garage. The first repair lasted for 5 months but needed to be redone. When I took the van back to them I was told that Ford will not warrantee the work because the Dana 60 is not OME. I was charged for the failed parts that were installed the first time I took my van to the Ford garage.

This past summer we were driving to Oregon via Susanville, California. Just outside of Susanville the van spewed out all of the coolant onto the ground. I looked at the radiator but could not see where the coolant was pouring out of. That particular radiator was installed 3 years before.

It was Friday afternoon. We put enough water into the reservoir to fill it twice and drove to the Ford dealership on the south side of town. Fortunately our van is equipped with the Ford 5.4. It can be driven short distances with little to no coolant.

I was told by the service rep that we needed a new radiator but it would not be there until after the weekend. She said that they would replace the radiator on Tuesday.

That Tuesday afternoon I paid for a new radiator ($400) and the labor ($500). Before I left I asked to see the radiator that they had taken out. The service rep told me that it had already been sent to recycling. Since they were closing and we had to head north I drove away.

The next day I took a minute to look at the new radiator. The top tank looked no newer than the old one. I took a look at the front of the radiator. The first time I checked the front of the radiator I noticed that the fins on the right side had been flattened in a unique way. The "new radiator" had the same flattened pattern pressed into the fins on the right side.

By that time we were in Eugene. Since it was not available for me to inspect, I was not able to confirm that the radiator had actually been replaced. Since the fins were pressed down into the radiator in the same pattern that I noted on the previous Friday I can only presume that they did not replace the radiator with the OME radiator that I paid $400 for.

In these situations I have no clue what to do. Since then I have made a commitment to write down my observations and everything that I am told and take photos of the worn or broken parts and what it looked like after the repairs. Some states have good consumer protections but even then the repair shops are able to circumvent them. It is even easier when they know that you are traveling and won't be back any time soon.

SierraHawk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-21-2020, 10:45 AM   #22
Site Team
 
rionapo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 1,202
Garage
Master Tech Auto Repair
1221 Calle De Comercio, Santa Fe, NM 87507
15054711121

Ari Gordon is the owner. Somehow the word gets out about him ‘cuz there’s always a traveling vehicle in the yard.
__________________
-Don-

Life and baseball both sometimes are not fair, but it is how you play the hops that counts.
—Scott Miller, NYT Sports
rionapo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-21-2020, 12:45 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
Steve C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: West Central Mountains, Idaho
Posts: 477
Garage
Alpine Automotive
13854 Highway 55
McCall (Lake Fork), Idaho 83638

(208) 634-5383

Steve runs a clean shop and I'd highly recommend visiting him for general vehicle repairs if passing through McCall...
__________________
2001 Sportsmobile RB50 7.3
West Central Mountains, Idaho
Steve C is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-21-2020, 02:10 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ree-know, nuh-vah-duh
Posts: 335
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by REF View Post
We still updating this to the map?
Yesireebob! Added all three garages from this week to the list.
__________________
Chris
2006 E350 EB 4x4 SMB: 6.0L-5R110-Atlas-D60-D60FF-yada-yada-yada
unreng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2020, 05:35 PM   #25
REF
Senior Member
 
REF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Boulder, CO.
Posts: 2,552
Send a message via MSN to REF
Ok, here we go again!! I unfortunately have another shop to add to the list, left side under valve cover injector harness crapped out on the 5 down in Baja, leaving us to limp 100 miles on 4 cylinders through the desert in 100* up to San Felipe. Arranged a tow up to Mexicali with a truck transfer to get us across the border....fun times! I should get a trip report thread going from our trip down there, just too much to write about!!
Anyway, all fixed up now, here’s the details on the shop.....
(Another John Wood recommendation, in fact right across from John, and his friend, no relation to the last mechanic I used)

Robert Nelson Automotive
370 Maple Ave
Holtville, CA 92250
(760)356-4521
General mechanic, electrical, diesel
__________________
'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
(de)SMB'd Custom RB-50
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile Offroad's R.I.P. package
CCV High Profile Pop Top
REF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2020, 05:44 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ree-know, nuh-vah-duh
Posts: 335
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by REF View Post
Robert Nelson Automotive
370 Maple Ave
Holtville, CA 92250
(760)356-4521
General mechanic, electrical, diesel

Added to the map.
As long as people use this thread to provide references, I can easily update the map.
__________________
Chris
2006 E350 EB 4x4 SMB: 6.0L-5R110-Atlas-D60-D60FF-yada-yada-yada
unreng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-01-2020, 01:35 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
Twoxentrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,347
Garage
For the East Coast:

Maryland Performance Diesel
Tel: 410-354-0340
Fax: 410-354-3719
5199 Raynor AVE
Linthicum Heights , MD 21090
Email: marylandperfdiesel@gmail.com

From General Repair & diagnostics to custom fabrication & innovation to enhance power and performance. A very talented group willing to tackle just about anything you request.
__________________
TwoXentrix
"AWOL"
Twoxentrix is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-22-2021, 03:50 PM   #28
REF
Senior Member
 
REF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Boulder, CO.
Posts: 2,552
Send a message via MSN to REF
.....and yet another for me to add. The van has been put through the ringer these last 2 years on the road pulling our 2185 Lance trailer behind. This one however was to fix a clunking in the front end I’ve been chasing for a while. I found my Quigley track bar had some play in it so I took it in for some new bushings, but of course, like everything else Quigley, he couldn’t find anything that fit so he had a new bar made at another local shop. Jordan is a diesel head and knows all things 7.3, he’s built a few 700hp ones including his own that were at the shop, beasts! Anyway, if you’re passing through Vegas. Good guy, honest and knows his stuff.

Gas, Diesel and Fleet repair

Road Force Tech
6442 Windy Rd.
Las Vegas, NV. 89119

Jordan Rose-owner
Jordan@roadforcetech.com
www.roadforcetech.com
O: 702-818-4150
C: 702-340-6028

I might have another to add too, van’s back in, once again to fix the sloppy work of a shop I was at last fall that has cost me plenty, see how it turns out before I add it to the list.
__________________
'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
(de)SMB'd Custom RB-50
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile Offroad's R.I.P. package
CCV High Profile Pop Top
REF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2021, 04:30 PM   #29
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ree-know, nuh-vah-duh
Posts: 335
Garage
update

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...ty&usp=sharing

So the map has changed a bit since the beginning.
I've tried to organize the layers based upon places or businesses that are similar.

Here are the main layers:
* Shops / mechanics
* Junkyards
* Vendors
* Ford dealers
* Van conversions
* Breweries (courtesy of POI factory)
* Military RV Parks (courtesy of POI factory)
* Campgrounds + RV Parks (courtesy of POI factory)
* Rest Areas (courtesy of POI factory)
* Trails === to be developed

The information from POI factory is not verified or audited, so take it with a grain of salt.

And if anyone has ideas, please offer.
__________________
Chris
2006 E350 EB 4x4 SMB: 6.0L-5R110-Atlas-D60-D60FF-yada-yada-yada
unreng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2021, 06:00 PM   #30
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 88
Hi Chris:
In Prescott AZ:

Nichols AutoFab moved to 611 Division St, Prescott, AZ 86301 928-708-0300
nicholsautofab.com
Granite Mountain Brewing went out of business however Ad Astra Brewing Company, 123 N. Cortez, Prescott, AZ 86301 https://www.adastrabrewingco.com/ moved into the same building.
Coppertop Alehouse is gone


Jim
jim2901 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Sportsmobile Registry

TumbleWeed

Sarah

Bruce

Sboring35
Add your Sportsmobile
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:10 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.