Gripes
and Grumbles
Excuse
this Session of ranting and raving, but somebody has got to say it. These are
all cases I have been involved in, but I am sure you have had similar things
happen to you that made you Pig Biting mad!
Ok here
goes; Customer brings his bakkie in for a complete Conversion. He has about 100
000 K‘s on the Clock. As usual he is as happy as a pig in manure. Years later
after having done way over 200 000 he decides it is time for a rebuild of said
Engine. Well he decides to go to his Local dealer (I suggested something like
that in the “Bollie”) and get a Rebuild subassembly.
40 yes
40 K’s later it pisses oil out between head and block and his dealer tells him
to come back in 1000 K’s. The customer narrated this story to me and if it is
true to the point, the dealer needs to be bullwhipped publicly.
But it gets better, after 1000 Km then,
the dealer declares the Head gasket Blown, cancels the Warranty because the
motor was modified. Further investigation reveals that said dealer had skimmed
the Head to death, which caused the Gasket to pop. The last I heard was still
no Warranty. I know Warranty’s are not exactly the most honored things
hereabouts, but this really shakes my Tree. Warrantee to me means not something
to kid a Customer with, but is a Belief in my workmanship- I warranty it for a
year because I believe I can Work well enough for it to last at least a year!
In
this case why did he accept a job he had no faith in doing? Secondly, why did
he skim the Top too much? There are certain specs
for head thickness and Combustion chamber size. Thirdly, if the conversion
lasts for so long on the first sub, why should it not do the same on the
second? Lastly, how can he ignore a problem for so long (the oil leak)? Does he
expect a serious malfunction to heal itself- yep the Titanic will also float
again! I hope this story is not entirely true, as that would finally cure my last
ounce of faith I had in this trade.
Next
one. I get phoned and interviewed by a gent about a modification on his Vehicles Motor. I spend (mors is ‘n beter uitdruk
hierso) my time explaining all to him, and then he has the job done in South
Africa- it was the same price as mine. Afterwards he has the cheek to come to
me and complain “daai modificasies werk
nie”. Hey bud I referred you to enough customers who are as happy as a…. I can
get so hopping mad it makes me look as if I have an inbuilt pogo stick. This
example typifies a lot of people in this country.
A few things, a Job done by A can have a
completely different result than a Job done by B. Come on; you would probably
buy Jakkals & Bols instead of Granada. Secondly, once something is…. (Well
worked broken is not that effective but better in a Family Koerant, than what I
had in mind), it is often not possible to repair. Buy new and do it over.
Moreover, you can get el cheapos, but when they mess it up-Boy oh Boy. Oh yes
this certainly does not pertain to my trade only.
Watching
people park their Cars in Loading Areas, just because it is convenient
irritates me. Because I might have to lug a few Kilos for miles. But what gets
me wilder than a Bull with hot sauce in its eyes is Handicapped Parking. You
don’t need to be in a “Chair”, all you need is to be old and on a Stick or on
Crutches and you really appreciate the “Mental cripples” abusing these lots. Do
it in the USA and see what happens!
Mention
“Spare parts” to me and I start hyperventilating. A popular 4*4 with a 24 valve
6 Cylinder Engine gets its valve gap Adjusted by Shims. We have 2 dealers here,
both don’t stock them. OK logic dictates “Go forth to the Workshoppe they MUST
adjust valves”. The first guy looks at me blankly and suggests I go to the
second dealer. The second says they are out of stock and normally order as the
need arises, on a stock order. Does this mean that you have to wait over 3
weeks to get your Valves Adjusted? Another Dealer failed to stock OEM type
points for 1 of his vehicle types, for over 6 months. By the way that vehicle
Ate points!
Another
case that makes me wonder where these guys learned their Marketing, is with big
Oil Companies. After years of sticking with one Company, we wanted to change,
due to them not being able to deliver the types of Oil I wanted anymore. So we
contacted 2 major companies + 1 up and coming. Each was phoned and faxed a
minimum of 2 times. What was the result- nada!
A well
known south African Outdoor Magazine had a caption under a Photograph of a car
Winching another out of the Swamp, with the winch operator sitting on the
bonnet straddling the winch “it is essential to have the correct equipment and necessary
skills…” If that rope breaks or “kraaines” that operator will have no more
equipment of his own. Again why do we have to pay good money to purchase a
script that seems to have been written by somebody who ain’t knows a thing?
Something
that makes me quiver like a Bushman in Rijknarvik is the way some people drive.
As far as I am concerned if you are involved in an accident it is partly your
fault. Excuses like “I did not see him” or “kyk hoe daai &$*@ bestuur” do
not hold water. I have been to numerous International racing schools as well as
having helped as an Instructor and one thing that is stressed over and over “Be
aware what is happening around you”. I know the local Taxis do not adhere to
any rules, but if you “Let op” then you have far less of a problem than driving
around with a Bumper sticker “Pardon my driving, I’m just reloading”.
Don’t phone me with
wastemytimes “Hi Nick, wat wou ek nou gese het?” is the best way to get my
toenails curling!
So a final request,
please do not ask me to cure your problem in writing! Quite often I get Letters
asking me for Advice on problems or on suitable conversions. Sometimes even on
Jobs somebody else cocked up, that we could have done right in the beginning! I
have no time to reply to these in writing and I also don’t get paid for that,
sorry, even I have to eat. If you have a question on something I cannot
possibly profit on, yes I’ll help, but only if you do the following:
1) Put it on paper
and mail, Fax or email it to me
2) Wait 1 week for
me to research that, then phone me between 8-10 mornings or 4-5 Afternoons.
Of course you can
also eMail your problem in nickrc@iway.na
and have your question and my reply published on my Letters
page.
Easy?!
Oh yes, Vehicle
Licenses! First we had to go through that Circus of getting “New and better”
type Licenses and with the new system we don’t even get reminders to pay up our
License when it expires. And finally they hand me a License Disk for a BMW
instead of my Hilux 4*4.
I have
loads more to say, but I don’t wish to overstress my health in the form of
Ulcers! I just felt this session of throwing toys out of my cot was necessary,
since most of us are to blasé’ to utter our misgivings. Maybe you want to fax,
email or snailmail me your bad or humorous/annoying experiences and I can
publish them on a Separate WebPage. I wish you all a Relaxed and wet Christmas.