Posted in Automotive on 11/21/2009 08:05 pm by DonTWC
- So fast it’s almost a pit stop
I have bought a lot 0f tires here at Tire Outlet, located at 1320 North Main Street, right in front of Publix. On this particular day I got two front tires, mounted and balanced, on the GMC Safari van shown in the picture for $154. Meanwhile, I got two tires for my daughter’s compact car (don’t remember the model) at Tires Plus for $153. But the price is not the best part at Tire Outlet. It’s the time it takes to get it done. From the time I pulled in until I drove away with new tires took 16 minutes. I kid you not. They just pull out those floor jacks, prop you up, and take off the tires, remove them from the rims, put new tires on the rims, balance them and put them back on like you were in the middle of the Daytona 400.
I have gotten tires here for years. For working people who can’t lose a lot of time from the job, this rocks.
Posted in Automotive on 10/04/2009 08:18 am by DonTWC
When my wife got home from the grocery store yesterday, she told me to get the rest out of the trunk, and that these two guys would be detailing her car. I was a little surprised. We have been very tight about staying on budget lately, and I don’t remember seeing this on the list of things we were paying for. Then I remembered that she was doing her shopping after going to a ladies’ breakfast at the church, and thought that maybe this was someone she met through her friends there, and that she was just helping them out. That sort of thing happens from time to time, and we do budget for benevolence. But that wasn’t the case.
These fellows were canvassing the neighborhood and got to our house as she was arriving home. They offered a service at a price, and she wanted it done. It was impulse spending on something that got left off the list; the way you remember the eggs at the store although you did not write them down at home.
In the final analysis, they did a good enough job for $30, and it reminded me that there is a lot of undone work out there that just needs to meet someone who is searching for an opportunity. Today’s winners of the Perseverance Award are Jonathan Long and Alfred Smith, and they can be reached at 352-262-1250. Not only were they lucky enough to meet my wife in our driveway, they also scored some free advertising.
Posted in Automotive on 09/13/2009 07:26 am by DonTWC
This past Labor Day I was looking forward to getting out of the house after getting my chores done. I hopped in my van, turned the key, and listened to it spin. It just would not turn over. It was so depressing. I had waited to get out for just an afternoon, and now I am stuck dealing with a breakdown on Labor Day! The prospect of finding an open garage and towing my work van to it on a holiday was just too depressing.
Then I remembered that there were a couple of mobile repair guys in town, and that I had used one of them before. I called the first one, and although he answered the phone, he was not open for business. I called the second, asked if he was open, and he said, “Kinda, sorta. What’s the problem?” After I told him, he decided to come out. Mine was the only vehicle he saw that day.
After testing the fuel filter and fuel pump, he finally narrowed it down to the distributor cap and rotor, replaced them, and was done in 2 hours from start to finish. I own a 1999 GMC Safari van, so it was pretty hard to get at the engine. Parts, labor and the flat rate service call made it under $300, which it would have cost after towing it somewhere.
I really appreciate that Dave Bochette, the owner, and his son came out to work on this during their holiday. I know he came out because I just short of begged him to, and I call that compassion.
They don’t seem to have a website or email, but you can reach them at 352-378-7500. Back in the early 90s I had called him when my timing belt broke at an intersection downtown. They came, got it, and fixed it that day. Keep this number for times of trouble!
Posted in Automotive on 03/12/2009 05:48 am by DonTWC
I have bought several work vehicles from Wholesale Auto Brokers over the years. They have been my best source of reliable cars. And even though I have bought them “as is”, I have been able to bring them back to deal with obvious problems that they had not discovered. They are reasonable folks who care to keep your business.
