Real People

Tom runs Tom’s Monterey Auto Repair.  He is a master mechanic and a good fellow.  Tyler and Edgar work as managers in Tom’s shop.  When I called last Friday afternoon it was Tyler who answered the phone.  I explained to Tyler that I was traveling across country and my vehicle’s engine light had come on some days before when the pre-glow indicator had failed to go out.  He asked several pertinent questions  about Odysseus and then told me they could check the vehicle out first thing Monday morning.  When I arrived at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning Tyler told me he had already ordered a set of glow plugs.  I was impressed.  Then Edgar took over taking down all the necessary information.  Edgar ushered me into the customers lounge, turned on the electric heat to take off the morning chill, and told me there were places nearby where I could go for coffee or breakfast.  Tom came in a few minutes later to tell me a glow-plug was needed, but before he began to remove it he wanted to give me fair warning.  Usually replacement was a simple matter, but sometimes glow-plugs break off when being removed and if that happened the matter could involve several days and significant cost.  

An hour later Tom returned to tell me that the glow plug had been removed and a new one installed.  The oil change would soon be done and I would be all set to go.  Then he returned ten minutes later to tell me that a plastic nodule on the fuel line had broken during the glow-plug procedure and they were unable to obtain another one until the next day.  So I returned to Tom’s Auto Repair this morning, greeted by Edgar and Tyler as if I were an old friend.  After an hour or so, Tom came to the customers lounge.  He had replaced the fuel line nodule and done a quick safety check and highly recommended that I have a new tail pipe installed.  I asked him where I might have this done.  He recommended Robert’s muffler shop several miles away.  Off I went.  Robert did not have a large enough door or lift that could handle Odysseus. I asked if he could recommend another place.  Yes, he thought perhaps a muffler shop in Salinas had door and lift able to handle the RV.  

So off I went to Salinas and the All-American Muffler Shop, where I met Howard.  Howard has been installing mufflers for 30 years.  He dropped what he was doing and had his son who works with him do the same and they immediately built and installed a tail pipe for Odysseus.  While installing the tail pipe, Howard noticed two other issues and fixed them.  Odysseus is now road-worthy, thanks to Tom, Tyler, Edgar, and all the other mechanics at Tom’s Auto Repair—and to Howard and his son at the All American Muffler Shop.  They are the salt of the earth!  They are real.

(P.S. I’m sure you are wondering if I spent all my retirement funds for this service.  The truth is that all “this great service” cost less than what I normally pay for a maintenance service visit  for Odysseus back home!)