Nxski's encounters

Post by **nxski** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:46 pm

I've had lots of work done on my van and as I don't always have the time or experience to do the work myself, I've experimented with a fair number of different places and people. here are my findings...

CVI:
http://cviauto.com/
I should have posted this many times, but many bouquets to them for quality work, going out of their way to help me and for being all around nice guys! CVI is my first choice in the Lower Mainland for having work done

Werner's Auto Klinik
http://www.canpages.ca/page/BC/delta/we ... 00178.html
Werner is a great guy to deal with and provides you with a loaner vehicle (which is in fact the only reason I have used him rather than CVI) and has experience working with Delica's. I wouldn't have him install another valve cover gasket for me as it started leaking soon after, but all other work was done very well.

Maximum Overdrive:
http://www.maxoverdrive.ca/toyota.asp?id=67
I've bought parts from them and sold my truck to them and they have decent prices and a good selection of parts. They are often away from the shop and sometimes do take a little while to return after you call them which can get a bit annoying if you're in a hurry but usually isn't a big deal.

Amazing Auto's:
http://www.amazingautoimports.com/t/
I've bought parts from Mardy and have attempted to have work done by him. I'm very pleased with the parts and I like Mardy as a person, but the service is quite poor. I find he's difficult to get a hold of, doesn't show up when he says he will, makes it difficult to return items and unless you wave dollar bills in his face won't be very helpful. If you're prepared to wait 3 hours for him to show up only to have to then drive over to his office with him and then be informed that he doesn't have what you're looking for then your experience will probably be a good one.

Laurentiu Ersek
https://www.facebook.com/loles.rhd?fref=ts
Another nice guy that I have some problems with. I'll list him as a business because that's how he operates. I had a pyro installed by him which died (I won't speculate that this was his doing) and have since found out that it was wired incorrectly, then wouldn't provide the receipt for the pyro so it could be warrantied. I then had some glow plugs installed and was given ones with the wrong resistance and was told "It's just a coincidence that your van no longer starts." He then blatantly refused to admit that they were wrong, had thrown out my old ones, left me stranded for a week unable to work and meant that I had to have a manual switch installed after having my ECU refurbished without successfully curing my problem. In the end, my hopes of saving $50-100 meant that I actually paid about $200 more than I would have for CVI to do the job and lost about $1500 in wages.

Rocky Mountain Imports:
http://www.rockymountainimports.net/
Great to deal with over the phone. I had parts shipped to me in Santa Fe as well as Charleston. Both times shipment was quick and painless. They aren't the cheapest parts you can find, but I don't mind paying extra for top notch service. They also stand behind their parts.

Randy's Excel Tire:
http://www.randysexceltireandauto.ca/
I've had brake and wheel work done here, they've messed it up a couple times but they've fixed the problem and consequently charged me very little. I keep coming back because they're great guys who take responsibility for their mistakes if they make them and will right their wrong's. They also have a very quick turnaround time and are just blocks away from my house.

E&H Hitch:
http://www.ehhitch.com/
Definitely the best place to take a Delica if you want a hitch, they spent an entire day getting the hitch on my van but stuck to their initial quote nonetheless. They've worked on these vehicles before whereas some hitch shops don't even want to touch the van for simple jobs like trailer wiring.

Hoegler's Muffler City:
http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/British-C ... 78715.html
Show up and have work done without an appointment, work is done quickly and custom work is completely fine. The finished product is a little bit crude but fine by me as they charge less than half what other exhaust shops charge.

Anyways, these are my experiences. Feel free to add to them or start a thread yourself. I'll add to this if I remember any others I've used or if I use a new place in the future.

TardisDeli · Post by **TardisDeli** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:45 am

Hi Nick, Nice idea to update this list. Here is my list of Christine's Encounters:

CVI - home of the the Deli Tune and Spa (the name I gave them wayyy back in February 2008 after they worked miracles on the IP Injection Pump on my first L300) - fantastic. Butch the owner, and Edwin the mechanic, are true engine experts - diesel and gas. Pre-Purchase inspections by Butch. I wish I had taken my new deli in for a check-up before buying. The shop in Richmond is busy so appointments best. http://www.cviauto.com 604-247-0500

Mardy of Amazing Autos - This summer I bought my latest L300 1997 from him, as this is the last year the Japanese L300 looks soooo coool, later models dont have the bush bar front instead just the car style front bumper. Mardy is an importer, as well as the repairer, and spends a lot of valuable time educating wanne-be owners. Has several wrecked vehicles in Richmond so has good selection of used parts. EDIT NOTE: Mardy is still on my recommended list; I found out after I posted this that Mardy had been overseas so did not get my phone call. As he is always busy, so phone back if you don't get through to him; and he checks email regularly.

Coombs Country Autos - Glen is a fully qualified English mechanic, so can fix your entire vehicle. Graham his dad on the telephone is super with advice and parts supply, new and used (huge selection, only good quality stuff -- Glen will take parts off his own van to mail to far away delica vans to ensure part was working properly). About 45 minute drive north of Nanaimo, I go once or twice a year total vehicle maintenance. Shop rates are excellent value.
Glen also does the maintenance and pre-sale prep for 5 Star Autos in Parksville, so you know their vehicles are a good bet for new purchasers.

Rocky Mountain Imports dot net. John of RMI is still my most reliable source for new parts. He has true Mitsubishi parts, and gets regular shipments from Japan. Expert also on Land Cruisers etc. John moved to Vancouver Island a few years ago, but sends urgent parts via sea plane to vancouver for a few dollars more. I got my balancer pulley within 2 hours - fantastic service. Supplies garages across Canada. toll free in North America 1-800-921-4JDM (4536)

Quiet Muffler, on Kingsway near Highgate Village, Burnaby. They have worked on various vehicles for me, cheaper, and experts -- they weld each section together so actually customize each muffler. Now also do tires and brakes. http://www.quietmufflerandbrake.ca

E & H Hitch - use the Burnaby location only. Ask for Rick, the Delica expert, he happily works on all weird vehicles, does great work, and will tell you if your crazy idea is do-able. Allow half a day, this is no assembly line shop, his work is sturdy and solid (my L300 hitch is still strong after 5 years towing boats and trailers). 5890 Beresford Street, Burnaby, BC V5J 1J1. under skytrain. (604) 433-4611 Rick.

Roof Top tents and awnings - affordable! Andy of http://rooftoptent.webs.com/ in Langley. His online ID is Redarmy. He is a land rover and jeep owner but admires our delicas). Great prices, he added superb ideas to the usual design then got his custom sewn, very sturdy. I think my awning and zip on room was about $350 (cheap!), and completely zips up so is snake and bug proof.

Window Glass -www.visionautoglass.ca (604) 451-0454 Richmond. His service vehicles are 2 WD Delica's, cool.

Detailing - clean and shine the inside or the outside. Ian, his online ID is Aciled . Either at his place in Coquitlam, or at yours. Takes care not to scratch paint etc, years of experience.

WVO Waste Veg Oil conversion - Ed Begley of Plantdrive dot ca, in Salmon Arm BC. Study parts, knows delicas, been in the business for years, great advice. He has made a kit for the Delica.

Electrical - weird wiring and headlight issues. Jay, his online ID is Tardisdeli. Burnaby. And yes, he is family. But dozens of delica folk recommend him for anything 12 volt (boats and trailers too).

There are many others that have helped our community over the years, I will add more to the list soon.

psilosin · Post by **psilosin** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:27 pm

Good thread idea to sum up experiences.

OUTSIDE CANADA:
Trust Company Ltd [http://www.japanesevehicles.com]: 10/10
Vehicle Exporter. Received vehicles exctly as described or better. Good communication. Good with paperwork etc etc.

Japan Auto Direct: 6/10
Vehicle Exporter. Not recommended. One vehicle received was A++ another received was quite damaged and after the fact it was quite clear the photos were taken with care to avoid each of the bodywork issues. Suspension issues may have been the fault of shipper or Boyd Agriwash so I cannot blame them for that. Think this business is all but dead now judging by the last time I looked at their website a couple years ago.

BC - COASTAL:
ABC Customs Brokers: 10/10
Smaller company. Good service and easy to communicate with. Handle everything to do with clearing your vehicle through customs.

A&B Customs Brokers: 10/10
Large company. Also good service but more expensive. Can also arrange other services like vehicle shipping within Canada for you etc etc.

RZ Auto: 10/10
[located near Boyd Agriwash, across street from the shopping center with Walmart & Bestbuy]
Lifesaver. When my Celsior showed up with significant damge to the suspension rendering it undrivable above 10kmh this guy went above and beyond in getting my vehicle up and running so I could get back to the Okanagan that same day and at a very reasonable price. One of the most helpful guys I have met in the auto realm, literally was shocked by the level of service.

Amazing Auto Imports: 1/10
I recommend this shop to everyone that I hate and want to see suffer...

Rocky Mountain Imports: 10/10
Fast friendly service for parts. Some parts more expensive but they had the lowest price by far on L400 Crank Pulley. Have to phone or email order in, no direct web orders.

Rising Sun Imports: 10/10
Fast friendly service for parts. Responds to emails generally within a couple hours. Phone or email orders in, no direct web orders but sometimes has ebay auctions for easy shopping at 3am. Shipping is fast.

BC - OKANAGAN:
Mustang Connection / J-Spec Cruisers: 10/10
One of the original importers from back in the day. Friendly, helpful and generally have good prices on parts. Helped me source parts and gave used/new options when I converted my Hilux Surf from a dual mass to a solid flywheel. Vehicle prices seem pretty high.

Minute Muffler - Penticton: 9/10
No fuss no muss custom exhaust work at ok prices...at least for Okanagan. No appt needed.

jessef · Post by **jessef** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 12:01 am

nxski wrote:If you're prepared to ...

I'm surprised you believe that everyone will have the same experience as yours.

Every dealer/service shop in this in forum feedback area has more positive feedback opposed to negative one's.

I'm not defending any dealer.

You, being a moderator of this forum, normally abide by 'positive contributions' but not this time. Odd.

Post by **nxski** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 12:14 am

jessef wrote:
nxski wrote:If you're prepared to ...
I'm surprised you believe that everyone will have the same experience as yours.

Every dealer/service shop in this in forum feedback area has more positive feedback opposed to negative one's.

I'm not defending any dealer.

You, being a moderator of this forum, normally abide by 'positive contributions' but not this time. Odd.

I don't believe that everyone will have the same experience as me by any means.

A positive contribution does not require that one be positive about everyone and everything, only that the information provided be helpful to someone. If you have a good experience please post about it as that is what this forum is for. I personally had a negative experience and have explained why.

Post by **thelazygreenfox** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:01 pm

Nick
Well said.
Wayne
TLGF

403delica · Post by **403delica** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 7:58 am

Gotta love the passive aggressive attack... Nick good post

RichD · Post by **RichD** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:58 am

You got off easy with Lauren Ersek. His shenanigans have done much worse damage to others.

jessef · Post by **jessef** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:02 am

Chalk it up to personal opinions/experiences. One paint brush doesn't work for every artist.

One bad experience does not make it the same for everyone else and vice versa for the good ones.

I battled it out with Rising Sun for a long time, yet every interaction I had with them after the forum shenanigans have been positive and satisfying. I recommend them to everyone looking for parts and service.

E&H hitch royally messed up my wvo tank when I had them do a hitch for me years back and it cost me a lot for the repairs which they never apologized for. Although my direct experience was a sh$tty one, most people I know have good experiences with them.

Shops/dealers are humans and they make mistakes. If you're on the receiving end of one of those, you won't be happy but it does not make them crap 24/7 to everyone else.

psilosin · Post by **psilosin** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:24 am

I don't think Nxski asked for opinions of his experiences whether they were right or not...his experience not yours.

I have posted my negative experiences with Amazing Auto a number of times (though they always get deleted after Mardy has a fit) and Nxski's description of waiting for hours and then driving all around town like a chicken with a head cut off was so exactly like what I went through as part of the 'experience' I laughed outloud when I read it.

403delica · Post by **403delica** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:42 am

MardyDelica · Post by **MardyDelica** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:24 am

hi, have to chip in for this.
as psilosin saying, i never ask nxski wait for hour. for your info psilosin.
when hes returning some stup parts that he buy from me and i am busy that time not much i can do.
like i cannot just stay in one place to wait for customer i have other customer to serve also.
i do service whole canada east and west hope u guys understand me. you always blame me for no reason. i have business to run and nobody pay my bills except me. thats why if some people that complaine that sometime hard to get hold its just i am with other client.
you guys tell me if you guys can run business for the work of 4 people and to survive and pay the bill
in this type of ecconomy.
i do give advise to many of our fellow delica.ca member free of charge with out pay for techical question.
when they need help i dont charge them its free. trying to help other people here also.
we cannot survive in this business with all free service as we have shop and bill to pay to keep the business running.
i do recieved minimun 35 call everyday for parts,service vehicle, sales vehicle and techinical support to other people for free.
but cannot do anything, hire many people nothing left end of the month just for worker. not easy guys, try to be reasonable on parts and service for your delica and still not happy to some people but mostly they happy with my service.
like psilosin if you not happy or hate me pls say one time not all the time. hate to other people makes your life not happy its just a used car. if you think i ignore you before no i dont you just think of yourself.
i am just frustrated that i am always to blame despite of all the effort helping other people also.
i cannot let all people happy. but i tried my very best.
hope this end this hate behavior to me. life is very short, its only a used car. not end of the world.
cheers;

Post by **nxski** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:13 am

MardyDelica wrote:i never ask nxski wait for hour

Which is the problem, I phoned and asked when I good time to stop by would be. I showed up exactly when you said to, waited for 3 hours, you showed up apologizing. You then told me the parts I was looking for were actually at the office, so we went over there, I paid for them and left. One of the items I did return and had told you I may be returning it before agreeing to buy it and try it out (hence the post about returning), the other two I'm perfectly satisfied with.

MardyDelica wrote:i do give advise to many of our fellow delica.ca member free of charge with out pay for techical question.

As you should, because this is how you gain business in the future (my question was related to "what problem with my vehicle is causing this sound") had I had a good experience and had you answered my question effectively you would have gained around $1000 of by business as it turned out my water pump needed replacing which meant belts, thermostat, etc. Regardless, you do not HAVE to answer questions for free so I thank you for that regardless of having to pry for the answers.

MardyDelica wrote:you guys tell me if you guys can run business for the work of 4 people and to survive and pay the bill
in this type of ecconomy

This is not an attack on your business or yourself. You work extremely hard and as a small business owner myself, I know how time consuming and difficult it is. Sacrifices must be made and you've chosen to sacrifice customer service. If you're doing the job of 4 people you can choose to hire 3 more people or make sacrifices. I personally make sacrifices as well, I choose to sacrifice sleep, personal time and have a massive pile of personal chores waiting to be done. This is an attempt to bring light to a problem and hopefully you will either rectify the problem or at least make it publicly known that you have chosen to provide less customer service so that you can in return provide higher levels of service with regards to other areas of business.

psilosin · Post by **psilosin** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:56 am

As usual another over the top response to criticism by Mardy. Did Justin Timberlake write 'cry me a river's just for you? Bad service is bad service...you are not a victim...your business is entirely in your own hands. Be the captain Mardy. Turn the ship around...you can make it happen...just have to feel the passion...oh yeah...turn the ship around...

MardyDelica · Post by **MardyDelica** » Mon Dec 03, 2012 5:47 pm

nothing to say
cheers;

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