Cowracer
09-22-2005, 09:05
Or How to make a customer for life...
I guess that now everything is moving ahead, I can let the cat out of the bag. Those of you keeping track remember that I replaced my original engine with a Avant 18:1 with gear drive, Stud girdle and other upgrades. I performed the labor on this swap myself.
This engine ran for about a week until a pinhole leak opened up in the head, hydro-locking the engine. Jamie Avant sent me up a new head and bolts, and I swapped the head out myself. As it was, the hydro-locking event bent something in the motor (probably a rod).
I called Jamie, and he asked me to perform some tests (compression, etc.) after which we both agreed that major repairs were needed. Jamie, I'm sure, was angling towards having the offending rod and piston changed out. But, he caught me on a bad day and I wasn't in a real 'gracious' mood
I told him exactly what it would take to satisfy me. I said that I expected a total new motor, or at the least a complete teardown and checkout of the current one with a new crank. I also told him that I was sick and tired of wrenching on this truck. I reminded him that I was no way at fault, and I even went out of my way to change the head out, and that if that would have fixed it, I would have let my labor slide.
I then told him that I felt is was only right that HE should do the labor for the second engine swap. I said, 'Send a roll off up here to get my truck, haul it back to your shop, and call me when the truck is ready. I'll make my own way down to get it".
I fully expected him to refuse this plan, and to offer me some token item or sum for my troubles, all the while telling me that NO engine rebuilder in the country warrantees installation labor that they didnt do.
But to my everlasting shock and suprise, he agreed with me in all respects. He said that I have been more than patient in dealing with them. He told me that he would make it right and if it took them changing the motor, then of course he would do it.
He asked if I would be interested in having a customer of his (a service manager at a local Hummer dealer) do the actual work. I said as long as you (Jamie) trust the guy, then it's fine by me.
So now, the truck is up getting its new (new) motor, courtesy of The Diesel Depot. If that aint the definition of making the customer happy, then I don't know what is.
I thought long and hard about having the Avants build my engine. Honestly, I was a bit shy about going with them at first. I read every post I could find on this and the other board with "avant" in it. There was one guy with multiple wrist pin failures, and one guy who got an under-spec crank, and was missing the stud girdle that he specified. And another person tends to portray them as un-organized yokels. But I called and talked to Benny and Jamie maybe 8 times before I finally pulled the trigger and ordered mine.
Dis-organized? Maybe... They ARE hard to get a hold of. And maybe they have more engines going through their shop that can easily be kept track of. But I cant fault the quality of the work. Yokels? Hardley. The are good old boys who kept their word, which is about the highest compliment I can give a vendor. The Diesel Depot goes in my book firmly on the "good guys" side.
Sorry about the lenght of this post, but these guys did right by me every step of the way, and I feel that you all should know the whole story.
Tim
I guess that now everything is moving ahead, I can let the cat out of the bag. Those of you keeping track remember that I replaced my original engine with a Avant 18:1 with gear drive, Stud girdle and other upgrades. I performed the labor on this swap myself.
This engine ran for about a week until a pinhole leak opened up in the head, hydro-locking the engine. Jamie Avant sent me up a new head and bolts, and I swapped the head out myself. As it was, the hydro-locking event bent something in the motor (probably a rod).
I called Jamie, and he asked me to perform some tests (compression, etc.) after which we both agreed that major repairs were needed. Jamie, I'm sure, was angling towards having the offending rod and piston changed out. But, he caught me on a bad day and I wasn't in a real 'gracious' mood
I told him exactly what it would take to satisfy me. I said that I expected a total new motor, or at the least a complete teardown and checkout of the current one with a new crank. I also told him that I was sick and tired of wrenching on this truck. I reminded him that I was no way at fault, and I even went out of my way to change the head out, and that if that would have fixed it, I would have let my labor slide.
I then told him that I felt is was only right that HE should do the labor for the second engine swap. I said, 'Send a roll off up here to get my truck, haul it back to your shop, and call me when the truck is ready. I'll make my own way down to get it".
I fully expected him to refuse this plan, and to offer me some token item or sum for my troubles, all the while telling me that NO engine rebuilder in the country warrantees installation labor that they didnt do.
But to my everlasting shock and suprise, he agreed with me in all respects. He said that I have been more than patient in dealing with them. He told me that he would make it right and if it took them changing the motor, then of course he would do it.
He asked if I would be interested in having a customer of his (a service manager at a local Hummer dealer) do the actual work. I said as long as you (Jamie) trust the guy, then it's fine by me.
So now, the truck is up getting its new (new) motor, courtesy of The Diesel Depot. If that aint the definition of making the customer happy, then I don't know what is.
I thought long and hard about having the Avants build my engine. Honestly, I was a bit shy about going with them at first. I read every post I could find on this and the other board with "avant" in it. There was one guy with multiple wrist pin failures, and one guy who got an under-spec crank, and was missing the stud girdle that he specified. And another person tends to portray them as un-organized yokels. But I called and talked to Benny and Jamie maybe 8 times before I finally pulled the trigger and ordered mine.
Dis-organized? Maybe... They ARE hard to get a hold of. And maybe they have more engines going through their shop that can easily be kept track of. But I cant fault the quality of the work. Yokels? Hardley. The are good old boys who kept their word, which is about the highest compliment I can give a vendor. The Diesel Depot goes in my book firmly on the "good guys" side.
Sorry about the lenght of this post, but these guys did right by me every step of the way, and I feel that you all should know the whole story.
Tim