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Well, as some may remember, I’ve been trying to repair all of the damage Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia did to my truck while doing a couple of repairs earlier this year. It was running terribly after Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia replaced the O2 sensor. They, of course weren’t professional, or honorable enough to go immediately to check their own work and sent me on a wild goose chase of changing two sets of spark plugs, boots and wires. Me and my local mechanic did some investigating, and found out something interesting. The service manager of Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia looked up my repair and they were supposed to replace bank 1, sensor 2. When my mechanic checked, the newest sensor replaced was bank 1, sensor 1. This was easy to see, as the factory sensor was dirty and discolored, while the newer one was pretty clean and new looking.

This creates a whole new issue. Do I replace the one that was supposed to be replaced in the first place, or do I pull the new one and replace it. Debbie and I were getting ready to go on vacation, so I told Brian to order two of them and replace them both. The sensors come in and Brian begins the replacement procedure. I get a call that day with a problem. The bank 1, sensor 1 that Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia replaced in error had been cross threaded and not only was the sensor stripped out, but the bung in the exhaust pipe was trashed as well. Brian had to pull the pipe, grind off the stripped out bung, and weld a new one on. Of course, my engine runs perfectly now. As I suggested in my last Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia article. It does indeed appear that the mechanics there can not find their asses with both hands and a flashlight. I will post pictures of the stripped out sensor at the bottom of this post. This gets better.

While this drama was playing out, I noticed that I had a vibration in my front end. I just thought at first that it was out of alignment from the steering rack that Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia replaced on the same day that they installed the incorrect O2 sensor. I was also concerned because my front tires were beginning to cup on the inside tread. This is usually a sign of suspension trouble. I thought “oh well, bad luck”. It was too close to my trip to have it looked at, so I had my brother schedule and appointment with a shop near Erie Pa. I took my truck in and the mechanic informed me that I had bad upper and lower ball joints. Unusual for a truck of low miles that hasn’t been driven hard, but Oh well. Then he said that it looked like someone had taken the front suspension apart and used a removal fork, sometimes called a pickle fork to separate to hub assembly from the control arms and lower ball joints. The mechanic said “you never use a pickle fork unless you are replacing the ball joints, because you can damage them”. The words “steering rack” popped in to my head. Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia apparently wrecked my ball joints while installing my steering rack. My local mechanic didnt charge me full price for the labor to replace these items, but it still cost well over $600, just for the ball joint replacement. Now I have to spend another $100 tomorrow to get my truck re-aligned, which is standard procedure after major suspension work.

So, to recap. After paying for repairs ~ $1500, I have fixed all of the damage done by Quinn Motors of West Point Virginia. If you do business with these people, you can’t say you weren’t warned.

Look at the flat threads on the sensor. The round thing is the bung that had to be ground off of the exhaust pipe. Click on the picture for hi resolution image.

Another picture of the stripped out threads on the sensor. Click on the picture for hi resolution image.

Amidst all the problems in life, there always seems to be someone you can do business with that will make you feel good when you walk in the door because you will get an honest deal and will be taken care of if you have any problems.

Appomattox River Company is that kind of place, and the manager Vic is that kind of person.

The folks at Appomattox River Company are always pleasant and helpful. The manager Vic has patiently answered the piles of questions that a person like me always asks. The last boat I bought from Vic had a leak. Not to fear though. Vic found the hole, contacted Hobie, and they quickly sent out a replacement boat. Kudos to Hobie as well for making an outstanding product and standing behind it.

Thanks again for the great service!

Oh, and if you are looking for a great kayak and great people, stop by Appomattox River Company. They have locations in Yorktown, Richmond, and Farmville Virginia.

After a long and frustrating journey, my truck finally runs right. The work I had done was on, or around April 12 2010.

First a little background. My truck is a Dodge Ram 1500 4×4 quad cab with a 5.7L HEMI motor that I bought new in 2004 from Quinn Motors in West Point Virginia. I’ve had a number of issues with this dealership, but that is for another day. Do business with these people at your own peril. BEWARE!

It was determined that I had a leaky steering rack at my last inspection, so I told them to order the item and I would bring the truck back to complete the repair. During That time, I got an engine light that indicated a bad O2 sensor. I told them to go ahead and replace the O2 sensor when the did the other repair. At this point, my truck is running just fine.

I dropped off my truck the night before and put the keys in the drop box with instructions. I called later in the day and was informed that my truck would be ready that day, so I made arrangements to come to the dealer, pay, and have them leave my truck out so I could pick up my truck after my wife got off work.

Quinn Motors was closed when I got there, but my truck was parked out back with the keys locked inside as promised. I got in, turned the key, and began to back out. At that point, my truck began to shudder, sputter, and just run like crap. In denial, I let the truck sit for a couple of days, thinking that it was just a fluke and my truck would run fine the next time I started it. I was delusional, of course. My truck still ran like crap.

I called Vick at Quinn Motors, who told me to bring it by and they would check it out. I did, and he called me later to tell me that the problem was that I needed spark plugs. What???? Let’s back track. You put in a O2 sensor and then my truck runs like crap. Now you want to charge me $250.00 to put spark plugs in my truck that you just screwed up? Vick talked down to me and acted like a total ass h*** to me when I tried to explain the correlation between them working on my truck and my truck running like crap.

I did end up having MY mechanic put in spark plugs, boots, and wires. As I already knew, that wasn’t the problem. I knew they screwed something up, but the only thing that made sense, was that they may have put in a faulty O2 sensor that managed to operate without triggering a fault in the computer. I was on the verge of buying a new O2 sensor on my own and installing it, when I had a thought..

From the day I got my truck back, something hung in the back of my mind and wouldn’t go away. As I wrote earlier, I let my truck sit a couple of days after it was screwed up by Quinn Motors. What I didn’t tell you, is that when it sat for two days, the battery ran down. Not totally dead, but dead to the point that the starter wouldn’t turn the motor over. Well, with all of this churning in my brain, along with the fact that the mechanics of Quinn Motors apparently can’t find their asses with both hands and a flashlight; I thought, what if while plugging, and unplugging things like O2 sensors, they may have sent a spark, or surge to the computer that may have made it operate erratically.

To make a long story…. long, I headed straight for my truck when I got home from work last night and pulled the positive battery terminal. I let the truck sit all night to make sure all electronics would be completely void of any current, and the computer would re-boot when I restored power this morning. I hooked up the battery this morning and so far, it is running wonderfully.

Thanks Quinn Motors for the ineptness, the smart ass service manager, the frustration, and the pile of money I had to spend for nothing to track down the problem you caused. Please send your mechanics back to Chrysler service tech training, and your service manager to charm school. Vick could probably use a little mechanical training himself. While he was talking down to me, trying to make me feel like I was a mechanical idiot, he revealed that he had no idea that the second spark plug on each cylinder on the HEMI motor fired on the exhaust stroke. The layman doesn’t need to know this, but a Chrysler service manager probably should.

WOW! I have an aluminum trailex trailer for my kayaks which I like okay. I decided to order four threaded U-bolts, which they call web strap clips. Okay, $18.00 is pricey, but I thought “what the heck” They will make my tie downs easier. I ordered them online and the Shipping cost ha TBD listed on it. I thought I’ll just pay whatever the shipping costs. I got a UPS ship notice this morning, so I decided to log in to my bank account to see what I was charged. My $18 order is costing $39.69. To be fair, UPS shares the shock for this, as they charge $13.42 for a 2 pound package. However, these things could have been sent priority mail in a padded envelope for much less. When I called trailex, the lady was short, and rude from the beginning of the call. I’m sorry lady, but it’s not my fault if Aunt Flow is visiting this week. She told me, that I was charged $8, to put four U-bolts in a box. If I would have been a little quicker on my feet, I would have asked, if they had any job openings.

Not that big of a deal, but I’m cranky today.

Yesterday, as I was on my Gold Wing enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, something interesting happened. I’m riding route 17 toward Yorktown Virginia when I see a couple on another Gold Wing ahead of me with Pennsylvania plates. I pulled up beside them at a stop light and asked them what part of Pennsylvania they hailed from. In the fifteen seconds we had to speak, I learned they were from Linesville, and they knew who my family was. I think their last name was Rosewood. Pretty cool!

Click on this image to see it full size.