Swimmer
10-16-2006, 01:23 PM
Do not, I repeat do not ever let anyone from Mcintosh Motors on West Tisbury Road work on your auto, truck or bycycle if it breaks down on the island. My brother and I were tooling around the vineyard beaches for a week when the bearings in the sealed four wheel drive units let go while out at Wasque on Wednesday. Little did we know that they had probably been going south since we aired down the Wednesday the week before. Coming off Wasque, and no fish, the left front wheel started binding up. We made it to the paved road after exiting trustees property. Tire/wheel stopped moving and so did we. Mike and I understood the problem as Mike used to run a front end shop. Walked back to Trustees, Mytoi garden booth, because cell had no service where trucked stopped. My friend, Paul Shultz, and his associate called several places to get problem fixed. Also called Bay State Towing on island who was great. Dropped off truck at Mcintosh Motors, who was reccomended by Paul Shultz, and will never be again, after speaking by phone with employee. We'll get right on it tomorrow, he said. Called the next day about where they might get part. "Bruce" the wrench said he would order it from N.A.P.A. and would I mind paying for one piece assembly to be overnighted, which he said might end up being more than overnight. Chit no I have fishing to attend to. Bruce also asked how I started my truck. My reply was as politely as I could make it, "with a key". Hmmp he says, I must be using the wrong one. I asked him if he read the two notes on the steering wheel and he said he had not gotten that far yet. The note said call me in the morning and I'll tell you where I left the key. Told him it was in the gas fill. He didn't call thats why I made the following call. Called the next day and the part had yet to arrive. 2 1/2 days later and no bearing assembly had arrived. They could have called Ford Dealership in Hyannis and it would have been flown over same day,a nd I would have had my truck Thusday, the day after it broke down. Employee assured me part would arrive today and would be installed. In retrospect I believe the part had arrived and had been installed but they were jerking me around because they had allready discovered the other side needed repair and just wanted to rope me in. Called the next day 3 1/2 days later and was told they ordered right side assembly because that was gone also without ever calling me. I was really pissed he potentially doubled my repair bill without calling me. After getting anxious with the kid I said you might as well go ahead with it. The kid swore N.A.P.A. would have the part there by 9 a.m. next morning, Saturday. I called garage at 9:30 a.m.. No freikin answer. No I have visions of not getting off island with my reservation at 6:15 p.m. Sunday because they were not going to fix truck today. Buddy gives me rides to the business. No one around, nada. Go next door to house obviously attached to business, no answer three cars in driveway. Go upstairs to apartment over garage, no answer. Observed about ten cases of Bud lite empties piled up on kitchen table. Thoughts of intoxicated wrenches flooded my head. Blue f 250 comes down driveway. I had hopes this was mechanic returning from NAPA store with my part. Guy driving F 250 sees me, stops, and backs up driveway into bushes. Turns around and flees down West Tisbury Road. I hear phone ring in apartment over garage on whose door I had allready banged on. Blue pickup operator obviously had called kid over apartment. Could hear voice of the same kid who had been giving me the run around the last four days talking inside apartment. I went back up steps and banged on door. I asked kid if he worked downstairs and he said he did. Told him I wanted my truck, and the bill. He said the other side has to be done. My reply was, "it will be but not by you guys". Mike and I nursed truck home and it is now in Auto-Tec in Whitman. They are checking the work Mcintosh did and putting right side hub on also. Lazy to the point that in the dictionary next to the word lazy is a picture of this garage and all the employees. They weren't bright enough to call the Ford place in Hyannis right away. Guy orignally said NAPA would overnight the part and come to find out the hub assembly they put in was from Ford. When he told me the other side needed to be done he said he would get that one from NAPA also even though the left side, first one, came from Ford. Why might you ask, well its because the ford part list from $250.00 and the napa part lists from $300.00 to $400.00 depending on what vendor it comes from. I know this because my sister is parts manager at a Ford dealership. The put in the cheapest part but charge the highest price they can find. So Mike and I highlights of the last five days on the vineyard was of walking over to OUR Market and getting the morning paper and coffee. I am sure there are garages you can trust on the vineyard, just not Mcintosh's.