In a message dated 9/6/02 10:25:40 PM, gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM writes:

> Tim's experience duplicates mine, with three different dealers;
> Frema (Goldsboro, NC),
> Stohlman's (Tyson's Corner, VA)
> Pacheles (Greenville, NC)
>
> Before one draws the conclusion that this favorable 'dealer/part' thing
> is universal, Southern States (Raleigh) was a ham-fisted eye-poke from
> the moment I walked in, and Springfield VW, while delivering the goods,
> was arbitrary in their helpfulness.
>
Stohlman's has, unfortunately gone downhill in the last 6 months. I'm walking
distance from them and have had my Vanagons and Corrado repaired there
numerous times over the years. Ricky (one of the former repair folk that
worked on Vanagons) has become a shop foreman and no longer works on them (he
was one of the really good mechanics too.)

It now takes 2 (or more) weeks to get an appointment (you didn't used to have
to get an appointment   to get serviced.) And the quality of some of the
basic stuff has gone down. Some of the service advisors that deal with the
public have disappeared (one that disappeared between a Friday and the
following Monday while my car was in for service, was one of the good service
advisors.)

I still tend to get parts from them (due to their proximity) if I can't get
it elsewhere, and the folks in the parts department have been there for ever
(20 or more years in some cases.)

Sad to see them go downhill so precipitously.