Hi Benny,
Just which city(ies) is your shop near?  Actually, I'm wondering just how
far from my Colchester, VT home (time and miles) you are are located.
Sam Conant
----- Original Message -----
From: "Benny boy" <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2007 11:16 PM
Subject: Was: Mechanic VS customer, now: it's a passion, period!

>I did this post because i felt that you guys are crasy about Vanagon, you
> are, (i guess) for the most of you, customers! some have mechanical or
> body
> work skills, some don't and some are very good with their hands. I'm no
> good
> businessman, but getting there because i have to eat and there is no way
> out, i won't fail this time! This situation was different than an engine
> job, mechanical work (unless done poorly) can not be judge by everyone,
> but
> a paint/body work can be judge by most. Sadly, everything is all about
> "look" today, sadly. Even last year, i would never imagine that one day i
> could paint a whole van, but i have that skill, that, i know, so why not.
> When i do a job, any job, i do it as if it was my own van, and that will
> never change! Maybe i should charge more, but i'm no "money" guy, when i
> get
> up in the morning, i race to my shop... this is worth a lot of money for
> me.
> On this van i made a good 4200$ profit, 10 days, an happy camper... i'm
> rich
> in many ways. I only want to be able to make a nice living, go camping
> with
> some of my cutomers and/or friends, be happy and make them happy. The only
> thing i DON'T want, is the stupid one, and this year, i can push them
> away.
>
> I still love camping, travelling, going nowhere, having fun with nice
> folks
> around a campfire.... that is all i ask about life.
>
> The main reason for this post was "exhaustion" on my side, bad timing, and
> a
> customer that thought that the color was ANOTHER one, so, it's simply bad
> comunication. Anyway, i'm to tired to post pictures tonight, but everyone
> is
> very happy at the end. I was just seeking your advices! I think that i do
> my
> share for the Vanagon community and felt fine asking for advices when i
> need
> some, even if this thread seem to be about my shop, and it was in some
> ways,
> it was me, the men who as been here for a few years... now asking for
> advices. I'm not selling stuff here, not even looking for customers, i
> don't
> need any. I'm just here as i was here before i had my shop and will
> probably
> still be here after i do something else.
>
> Today, Sunday, i helped my EX brother in law Jason, the one who help me
> the
> past 2 months (104 hours of works in exchange for works on his van)at the
> shop, he is NOT good with is hands, at all, he as put apart over 4
> complete
> engine, he still don't know where is the Alternator! tonight, he was
> messing
> with the swivel seet, tired and stressed.... ha ha ha, 15 minutes of fun
> for
> me... in 5 hours, we put a rebuilt transmission, alternator and 2
> batteries,
> the last little things we had to do. This week, he is leaving for a long
> time, first planting trees in northern Alberta for 3 months making 25k$,
> after that, he will hang around the west cost surfing and skaboarding
> aboard
> is ugly "lite blue" 84 Westy...
> He as bought this van in 2002 for 3K, 100k miles, nice shape, he went
> around
> North AMerica 3 time including Mexico 2 time, this van was good to him,
> but
> last year, everything was falling apart, time to invest... oh yea! As
> Jason
> does't care AT ALL for esthetic, all the money was put on the practical
> and
> mechanical side of it. But in the past 2 months, he understood that a van
> is
> a machine, an old machine.. he was amaze sometime that i loose time on one
> single bolt. He understood that we nned to put energy and money to kkep
> them
> alive, at a point that he got scared of driving his own van... he told me
> one morning: Men, anything can break!!! yea boy....
>
> Jason is a modern Hippie, he doesn't know he is, he is a good men! to
> intelligent for most of us! he is way over there... he doesn't owned a
> Westy
> as we would think modern hippie would, he just own a compact partical
> small
> camper van! He dosn't care about VW or Westfalia, his not on any mailling
> list or even does't understand the need for it... but believe me, he love
> his van, he wan't to kkep it for ever... last month, for his birthday, i
> fix
> 2 things, put some nice speaker in front(of course, he is a musician) and
> fix his fridge, yea, this guy never used his fridge, putting dry food in
> it,
> it was fine like that he tolf me.... but he was happy as hell when that
> thing came cold! Cool he said, fresh milk!!!
>
> Jason left the shop tonight, i was following him in my car, (westy is in
> the
> shop, engine is almost out for you know what reason!)... looking a that
> old
> blue 84, did i do everything right! any smoke! is the trany ok! looking at
> that big smile on his face, i was ok! i see an happy friend that gave me
> what ever he had to offer, i took it, even knowing he would be more in my
> way than anything else.... the van is a mess inside, he doesn't care, he
> as
> a place to sleep where ever he is... We fix a ton of stuff, there is still
> some to do... next year bro, i see you soon, maybein Mexico next winter.
> It's fine for now Jay.. go on the road and show people what a Westy was
> made
> for. We splited, and maybe i won't see that good friend and his happy 84
> blue westy for a long time...
>
> I'm sure Larry Chase understand...
>
> Farewell brother...
>
> Ben
> http://www.benplace.com/baja/calif006.JPG (on the left)
> http://www.benplace.com/baja/calif005.JPG (on the left)
>
>
> On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:55:07 -0400, pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET> wrote:
>
>>So after all this the customer is happy??
>>
>>That's really good news.
>>
>>It makes me feel good to know that people like Benny who aren't afraid of
>>hard work and care about the quality of their work aren't getting screwed
>>by
>>nit-picking customers.
>>
>>
>>And Benny- don't raise your rates.
>>My van needs a paint job :)