Li'l Update: My Car Battery pegged out, the other day - or, wouldn't start, BCAA (CAA) came and gave me a jump-start.. little bit of a sexist explanation for me, to 'help me understand' how my battery would've lost it's charge... anyway, that was mostly about high heels getting worn down - uh, no - you can talk to me like a normal person - pretty sure the men aren't getting the'high heel' explanation...(He was a nice fellow, doing his job... and a little reminder to make sure you give lots of space to any tow-truck operator at the side of the roads - we were in our garage, but there are far too many accidents involving two truck drivers - slow down, give them lots of space : )
Anyway, we were told to go and get the battery charged at the local garage, so I went over to Gorge Vale, and totally felt like i was being ripped of - the ONE thing I despise when you're just trying to solve a problem with your car - wanting to run unnecessary tests, when, really, I should've just gotten a new battery...
So, cut to the next day, we drove away from that garage, and I won't bother going back - I don't like the wool being pulled over someone's eyes - that's not okay... you be honest, I'll be honest, let's get this done - jus' like a regular relationship - hahahaha!
So, yesterday, we went down to make sure the car would start, first, then took it around the corner, where we had accidentally seen a Battery Store, the day before that, when we were just driving to get the charge back up on the car battery, you know... and we had been told to do a highway drive, but, frankly, I didn't really want to leave the city limits when I felt like the car might not start, again...
So I was just following my intuition when we pulled into the Battery store... I was thinking I thought it might do car batteries, but at the very least, I felt like they were a little store, and more likely to be honest, which is all I wanted, yesterday...
So it's:
Island Batteries
Peter Bird
493-F Burnside Road East,
Victoria, BC, Canada
250-385-8658
Toll Free: 1-888-385-8658
islandbatteries@telus.net
www.islandbatteries.com
Sooo nice! Friendly, so helpful - super-helpful - we got Peter, and we went and checked my car battery, I asked him if he knew a reliable garage, and told him a little of what had happened the day before, and he recommended Williams Garage (something like that, on Finlayson and Quadra, if you're in Victoria...), and then he said, you know what? I could change that battery for you - yay!!!!
I ended up getting the whole thing done for $160 - a great price, in Canada, and especially in BC (B.C. - the joke is, BC stands for Bring Cash - haha!)
We were soo thankful for Peter - that was so super nice of him to change our battery for us, so we went and got the ingredients for Shortbread, that Peter had said was one of his faves, came home, made a big batch of Shortbread, boxed it up and took it back over to Peter at Island Batteries - he was a Good Samaritan to us, and we were Good Samaritans to him - see how great it is to be nice? I loove that! And I reward Kindness - lol!
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The other place where we had excellent service was at The Great Canadian Oil Change - they were fantastic, got all the fluids flushed and renewed, car feels like a dream! Yahoo!!
So it pays to be nice! (That's my bottom line! lol!)
Yum! That's a nice way to say Thank You, right? lol! Shortbread! So I had to take my car in to get some work done, and I wasn't completely sure what needed to be done, but that little , very loud, crazy-loud, red light that looks like a little thermostat, came on in the car, right after I had gotten my oil change and car 'check up' for the summer, right? And then this crazy little loud red light kept coming on, but when I was slowing down, or at a stop light... so crazy. But that noisy little red light had to be taken care of, and asap...
But here's the thing when you're on your own, and female... or anyone who isn't completely sure what's going on with their car, but they just want to take it somewhere they will be treated well, treated with respect, (not spoken down to, like they're a mowon... that's not fun... and a lot of women know what this feels like...), and know and feel comfortable that the garage and mechanics are going to tell you the absolute truth about what needs to be done, and how much that will be... and not feel like you're being taken advantage of... you'd think that would be all garages, all shops, right? Noooo, it's few and far between, so when you do find a great garage, you'll stick with it - better for you, and way better for your car : )
So I took my car, a Buick Rendezvous, in to get a new Water Pump, which I had researched online, like everyone does, now - and you should - it's better to Google whatever you think might be wrong with your car, so you can understand what's going on when you do get into the garage... you'll feel better, and feel like you can have an intelligent conversation with your mechanic, so you can both understand what you feel like you need and want, and they can let you know what all needs to be done - an even more importantly, what doesn't necessarily need to be done... that can save you a lot of money, and make you feel like you and your car are gonna be juuust fine : )
So, yesterday, after a lot of research, we took my car into Gorge Vale Automotive (www.gvauto.ca), and talked to Dave, the owner - (David Christison), and he was really helpful, very nice and a very reasonable person, which is what you want, for sure, so you immediately feel comfortable, right? And then one of the mechanics came up to the Front Desk, too, Bob (who, it turned out, had also built his own house, so I got to see all the pictures of his recent build, and we had a great conversation... how often does THAT happen at the garage? lol! That's one of my favorite topics, as you might know - I love building houses! lol!) ...
Anyway, so Bob the Mechanic was talking to us, too, and I felt very comfortable leaving my car for them to check to see what really needed to be done. We walked home, since I thought we were 'just around the corner - turns out, 'just around the corner in the car is a really long walk on your own - haha! They were soo nice, they came and picked us up so we didn't have to walk back to the garage... so nice! Great Service, for sure! AND, they washed my car, after the work was done - Thanks, Nigel!
So it ended up that I DID need a new Water Pump, and they changed out the Serpentine Belt, too (whatever that is... but glad it was changed out), and the whole thing, including the diagnostic fee, which Dave knocked back for me - wasn't that nice? Thanks, Dave! Anyway, the whole thing came out to $411. - a good and fair price, and I knew they had done a great job.
We were soo happy with how everything went, and how well we were treated, personally, and the car feels great, no more crazy ping high pitched sound from the thermostat going crazy...the problem is completely solved and fixed, so now Gorge Vale Automotive, over by the Petro-Canada Gas Station in Esquimalt, BC, will be our new home garage. Yahoo, a Home Garage! I love when I know exactly where I can take my car, and trust that the right things will be done, for a good price, and you know your car will be all nice and safe for you to drive - can't get any better than that, right?
I popped in and got some good deals for you, too, if you want to just go ahead and sell your car, or buy a new car - we love Autotrader - works like a charm... and then lots of deals on car parts and fancy things for your vehicle.. and Father's Day is coming up, and lots of dads love their cars - lol!
Okay, so if you're in Victoria, BC, and in need of a good mechanic, Gorge Vale Automotive is the place to go - they're fair, they're nice, they know what they're doing - and they'll even wash your car - AND, they have the best price on an Oil Change in the area - wish that's where I'd taken my car, all along, but am thrilled to find a new Garage Home, now - yippee! Treated well at a garage! It's the best feeling! Ailsa : )
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Oh, and my favourite Mechanics in Los Angeles are the fellows at Pep Boys, on Manchester Avenue in Westchester - close to where I used to live and teach... those guys were soo good to me - you'll love them, too : )
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And I love Les Schwab in the States, too - especially the Les Schwab in Port Angeles, Washington - those fellows are soo super-nice... they'll treat you well, get your car on the road, all safe and ready for a long drive, and at a really good price - see, that's all we want - a good job for a fair price, right? Right! lol!
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