| A huge thumbs-up for our GMC vendors and the GMC community [message #270249] |
Fri, 23 January 2015 17:05  |
bhayes
Messages: 263
Registered: March 2010
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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I recently read some posts on Facebook that were critical of our GMC vendors, and the JimB's and JimK's excellent responses here on the GMCNET. Let me tell you a few positive experiences I've had...
Several years ago when my wife and I started looking into buying a motorhome, I came across a for sale posting for an old GMC sitting at a storage storage lot. Remembering them from when I was a kid, I starting researching them and found out they were still popular and well-supported. So my wife and I went and looked at it. It wasn't in the best of shape, and the most discouraging thing for me at the time was that it was sitting on it's rear-end with deflated air bags. Not knowing the condition of the bags, I decided to call Applied GMC, which I had come across in my research. I dialed the number and talked to a very cordial and talkative fellow by the name of Jim Kanomata. Not knowing him from Adam, I asked about the availability of the air bags. Jim mentioned that Firestone was just starting to phase the air bags out, but he did have them in stock for a reasonable price. He also mentioned that there were alternatives that had been developed. Jim was very helpful and also assisted me in what I should be looking for when inspecting a GMC. He never sounded like I was wasting his time or inconveniencing him.
Fast-forward a few years. After quite a bit of searching, we were now the proud owners of a '76 Eleganza. Shortly after getting it back home, we were driving it around the neighborhood when the crankshaft pulley sheared its bolts and smacked up against the water pump pulley. Both pulleys were toast. We limped the GMC home, and the next day, I had it towed to a local shop to replace the pulleys. Guess what? They couldn't find any pulleys locally for an Olds 455. Remembering my positive experience with JimK, I called him up and asked if they had a pair of pulleys he could ship. I think they were already on a UPS truck before I even got off the phone. They arrived quickly, the shop installed them (with stronger bolts), and life was good.
Fast forward again to the time I was trying to get the Onan running reliably. I ordered a new Dinosaur board from Jim. After close to a year, it seemed to start having problems. I called Jim about it, and he immediately sent me a new board.
You don't find that high level of customer service very often, let alone the immediate availability of obscure parts for a 40-year-old motorhome. And if I didn't still have a bunch of kids to put through college, you can bet I'd be talking to JimB about having the GMC upgraded. (Water and particle board don't mix, and it desperately needs some new cabinets.)
The fact is if it wasn't for people like the Jims and those of us who have a love/hate relationship with these old wonders of engineering, the GMC would have gone the way of so many other motorhomes. How often do you see an early 70s Explorer class A on that old Dodge truck chassis lumbering down the road? Or even a Toyota-based 1980s Odyssey class C struggling up a 2% grade? It's also the helpful attitude, respect, and knowledge here on the GMCNET. It's people like Bob Burkitt, who has given me a ton of advice through email. It's those of you who answer dumb questions from newbies like me 2.7 seconds after we post them. All of these GMC community traits combine to make a 40-year-old GMC a viable alternative to a modern coach.
The GMC is unique, as are its owners and vendors. If we continue to respectfully support each other and our vendors, these machines will still be rolling down the road decades from now.
Bryan Hayes
'76 Eleganza II
Salt Lake City, Utah
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