We were on a trip from San Antonio to Big Bend, and about 30 miles west of town the truck lost the…read morewater pump at the Customs inspection station. We managed to limp it a few miles back towards town, but finally could go no further. Calls to our Auto Club produced no results (Thanks Allstate!), and the only response I could get from any local calls of my own was "maybe 3 hours or more". What a way to start a vacation.
A supervisor at the Lake Amistad National Park Info center named John heard of our plight. He said he was very picky about his vehicles, and put me in touch with his 'guy'. In this way I was introduced to George, the owner of Fleet Maintenance in Del Rio. He has 20+ years as a dealer certified mechanic, and 6+ as the Service Manager, and is now out on his own.
George picked up a friend, came out and got our truck, took us to a motel for the night, and pulled our truck to his shop. He promised that although it was Thursday afternoon, we would be on our way in 24 hours or less! I was surprised given that it is an HD Diesel and not as common as a regular truck, but you never know. It was strange to be in another town, on vacation, and have no wheels, but we placed great faith in George.
We were still faced with how to get across town to pick up the truck when done, when George called and said it would be ready soon. He said that he could have is wife come and pick me up to take me to their shop! True to his word, the truck was available on time, and the cost was well below what I expected. I was at his shop for the last couple of hours, and the attention to detail was exemplary. The Power Stroke have a few little tricks, and he got them all.
In summary, I received outstanding service, far better than I expected as a stranded out-of-towner, and from the friendliest people. I wasn't charged ofr the tow or the ride to the shop, and received excellent prices on the parts and labor involved. The truck was ready as promised and we were able to continue on our trip. It just doesn't get any better than this - 6 stars!
