Gordon's Service is a hidden gem in coastal central WA, and the owner, Norm, is a National…read moreTreasure! We drove up I-5 in our VW Vanagon in one of the most brutal heatwaves in memory. The cooling system started to glitch out (fan not kicking on, and therefore overheating when not moving). Did a quick search from the road, and called ahead while limping in. When I explained what was going on and asked if he could look at it in the morning (the day before 4th of July and everyone shutting down from Thursday-Sunday), he didn't miss a beat, and said, "Yeah, we have those parts."
I had it at the shop at opening, and his team dove right in. Found and replaced a cracked coolant expansion tank, replaced a sensor, confirmed fan was working, filled and bled the coolant system, and then I got to go on a ride-along test ride with Norm, who gave me a master's class in Vanagon voodoo. He has been a VW mechanic since he was 15, and his love for restoring and keeping these things going is infectious.
Gave me his card and said call if anything came up, and when the van overheated again idling near destination, I called him again. He agreed to meet me back at the shop on Friday (the 5th, a day he had planned to have off). He went at it again, and this time discovered the thermostat wasn't opening, so no coolant was flowing to the radiator, and so would not get hot and kick on the fan. He replaced the thermostat, and ran it through the paces to make sure it would behave this time.
He saved my bacon, and got family safely back on the road. A fount of knowledge, a love of classic car culture (hosts a car show every year), great mechanic team, and super fair pricing. Even if I don't need a thing, next time we're in town, I will be stopping by to say hi.