Who else is on their 3rd timing belt?

[deermagnet]

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[jheyson =)]

Hi Deermagnet,

It is a pleassure to get to know such a dedicate vx owner as you. You are an example of how an owner should take care his/her Vx. Your timeline of Vx data is incredible. I would like to meet with you someday ,so you can give me some tips. I was looking for half a year for a reliable and good mechanic who understand the VX , but i was unable to find one around my area. It would be great if you can give me the number of your mechanic ,so i can set an appointment with him. I checked in google ,and your location is about 2 hours and half from mine, so it not extremetely far. Sent me a pm whenever you can about the information of your mechanic,

Once again ,,,, long life to your VX

thanks,
Jheyson,

[circmand]

Thanks for your kind words. The bad news is my VX mechanic is 60 miles north of me in Vestal, NY, next to Binghamton. So that's a really far trip for you.

His name is Lou and it's a former Isuzu dealer. He has worked on my VX since 7/04 at 82,000 miles. He's the main reason why my VX is so mechanically sound.

http://www.matthewsautomallny.com/index.htm

I know most people hate dealer shops and many are bad to deal with. I have 100% confidence and trust in Matthew's service department. They are really nice people and they've never let me down or done anything I didn't approve of. They are now charging $90/hour labor, which I'm not real happy with, but that's the going rate at many shops now. If they're doing an exceptional job for me, then I guess it's worth it. I know we have upstate NY members. If you need someone to do your timing belt or anything not routine, I highly recommend Lou at Matthew's by the waterfall in Vestal. He knows my VX so well that he'll have no problem with yours.

BTW, I forgot to mention, he saw the coolant crossover pipe gaskets were leaking and replaced those. He said it's common on that engine, so keep an eye out for a coolant leak at the top center of the engine. It's that complex pipe that the upper rad hose connects to. It allows coolant to cross over from side to side around the intake. It's a cheap do-it-yourself job.

Mark

Most dealers charge labor by the manual which is pretty generous when stating hours for the job. They will charge by each step with 15-30 minute chunks like cell phones used to so you end up paying for an hour or two extra

[jheyson =)]

Thanks Deermagnet for the valuable information. Probably in June or July i will go there to get a full check up on the VX. There is nothing wrong with the VX now, but i want to make sure it is running properly an well-mantained as yours. By the way, yesterday (Sunday 22nd) , there was a small meeting in New Jersey. I met Gussie2000 and Otto. They are very nice guys ,and their cars looked awsome. Gussie2000 is organizing a meeting for all the members in New Jersey, New York ,Conneticut, Pa, and sorrounding states. Date and time are yet to be decided.


Again, Thanks for the tips Mark!!

Jheyson,
Jheyson,