Benjamins to Luke

[Tedsoldbus]

Great trip to Polk City. Everything worked and nobody tried to hit me. Even in Atlanta! I learned more in 2 hours from the guys nice enough to spend time with me than 6 trips to my mechanic. An embarrassing moment for me while going over all the things in my engine box. Mark popped open the big lid on my air cleaner and it looked like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown had set up shop.
Got home and Rita mentioned Amazon for ordering parts. I said ney ney!
I saw 4 huge distribution centers just off the highway on this trip and every 6th semi that pushed me sideways while passing me was Amazon.

I ask all of you to join me in supporting Luke! We need him more than Amazon needs more money! It didn't take long to get Rita to agree. But then....she is a Jersey girl. So I'll be gathering a few Benjamins for Luke this morning for 2 air filters and a few other things.
And thanks to the BCM guys who greatly improved my knowledge and confidence in taking a 42 year old bus down the road.

[windtrader]

well, congrats in order, well done!


Keep the stories coming. I find this group really unique, more like a bunch of friends chatting and when a bus topic comes up we all jump with enthusiasm and expertise to help another out. Now, fuel prices need to back off, otherwise more than one bus is going to be taking way shorter trips or sitting in the yard.

[Tedsoldbus]

I always expect to break something going and something else on the way back. Going down there I was sitting in a campground reading, until it finally dawned on me the water pump was making that little brrrr sound waaaay too often. I looked in the bay for a leak, looked under the kitchen. Finally looked under the bathroom sink and the trash can that luckily sits under the sink was 90% full of water.
Ahhhhhhhhhh! Shut off the pump!
I used a big cup to bail the water into the toilette until I could take the trash can out. The bottom of the braided steel hot water hose was wet. Both fittings were tight? I turned on the pump again and felt the bottom fitting and was just testing the top one when the pump cycled and a veeery fine spray hit my wrist. There was a pin hole in the hose. I've never seen a braided hose leak anywhere but the fittings.
No issue coming home except I spent much of the trip knowing I had neglected my air filter and knew the turbo was mad at me all the way home.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 "Elections have consequence's" >>>Dan ( Even Canadians are finding this out.)

[Iceni John]

Got home and Rita mentioned Amazon for ordering parts. I said ney ney!
I saw 4 huge distribution centers just off the highway on this trip and every 6th semi that pushed me sideways while passing me was Amazon.

I ask all of you to join me in supporting Luke! We need him more than Amazon needs more money! It didn't take long to get Rita to agree.

I agree 900%!   Jeff Bezos does not need or even deserve my money, so I refuse to buy anything from Amazon.   So saying, several things I've ordered on eBay were delivered by Amazon, in Amazon bags.   Go figure.   Simply as a matter of principle I refuse to spend my money at any company that A) doesn't treat its staff and its supply chain ethically and fairly, and/or B) has established an overwhelming presence that makes it hard for smaller independent competitors to exist, and/or C) is owned by someone whose politics are diametrically opposite to mine.   For this reason I will never buy from Walmart, Amazon, Starbucks, and a few others.   Obviously my personal boycott will make not a jot of difference to those companies, but that's not the point.

Harbor Diesel in Long Beach CA is a good source of Racor filters.   MacFadden-Dale Industrial Hardware and Industrial Metal Supply in SoCal always have everything I need, as does my local hydraulic shop.   Those are the companies that deserve my money, not Jeff Bezos (America's own oligarch).

John

[pabusnut]

Ted,

You are right about Luke!  He is kind of the opposite of Amazon, but with the same quick service.
I will be sending some Benjamins his way for brake parts (DD3 cans, wheel bearings and seals) as soon as Uncle Sam sends back the extra he borrowed from me last year!  We need to keep Luke (and Bill) in business!

Steve Toomey

[Tedsoldbus]

Thanks pabusnut, I meant it to celebrate who we have access to with Luke and Steve, not really as a bash to AMAZON. I'm also feeling better about needing just a few filters and odd parts versus your shopping list. ouch. But my last list to Luke was a doosie with trani filter housing parts, fuel and oil filters, and bump stops that had to come from Prevost. I tried 4 calls to Prevost and they said "No gots, obsolete part" (He spent 6 days tracking them down, So Luke still rules). And everything I get from him is shiny brand new? Not grease cleaned off it or stripped off a cement truck. New! How does he do that?

[dtcerrato]

The same talent Luke possesses for wisdom in the parts securing sector for busses - I'm certain he also possesses for supply resource vendors. 

[fortyniner]

X^2 on Luke. They really blow my mind on how fast stuff gets shipped out. Even big stuff.
And all the little fiddly parts that would be nearly impossible to source for most of us he usually has on the shelf, at least in my GM case.

Besides, I always enjoy chatting with him for a few minutes while ordering stuff.

-Tom P.