I went back to the shop this afternoon to see how things were going. My truck was not being worked on as the mechanic was in town picking up the filter and the oil. It seems that he works late in the day, but gets things done when he does.

I was told I needed to come back around five to confirm that deposit for the brake work so that the mechanic could go get parts for that. So how things work at this little shop is that they only do one thing at a time and they have you pay half up front so they can get parts. I’m absolutely fine with this since I’ve gotten some testimonials about the shop.

As for the tailgate, the handle was fine, but there was a broken rod inside, not something I could have fixed myself! There are TONS of tailgates lying around since they are removed for the pickup truck taxis and he got the part from one of those.

I was also told that the total for the brakes should be actually closer to $4,000, not $4,500! That’s a 40CAD difference that means a lot in Mexico as it would cover the hotel and a nice dinner with a beer in San Carlos!

The fellow I’ve been dealing with called the mechanic to confirm that I really do want the complete brake job done and put me on the phone with him for a verbal confirmation. The reception was really bad and we settled on my returning to the shop in about a half hour to speak with him rather than returning at five.

Before I left, I had a laugh. The fellow said that he Google Saskatchewan last night. “It’s 4,000KM from Mazatlán to the US/SK border. How much further do you have to beyond that?!”
“Only 75KM.”
“I take it 75KM from the US border is safer in Canada than in Mexico?”
“Most of its parts. And most Canadians live within 150KM of the US border.”
“Oh, right. Just north enough to be Canadian, but not so north where it’s very cold.”

“Just north enough to be Canadian…” LOL!!!

So I returned in half an hour and the mechanic was yet another person who speaks way better English than I do Spanish who opts to deal with me in Spanish. So FINE. I speak Spanish! ¡No poquito, mucho! 🙂

The mechanic wanted at least $1,000 to go get parts in Maz, ideally, $2,000. I had no problem giving him the $2,000 and told him that the soonest I can get to the bank for the balance is Sunday morning (that’s actually the soonest I can get there without throwing my work schedule into chaos!). That’s fine and work likely won’t be done till Monday anyway. I told him that if he needs more money for parts before then, I have another $1,000 or so and his helper knows where to find me.

(Croft, he remembers the really tall guy with white hair and the ancient Honda! 😀 )

I said that I need my truck back by the 23rd at the absolute latest (a week from now) and they say that won’t be a problem. I’m hoping it’s sooner as I want to start packing it, but the 23rd is fine.

I’m really glad I went with my gut instinct and had the truck checked before I left! I’ll be able to leave with peace of mind that everything is good with it.

The guys on my Ranger forum think that the brake issue could explain my increasingly worse gas mileage and that I might be pleasantly surprised when I get going. When I get to the States and am able to get receipts with my fuel purchases, I’ll crunch some numbers.