Author: Rae

by

Replacing the Tailgate Handle in my 2000 Ford Ranger

My biggest complaint with the operation of my Ranger was that the tailgate was a pain to open. Eventually, I couldn’t open it at all. This is why:

After researching the cost of a used and new tailgate handle for my 2000 Ranger, I decided to order one from eBay seller directauto. The new tailgate handle cost me peanuts and arrived today. It is not a Ford part, but it appears to be just as robust and it fits perfectly.

I used the following video as a guide for installation:

The only thing I can add to that video is to have a pair of pliers on hand to grab your nuts if you drop them. Otherwise, installation was just that easy. The hardest part was finding the right screwdriver bit for removing the tailgate cover screws and then for the nuts holding the handle assembly.

I can’t believe the difference a little grease, WD-40, and a new handle makes! My tailgate now opens effortlessly.

by

Chez Lien Vietnamese Restaurant, Saint-Constant

It was a spur of the moment invitation from old family friends and former bosses that brought us to a Chez Lien Vietnamese Restaurant in Saint-Constant, a place my mother had been to a few times and really enjoyed. Chez Lien is a chain, but she says that they have different owners and vary in quality. The one in Saint-Constant is the cleanest.

I’ll just make a parenthesis here to say that I started working for my bosses more than 20 years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long! I last worked for them 14 years ago. We are still close and I can’t believe their boys are all grown up and starting to have children of their own. It makes me feel about 10 years older than I am.

Anyway, back to Chez Lien. They have a basic but mostly authentic Vietnamese menu with some Thai and ‘Chinese’ items as well as a very opinionated server. My mother gets a kick out of him. Everyone else had a combination fish and seafood platter with soup. I went for one imperial roll and the lemongrass chicken sauté. I wanted rice but when the server told me he was bringing me vermicelli, I felt it best not to argue. My mother said that I would have heard about it for five minutes if I’d argued with him for wanting the wrong carb with my meal. That sounds unpleasant, but he was hilarious!

The hearty roll came with fish dipping sauce (a clear and sweet sauce made with fish but not tasting like it at all) and a nice salad with a yummy peanut dressing. My dinner was very late coming out; my companions were halfway finished with theirs when mine arrive. But it was worth the wait! I had a huge plate of perfectly sautéd veggies and nice pieces of chicken swimming in a thin and fragrant lemongrass sauce that had just a bit of kick to it. I threw the noodles in to absorb some of the yummy sauce. Mmm! I adore lemongrass!

Chez Lien serves a variety of fruits deep fried in a wonton wrapper as dessert. Only two of us opted for dessert. My mother chose banana and I chose apple. Dessert was a bit ho hum, needing a little cinnamon or nutmeg, but the sweet sesame sauce made it pretty special. The coffee was very good, albeit a little too close to tepid to really savour.

I really enjoyed our meal at Chez Lien, especially when compared to my last experience at a Vietnamese restaurant! If I were to go back there, I would most likely have the lemongrass chicken again. It was just too good to try something else!

by

Dealership Estimate on the Motorhome Repair

The replacement adjuster at Aviva called me this afternoon very confused about Boisvert Ford’s estimate because there was a $600 difference with the idiots’ estimate. I told her that my adjuster told me many times that the number doesn’t matter. As long as the adjuster in the US said that A,B, and C needs to be repaired and that Boisvert says that A, B, and C needs to be repaired, then the numbers, within reason, don’t matter.

She went on to say that there were a lot of questions about the estimate. The French speaker on staff couldn’t translate half of it into something that made sense. Could I call Boisvert and figure it out?

I called and got the body shop guy immediately. He was available to discuss the estimate and once he realised that I really needed to understand each item to explain it to someone else, he took the time to walk me through the whole thing very patiently. Wow, what a difference in service!

As it turns out, his estimate is just more detailed. Instead of just saying ‘repair bumper’, he spells that that repairing the bumper means that we have to repair the side and rear exterior panels the bumper is attached to as well as the inside of the compartment. Uh, inside of the compartment? *note to self: empty the compartment* He also had the proper French terms (plancher and seuil, literally floor and threshold) for the three twisted metal pieces. Finally, he added the hitch receiver and the hitch.

So I emailed Aviva back and said that the estimate makes perfect sense to me, detailing and explaining each item, and that I can provide more pictures for clarification. I also told them that a dealership working on its own product should trump any other estimate for repair and the adjuster agreed.

I think Miranda is going to be in good hands!

 

by

An Assumption Results in a Potentially Major OOPS

This morning, I moved the truck out of the driveway so I could move the motorhome in. I then went to get the truck to park it closer to the house and it wouldn’t start. Oh, silly me! I was using my motorhome key! Put the correct key in and… nothing.

I immediately knew what was wrong. My Accent had a little phony anti-theft gauge to ward off truly idiotic thieves so I assumed that my Ranger’s flashing anti-theft gauge was the same thing. Um, no. As it turns out my Ranger has an active and functioning anti-theft device and was convinced I was trying to steal it so it went in lock down mode. OOPS.

I immediately got online and found a tip for possibly regaining control of the truck, but was warned that it fails more than 95% of the time and that I would likely need a tow to a dealership to get new keys made. Eep!

I followed the tip and, thankfully, it worked!!! I am going to have to start keeping the motorhome engine key far away from my truck key!

by

I Think I Owe Ford an Apology

I had a coffee date with an uncle this morning in St-Hubert only 3KM from the dealership in Brossard that might have been able to handle Miranda. Slight problem: they’re under renovation! Amusingly enough, there was a canteen truck parked out from with ads for a number of businesses and the first one was a frame straightening specialist located only about 1KM away. I went but they only do cars and had no idea where to send me.

So I came home and called Ford Canada. I got through the main and then sub-menus to reach a live person. I said something along the lines of, “I need help finding a place to have service done on my motorhome that’s on a Ford chassis” and was told, “You called the right place. I can help you with that.”

The technician asked me for a bunch of info about Miranda and was vexed that he couldn’t locate her by her VIN number but moved on to the details of my needs. He put me on hold for about a minute and came back to say that he would be unable to find me a place to take Miranda but that if I was willing to hold for about five minutes or so he would be able to find me a place that would know where to take her.

I held the line and he came back on to tell me that the Ford dealership in Richelieu, Ostiguy, would be calling me shortly. We hung up and less than two minutes later, the phone rang. It was Ostiguy Ford! The very sympathetic person I spoke to said that he was angry for me that Aviva wasn’t doing this research for me, but I explained that there is a language barrier. That out of the way, he asked me what I needed done. He replied that Boisvert Ford in Boucherville could do the entire insurance-covered repair! He gave me their number.

Next, I called Boisvert Ford and spoke to a few people until I was transferred to the right person, the head of the body work department. He said that, yes, he could get the frame straightened, replace the hitch, and do the fiberglass, but that the technician was going on holidays next Wednesday. He suggested I come right over. If it was a three-day job, he’d start immediately, if not I’d have to wait till the guy came back. I had a bit of work to make Miranda road ready, so I told him I’d have her there by about two.

Boucherville is an area I don’t know very well and there is a lot of construction along the 20. My mother gave me really good directions, but I wound up taking one wrong turn, so getting there was a little frustrating and nerve wracking. Boisvert Ford has a sprawling complex and I was very intimidated since I had no idea where to go. No problem, there was someone waiting at the gate to direct me!!!

This angel in overalls guided me around the building, told me where to park so that I could easily leave, and indicated which door to go into. The service manager was waiting for me and I was able to immediately speak with him!

He came out, confirmed that the work to be done matches what the idiots said needed to be done, but he couldn’t give me an exact price because he is going to have custom parts made, though it should be in the ballpark of $2,500. He said that he doesn’t want me to even think about the insurance at this point beyond having them call him. Skipping ahead a little, Aviva Vancouver now has a French person on staff, so he was put in charge of dealing with Boisvert Ford and I shouldn’t have to speak to Aviva about this claim again. *knocks on wood*

So good news. I found a place that can do the job properly and in one piece and my insurance company can deal with it. They can also replace my windshield. Hiccup: it’s a five-day job. No time to do it before the tech goes on holidays. I decided then that I would wait and I booked an appointment for August 20th. That will be more than enough time to make it worth my while to move back home while not so late as to not leave room for contingencies. Since I know how long the rig will be in the shop, I can plan for that week to be my holidays from transcription so I don’t have to dismantle my office again.

The service manager suggested I drop off the rig on August 17th, a Friday, late in the day. This way, I will be able to pull directly into the bay and they can start at 7AM Monday. Great!

As for the repairs on the house, I am postponing them. I am going to make sure my corner is well sealed and I will have the work done in the States this winter where I am going to pay less. I’ll take my time and look for a shop where they would be okay with the cats remaining in the rig while I sleep in the yard in my truck, or something along those lines.

I asked the guy if he could do the tow set up on my Ranger. He said no and that there’s a place in St-Jean that could do it, but he wouldn’t recommend going there and that I should got a little further afield to a place he knows in Ville Lemoyne. Yes, the place he wouldn’t recommend is They Who Shall Not Be Named. I should have really done my research back in June. 🙁 I am going to look into ordering my parts and having them shipped to New York or Vermont and then just have the installation done here.

I’ll be moving back in over the weekend, but my cats are probably going to stay in the garage. It’ll be way too hot for them in the rig these days and they are very happy where they are.

Needless to say, all is much better with my world tonight!