Tuesday, October 19, 2010

THANK YOU, AUTO DOCS COMPLETE CAR CARE – FERNLEY, NV

Across from the Bob Scott Campground on Hwy 50 near Austin, NV Our last overnight stop along “The Loneliest Highway in America” was a gravel pullout alongside the road near the top of Austin Summit, across from the Bob Scott Campground, a few miles east of Austin, Nevada.  We’ve stayed in this pullout before, and choose it over the little USFS campground for a few simple reasons: it’s free, we can run the generator whenever we want without bothering anyone else, and we don’t need to unhook the Jeep.

I won’t be reviewing this overnight spot on my campground review blog, We Called It Home, but will mention the other important attributes: strong Verizon cell service for phone and aircard, very dark at night, no obstacles for the TV satellite dish.  It is a bit noisy until after around 10 pm, when most traffic along Hwy 50 seems to stop.  

As we prepared to leave in the morning, we found that our Brake Buddy - the auxiliary braking system we use to apply the Jeep’s brakes when we slow/stop the motorhome – was not working.  It plugs into a 12 v. power supply socket in the Jeep, and we discovered that the fuse to the power supply socket was blown… so it turned out that the Brake Buddy was fine, but wasn’t getting power.  Each time we replaced the fuse to the power supply, it blew immediately.  Uh, oh – except for thinking “we must have a short” and “bummer”, we had reached the end of our fix-it-yourself routine. 

Looking down on Austin, NV, heading west on Hwy 50. The drive down the west side of Austin Summit into the little town of Austin, NV, is a doozey – long, steep, and very curvy -  and we had a couple more passes to climb and descend before we reached Fernley, NV, our planned stop for the night.  Since traffic along our route was almost non-existent, we decided to continue to Fernley with the Jeep in tow, but we needed a fix before we heading west on I-80 into California on Wednesday. 

First thing Monday morning, Odel began calling Fernley’s auto repair shops.  The first one was busy until Thursday (we’ll be long gone by then), so referred us to a second shop.  He couldn’t fit us in until Wednesday (too late), so referred us to a third shop, Auto Docs Complete Car Care.  Odel went off with the Jeep.  I stayed home, hoping they could find the source of the problem and repair it by the end of the day.

An hour later, Odel was home with a big grin on his face.  Fixed!  When I asked what it cost, he told me it was free!  Huh?  When Odel took the car in, Tom, the owner, said they would take a look at it right away to diagnose the problem.  Odel took off for a 45 minute walk.  When he returned, the short had been isolated and the simple fix made – simple, but it required removing several of the dashboard panels, which were being reinstalled by Ryan when Odel returned.  Odel’s quick mental calculation:  parts cost – minimal; labor cost – around an hour, $50 to $80 bucks, maybe?  And, “great, it’s fixed!”

Odel, Ryan and Jason outside Auto Docs When Odel asked for the bill, Tom (the owner) said “I try to do a good deed every day, and today, you are that good deed.”  Odel was floored, knowing Ryan had spent close to an hour on the repair, but Tom steadfastly refused any payment.

After Odel told me that story, I said “Let’s go, I want a photo!”.  When we drove back, Tom had gone off on a errand, but Ryan and Jason were happy to pose with Odel.  Tom, if you ever see this, THANK YOU!   Your generous and unexpected gesture of goodwill made our day!

To our traveling friends, if you need automotive work done in Fernley, Nevada, visit Auto Docs Complete Car Care, 405 S Center St, Fernley, NV 89408-4708; Phone number: (775) 835-8981.

14 comments:

  1. Don't you just love it when you meet (or hear about) people like that? What a better world it would be if we all tried to do the same thing. Thanks for the uplifting story, and I will sure keep Auto Docs in mind. I've traveled through Fernley many times, so it's good thing to know.

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  2. Are you kidding me??? I didn't know there were anymore people like that out there!!! Kudos to Auto Docs....This reminds me of the movie "Pay It Forward"..If you have never seen it, I suggest you do....a really great life lesson...Stay safe!!

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  3. I love that you went back to take their picture and acknowledge their kindness. You're a special person, Laurie. Thank you for sharing your life and travels with all of us.

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  4. I love the story! Good deed for the day! I think John and I have camped at that same pullout.

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  5. How cool is that? Sometimes people surprise you in a good way. Good for you and Auto Docs! :)

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  6. A semi-random act of kindness. I love it. If we are ever in that area, we will stop in and say hi to them. People like them definitely make this world a better place!

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  7. That's the kind of business we like to support.

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  8. I have added Auto Docs to my list of good guys. Thanks for telling us about them.

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  9. I agree to the previous posts...that's the kind of business we like to support. I believe in supporting the local little guy, but you never know what you're getting into. What a great story!

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  10. Duly noted on my "Go-to" list also... Thanks for paying it forward to all of us. I have a feeling that Tom will not regret his generous decision! :-)

    Be safe!

    Kerri in AL :-)

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  11. What a neat story! So glad you were the ones receiving Tom's blessing.

    Safe travels and have a blessed rest of the day.

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  12. Mr & Mrs King: This is Tom, from Auto Doc's in Fernley. I certainly appreciate your kind words. I hope you folks continue to have many many years and miles of travel in your future.

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  13. I have been following your blog for app. 1 year and this evening my wife was walking past while I was veiwing your blog. She saw your picture and said "we know them!" We were in Rusk, Tx. at the state park with the railroad and were opposite your site in a Fleetwood Revolution app. 4 years ago and if you guys are the ones, Odel and you were camp hosting. Was that the 2 of you?

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  14. Hi, Bob. No, that wasn't us... but hello all the same. :)

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