First Visit To NAC

Topic: First Visit To NAC (Read 1196 times) previous topic - next topic

First Visit To NAC

May 23, 2019, 11:34:21 pm

Okay now I can definitely relate to the all the comments amount visiting NAC, for a newby so much to see and meeting so many very knowable folks that have worked on and around fortravel for years was incredible. New shoes at Herman Power and a list of items taken care of at MOT, the Team at MOT was outstanding. Went by and met the guys at Nacogdoches Motorhome Service, look to use them in the future. Went to the mothership and met Beverly Koonce and David Flanagan and toured MOST of the new and used coaches for sale, WOW very nice however way to complex for me, makes me wonder how these newer coaches will be in 20-30 years. The highlight of the trip was a chance encounter with Chuck & Jeannie, we drove into the lot at Foretravel and I told the DW, that is Chuck & Jeannies coach! Knocked on the door and spent the next hour having a great visit, such nice folks and what a beautiful coach! Last but not least, like many others the not so pleasant part of the trip was the amount of coach bucks I left to the nice folks of Nacogdoches!

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #1 – May 24, 2019, 10:58:27 am

David at FOT has been working on my coach for the past couple of weeks. I'm sure when I go get it I will be a few CB's lighter too!! 💰

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #2 – May 24, 2019, 11:04:25 am

The financial discomfort is transitory - the pleasure and enjoyment derived from quality craftsmanship is endless.

We have never regretted the cash we spent when Flanagan's crew worked over our interior. Class act all the way!

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #3 – May 24, 2019, 12:22:53 pm

Quote from: Bill and Marsha – May 23, 2019, 11:34:21 pm

Last but not least, like many others the not so pleasant part of the trip was the amount of coach bucks I left to the nice folks of Nacogdoches!

I have also heard NAC called "CBC" (Coach Buck City).

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #4 – May 24, 2019, 01:20:54 pm

The rule of thumb is 1 day in Flanagan's refurb shop = 1 coach buck. If you get away for less than that, you got a GOOD DEAL!

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #5 – May 24, 2019, 02:26:55 pm

1 day in any shop in Nac cost 1 cb and that's before the first bolt or fastener is used. Add parts to that and the arithmetic is easy. Didn't say writing the check is easy. This isn't the cheapest of hobbies but seems I have never had interest in a hobby that was. Glad I don't have to farm out anymore work than I do but it is good to have people available that know what they are doing with these toys. It's just money and a day parked on the beach or the spot of your choice with you own bed and fridge and easy chair with you is worth something to us or we would play another game.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #6 – May 24, 2019, 02:40:31 pm

Quote

with you own bed and fridge and easy chair with you is worth something to us or we would play another game.

Here's the best thing about traveling in an RV.
jor

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #7 – May 24, 2019, 02:40:54 pm

Not saying money is no issue , most all of us worked hard for our money but if you have a few bucks I would rather spend it on my toys because who inherits what's left will darn sure not bat an eye doing the same.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #8 – May 25, 2019, 12:19:48 am

MOT, FOT, Nacogdoches Motorhome Service... all great places to get service. But stay away from World Line Motors (Bernd) if you value your coach and your wallet.

George

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #9 – May 25, 2019, 10:41:15 am

Re: Nac

Anyone using Infinity? Some have, happily. And do not forget the supreme Xtreme!

Re Bernd's there are mixed reviews. Maybe based on the complexity, maybe who does the work. In any case, if you use them, stay closely involved, communicate carefully....i used for what the rv places do not do. Both mechanics had high local praise from dealers, one did good and has his own business now, the other there now worked hard to please me, did good it seems...time will tell. Was a job less than half a CB.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #10 – May 25, 2019, 05:54:49 pm

With all due respect for Michael's points, here are five more to consider before using Bernd's WLM:
1. I agree the reviews have been mixed and that is why I went there in the first place. But after my experience, which was 100% negative, I cannot recommend that anyone go there for any kind of service. And that especially applies to engine work. Why take a chance? Go someplace where the reviews are good. If you are interested in the details of my problems with WLM, please contact me. But suffice it to say, this was not something to do with Bernd's surly attitude but they had to do with the poor quality of the work that was done, much of which I have had to pay Cummins to redo.
2. If you do think you want to use Bernd's shop for some work, take the time to visit his shop before you take your coach there (preferably unannounced) and observe the "pigsty" conditions of their shop. If this does not turn you off, nothing will. See the pic below of where they worked on my fan motors... on the ground!
3. Keep in mind that Bernd rarely, if ever, works on a coach. Instead, he hires poorly trained, probably low wage workers (not master mechanics, but "disaster mechanics" for sure) to do the work. They are largely unsupervised. If you have the mechanical knowledge to supervise their work yourself as Mike suggests, you would be better off doing it yourself. See the attached pic when one of them got water into my hydraulic system.
4. Never pay cash. We tried to use a credit card and Bernd gave the "song and dance" about being a small businessman and that he would charge us the handling fee. At that point, I had no idea of the problems that had been sown by their work and we agreed to pay cash. If we had used a card and paid the fee, I would at least be able to dispute his charges.
5. Listen to your wife! Soon after we arrived at WLM Pat said she had a bad feeling about the place! My bad for not listening.

George

P.S. Sorry if I have seemed to "hijack" this thread, but it was on coach services in Nac so I thought I would throw in my two cents.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #11 – May 25, 2019, 08:05:33 pm

George thank you for telling your experience at Bern'd. I only wish someone had show enough guts to do the same before I was horn toaded by Bern'd. If anyone would have posted the good, bad, and the ugly of Bern'd; I would have saved a lot money and even more headaches. Business like his need to be ran out of town. A true "dog and pony show", at the expenses of these people who believed he was a quality shop. I could write pages of what my experience with Bern'd was, and none of it good.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #12 – May 25, 2019, 08:59:38 pm

Brother Dave went there and made it very clear to me to not ever go there . He said it cost more to correct what was done there than what he felt was a rip off to start with . So , I have not and will not , FOT , MOT have been where I do my business so far . Dave said his name should be " Burned " Hmm Brad Metzger

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #13 – May 25, 2019, 11:05:25 pm

I could outline several situations where Bernd's business was reported to give poor service, or worse. I have seen the shop and the working conditions. It was not a secret. Bernd himself seems best I can tell mostly involved with the auto business and Tony runs the motorhome business. I may be wrong.

My comment was, watch carefully what is done if you go there. That is an admonishon. You do not have to be able to do a job yourself to judge what is going on and conditions in a diesel shop.

On the other hand, I wanted to speak up for two mechanics that they not be caught up. One is Beau Reece who now has his own diesel business and I gather is respected. He did a resonator for me and did a good job at a fair price. He soon after left WLM.

Then Stephen, from Infinity, now at WLM, did a small job, $450 and did well. From those my limited direct experiences, I hope they are given a fair chance if you run across them.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #14 – May 25, 2019, 11:43:55 pm

It is very interesting how people enjoy talking that a shop is bad, when I did a search on here prior to our coach heading to Bernd's, there was nothing but praise for him. Sure funny, that he has not only Foretravels, but Newell and other brands showing up on his door step. Guess we all must be misinformed. We have paid everything by credit card, no problem there. Our engine sounds better than when we bought it. Bernd has kept it plugged into the 50 amp and insured that the coach was cool in the summer and it was warm during the winter. Yes it has taken forever to get it finished, but our last hurdle is a$80.00 part that has something to do with the fuel. It decided to break after everything was being tested. Yeah, so tell me about your problems with Bernd. The man has kept us in the loop, researched alternative after the market filters that will keep the piece of Cummins junk running a heck of a lot longer than anther 30k miles. ISX engine problems tend to reoccur if Cummins parts are used. So perhaps the problem stems from your perception of Bernd. We have never found him to be surly . I doubt many mechanics would take 90+ minutes to explain to a woman, who showed up on his door step asking what was wrong with her engine. Bernd took that time, showed me the mess my engine was in, allowed me to take pictures and very patiently explained what I was seeing as I took copious notes so I would be able to explain it to my husband when I got home.
If you don't want to do business with Bernd, then don't. But I think Mr Hatfield's note in his signature is very inappropriate. I doubt Mr Hatfield would appreciate having something similar done to him, considering that his profession would possibly be able to mess up someone's life.
Each person has the right to make a choice of who they want to work on their coach. Mr. Hatfield noted he was dissatisfied as a customer. That is his right. It will show up in a search. But to repeatedly black ball a business as he has done in his signature is not what this forum needs. Especially from someone who is thinking of selling his coach after only a few months of ownership. You wonder why more folks with newer coaches don't join this group. Perhaps they read enough to think that only the vintage coaches are only good enough to be on here or they see things like Mr Hatfield's signature. I know it would back me off if I was a newbie with a Nimbus or Phonix or IH or a Realm.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #15 – May 26, 2019, 02:14:00 am

I have owned, run, operated, and overseen more than just a couple big vehicle repair businesses. I know the difference between a well run shop and one that is not. I believe I have the skills to communicate my needs for repairs, I have reasonable expectations, and I choose carefully who I let work on my rv.

Still, in the past years I have had a $1,000 part damaged to where it needed to be replaced at my expense, I have had a miss diagnosis of repairs costing over $1500. In another case I was bumped in an estimate of repair by double, $1500 to $3,000.

I have had some exemplary repairs done by the same shops mentioned above. I would go back to any of the shops above that I received these mistakes from. My trust level would be different.

All should be aware and take responsibility for the results when we go to others for repairs. This includes expectations, communication, and trust level. I too am disappointed by some service results, the level of competence, the willingness to always do the right thing by management. I would not take the route of picketing, bad mouthing, etc., that is not my choice. I also respect the right of others to do so.

Many others have indicated what dollar amounts to set aside for repairs after purchase, with a wide range of recommendations. I believe the important thing here is to be realistic in your expectations.

My goal is to enjoy my FT, be healthy, comfortable, and safe. And to do so for a reasonable outlay initially, for previous updates and maintenance, and for future expenditures. I believe only owning my current FT will let me accomplish these objectives.

Every day be kind to everyone, you have no idea what others you meet have or are going thru.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #16 – May 26, 2019, 09:41:50 am

I hate taking any vehicle of mine to any repair shop. I cringe at the thought of leaving my coach in the hands of strangers. I avoid this situation when possible by doing the work myself. When not possible, I try to watch what is being done by others, and I will make "suggestions" if I see something I don't like. Mechanics probably hate me...if so, too bad. But even my obsessive attention cannot prevent all errors, because I do not always realize when something is being done improperly.

We had a bad brake job experience at one of the NAC shops (MOT) that normally gets high marks. The shop corrected the error to my complete satisfaction. I reported this bad experience to the Forum in a factual and calm manner, and then let the matter drop. I do occassionally refer back to that incident in other threads, but I try not to beat the dead horse:

Service in Nac

If a Forum member is pleased and satisfied by the work of a particular shop, I firmly believe they should report that fact to the membership.

If a Forum member is displeased, or worse yet financially harmed by shoddy or inept service work, then that should likewise be reported. Poor service work seems to result in stronger emotions - we all hate the feeling of being cheated or scammed. The manner in which the Forum member expresses their disappointment falls, I suppose, under the purview of the Forum Moderators. Some members will be more vocal than others. If lines of proper Forum etiquette are crossed, action will eventually be taken.

This Forum is unique (in my experience) because it very seldom gets out of hand. It is a pleasant place to hang out - I hope that never changes.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #17 – May 26, 2019, 09:47:04 am

Thank you Jack...said better than I did. I hope this closes this.

(I wrote this to Jack before Chuck posted, so I will write an Amen to what Chuck said. Looking for another thread!)

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #18 – May 26, 2019, 03:52:55 pm

along the same line-- while doing building contracting I saw some statistics that said
"If you do a good job the customer will tell 5 people"
"If you do a bad job the customer will tell 13 people"
I think if you look at the post on good and bad the numbers are about the same as contracting customers
Chris

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #19 – May 26, 2019, 04:41:56 pm

I too have been to NAC, interesting place to visit. We had both windshields replaced and the coach checked out. There is some interesting dynamics between the mechanics wanting to perform as craftsman and management expectations. On the other hand, has anyone tried that little Italian place around the corner by the old train station? Great little place to eat while waiting for repairs.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #20 – May 26, 2019, 08:47:28 pm

"On the other hand, has anyone tried that little Italian place around the corner by the old train station? Great little place to eat while waiting for repairs." A visit to Nac usually results in a slimmer wallet and thicker waist.

Re: First Visit To NAC

Reply #21 – May 27, 2019, 12:35:29 am

Cube, that is Aunti Pasta's....it is owned by same family that has Clear Springs at same spot as Pasta....and owns Hotel Fredonia, plus other restaurants in Texas

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