How's it going' eh? I'd like to provide you readers with a Canadian point of view on this subject (great article by the way). Please I do not want to offend anyone in the automobile industry with my comments/views so I'll apologize at the beginning. I've worked at a car dealership as a service advisor, warranty administrator and parts advisor (when the parts guy was off). This job is very tiring on the brain as you basically have to multi-task. You are the person dealing with the customer and the technicians. Documentation is paramount when dealing with automobiles especially when it comes to warranty claims. Warranty claims are paid at a much lesser hourly rate which the techs loath. Their attitude is basically "what does it pay" and then "who is making up the difference in my pay". The days of the hard working "mechanics" are long gone. They are now slowly retiring at a great pace with aches and pains their bodies have been put through all of their working career. Today, your people don't want to work. They want the same as the rest of the working world. Good pay, vacations, benefits and a pension. Here in Canada there are always shops looking to hire technicians. even with a bonus. But, if the deck doesn't like it as the saying goes "my box has wheels". Meaning they can leave at any time. They just want the gravy jobs that pays well. Not just an oil change but brakes, engines or anything they can make good money at. They are choosey as to what they want. There is always conflict with service advisors and service managers to get them to work and provide you with proper notes. Then there is the "bonus structures" which can be good/bad. I personally don't like the bonus plans as it makes the techs and advisors greedy and upselling something that perhaps isn't warranted. You basically want to treat the customer properly and telling them the truth as to what their vehicle requires ( I've got a conscience and couldn't take advantage of a customer like that). With more complex vehicles today, techs are having problems diagnosing problems. They have to rely on the scan tools that can communicate with the vehicles many computers. It can be frustrating to try and find the problem as the window is small time wise and perhaps the vehicle isn't acting the way the customer says about the problem. This then causes a problem for the customer when we tell them "Sorry Mr. Smith but we could not duplicate your situation." Then, the customer is frustrated and will probably have to return at another date and time to see if the shop can find the problem. Now, added to that case its frustrating if the customer has to spend their money to diagnose a fault they can't find. doesn't give you much confidence in the dealership does it. Every dealership is similar with some having apprentices who should be under the watchful eye of a licensed technician. But are they? I've seen situations wherein an "apprentice" will do a complete brake job without ever having it checked over by a licensed tech. So, who is responsible when there's an accident and the fault is determined to be the recent work done on the vehicle? This is why garage liability insurance is so expensive. Every year the dealerships call around and inquire as to what their labour and warranty rates are and then we discuss this with the powers that be and adjust the rates accordingly. Customers are definitely concerned about the labour rates being quite high which impacts the people in the service department. I do sympathize with the technicians as their days are different. Here in Canada where I live we have to contend with various weather patterns. From hot summer days to winter where the temperature dips to -40 in which cars don't start etc. So, on days its -40 the phone never stops ringing and the tow trucks come and go.You have to juggle your days accordingly. Most of the time it's customer error in that they didn't plug in their vehicle (we have block heaters which warms the block allowing for the oil to flow better). Or they killed the battery by trying to start the vehicle multiple times. Once you get a vehicle into the shop after it's been sitting outside for over 10 hours it is basically a block of ice. Now the poor technician has to stand underneath the vehicle which is cold and as things thaw they get splashed upon by the falling snow. Not a pretty sight. I had one technician who had a rain poncho in his bay especially for this type of situation. I believe allot of the comments on this forum have stated the points I've touched upon. In Canada it is hard to find good paying jobs that have good benefits. Yes, we do have great healthcare but, what I'm referring to is places that have a pension plan and extended healthcare such as dental, eye care, prescriptions etc. You basically need two adults working to make a living. Once you retire if you don't have a pension (where the company contributes as well as the employee equally) it is hard to survive unless you have been investing your money in mutual funds, savings plans etc. Dealership owners have it hard too as they have to keep up to date with the latest technology by having the proper hoists, alignment racks, tire machines, detailing bays. They are always having to upgrade their buildings too in accordance with their brands requirements (ie. drive throughs and quick lube areas) which is paid by the dealer principal not the company. What the automotive world is doing is trying to asses a problem repair it at a reasonable price so that everyone is happy. But, it can get totally out of hand in so many ways as I've mentioned above. It's a daunting task to try and keep everyone happy. It can make your days go well or it can be chaos. It just depends on how you look at it and go from there. This basically my take on this specific topic and hopefully I haven't offended anyone. I don't blame any technician in retiring today as the job may not be a fun as it used to be. Everyone is on edge with this pandemic and trying to live a normal life. Canadians just want to be happy and get along and have fun doing it too. With this crazy pandemic I'm sure it's not fun in the day to day operations. Take care one and all and stay safe. If any other Canadian out there wants to give their opinions please feel free to comment. Cheers SS ... View more

If you want a sinister looking black car the Grand National is by far the best choice in this category. It was always my dream to own one when I first saw one in town around 1984. I had a 1982 Buick Regal as a company car which was close to the future Grand National. Well after many years of dreaming of this vehicle I was browsing the Auto Trader and Kijiji over the years seeing what was available. Living in Northern Ontario Canada the choices I was finding were few and their conditions were not that nice. I always kept an eye out for my "dream car" and saw one which caught my eye. The vehicle was the last year of production (1987) and it had the hard to find "astro roof". The mileage was reasonable and the condition was a 7 out of 10. The owner was a mechanic whose wife just had a baby so was selling his vehicle for that reason. I just happened to mention this vehicle to my wife and out of the blue she said "Why don't you go and take a look at it. You've got time and it would be a great opportunity for you." So, with that I contacted the owner and made the arrangements to view the vehicle. I took my brother-in-law with me as he was a retired engineer from GM so I'd get his opinion on this black beast. After travelling to look at the car I was surprised to see it was in pretty decent shape. It just needed to be painted (as the paint in those days didn't last too long) and a new headliner installed. The owner even had the headliner fabric that was going with the car as well as a cover. So, I made a deal on the spot that day. My dream of owning this car was finally a reality, with the full support of my wife. Can't get any better than that. After getting the vehicle home several weeks later you now have to go over it and see what needs to be done and then see what the budget would allow. Fortunately we had a 1 car garage so keeping it safe and out of the Northern Canadian winters wasn't a problem. If fact, it got the wheels in motion to build a 2 car garage so that I could have more room to polish and detail the GN. After owning the car for a couple of years, my wife for Christmas gave me a cheque to have the vehicle painted. What an outstanding Christmas that was. I'll never forget that day. I was totally surprised and numb too! I joined the local car club and entered many show and shine events. I received 1 trophy for second place at on of our events. My wife and I loved that car and drove it everywhere. When cruising down the highway people passing you would honk and give you the thumbs up. This Buick was a very fast and comfortable ride. However, on a sad note the vehicle of my dreams was totalled several years ago. It was a sad day to have to part with this beautiful black beast. We couldn't find parts to repair it but it just wouldn't be the same. A vehicle that has been in an accident is never the same. So, it certainly was a sad day when the auto wrecker came to my house to retrieve the vehicle (after I was paid by the insurance company). Trust me it was sad to see the vehicle go. For the record, the accident wasn't my fault. This truly was the best (and only) muscle car I owned at the time. Having had that experience of meeting and going to various shows gave me the bug to continue with this passion. So after searching for a while for a replacement I was able to find another vehicle of my dreams (high school dreams). I replaced the Grand National with a 1970 Chevelle SS 396 4 speed. The fun just never ends does it. Love these stories and Hagerty puts it all together for us to enjoy.  Stay safe during this crazy pandemic. Wear your mask and social distance. Cheers ... View more

Beautiful article, Sam. My sincere condolences on your mothers passing. What wonderful memories you must have of your mom and dad "in the good old days". Remember the good times with your parents and cherish the one's now with your wife and children. Times certainly are changing with this crazy pandemic situation. I certainly weep for the future of our children and grandchildren. My wife and I have both lost our parents at different times. At the time of their passing it certainly leaves a void in your "family dynamics". That person is no longer around to talk to, laugh with and discuss current affairs or what's going on in your lives and your children's lives. Your article struck home with me. Last August we lost our son (age 37) from a ruptured aorta valve to his heart. Losing a child is horrible to say the least. A child shouldn't pass before a parent does but, life sometimes throws us curve balls. His anniversary is slowly approaching (22) and as it gets closer the grieving is still there but hopefully with time it will get better.  We should live each day the best we can. Keep the memories of our loved ones who have passed in our minds to not forget all the great times we had with them in this world. I guess perhaps, there is no more suffering. It's horrible to see individuals suffering daily and when the time comes they go to sleep never to wake up again. I'm sure your dad is still thinking of your mom and the time's they had together. Those thoughts are what keeps us going, I guess. It would get lonely at times but, we must strive on. That would what your mom would want your dad to do. He'll never forget her I'm sure. He still has you and your family to connect with and he can watch your children grow. He can probably see a little bit of your mom in your daughters which I'm sure will bring a smile to his face at some point. Watching grandchildren grow is fascinating because there is a part of you in them. I can only wish the best for you, your dad and your family as life must go on. I'm a Canadian living in Northern Ontario and certainly enjoy these heart felt stories of families. All the best to you during this crazy COVID. It certainly puts a damper on your daily "normal" routine.   Cheers Craig (SS)  ... View more

Hello Chevy Lovers: As a lover of the 1960's and 70's muscle cars I'm finding it extremely difficult in locating good NOS parts in Canada. There are various companies who sell aftermarket parts in the U.S. however, sometimes they do not fit properly and the body shops have to do some finessing. Is there anyone out there in Hagerty Land who have any ideas as to how to locate good parts? Thanks... Concerned Canuck Musclehead! ... View more

What a terrific gift to give to your parents. Chris, you should be very proud that you were able to pull this off and present this car to your parents. As a parent myself with boys around your age I'd would have cried seeing the reveal. I got a little misty eyed when you were doing the reveal and saw the expressions of your mom and dad. Outstanding work! Your parents should be very proud of you. It took you allot of planning and obviously allot of money to do what you did. My hat goes off to your loving wife who stood by you and probably encouraged you along the way. Its wives like her that help us muscle heads enjoy our passion. But to see you go through what you did for that period of time is fantastic. I'd vote you "son of the century". Giving back to your parents a vehicle of that nice calibre is a test of your true family values. You were brought up with proper morals and ethics which you don't see too often these days. There was certainly allot of searching for that "right "or "proper" vehicle that would be the closest vehicle to what they had. You pulled this off. There was a comment to Mark which, I presume was your brother? Mentioning him was a class act also as he would have approved of what you did. I'm a 63 year old Canadian living in Northern Ontario and love hearing and seeing this type of storey. You documented this in true fashion and your parents should be very proud of you your wife and all the other individuals involved. Outstanding and utmost classy. if you're ever in Northern Ontario Canada look us up. I'll take you for a ride in my 1970 Chevelle SS 396! This car was the one I wanted when I was in grade 12. Sorry but I wasn't a Ford guy. I tip my hat to you sir! Cheers and hope your dad is tearing up the pavement. Hope he lets you drive it too. God love ya! Cheers. Craig Anderson North Bay ON Canada ... View more