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DWalk 
Group: Members
Posts: 4
Joined: Sep. 2013
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Posted on: Sep. 04 2013,2:33 pm |
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On a Saturday this August, my family set out at 5:30 am to the Black Hills from Byron , MN. We haven’t been on vacation since Feb 2006. This vacation was really needed especially for my wife and I to get a change of scenery, to get out of town, to finally relax. Well, …60 miles out of town my service engine light goes on my 2002 Ford F-150, and I’m crushed. Loss of power and chugging, lurking down I-90 forces me into a town. Pulling through town I found myself at Hanson Tire at 8am. Long story short, spark plug shot the diode off of the end sparkplug and it bent a valve and destroyed my head. After much diagnosis and 2 mechanics checking ignition coils, injectors and fuel line, we are just dead in the water at 1pm in the afternoon.
Now Kalvin, gathers up my family and brings them to me in the middle of the parking lot where I’m treading a path into the black-top. I have told myself this is going to be a very expensive repair and we have to find a ride home, but how; truck is dead, topper is full of camping gear and then there is this pop-up camper. HOW, HOW?! Kalvin calms me down and with Steve, Wade and my family standing there and he tells me I have options. OPTIONS! This is where I start to see the wings, my kids call Kalvin the Van Angel later on.
Kalvin says to me, “You can still do the trip.”
I reply, “NO, we have to go home”
“We’ve got options,” he says again.
“What options?”
“You can take my pick-up right there, (He really through me when he said his truck, she is a beauty. I drooled when I first saw it) or take the shop van, which used to be my family’s vehicle, it’s been to the Black Hills and actually likes it there.” Kalvin is pleading here, since I can’t see my wife and daughter in tears that our vacation is dead. He can, I was just distraught.
Well I thought, “I can’t take this guy’s truck,” my idiotic and selfish pride is spewed on our conversation. I’ll go up to Dale Syverson’s and see if I can trade it in.” This was my selfish way of not letting someone bless me with their charity; you’re supposed to bless them by taking their charity and showing your gratitude. I eventually was reminded this, by my wife. Just a lesson the Good Lord taught us a few years back, he was reminding us of it again.
Kalvin burst in “Well, that is another option. I got a guy up there at Syverson’s, he will take care of you. Let me give him a call”
We went up there couple hours later nothing really jumped out at me on the lot and we turned back to the road, I staired at the traffic light wanting to go home. But, my wife kept asking me what we were gonna do, I knew we needed to press on for our sanity’s sake, we needed this vacation. See, my wife had talked with Kalvin in the 5 hours we spent at the station and she basically put our life story out there in their conversation and he had also took our kids for a tour of the shop, showed them how to change tires, took them for a ride in the big tire truck and let them climb on tires at the storage shed. They just loved him! Meanwhile, I laid under the hood with Wade, a good ole boy, about my size and I chewed his and Steve’s ears off asking them questions and I learned quite a bit about Ford’s.
All and all it was a good day after going through what we did for 9 hours in Albert Lea. When we got to Jackson, MN I said to my wife, what in the HECK am I doing driving somebody else’s van. Yes, we did it. We took the shop van had an excellent vacation drove 1900 miles, Hanson Tire never charged us for it. They never asked one question. I told Kalvin, “Silly van went to Black Hills and all it did was bring you back a T-shirt.” How do you repay this guy?
Well, I have a great deal of respect for Albert Lea folks now and have already plenty of good memories from my childhood. When I was a kid, we drove through town every other Friday going to the cabin and we stopped at Hardees, driving to downtown, turn left over the bridge, seeing the trains, driving by the lake, the Arabian Horse farm then leaving town and going by the Road-Runner. Now, I have one more good memory of Albert Lea. Not a quick drive-by memory, but a long positive one with faces, not places, kind hearts and caring people. Good Ole Boys!
Thank You, Albert Lea, MN
Thank You, Hanson Tire
Thank You, Kerry
Thank You, Steve
Thank You, Wade
And Thank, …no God Bless you, Kalvin for an awesome vacation. I’ll be in later this week to give you a check and a big handshake! I can’t wait to get my truck back!
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| Post Number: 2
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DWalk
Group: Members
Posts: 4
Joined: Sep. 2013
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Posted on: Sep. 04 2013,2:41 pm |
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My wife took this photo of my kis and I with the Van Angel
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| Post Number: 3
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alcitizens
Albert Lea
Group: Members
Posts: 3664
Joined: Jul. 2009
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,12:56 am |
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(DWalk @ Sep. 04 2013,2:33 pm)
QUOTE On a Saturday this August, my family set out at 5:30 am to the Black Hills from Byron , MN. We haven’t been on vacation since Feb 2006. This vacation was really needed especially for my wife and I to get a change of scenery, to get out of town, to finally relax. Well, …60 miles out of town my service engine light goes on my 2002 Ford F-150, and I’m crushed. Loss of power and chugging, lurking down I-90 forces me into a town. Pulling through town I found myself at Hanson Tire at 8am. Long story short, spark plug shot the diode off of the end sparkplug and it bent a valve and destroyed my head. After much diagnosis and 2 mechanics checking ignition coils, injectors and fuel line, we are just dead in the water at 1pm in the afternoon.
Now Kalvin, gathers up my family and brings them to me in the middle of the parking lot where I’m treading a path into the black-top. I have told myself this is going to be a very expensive repair and we have to find a ride home, but how; truck is dead, topper is full of camping gear and then there is this pop-up camper. HOW, HOW?! Kalvin calms me down and with Steve, Wade and my family standing there and he tells me I have options. OPTIONS! This is where I start to see the wings, my kids call Kalvin the Van Angel later on.
Kalvin says to me, “You can still do the trip.”
I reply, “NO, we have to go home”
“We’ve got options,” he says again.
“What options?”
“You can take my pick-up right there, (He really through me when he said his truck, she is a beauty. I drooled when I first saw it) or take the shop van, which used to be my family’s vehicle, it’s been to the Black Hills and actually likes it there.” Kalvin is pleading here, since I can’t see my wife and daughter in tears that our vacation is dead. He can, I was just distraught.
Well I thought, “I can’t take this guy’s truck,” my idiotic and selfish pride is spewed on our conversation. I’ll go up to Dale Syverson’s and see if I can trade it in.” This was my selfish way of not letting someone bless me with their charity; you’re supposed to bless them by taking their charity and showing your gratitude. I eventually was reminded this, by my wife. Just a lesson the Good Lord taught us a few years back, he was reminding us of it again.
Kalvin burst in “Well, that is another option. I got a guy up there at Syverson’s, he will take care of you. Let me give him a call”
We went up there couple hours later nothing really jumped out at me on the lot and we turned back to the road, I staired at the traffic light wanting to go home. But, my wife kept asking me what we were gonna do, I knew we needed to press on for our sanity’s sake, we needed this vacation. See, my wife had talked with Kalvin in the 5 hours we spent at the station and she basically put our life story out there in their conversation and he had also took our kids for a tour of the shop, showed them how to change tires, took them for a ride in the big tire truck and let them climb on tires at the storage shed. They just loved him! Meanwhile, I laid under the hood with Wade, a good ole boy, about my size and I chewed his and Steve’s ears off asking them questions and I learned quite a bit about Ford’s.
All and all it was a good day after going through what we did for 9 hours in Albert Lea. When we got to Jackson, MN I said to my wife, what in the HECK am I doing driving somebody else’s van. Yes, we did it. We took the shop van had an excellent vacation drove 1900 miles, Hanson Tire never charged us for it. They never asked one question. I told Kalvin, “Silly van went to Black Hills and all it did was bring you back a T-shirt.” How do you repay this guy?
Well, I have a great deal of respect for Albert Lea folks now and have already plenty of good memories from my childhood. When I was a kid, we drove through town every other Friday going to the cabin and we stopped at Hardees, driving to downtown, turn left over the bridge, seeing the trains, driving by the lake, the Arabian Horse farm then leaving town and going by the Road-Runner. Now, I have one more good memory of Albert Lea. Not a quick drive-by memory, but a long positive one with faces, not places, kind hearts and caring people. Good Ole Boys!
Thank You, Albert Lea, MN
Thank You, Hanson Tire
Thank You, Kerry
Thank You, Steve
Thank You, Wade
And Thank, …no God Bless you, Kalvin for an awesome vacation. I’ll be in later this week to give you a check and a big handshake! I can’t wait to get my truck back!
What the hell are you blabbbing about?
Hanson Tire is nothing but a screw job business in Albert Lea..
I know the short bastard in this picture should have been fired years ago..
Correct me if I'm wrong..
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Self-Banished
Group: Members
Posts: 22585
Joined: Feb. 2006
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,5:00 am |
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Geez, and you think I'm mean.
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 Remember boys and girls,
Don’t be a Dick …
Or a “Wayne” 
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| Post Number: 5
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Botto 82
Group: Members
Posts: 6293
Joined: Jan. 2005
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,6:15 am |
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Your story is nothing short of wonderful, and I thank you for sharing it here, regardless of Bubbles and Ricky, there. Thanks again. 
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Dear future generations: Please accept our apologies. We were rolling drunk on petroleum.
- Kurt Vonnegut
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| Post Number: 6
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grassman
Group: Members
Posts: 3858
Joined: Mar. 2006
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,7:37 am |
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Read the guy's shirt. God works in mysterious ways.   
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git er done!
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| Post Number: 7
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irisheyes
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 3040
Joined: Oct. 2003
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,9:26 am |
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Thanks for stopping by, DWalk. We hear plenty of bad experiences on the forum, but good to hear some positive feedback about a local business.
I've had my fair share of tires and parts on my vehicle installed by Hanson Tire. I've chugged my way onto their lot a time or two with dinging electronics and hissing tires.
IMO, they go above and beyond what you'd get at most shops.
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You know it's going to be a bad day when you cross thread the cap on the toothpaste.
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| Post Number: 8
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| Post Number: 9
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Expatriate
Group: Members
Posts: 16788
Joined: Oct. 2004
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,1:44 pm |
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Nice to hear something positive about a local business, maybe two local business.
Mr. Walk, Ford’s scheduled maintenance calls for replacement of the plugs at the 100,000 mile mark.
? how many miles did you have on the plugs before failure? Not criticizing you just curious and it may save someone else an expensive repair!
thanks for your post and reply,
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History is no more than the lies agreed upon by the victors.
~NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
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| Post Number: 10
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DWalk
Group: Members
Posts: 4
Joined: Sep. 2013
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Posted on: Sep. 05 2013,5:00 pm |
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Good question on the plug replacement, I can't count how may times I've replaced the plugs. My truck is well taken care of by my best friend in Rochester. He has an upscale service shop, with a great reputation. My problems started with Varnish chips plugging my fuel filter and plugging injectors. Bad gas did me in. My gas tank should have been cleaned or replaced when I had fuel filter problems this spring.
To further answer the angry person in his 2 previous posts. I'm sorry you have beef with Hanson Tire. I was treated great. I know about engines, and the guys at Hanson enlightened me on a few little known items on the Triton 5.4 in my 2002. The heads on the 2002 5.4s have only 2 threads that hold the spark plug, hence the spark plug has 2 threads, the spark plugs are prone to unscrew themselves and shoot out of the engine. I had that happen twice and the first owner had it happen as well. This is why I chose new reinforced heads with a deeper spark-plug threading. Others use plugs with more threads, but then your novice mechanics over tighten the plugs with more threads and strip out the head. I had that happen as well.
Not to get into my engine problems too deep, I was given 5 pricing options from Hanson laid out that a housewife could understand. My buddy in Rochester (godfather of my son) offered to tow it back to Rochester and fix it he had one option one price, but I chose to go with Hanson and I opted to order 2 new heavy duty heads, I chose to have my gas line cleaned, I chose to have my gas tank emptied and cleaned. So to answer your question, it is a big price. That is my problem and my decision, not Hanson Tire. When you blow a head on a V-8 it will not cost the same as an oil-change and I'm paying less in labor in Albert Lea than in Rochester.
Hanson Tire treated me great, Dale Syverson's tried threir best to help, NICE GUYS up there. They all rolled out the Red Carpet. The only person in Albert Lea to treat me with disrespect, is someone who hides behind alcitizens name.
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