One of the questions that I occasionally face is what kind of guarantee I offer on my services. It's a fair question, but one that when asked on the phone I am often a little awkward at explaining. Which is why I thought I'd take a few minutes to write one out.

When a part is sent to me to be rebuilt, it is fair to assume that it was sent because the truck it was previously attached to was running in less than satisfactory condition. Loose steering, clunking drivelines, stumbling motors and the like. Steering is usually diagnosed as a gearbox problem; driveline as a transmission or transfer case problem. Stumbling engines are often diagnosed as carburetor-based problems. Once these parts have been serviced, the problem has usually been solved, and the symptoms are gone. Occasionally, the problem persists. Does this mean that the rebuild was faulty, or that perhaps the problem was misdiagnosed?

When I rebuild a component, I guarantee that it has been disassembled to the furthest practicable extent [I do not disassemble carburetor throttle shafts for instance], thoroughly cleaned, carefully inspected and reassembled with replacement parts generally available in the marketplace. Where I have the opportunity to improve on the units based on "special" parts or knowledge that I have developed, I do so to the extent practicable and paid for by the customer. My attention to detail is fairly well known and respected in the landcruiser community, and I am proud of that.

Unfortunately, my reputation has somewhat exceeded the reality of my capabilities, as some of my customers develop the notion that a unit rebuilt by me will be the "silver bullet" that cures all that ails their vehicle. I do not advertise or promote my services that way, and try to dispel this myth when I encounter it [which is one more reason to write this] While I admit that the myth is flattering, I would prefer to avoid the disappointment of those few who find their vehicles still lacking after getting something rebuilt by me.

Faulty diagnosis is usually the root problem of this disappointment. Loose wheel bearings, worn tie rod ends and center arm will not be cured with a rebuilt steering box. A clunking rear end will not be solved with a rebuilt transfer case [Yes, a GOOD mechanic called me on this!] Timing, valve and ignition issues will not be cured with a carburetor rebuild.

I spend a good deal of time on the phone with customers trying to diagnose problems BEFORE they send me the parts they wish to have rebuilt to avoid the possibility of disappointing them when the rebuilt part fails to solve their problem. When I have the time to do it, we go down the road together, we examine the symptoms together, I offer some analysis based on experience to narrow down the possibilities, and we make the call together to repair something or just gather more information. Many have thanked me profusely for this service alone. Unfortunately, telephone diagnostics is not an exact science; neither am I perfect.

While the vast majority of teardowns result in a "smoking gun" component that has failed, there have been more than a few occasions where I have disassembled a component only to find that it was still in useable condition. Then I have to make the phone call I dread to tell the customer that someone guessed wrong, and that they will need to keep looking for their problem. I tell them to reinstall the component [which will now be rebuilt regardless] and I will try to do what I can to find the real culprit in their vehicle.

This is my guarantee.