Sept 21 - Delivery Van
It's been three days now since our truck broke down. Three days since I've found a geocache. I'm having withdrawal symptoms. Bad.
After my morning routine, I called the dealership to see if they figured anything out on the truck yet. I was told a mechanic was looking at it now and she would call me back soon. An hour later I got impatient and called back 
Well they decided it was the camshaft position sensor after all, but they didn't have one. The good news was that it was only about $100. The bad news was that the nearest part was about 30 miles away in the town of Bozeman, and they wouldn't be able to send someone to get it until late in the day or even tomorrow. Ummm, that's not good enough, I said. How about if I rent a car and pick it up myself? Yeah, that will work.
I was also told that one of the catalytic converters was plugged and would need replaced. The bad news was that this would cost $1,300, would have to come from Michigan, and would take about a week 
I called around to try to find a rental car. The only place listed in the phone book was Enterprise Rent-a-car. They were all out of cars, but they suggested I call the GMC dealership. Now why didn't my service writer say anything? I call GMC back, and yes they have a couple of cars they rent. I ask if they can send someone to pick me up and they say yes. A half hour later I'm in the dealership dealing with yet another person. She hands me the keys to a car. No contract or anything. I guess she knew that they were working on my truck in the service department.
Once I had the keys, I went over to the parts counter and told the guy there who I was and that I wanted to go pick up the part for my truck. He gave me directions and we talked about the catalytic converter issue. He said he was working on finding a cheaper/closer unit but wasn't having much luck. He suggested I try an aftermarket muffler shop.
I thought about that as I drove away. I stopped and picked up Angel on the way. It was a nice drive over a small mountain pass to Bozeman. The directions I was given were a little vague, but we figured it out and found the place. It was a much larger GMC dealership than the one in Livingston. I went to the parts counter, identified myself and was handed a small part about the size of an acorn. That's it? All this trouble over this? Sheesh.
We drove back, and at about 12:30 I delivered the part to the parts department. Then I went and found my service writer to tell her the part was in-house. Even though I had told her I would be getting the part, she seemed surprised that I actually did it. She said my mechanic was busy the rest of the day and I said that's not good. Then we walked over to talk to the mechanic and he said it wouldn't take long to replace it and he would do so after lunch. BUT, he said, it wouldn't do much good until we get the catalytic replaced also.
We went back to the trailer and I got on the horn calling muffler shops. The first one I called was busy until middle of next week. Hmmm. That's no better than waiting for a shipment from Michigan. The next place I called they guy sounded like a jerk, but he humored me. After getting the low-down he said he'd have to make a call to get some pricing and he'd call me right back. He never did 
Then I called Silent Knight Mufflers in Bozeman. I talked to Kirk who obviously knew his stuff and was very helpful and understanding. We chatted for a while and it was sounding like I could get the cat replaced for about $300 but he suggested that if one needs replaced, then the other is probably getting there, so I should replace both for about $600. He said the factory charges $1,300 for a full assembly but he just replaces the bad parts.
Somewhere in the conversation after that, I mentioned I'm from California. He asked if the truck is also from California, and when I said yes he said "Ho Boy that changes everything!" Apparently in California you have to use Air Resources Board-approved mufflers and cats, which aren't available anywhere else except California (and assumably the GMC factory in Michigan). I asked what the difference is between the cats he has on the shelf vs. a California cat. He said "a sticker." Yup. The only difference is that the cat you buy in California has a sticker on it saying it's approved by the CARB.
OK, I ask, what's the risk in just replacing my bad cats with so-called "unapproved" cats? Well, he says, next time you get a smog test done on the truck, *IF* they happen to notice that my cats are unapproved, it won't pass. I think back at all the times I've had vehicles smogged, and I can't remember a single time that the mechanic even looked under the vehicle.
So let's see, $1,300, wait a week and possibly not make it to the big event I'm heading to in Nashville, or $600, have it done tomorrow, and risk it not passing the smog test. I decide on door number 2.
I called the dealership, and my service writer said the mechanic is almost done with the cam sensor. I said great, as soon as he's done, I need to get the truck towed to a muffler shop in Bozeman. We finalize some details and I get on the horn to arrange another tow. To make a long story even longer, I arrived back at the dealership a little later, paid them for the work they did, and met the tow driver who would be taking my truck to Bozeman. I also called Kirk at Silent Knight and told him the truck was on its way.
Now remember way at the beginning of today's story I mentioned that I was having geocache withdrawals? After waving goodbye to the tow truck driver, I did manage to go find a geocache before returning home to my trailer. Now I can sleep...