Fixed Ops Journal - December 2020 - F26

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

FIXED IN TIME

1937

The service department at
Ferguson-Olander Ford in Wichita,
Kan., was busy in September
1937. The dealership opened in
December 1934 after its owners,
C. E. Olander and W. H. Ferguson,
relocated from Oklahoma City.
The Ford dealership took over
space previously occupied by
Stretch and Strain, a Nash
Motors dealership, along the
city's Auto Row on East Douglas
Avenue. The dealership went out
of business sometime after the
1950s.
THE HENRY FORD

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continued from Page 24

Also, the $1,700 estimate was a little too stiff.
I priced the parts online and found that
Aisin makes a $214 kit that uses the same parts
with which the car was built. I called an
independent shop close by that wanted $1,400
to do the repair but couldn't do it for a month.
I asked what brand of parts they would use
and how much they cost. I was told parts were
about $500 and the brand has components
made in China. The Saab 9-2X forums warn
against using anything other than original
equipment parts because of quality issues.
I joined the Greater Detroit Saab Club on
Facebook and asked for recommendations
for local shops that work only on Subarus. I
ended up taking the car to a one-man shop.
The owner, a certified Subaru technician who
builds high-performance motors, said he
would install the parts I bought and just

PAGE 26

DECEMBER 2020

"

"

TRUETT

" One quiet backwater
of the used-car market
offered a glimmer of
hope: dead brands. "

charge me labor. That sounded great, but it
turned out to be a disappointing experience.

Might as well DIY

The timing belt job was done correctly and
quickly, but the other jobs I asked for were
not done because he forgot or didn't feel like
doing them.
I wanted the brake system to be flushed, all
fluids in the transmission and two
differentials changed, and a new set of spark
plugs installed. Worse, the car came back
with a damaged hood.

I bought a Haynes manual, watched some
YouTube videos and ended up doing the rest
of the maintenance myself.
We liked the 9-2X so much we bought a
second one - a minty fresh black turbo model
whose single owner amassed just 29,102 miles
in 15 years. That car needed a new set of front
brake pads, all its fluids changed and some
other minor upkeep I did myself. This 9-2X
Aero - essentially a Subaru WRX - will be
used sparingly because low-mileage survivors
have become quite collectible.
The 9-2X is fairly easy to maintain, and parts
are available online through my local Subaru
dealer. And from now on, I am probably the
only one who will touch a wrench to them.
Dealer service departments catch a lot of
grief for high labor rates, selling unnecessary
work and other issues. Well, I found out the
grass isn't necessarily greener at independent
shops, where a whole different set of things
can go wrong. 
Fixed Ops Journal - December 2020

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