Saturday, May 3, 2008

Quigley & Ebersole

Quigley and Ebersole. It may sound like some exotic combination of ingredients for a tropical medication, or rather like two actors that were paired together for a long time.....neither is the case. Both (companies) are in the car business in the Dutch country of Pennsylvania.

First Ebersole: When we arrived upon the scene we were sporting a warning light on the dash board of the "toad" (RV for "towed vehicle"). It suggested there my be some complication going on with the transmission- NOT a good thing. Since the toad is a Honda Odyssey we pulled into Ebersole Honda in the Lebanon area. They have helped us when in the area several times before, so we were hoping they might be able to fit us in again. Service consultant Zack Blessing (he IS one) saw to it that we went immediately into the shop for a hook up to the computer and a diagnostic run. The light was just that- a light- and no problem was found. Whew. We continued on.... But service that good should not go unmentioned, so we wanted to let anyone in the area know they are great if you need a helping hand along your travels. In addition to Honda, the dealership can also help you with Pontiac, Buick, GMC vehicles. They have a truck center as well.
Thanks again Zack and all the gang at Ebersole in Lebanon, PA.

At Quigley Motor Company in Manchester, PA, we received incredible service as well, but we were there for a totally different reason. We have been researching our next vehicle to tow along behind the coach. The search has narrowed down to two "options" at this point. The new 4 door 4x4 Jeep Rubicon or a Quigley van.
"A WHAT?" you say!
Yes, a Quigley van! Quigley Motor Company is world renowned for converting full size vans from Ford, GMC, and Chevrolet into super big, super amazing 4x4 vehicles that can actually outperform many if not most of the 4x4 units out there these days. I've provided a link to their site if you'd care to check out what they can do and I recommend watching some of the videos! We had spent a considerable amount of time researching them, but wanted to see for ourselves what they can (and perhaps can't) do in this regard. Dropping by the plant to take the tour was a GREAT decision. And the test drive (NOT your standard vehicle test drive) was not only an eye opener but also a great learning experience. We did put that van to the test! It passed with flying colors.

Sales coordinator, and all around good guy and excellent teacher, Larry Yates, gave us a full and very educational tour of the plant. He explained the process, the techniques, the possibilities, relative costs and much more. You can get a sense of that on their site. We were amazed at the place and what they do there. In fact while we were there, they were working on 100 or so vans getting ready and outfitted for Iraq. They also convert the Halliburton vans to 4x4 for that major American/International company. They do ambulances, rv's and a whole host of "work" vehicles for a whole host of companies and jobs. Here, Larry demonstrates how the 4x4 mechanism works with a special model. The company has specialty models to demonstrate all kinds of things that a non mechanic like myself would want to know- but probably never would without such tools at hand.

The plant was immaculate. Yes, you could eat off the floor. No dirt. No grease or oil. No clutter. Not a single thing out of place. It was downright pretty in there!


This is just one simple illustration of the end product. I can't begin to illustrate for you the range of projects they tackle on those basic chassis models I mentioned. Need a tough vehicle with 4x4 drive and tons of storage? Gotta get a Quigley!

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