[Rovernet] For Peter Macardle

[Kellogg, Charles]

To whom it may concern:



I am writing this letter to outline my experiences working with The British
Northwest Land-Rover Company of Olympia, WA.  My experience with classic
and antique vehicles as both an owner and amateur mechanic spans
approximately 35 years.  My experience with British Northwest covers the
last 17 years and has been quite positive.



In January 1994 I purchased a 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 88 from British
Northwest Land-Rover Co. (BN) while I was living in Portland, OR.  I should
note that I had owned an older but similar vehicle some years earlier and
was familiar with the brand and models, though at that time was far from an
expert.  From the time of purchase through 1998 when I moved to New York
City, I used the vehicle as my daily commuter, covering approximately
50,000 miles -- very high mileage for a vehicle of this type and age.



I drove the Rover to BN in Olympia a couple of times each year for service
or repairs that were beyond my advanced amateur skill level.  Each
experience was excellent and the repairs were well done.  I should note and
will relate the details of  one frustrating service experience during this
time.  It involved my Land Rover’s brakes.



After a year or two I felt there was a minor pulsing of the brakes during
stops.  At a service visit I mentioned this and Charles Kellogg of BN said
they would look at the problem.  When I picked up the car, he said it
looked like one of the drums might be a bit out of round so they cleaned it
up.  This involves a machine that shaves off thin layers of metal from the
brake drum to ensure it is perfectly round.



Unfortunately the problem persisted.  I returned the car on two more
occasions as time permitted.  Charles took me seriously, but could not find
the problem.  We agreed that it was not dangerous, just annoying.  Still,
it bothered Mr. Kellogg and he did more investigating.  He called me to say
that the after looking at everything, he now was certain the problem was
that a dial caliper (a measuring device) on the machine they use to clean
up brake drums had been faulty.  When he thought the drums were correctly
adjusted, they weren’t.  He immediately took care of the issue and indeed
it was resolved.  I should note that he only charged me for the initial
repair and never for any of the subsequent and ultimately successful
remediative efforts. He always [ CK EDIT: ATTENDED ?] to my concerns
seriously, even when it would have been reasonable to consider my
complaints hyper-sensitivity on my part.



In mid-1998, on moving to New York I left the vehicle with BN, unsure what
the future would hold in terms of vehicle requirements.  I told Charles to
go ahead and perform some substantial upgrades, but that I might not want
the Rover in NY.  He undertook the work (which was to be quite substantial,
amounting to well in excess of $10,000, closer to $15,000 if my memory
serves).  When it became clear I would not need the Rover I suggested he
keep the vehicle and sell it, covering the repair costs and we would deal
with any profits if there were any.  As it happened, costs and profits more
or less balanced out and for the time being our relationship was concluded.



In 2005 I purchased a 1973 Land Rover off of eBay similar to the one I’d
purchased from BN, though in seriously flawed condition.  My goal was to
undertake a full restoration of the vehicle myself.  The project is now
complete.  I began by speaking to a number of known Land Rover
restoration/service companies in the East.  I received unofficial
quotations ranging from $30,000 to more than $50,000.  With this
information I set my own work budget and began the project.  Over the 4
years I worked on the restoration, sourcing quality parts from the least
expensive suppliers from all over the United States, Canada, and Britain,,
I spent approximately $20,000.



This is notable for two reasons.  First, a basic restoration of a Land
Rover even for an experienced amateur costs many tens of thousands of
dollars and can take years, though I had no other projects outside of work
to devote to this singular task.



Second, during the project, I purchased only a few items from BN (a
restored alternator, spark plug wires, spark plugs, points, and
condenser).  Yet when I called from time to time whether seeking parts or
advice, Charles Kellogg was always generous with his time and advice
without any expectation of compensation.  When he suggested a strategy or
solution he would follow up to determine if it worked or with an additional
thought.  For anyone who has ever worked on an historic vehicle, especially
a British one, it can seem there is no rhyme or reason to what works
consistently and what does not.  Kellogg’s imagination, persistence and
perfectionism are the difference between a typical restoration project and
a successful one – and I’ve worked on many British and European cars and
motorcycles.  His approach can seem overly detailed, fussy, or even
unnecessary to the uninitiated or those seeking a bargain or a car destined
as a status symbol rather than a working vehicle.  But BNs cars run
correctly, are period accurate, and reflect their time and culture of
manufacture.  This is expensive and far from an exact science, but then
classic car restoration is an art.



My last notable involvement with BN was in 2010.  Charles Kellogg was on
the East coast to attend to a customer issue in my general geographic
area.  He stopped by to say hello and to see how my project was going.  I
related my progress and an issue I was having (the car would not start and
all attempts at troubleshooting failed).  He and the person he was with
went to my work area and spent the next four hours troubleshooting the
problem as well as a few others I had not yet begun to address.  Having run
out of time (it was now midnight and I needed sleep), they left.  A day
later he called me without prompting, having related the issue to one of
the mechanics in Olympia.  The mechanic suggested a fix that worked and
like many classic era Land Rover issues it was neither obvious, intuitive,
nor something that anyone with less experience would think of.



The challenge of maintaining and operating older British vehicles, and Land
Rovers are no exception, is a complex and idiosyncratic one.  Even the
least expensive or simple-seeming task can give rise to endlessly
escalating tasks that require time, money, resources, and knowledge.  After
35 years as an old vehicle enthusiast I can attest to this – old cars are
old and niche old cars are challenging no matter what the quality or cost
of the work done.



In my experience, The British Northwest Land-Rover Co. is not inexpensive,
not especially quick, nor are any other quality restoration shops.  But
they are relentless trouble shooters, generous with their time and
knowledge, obsessively detail-oriented, and willing to make every effort to
equitably address issues, even where those issues are endemic to the
vehicles themselves and not of BN’s own creation.



I recognize that everyone’s experience with any company will be different
for better or worse.  But in the emotional and idiosyncratic world of old
Land Rovers, where expectations often do not match the real limitations of
these old vehicles, and where owner ego and insecurity are a fact if life, for
me BN has been consistently honest, detail and service-oriented, and
generous with time and knowledge.  I’ve worked with just about every
supplier of parts and services for old Land Rovers with more and less
positive outcomes.  I can say unequivocally, I would and will continue to
be a customer of The British Northwest Land-Rover Co.



Should you have any questions or require additional information, please do
not hesitate to call on me.  E-mail tends to be best.



Sincerely,







Jeb Weisman



Charles Kellogg
Director of Restorations
Dare Britannia, Ltd.
1043 Kaiser Rd. SW, Unit C
Olympia, WA  98512, USA
http://www.darebritannia.com/

*Thank you for your enquiry for our parts and services. We offer the
highest-quality spare parts for the vintage Land -Rover. Our staff is
minuscule while the demand for rare and “unobtainable” parts for early
Land-Rovers is relentless. While your concern is important to us, our
ability to respond to each and every enquiry may be limited and stocks of
many items are critically low.. We are primarily a restoration-based
enterprise but when we have a surplus of a given  item, we are able to
offer excess stocks to our dedicated clients. If your need is urgent, we
encourage you to contact us by phone, in person. Leaving a message is
rarely effective, so we recommend direct contact. With many buildings full
of parts, it is not always easy to locate obscure items, and the process is
often time consuming. We hope you understand. Please
provide complete details of your exact model including year, wheelbase,
which side drive, engine, Country of origin, etc. When giving part numbers,
please also state the catalogue number (typically found on the front
cover).  We appreciate your understanding and will do all we can to help.*


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