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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">To whom it may concern:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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. </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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. <span style="color:red">Each
experience was excellent and the repairs were well done.</span> I should note and will relate the details
of one frustrating service experience
during this time. It involved my Land
Rover’s brakes. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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<span style="color:red">. 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 [ </span><span style="color:rgb(112,48,160)">CK EDIT</span><span style="color:red">: </span><span style="color:rgb(0,176,80)">ATTENDED </span><span style="color:red">?] to my concerns
seriously, even when it would have been reasonable to consider my complaints
hyper-sensitivity on my part.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:red"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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, <span style="color:red">Charles Kellogg was always generous with his time and advice
without any expectation of compensation.</span>
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. <span style="color:red">Kellogg’s imagination, persistence and perfectionism are the
difference between a typical restoration project and a successful one –</span>
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. <span style="color:red">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.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:rgb(0,176,80)">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:red">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">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, <span style="color:red">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.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">Should you have any questions
or require additional information, please do not hesitate to call on me. E-mail tends to be best.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">Sincerely,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt">Jeb Weisman</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Garamond,serif"><span style="font-size:10pt"> </span></p></span></span></span></span></span></span><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Charles Kellogg</div><div dir="ltr">Director of Restorations<br><div>Dare Britannia, Ltd.</div><div>1043 Kaiser Rd. SW, Unit C</div><div>Olympia, WA 98512, USA</div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><a href="http://www.darebritannia.com/" target="_blank">http://www.darebritannia.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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 </span><b style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">complete </b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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.</span></i><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><i> </i><span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><br></font></p></div><div>Voice 360-866-2254</div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><img src="http://darebritanniarestorations.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/dare-britannia-logo.jpg?w=625" alt="New Logo" width="420" height="235"><br><br></div>
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