America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 57 Old Pick's Auto Repair Shop

The two parties reached the deal very happily.

Mark found the elderly white man at the car dealership and asked him to start printing out the transfer documents and vehicle registration information, which was a straightforward task for them.

Zhang Ailun didn't inquire too much about it; professional matters should be left to professionals.

He then suggested that the other party drive him to a designated location within the city, with him covering the gas and transportation costs. The main issue was that the other party didn't have a driver's license, and although his driving skills were perfectly capable of handling large vehicles, it would be troublesome if he were stopped en route.

"I happen to need to go to the city center. I'll charge you $50 for the ride from here."

Mark readily agreed.

The elderly white man packed the organized documents in a plastic bag and handed them to Zhang Ailun. "The documents have been signed. Take your basic information to the vehicle management office to register, or you can have someone audit them online."

"What if the person transferring the property is unregistered and has no birth certificate or basic information?" Zhang Ailun asked.

The old man wasn't surprised by his question, and calmly replied, "Then find someone with legal information and register the RV in their name. If you have this need, I can help you with that too. Anyone between 18 and 70 years old can transfer the vehicle. Don't worry, you can choose anyone you like. The processing fee is only $200."

"Then I'll ask my friend for help." Zhang Ailun immediately dismissed the idea. What kind of nonsense is this? The handling fee is so expensive. I only paid $200 to buy the car, and you're charging me more for the transfer than you sold it? Is that reasonable?

No wonder no one wants this RV; in a sense, it is indeed somewhat of a waste of money.

People who need it don't have the money or time to find someone to repair and maintain their RV, while people who have the money and time don't have that need or necessity.

Fortunately, Zhang Ailun knew where he could get it done.

After getting all the paperwork done, Mark filled the RV with gas. Luckily, gas was cheaper than water here, otherwise, such a large tank would have cost several hundred dollars to fill.

After checking the route again, Mark got in the GMC hiking RV and started it. Zhang Ailun sat in the passenger seat, took out his phone, and used Google Maps to locate the old Pick repair shop in the city. "Go here."

"Okay! Hold on tight." Mark glanced at the location information and started the car. With a whoosh, he stepped on the gas.

The RV started, emitting a thick plume of black and blue smoke from its rear, and left the dealership's yard. Driving steadily on the bumpy road, it took another detour and got onto the highway.

Music was playing in the car. Zhang Ailun opened the side window and stretched out his hand to feel the breeze. The sun was shining brightly, and cars were passing by one after another. It was indeed a wonderful feeling.

Unfortunately, the person sitting next to me was a slovenly, burly white man who was picking his toes, not a beautiful woman.

Nothing went wrong along the way, and the RV made no obstacles, eventually arriving at the sixth block of the city. The location showed the old Pick's auto repair shop.

Under the astonished gazes of the auto repair shop employees, Mark parked the RV on the side of the road, turned off the engine, and handed Zhang Ailun a key and a business card. "You can come to me again if you need anything. This is my phone number."

"You'll have that opportunity." Zhang Ailun took it, smiled, and paid him $50 for gas and driving expenses.

After getting out of the car, the two parted ways. Mark waved on the street and got into a black Accord.

Zhang Ailun then arrived at the store.

The staff at Old Pick's Auto Repair Shop were already waiting. A middle-aged man with fair skin, wearing a blue auto repair uniform, took off his gloves and came up to ask, "Hello, sir, I'm Darren, the repair manager of this shop. How can I help you?"

"Hi Darren, I'd like to have my old RV serviced and repaired here," Zhang Ailun said with a smile, pointing to the green GMC RV parked by the roadside. "Isn't it cool?"

Darren couldn't take his eyes off the RV after just one glance. He was also a classic car enthusiast and knew that this big guy had quite a history and background.

I walked up and circled the RV twice, and many passersby on the street took out their phones to take pictures.

Come in and have a look.

Zhang Ailun opened the car door and warmly invited him to tour the interior. Darren got in, touched the interior decoration of the RV, and sat in the driver's seat to experience it.

He exclaimed in amazement, "Dude, this is amazing! Where did you get it? A 70s campervan, you rarely see these days."

Previously, these were the exclusive vehicles of the wealthy, mostly owned by famous Hollywood stars and middle-class families with some success. After all, not everyone has the time to travel and vacation in a motorhome.

"I acquired this car from a car dealership in the suburbs. It had been parked there for over twenty years. Although it didn't have any problems driving here, I don't know its exact condition, so I'd like you to help me with repairs and maintenance," Zhang Ailun said frankly.

Mark only gave him a brief overview of the car's condition. On the surface, there seemed to be no problem, but he didn't dare to delve too deeply into it, for fear that the man might not buy it.

The engine, spark plugs, and wiring issues are all there, but the braking system definitely needs maintenance. After all, what more could you ask for on a $200 bill?

"Give me the car keys, and I can check the interior for you right now," Darren said generously.

Zhang Ailun handed him the car keys, and Darren drove the RV around halfway to the backyard of the repair shop, where several vehicles were parked, either undergoing maintenance or already repaired and waiting for their owners to pay and drive away.

After parking the RV in a spacious area, Darren asked Zhang Ailun to wait a moment before heading to the garage. A few minutes later, he returned with his repair tools.

He handed Zhang Ailun a drink and told him to wait aside while the vehicle was inspected.

Zhang Ailun stood aside with one hand in his pocket, watching the other person hammer and bang on the RV, opening the driver's floor to reveal a 455 cubic inch engine.

As you can see from the open hood, the battery tray has been recently replaced, and the small area has been simply cleaned, but the surrounding area is full of rust.

It was probably Mark's doing. The other party had inspected and maintained the car, but only managed to get it started and driven; they didn't do any major repairs.

This must be what they mean by "all that glitters is not gold," but rotten inside.

Zhang Ailun comforted himself, "What more could you ask for on $200? This is what a zombie car is like! It's been parked in the suburbs for over twenty years and it's still drivable; it's really tough."

Next, Darren checked the dipstick and found some engine oil in it. Fortunately, there was no water stain. After all, if there had been water in the oil and the car had traveled that far, the engine would have definitely started to roar, and the internal components would have been damaged beyond repair.

After checking the dipstick, Darren began inspecting the cabin. While checking the air filter, he found traces of Jerry's presence and a lot of rat droppings, a common problem with engines that have been abandoned outdoors for a long time.

The air filter was protecting the carburetor in excellent condition. Seeing this, Darren became excited and began to clean the debris off the engine with a vacuum cleaner.

To prevent dust and debris from entering the carburetor, Darren also protected it with a plastic film.

Next, Darren marked each spark plug wire with a marker and then began to remove the spark plugs. Although the removed spark plugs were heavily rusted, they were very dry and not wet at all.

After removing the spark plugs, Darren sprayed lubricant into each spark plug hole. He also called over his colleagues from the auto shop to come under the car and help turn the engine fan, attempting to get the engine running for testing.

After some attempts, the engine fan started spinning. Darren then opened the distributor cap and removed the Platinum ignition for inspection.

There weren't any major problems, just occasional minor contact issues, which Darren fixed in just a few minutes.

He then installed it back into the distributor, and when he started it again, he could see that a smooth spark was being generated.

The vehicle's humming sound was also much smoother than before, without the previously barely perceptible bumps and stumbles.

This guy's got some skills!

(End of this chapter)