Credit where it is due - Rising Sun

[RichD]

My aim here is not to make a blanket recommendation or comment on some of the anecdotes going around about dealing with RSI. I can only comment on my own limited experience. Here it is:

I've dealt with Steven twice now for used parts. In both cases I've come away happy.

First visit, I needed an L400 LWB stock exhaust right away. I knew that Steven is THE guy to go to for parts vans locally so I called him up. He did in fact have a parts van in the shop at the time. When I showed up same day I saw what appeared to be a beautifully clean white L400 LWB on the lift. Steven said he was parting it because there was some rust in the undercarriage and he didn't feel comfortable selling it. He warned me that he expected that the muffler might be rusted and would have to inspect it before he sold it to me. He quoted me a modest price as a result. As it turned out the muffler that came off the van was in excellent condition, but the price did not increase as a result. Steven bolted it on my van too, same day. He also arranged for an inspector to see my van while it was with him and he gave me a lift to and from the Skytrain. That saved me another day off work to meet an inspector in Richmond. I saved time and money and frankly enjoyed dealing with him.

Second visit, I was looking for some captain's chair sliding rails to mod my van. I dropped by RSI and Steven suggested we go out to his lot to look at a parts van right there and then. We cut a very good deal for the part (a parts trade that involved no money changing hands - his idea) and I proceeded to pull the seats out. Well this was that rusted van and 4 of the bolts were seriously seized. It took a half an hour and some serious forearm abuse to get those bolts out with my 1/2" breaker bar. Even though the deal was that I would remove the parts myself, Steven rolled up his sleeves and helped me remove the bolts, each of us wrenching in five minute shifts. We were both red-faced and sweaty by the time the last stubborn bolt came out. I was impressed that he didn't shy away from a little hard work or the inconvenience of spending a bit longer away from the shop than we had intended.

Other than that Steven has referred me to other resources for parts and services on a number of occasions and they have all panned out as good leads.

One thing I like about Steven is that he is detail oriented and cares about knowing the technical ins and outs of our particular vehicles. You may have noticed that this is a trait commonly listed with preferred vendors in our small market.

Of course no single vendor is a panacea and you need to know who to deal with for your different needs. It is my opinion that RSI plays a valuable role in supporting the local Delica market and I'm quite ready to give him credit where credit is due. So here it is.

P.S. Steven didn't ask me to post this.

[orava]

Excellent and fast replacement of side window for me....when your always on the road this is good to know,,..thanks again RISING SUN...

[Big-Bird]

RSI provided me with a very nice and complete center mounted gauge pod (aka binnacle) for my L400. Shipped it to me the same day too!