Dealership Grief Counselor Helps Ease the Pain of Expensive Auto Repairs

Cupcake Nunchuk and her husband Chuck were concerned when the transmission in their five-year-old Land Rover began making unusual noises.

“When I shifted into drive it would go sheeeeng–bap–dvvvvvvt–clunk,” explained Cupcake. “It also smelled like a burning goat,” added Chuck Nunchuk.

When they took their SUV to Baldemar Fagalde Land Rover-Jaguar-Suzuki (the dealership still has one new 2012 Suzuki Equator left), they received the bad news–the transmission needed a complete rebuild at a cost of over $8,000. “The Sprag clutch went sproinnnng,” explained mechanic technician Sigard Hoo. “That’s probably what was making the dvvvvvt noise,” Hoo said.

Cupcake Nunchuk is comforted by service department chaplain Hadrian Swall (R) and her husband Chuck after determining they would “probably have to sell our damned  blood plasma” to pay for their Land Rover’s transmission repair

“Cupcake just fell to pieces when they told us how much it was going to cost,” said Chuck. “First she cried, then she threw her dentures at the mechanic.” Fortunately Hadrian Swall was there to comfort her. Swall is one of only a few auto dealership grief counselors in the country, but their numbers are growing.

“I sit with them and stroke their ears and tell them it’s going to be okay,” said Swall. “After the Nunchuks calmed down, they decided to trade in their Land Rover rather than spend the money to fix it,” he said. “I got them 25% off MSRP on a 2012 Equator.”