Several problems with our truck meant a revisit to Ali Nassir’s, the motor mechanic in Zagora. We called in one afternoon to report a problem with our habitation box which had shifted position. The problem could be solved by bolting metal plates between the box and chassis. Tony had drawn up a template for these plates which Ali would have fabricated overnight and we would return the following day to have them fitted. Meanwhile one of the hydraulic rams lifting the bike rack had become detached. Tony had managed to get it back in place but we needed Ali to fit a stronger fixing device.
Ali Nassir’s was in a dusty street parallel with the main road in Zagora. Camper vans, trucks and 4 x 4s were parked outside the premises as well as along the opposite side of the street. Customers, mainly European, mingled with passers by, mechanics, fabricators, electricians, exhaust and tyre specialists. Vehicle owners swapped travel stories with each other and generally enjoyed the comradeship of like minded folk as they waited in the warm sunshine for their repairs to be completed.
Ali looked at each job as it came in and allocated a team of technicians to do the work. There appeared to be no work schedule, no job sheets or parts books. When it was time to pay, Ali totted up the totals on a scruffy piece of paper. The business closed each evening when the day’s work was completed; a couple of rally vehicles had come in late the previous evening and we were told the work was not finished until 1.30 am. Let’s hope Mr Nassir was a wealthy Berber, he certainly worked hard enough.
