Posted By Slim Shambles on January 30, 2012

THE CAR SIDE (now entering its 14th year) will be appearing in the US-based automotive trade journal Tire Review, beginning with the February 2012 issue. With a subscription rate of over 32,000 shops, that’s a whole lot of new readers!

A big thanks to Editor Jim Smith and Babcox Media for the kind invitation to be a part of this great magazine for tire and repair shops.

To all our loyal Canadian readers, don’t worry! This popular column for automotive technicians and shop owners will continue to be featured in Canadian Technician magazine.

So welcome to all our new readers, and if you’d like find out more about Slim Shambles and his wacky crew of wrench-pullers, then order up your own copy of A Fine Day for a Drive, the inside story on how it all started.

Click here to read a sample chapter,
or go to Slim’s online bookstore to purchase your personal signed copy of
A Fine Day for a Drive.

“Prepare to laugh until your face hurts as you enter the quirky and endearing world of Slim Shambles… More cleansing than bran flakes, this is one of those books you won’t just read, you’ll find yourself reading it to others.” - Phil Callaway, speaker and best-selling author of Laughing Matters

“Rick and his wacky band of characters have been making me spit out my morning coffee since 1998. You should see my office!”  —Allan Janssen, Editor, Canadian Technician magazine

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Posted By Slim Shambles on September 23, 2011

Looking for some Christmas cheer?

Yes, once again we are offering FREE SHIPPING on all book orders between right now and Christmas 2011. So if you haven’t got your copy of this amazing literary work (and why haven’t you?), or if you need some holiday cheer to stuff into ol’ Grumpy’s Christmas stocking, then it don’t get any better than this.

Order today and beat the Christmas rush. All books ordered during this special offer will be personally autographed by the author – now how precious is that?

And remember, you’re also helping to spread some cheer around the world, as the proceeds from our book sales are a key source of funding for my work in Africa, taking skills training to those in need. Check out the photos from our latest trip right here.

Cheers to all!
Rick Cogbill

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Posted By Slim Shambles on February 5, 2011

MERCY TECH MISSION

Many of you know that my past history includes some time spent in Africa back in the mid-80s (yes, those African chapters in the book come from true life experience!). You may also know that just last year, I returned to Africa again and spent a month performing some mechanical repairs, along with teaching basic mechanical skills to some of the local men. (you can read more on that trip here)

Extreme poverty is common in Africa, and Mozambique is no different.
After a 26-year civil war, the road to recovery as a country has been slow, an obvious fact in the areas I visited in Feb/March 2010.

Good education and a skill or trade are key factors (among others) for helping people to rise above their circumstances. I have seen first-hand how important something as simple as learning how to sew, build furniture, or how to change a set of brakes on a car can lead to gainful employment, providing a way out of the relentless cycle of poverty.

RICK AT WORK IN AFRICA

As a result, I have started a non-profit organization called MERCY TECH MISSION in order to take skills training to Africa.
The goals of MTM are two-fold: To provide an opportunity for those with a skill or a trade to go and help in under-developed places in the world, and secondly, teach the local people we work with some useful skills that they can use long after we are gone.

You can read more about MERCY TECH MISSION here on our website.

Most of us have a desire to help; we all want to be a part of making our world a better place, and buying a copy of my book for yourself or as a gift will do that. The proceeds from book sales are one of the key ways that I finance my trips to Africa. So that means when you buy this collection of humour stories, you are also spreading some joy half-way around the world.

You will be helping men like Tomas and Tome (pictured below) learn a trade and buy tools. You will be helping to improve the quality of life for both them and the families they support. What could be a happier ending to any story?

Thomas and Tome repairing a bicycle in Mozambique

PLEASE JOIN WITH US IN HELPING NEEDY PEOPLE IN OTHER PARTS OF OUR WORLD.
IT’S AS SIMPLE AS BUYING A BOOK.

(For those who would like to become more involved in the work of Mercy Tech Mission, please feel free to contact the author directly at rickcogbill@gmail.com. You can also find out more information on our mission website.)

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Posted By Slim Shambles on December 31, 2010

Actually, the New Deal is that we’re going to continue the Old Deal…at least for now. 

We’ve had such a great response with our FREE SHIPPING Christmas Special that we’re going to continue it until further notice. So if you purchase A Fine Day for a Drive at the regular low price of $14.95 + gst, then we’ll pay the shipping – a savings of over $3.00 per book.

Now, if that don’t stir your coffee, then we don’t know what will…

However, those looking for something a little more exciting will be pleased to know that Rick is madly working on Book 2 in the Slim Shambles series. So if you run into him at your local Tim Horton’s, hunched over a scrap of lined paper with a stub of a pencil clutched in his sweaty hand and deeply lost (in thought), then don’t bother him…like everyone else, we’re tired of waiting for the next manuscript and we want him to get on with it.

Updates will be posted when available.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the Archives Page, where we’re slowly but surely posting back copies of The Car Side, the automotive humour column where it all started. Now in its thirteenth year, there’s a lot to read up on…

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Posted By Slim Shambles on December 30, 2010

Click here to see a YouTube Video of Author Rick Cogbill’s TV interview with Shaw Cable TV during the initial launch of A Fine Day for a Drive.

Here is a Book Review written by automotive columnist Todd Green for the Calgary Herald in December 2010. The review was distributed by Postmedia News and appeared in over a dozen papers across Canada, as well as on numerous media websites worldwide.

Another Book Review written by Terry Peters of the Northshore News in North Vancouver.

An article that appeared in the Summerland Review, July 2010.

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Posted By Slim Shambles on December 13, 2010

Confused at Christmas?

For those of you wanting to get that extra something for the person who has a bad case of the grumpies, we’ve made it easier to give the gift of laughter this year – order a copy (or ten) of A Fine Day for a Drive, and we’ll pay all the shipping costs! That’s a savings of $3 per book.

Chapter Samples can be read here.

And if you need an interesting idea to help you keep in touch with your customers, see what Brad is doing over at AutoTrust Service in Stettler, Alberta. We think it’s pretty cool!

Finally, we’ve added a number of back-columns to our Archives page, so if you’ve missed an installment or two of The Car Side over the past 13 years, take a look.

And from our family to yours, here’s wishing you the merriest wishes possible in this Christmas season.

Rick & Nan Cogbill
SlimCookie Productions
Summerland, BC

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Posted By Slim Shambles on October 7, 2010

I’ve just returned from two and a half weeks on the road, putting on over 5500kms on my truck between Summerland, BC and Winnipeg, Manitoba as I visited bookstores, gift shops, and libraries across Western Canada. I’d forgotten how big this country can be!

I also stopped in many, many automotive shops along the way, where I got to meet a lot of folks who are regular readers of Canadian Technician magazine, and along with it, The Car Side column. Some of the shop owners and technicians even insisted on getting their picture taken with me at their shop…all I can say is I hope there was no permenant damage to your cameras, guys.

I especially want to say thanks to Murray from Thunder and Lightening Automotive in Yorkton, Saskatchewan – my new green Rider Pride flag looks great in my office!

Thanks also to Todd Green (Automotive Instructor at SAIT) and Allan Haberman (Technical Instructor for Blue Streak Motor Products) for arranging a few speaking engagements in automotive apprenticeship classes, both in Calgary, AB and in Brandon, MB. Those were great experiences, and I hope to do more of that in the days ahead.

Upon returning home, I’ve arranged to have my books distributed through Red Tuque Books Inc, a book distribution company based in Penticton, BC. Hopefully this will mean fewer road trips for me and more time to continue working on Book 2 (Yes, the trials and tribulations of Slim Shambles will continue, so be patient, folks…I hope to have Slim’s next book out sometime in 2011).

So thanks to all who have purchased their own copies of A FINE DAY FOR A DRIVE, and a gentle reminder that Christmas is coming; what a great time to pick up a few more copies for Christmas presents, especially for those hard-to-buy-for people on your list!

AS A SPECIAL OFFER, from now until Christmas, we are offering to pay all the shipping costs on any book orders – that’s a savings of $3.00 per book! -  so why not visit Slim’s Bookstore right now and get your Christmas shopping done early.

Have a great fall!
Rick

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Posted By Slim Shambles on July 1, 2010

RICK’S BOOK HAS GONE INTERNATIONAL!

Take a look at the updated sales map below and you’ll see that not only has A FINE DAY FOR A DRIVE been sold all across Canada (including the Yukon), but it’s also found a home in Mozambique, Africa, as well as in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

World Sales Map - June 2010

Yes, we are quite proud of ourselves…

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Posted By Slim Shambles on May 14, 2010

That’s right – from now up until the end of June pay NO SHIPPING FEES. That’s a savings of $2.75 per book!

With Father’s Day coming up soon, we wanted to make sure that A FINE DAY for a DRIVE was at the top of your list of Gifts For Dad!

So even if you already have your own copy, now’s the time to buy extras for Father’s Day, birthdays, or any other great occasion that will let you add a little humour into someone else’s life! Click here to go to Slim’s Bookstore.

But hurry…this offer ends July 1st!

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Posted By Slim Shambles on April 6, 2010

Illustration by Will Enns

We’ve started with the very first column that came out in April of 1998, and we will be putting up additional ones on a regular basis. For those who are new to the gang at Slim Shambles Auto Repair, these back issues will help introduce you to Slim and the boys, and show you why this column has had such a long and popular run. It’s now in its 12th year…

So click the Archives button at the top of the page…check back often. We will have lots for you to read and enjoy!

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