It took a couple of decades and a trip across the Atlantic for Erik Brennan to become a Sales Technician at Rovers North but he’s thrilled to be there. Erik was born in Fredricksta, Norway and came to the US as a youngster in 1972. He was raised in Vermont and now lives in Westford, 3 miles away from Rovers North.

Erik brings a wealth of automobile parts experience and Land Rover enthusiasm to his position at Rovers North. Since he started working full time in 1978, he’s been in the auto parts business. “I’ve worked for large automobile dealerships and multiline parts companies. I took auto mechanics in school back in the ‘70’s just as electronic ignitions were becoming more common. Our instructor used to give us an old points distributor that he had doctored up as a test. He’d hand it to us and say “Make it run.” We developed a good understanding for the points-based systems as well as the newer electronic ignitions. For a while Erik turned a wrench for service stations around Westford.

Just prior to his hiring at Rovers North, he worked for the regional Harley Davidson dealership. Why did he choose to work at Rovers North? Erik says that “After Harleys, Land Rovers were always my favorite vehicles. I used to hang around Barnes and Noble in Burlington, waiting for the British Land Rover magazines to arrive.” “When I started at Rovers North, I asked [sales manager] Arthur Patsouris if my experiences with classic motorcycles would help me. Arthur noted that ‘the old Series vehicles are as simple to troubleshoot as the old Indians and Harleys.’ ”

When you speak with Erik for technical assistance or to order a part, many steps he takes are hidden from view. “For example, if you thought you needed to order an alternator, I would ask “What is going on? Are the lights dim, is the car hard to start, has the battery gone dead? What leads you to believe that you need an alternator? Maybe it’s just a bad cable, wire or connection. I try to diagnose the source of the problem with the customer.”

“If we determine the need for the alternator, then I want to double check that the customer is ordering the right one. So I always ask “What Land Rover do you have? What year is it? Have you converted it from a generator to an alternator? I have to know if they’ve used the 3-wire Lucas or the 1-wire GM system. They’re totally different. We have information about how to make the conversion to the Lucas alternator.”

Where does Erik get the information? “We have a lot of information in our past catalogues and from Land Rover technical publications. We have CD-ROM’s and manuals from Land Rover. Our Rovers North News and technical pieces in the British Land Rover magazines are also discussed among the staff. The most important help comes from the knowledgeable individuals at Rovers North. Our tech training sessions teach us a lot about the newer Land Rovers. We’re even rebuilding a Series II-A so we can learn more about our parts and help enthusiasts maintain and improve their Land Rovers.” Lastly, Erik checks the real-time inventory to determine that the necessary part is in stock. “I check an inventory screen that keeps track of every part. I can also determine whether the part number can be cross referenced with other parts in case we need to provide an alternative part.”

“I don’t want you ordering the wrong part or one you don’t need. The first thing I ask is “what year and what model Land Rover do you have?” Customers sometimes say ‘Rovers are all the same. Any part will fit.’ Well, not really. Even if you think you know what you need, I’d rather look the part up myself to make certain it’s the right one. Erik is searching for his first Land Rover. Right now, he drives a Ford Escape, a car he claims is “a cousin to the Land Rover LR3.” He has his eyes out for “a Series II or II-A but I’d want to update it with our high ratio gearbox and parabolic springs.” He’s engaged to Michelle Kolinich of Westford and will soon form a new Brady Bunch family. They’ll want that Land Rover so “we can disappear in Vermont and Maine north woods.”

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