In reply to iadr:
That's why dealerships never get business from me, unless the car is covered under warranty. Too many times have I needed x part for y car to go into an unrelated car and the parts monkey at the dealership won't bother to help.
In reply to iadr:
That's why dealerships never get business from me, unless the car is covered under warranty. Too many times have I needed x part for y car to go into an unrelated car and the parts monkey at the dealership won't bother to help.
figure out which digit of the VIN indicates the engine and tell them that.. if they still won't sell you the engine, find another place that will.
You could try perhaps asking them why they need it...
iadr wrote: I got blasted writing a post a couple years ago, that basically,IIRC, said if you call a dealership without a VIN you deserve to be hung up on. Thats the reality. (I work for a dealership- Hyundai) I do agree it's probably for a fit check.
I agree with you, however if someone calls and says they need a part for a different application and demonstrate they know what they are talking about I will usually help them.
Lugnut wrote: You could try perhaps asking them why they need it...
Winner.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:Lugnut wrote: You could try perhaps asking them why they need it...Winner.
If I thought that wouldn't put the cheesy 60 day warranty at risk, I'd do it. I might still do it, I just don't feel like if they are charging me 750 for this dang thing they need to know anything.
dculberson wrote: I really don't think the "stolen car" thing is why they want the VIN. There are plenty of self-service junk yards that let you pull anything you want without giving them a vin. I think they're just doing a fit check.
Yea, those are the guys who aren't paranoid. "You want to waste your time digging through my yard to find stolen parts? Yea, have fun. I'll be over here making money. Hope you brought something to scrape the mud off vins."
Why don't you just give them a vin?
EvanB wrote:iadr wrote: I got blasted writing a post a couple years ago, that basically,IIRC, said if you call a dealership without a VIN you deserve to be hung up on. Thats the reality. (I work for a dealership- Hyundai) I do agree it's probably for a fit check.I agree with you, however if someone calls and says they need a part for a different application and demonstrate they know what they are talking about I will usually help them.
This. Don't treat all customers like they are as dumb as a bag of hammers. Sometimes people do know exactly what they need, even if it is not a standard use.
My datsun replica project is a total mongrel; so far it has 4-runner shocks, a rav4 radiator, a front suspension and rack from a dodge dakota, and a maxima drive train. (...and then we get to the body, which is obviously a little weirder.)
The people at my local Advanced Autoparts know me well enough to not try "what is it for" 
I have a flyin' miata catalog sitting here. Their part # 02-50020 is the windshield washer reservoir from a suzuki cappucino. (It is used in the v8 conversions.) Think about the reaction if you tell the average person at a parts counter that you need a suzuki part so you can fit a chevy engine into a mazda.
In reply to JoeyM:
Of course the problem is, how does the seller know the buyer isn't an idiot? I'd be willing to say, I won't return this item if it doesn't fit, because that's on me, but will return it if its defective. I don't think most sellers would accept that, though.
get a job where you deal with the public and you will quickly learn that its a far better bet to assume everyone is an idiot than to assume everyone who calls without a vin knows exactly what they need (or even what they have to start with). Then put yourself in the place of a small business owner who has to deal with with all those exchanges or returns when the part doesn't fit. What would you do?
I'm not saying its best to treat someone who calls in and says "I am swapping a 2.4 motor into my neon" like an idiot, but I am saying I can see the motivation behind the requirement for a vin, I'm sure that software pays for itself before too long.
In reply to andrave:
There was a story making the rounds a few years ago where some clown called a dealership and got the torque specs for the heads on his motor. He was told (or so he claimed) 400 foot pounds. Of course damage ensued. He sued the dealership for a motor, claiming their 'incorrect' information cost him the engine.
Right now I have a high end sports car with two spun rod bearings sitting in my shop. The owner contends this is due to a certain parts chain allegedly telling him it would be OK to substitute a non synthetic oil for the pricey manmade stuff specified in the owners manual. He wants this engine repaired at their expense.
In reply to Curmudgeon:
Similar: My father had a Cobra with a bad MAF sensor due to oil leaking from the newly cleaned air filter. Wanted Ford to pay for it because it was under warranty. Guess what Ford said. (Different scenario, I know.)
Flip Side: My father had a Cobra with one side off the engine completely blown. He determined that the guy building that side of the engine berkeleyed up. Ford did not want to replace the engine. They did.
Each were taken care of and those at fault paid the penalty. This is why police do not give out legal advice. They are liable for any errors they make and can possibly bite them in the ass. The proper response for a legal question: "See a lawyer."
In reply to Curmudgeon: That doofus with the spun bearings probably forgot to mention that he put that oil in ten thousand miles ago, and regularly used the rev limiter as a shift indicator.
Or that there was a little noise before he changed the oil. (Thats why he changed it). It went away when the oil was changed, so that can't possibly be related the the massive failure a couple weeks later.
eastsidemav wrote: In reply to JoeyM: Of course the problem is, how does the seller know the buyer isn't an idiot?
If the seller has never dealt with the buyer, yes, that's what must be done. This is why I deal with the same places all the time. When I go into my local advanced autoparts, I'm frequently greeted by name. (Not all the employees know my name, but many do.)
In reply to HappyAndy:
All I know about that one right now: right valve cover and the oil pan are off. The owner told me 'just bill it to (parts chain)'. Oh no, that's not how it works. Parts chain does not own car, owner does and owner is ultimately responsible for costs. (BTDT.) Right now this has escalated past store level, past city area manager level, past regional and has now gone to the national level. I'm just waiting for the elephant mating* to conclude. Estimate: $23,000.00. Being on commission, this will make Curmudgeon a happy boy no matter who pays. 
[*] Elephant mating:
a) Decisions are made at a high level
2) It's accompanied by a lot of roaring and screaming
iii) It takes two years to get results
iadr wrote:N Sperlo wrote: My father had a Cobra with a bad MAF sensor due to oil leaking from the newly cleaned air filter. Wanted Ford to pay for it because it was under warranty. Guess what Ford said.Now that one is a myth. K&N maintain an exemplary website in this regard. If ever a manufacture has to deal with a problem, I'd recommend doing it like this: http://www.knfilters.com/maf/massair.htm
(Edited to be more polite) The engine was not repaired under warranty and would not have been regardless of the information given because Ford doesn't really give a E36 M3 what testing K&N did.
All the manufacturers I have worked with have the same policy in regards to MAF contamination by foreign substances. Over oiling a reuseable filter is the #1 cause. K&N can say whatever they want, but ultimately it means nothing.
That also goes for sand, etc stuck to a 'hot wire' type sensor. Yes it can and does happen, along with bits of leaves etc.
A while back I went to a junkyard looking to score a pair of front strut/spring assemblies for my 96 Saturn SL2. They had a bunch of Saturns in the lot, most older. Their computer said that 91-95 and 96+ were different parts. I knew that all S series Saturns had the same suspension. They said that because their computer said it wouldn't work, they weren't willing to send one of their guys out to fetch it - but I was welcome to go do it myself.
No problem - they're only held in by five bolts anyway, and I like poking around. And it paid off - the last car in line was equipped with KYB GR2s instead of stock struts. So I pulled them and brought them up to the counter.
"Wow, aftermarket struts, eh? Cool!" And then they charged me the original price they'd quoted for OEM struts. I went home, put them on the car, and I believe they're still in service today.
Got an engine today, just gave 'em a VIN from a 98 Stratus. It was originally on a Sebring convertible (which car-part says is the same), which uses a different oil pump/pan setup. Fortuantely, I think I already have those parts, and if not, was intending to replace or rebuild the oil pump (along with the water pump/timing belt/timing tensioner) before dropping the engine in. I don't want to have to pull it back out for stuff that is simple to do on an engine stand. Which reminds me, I need to go look up the procedure for replacing the rear main seal. Seems like it would be good to replace that while the engine is out, too.
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