Do you loathe parts guys sometimes? Do you wonder if major manufacturers really have it together?

[Vetech63]

I called my Cummins distributor here yesterday and ask specifically for a quote on a NEW complete replacement engine for a customer of mine. I also told him specifically that If they didnt have one available to quote me a long block. I told him I didnt have the time to do a bunch of changeover bulls&*^ ..........that if I had to do that I might as well just rebuild the engine myself. He emails me this yesterday afternoon..........

I'm close to just throwing my hands in the air and giving up at this point. $13K for a REBUILT engine that I have to partially tear down and install parts from the old one.

 

[Welder Dave]

I called my Cummins distributor here yesterday and ask specifically for a quote on a NEW complete replacement engine for a customer of mine. I also told him specifically that If they didnt have one available to quote me a long block. I told him I didnt have the time to do a bunch of changeover bulls&*^ ..........that if I had to do that I might as well just rebuild the engine myself. He emails me this yesterday afternoon..........
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I'm close to just throwing my hands in the air and giving up at this point. $13K for a REBUILT engine that I have to partially tear down and install parts from the old one.

What engine and what is out of? Just wondering if it's a very specific application that needs all the things listed changed?

 

[Vetech63]

What engine and what is out of? Just wondering if it's a very specific application that needs all the things listed changed?

It’s a QSB4.5 out of a Ingersol Rand padfoot roller

 

[DMiller]

Sounds as YOU are Overhauling!!!

 

[Truck Shop]

Push it out the door and have a smoke and a beer.

 

[Bluox]

If I was you I would deliver that broke motor to Cummins and tellum to have at it ,when you put it back in it's their problem for 2 years or 5 years with the extended warranty.
Bob

 

[Vetech63]

Sounds as YOU are Overhauling!!!

Yeah, I got the word today..............I guess I'm pulling it for teardown in a few days. Is it thread worthy you think?

 

[Vetech63]

If I was you I would deliver that broke motor to Cummins and tellum to have at it ,when you put it back in it's their problem for 2 years or 5 years with the extended warranty.
Bob

I'm waiting to hear from Cummins on that possibility.

 

[Vetech63]

I had another interesting parts experience.

For 3 days now I have been trying to get a simple electrical cable for a Cat AP555E, it is the sonic auger cable for the right extension. Twice already the cable the parts guys (2 different ones) looked up was wrong so I had to return both. The 3rd time I call I get the new "chik".......I tell her that this is the 3rd attempt at trying to get the right cable. I give her the model and serial numbers of both the machine and the screed assembly, and I can already tell she is struggling. She asks me what I am looking for again, I explain in detail.......she continues to hesitate in telling me anything. Then she says "Could you bring it by here and maybe we can identify it?" I told her I was 50 miles away and that there was no id tag on either cable, that you wouldn't be able to identify it any better than I could. Then she says "Well, our HOSE guy is really good and can look at the ends and make about anything." WTF??!! I said "I AM NOT TRYING TO GET A HOSE>>>>>ITS AN ELECTRICAL CABLE!!!!" At this point I said SCREW IT, I knew I was going to have to go there and look it up myself. Drove to the dealer, got with the most experienced parts person there ( I had to wait in line so this is obviously not something new) ......and me and him found the right cable in less than 5 minutes.

I mean F%$# ME!!!!

 

[Tags]

It really gives DIY a whole new meaning….

 

[funwithfuel]

Gūsfraba

 

[John C.]

I have always wondered if there were any kind of training for those sitting in a chair with a head set on and a computer screen in their face all day. All those people that I know personally only got a little time sitting next to someone and watching. After that, they were on their own. I've also witnessed the Cat dealership never providing for transition when people retire even though they know it is going to happen a month or two in advance. The newbies are trying to find parts on machines they may have only seen sitting in the back yard. I don't think a word search in a data base is going to cut it anymore if you don't know the right words to ask. Apparently the management at the dealerships have a low opinion of the people who provide a large proportion of their income. They don't seem to invest much in those people.

 

[Welder Dave]

I think a lot of it is on the dealers. Yes, some parts people have no clue to begin with but having someone who is good help them for even a couple weeks would pay big dividends. I found the same thing in welding supplies too. I understand a lot of times they don't want to pay extra for experience but at least give the newbies a fighting chance. A couple weeks ago I went into a large truck and trailer parts and service shop looking at different sizes of wheel studs. The guy at the counter even had an oversize paper catalogue from one of the suppliers. He found some 3/4" studs and then I asked about 22MM studs. He flipped about 2 pages and didn't see them. I just happened to lift the corner of the catalogue and saw some metric studs and mentioned it to him. Then he mumbled he couldn't find them and gave me the catalogue to look myself. Great, I'll find them myself but if turning a few pages in a catalogue to look for something similar to what you're already looking at is that much of a chore, maybe should be in a different line of work. I could see some old obsolete parts being difficult to find but common wheel studs in a catalogue specifically for them??? I was looking for 22MM studs because the wheels are supposed to use 22MM skirt nuts.

 

[funwithfuel]

One step up from flipping burgers. No training provided, no skill necessary.

 

[Truck Shop]

Two main ingredients are missing in the work place and business in general. A owner/management that grows their employees and ambition from the worker to learn.
Right now both are missing. Without those two items bad things come home to roost.

 

[JD955SC]

Went to NAPA today to get a relay, relay base with pigtail, and some wire to fabricate a wiring harness for aftermarket lights.

the guy helping tried but he couldn’t find it (inexperience) and the computer system was nowhere near as helpful as the paper catalog. In frustration he bought out two big boxes of assorted relays as I was doing some random google searching for Napa relays on my phone. I found a part number from a forum post on another forum and they luckily had it in stock and it was exactly what I needed.

The useful information needed never makes it into the computer system when a catalog is transferred to computer use. It’d be great if anybody had a PDF collection of NAPA assorted general catalogs so I can look up parts before I go.

 

[emmett518]

Incompetence is now the norm. I’ve been trying to get Verizon out to bury a new phone line to replace the old, waterlogged one, and they keep sending out pole techs and not the burial crew.

It doesn’t help that the phone people are in Bangalore.

 

[suladas]

The dealers aren't making things as easy as they could be. There should be something for every machine that brings up all the filters required for service, they shouldn't have to search or know what one's they are. I knew I was in trouble at the dealer when he asked me "both fuel filters?" when there is only one. However I got to say, Volvo dealer is hands down the best there is. Even with me describing parts badly they spend the time to make sure they got the right part and have never had one wrong yet. Not sure if it's their experience or the system but they also know exactly what filters the machine needs. But Takeuchi? 2/3 time I get wrong parts, even simple things like filters. The last one was the window, granted it wasn't the parts guys fault as he had the right number, except the glass in the box was a different part number. 6 weeks and 2 tries to get a simple window.

 

[suladas]

I think a lot of it is on the dealers. Yes, some parts people have no clue to begin with but having someone who is good help them for even a couple weeks would pay big dividends. I found the same thing in welding supplies too. I understand a lot of times they don't want to pay extra for experience but at least give the newbies a fighting chance. A couple weeks ago I went into a large truck and trailer parts and service shop looking at different sizes of wheel studs. The guy at the counter even had an oversize paper catalogue from one of the suppliers. He found some 3/4" studs and then I asked about 22MM studs. He flipped about 2 pages and didn't see them. I just happened to lift the corner of the catalogue and saw some metric studs and mentioned it to him. Then he mumbled he couldn't find them and gave me the catalogue to look myself. Great, I'll find them myself but if turning a few pages in a catalogue to look for something similar to what you're already looking at is that much of a chore, maybe should be in a different line of work. I could see some old obsolete parts being difficult to find but common wheel studs in a catalogue specifically for them??? I was looking for 22MM studs because the wheels are supposed to use 22MM skirt nuts.

If it's anything they carry I go to Gregg Distributors they are always super helpful and most know a fair bit, also a bonus supporting Canadian.

 

[Welder Dave]

Gregg's at least has stock of most everything in their catalogue. Their prices can be all over the place though depending on what you need. I bought a Fillrite electric fuel pump on sale for $369.00 regular $499.00 or $469.00 at a different place and just to see what Gregg's sold them for I asked when I in getting some shrink wrap. $589.00. I know it's a little cheaper if you have an account but the reg. price was out to lunch. I did get a block heater at Gregg's for $25 that Union Tractor wanted $52 for the exact same Temro Kubota block heater. They had it in stock at the South store 5 minutes from my place.
Vallen is usually pretty good to deal with and has had stock when I needed something. Can't say much good about Acklands now Grainger Canada except they gave a decent severance package. You can't even just walk in a store and buy something. Their sales have tanked from a few years ago.