DEALERSHIP PARTS GUYS...

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They seem to be hit or miss these days.

Wanted a locking fuel cap for my vehicle and knew they were available just did not have the part number.

See the parts guy at the dealership asking for one... gave him the particulars including the VIN.

Parts guy says Mopar doesn't have one for the vehicle. Ok.

Come back home, login to the car forum asking about the part number. Get all the deals I need.

Return to dealership with the part number. Oh yes sir, we have that in stock!

He could have sold it to me yesterday. Seems I need to lookup the part number BEFORE going to this parts guy.
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all depends on the manufacturer they work for. for ford parts, once you learn the base numbers its a lot easier. the older fords can be a challenge since VINs dont help filter on the lookup we use. we also do mazda parts, i usually need a VIN and then i can find anything.

i happen to do back counter, so i usually only deal with techs, very rarely with the public. i do a lot of wholesale to independents too.

its very difficult trying to look parts up for someone when they dont have any info or wont help you in any way.
 
I deal with parts people on a regular basis. The knowledgeable parts people know exactly what the part is, and it takes them seconds to process the sale - whether you provide details or just the part number. I've made a lot of contacts over the years, and some of them I've been dealing with for 7+ years.

OTOH, I get a dumb look from some of the less knowledgeable ones when I just give them a part number. I went to a Ford sub dealer today to pick up a Motorcraft FL-910 oil filter. I gave the guy the part number, and he's like what vehicle is it for? Their reason for asking is to "confirm" the part fits. Had I told him it was for a Lexus ES300, he would have refused to sell me the part - and that's very common here. Instead I told him it was for an '06 Escape with the 2.3L, then he spends 3 minutes looking through the database and gets back to me - "Yes, I can confirm that part number is correct and fits your vehicle."
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when i have people come in with part numbers i will note that on the invoice. its amazing how many times they will try to return a special order part saying its wrong when they provided the number. usually people trying to modify. at that point they are directed to read on the parts invoice that says "no returns on special order parts."

its also fun when we tell customers that anything ordered has to be prepaid, a common response is "i dont have any money on me" and a couple of my coworkers will come back with "how would you pay if i had it?" the deer in the headlights look is pretty common with that response.
 
To be fair... I've also dealt with some excellent parts guys.

Last fall I was looking for a part that no one in town had. Went to one dealership where the parts guy was less than helpful... and would not consider sourcing the part from an out of town dealer.

Another dealership and another parts guy... WOW. This guy went way out of his way to help me. Sourced the part from a dealership 500 miles away and had it in town the next day... he even arranged to have it delivered to my office.

A good parts guy is worth his weight in gold... or at least someone behind the counter who will dig rather than easily give up or ask someone on his team.
 
Same with GM parts,the vin is needed to get a part most of the time to order parts even to cut new keys by the vin.he Ford Dealership in Muskegon,Mi,Great lakes Ford takes up to 5 days for an ordered part to come in.It is faster from the dealer in Grand Rapids.Mi which the ordered part is in the next day,Borgeman Ford which have treated my father very well.Saturn parts from the dealer are another story,from any Saturn dealer only.
 
Holy Geez! I've never had it take more than a couple of days to get anything from my local VW dealer of choice. Even if it had to be brought in from Germany, including assemblies that are only produced upon order...
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
when i have people come in with part numbers i will note that on the invoice. its amazing how many times they will try to return a special order part saying its wrong when they provided the number.


I know what you mean. I supply part numbers for common wear items (pads, belts, filters, etc.) to save the parts person the hassle of looking it through the system. Because I deal with the same people most of the time, and have earned their trust, they never once let me down. But for items that have to be ordered from overseas, I always let them process the part numbers. It's unfair on them to import the wrong part, and not be able to sell/return it, and it's a waste of time for me. It just takes a few minutes to supply the VIN and tell them what you need.
 
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
Same with GM parts,the vin is needed to get a part most of the time to order parts even to cut new keys by the vin.he Ford Dealership in Muskegon,Mi,Great lakes Ford takes up to 5 days for an ordered part to come in.It is faster from the dealer in Grand Rapids.Mi which the ordered part is in the next day,Borgeman Ford which have treated my father very well.Saturn parts from the dealer are another story,from any Saturn dealer only.


for the ford parts, they should be getting daily deliveries. however if their facing depot does not stock the part it will refer to another depot and take longer. my facing depot is Ontario, CA so i get anything from there overnight. Ford also has a large depot in Memphis so everything is send FedEx overnight. anything large, bumper quarter panel, comes from the Sacramento depot and is 2 days out. anything random that comes from Detroit is a few days out and sent FedEx. i can critical any part for an extra 15-20% and have it shipped overnight if early enough. from mazda i have had a complete drop in engine shipped overnight to my dealer from their depot in Scranton, PA.

for keys, i would need a VIN for both Ford and Mazda. i will not cut a key for someone unless they show proof of ownership and matching Photo ID. we don't consider a lien sale to be proof, and we refuse to assist repo, even Ford Credit repo.

ford is nice because they allow a ford dealer to order lincoln/mercury and vice versa. the whole Saturn thing is annoying, and im glad i dont have to deal with GM parts, their numbering system makes no sense. i can look at a ford part and usually tell you what it fits from just the number.
 
My local BMW dealer's parts department is great, although I usually get the correct part numbers off the realoem ETK. My Mazda dealer is excellent as well. The local Triumph dealer is also pretty good at stocking/obtaining parts. In contrast, my local Jeep dealer was at best poor to fair(and ended up being one of the dealers Chrysler canned- no great loss); I usually order parts for my TJ from an online Jeep dealer.
 
It is the same in every other field of endeavor, some people try much harder than others and thus produce results.

Of course, the Government is there to ensure that the hardworking person is forced to share his rewards with the lazy ones.
 
Originally Posted By: George7941
It is the same in every other field of endeavor, some people try much harder than others and thus produce results.

Of course, the Government is there to ensure that the hardworking person is forced to share his rewards with the lazy ones.


All too true...
 
I worked in Ford L-M parts for years. There are some great guys who are helpful and know their stuff backward & forward. They memorize the numbers and applications -- that's the way be efficient. Ford's numbering system lends itself to memorization. I dunno how GM guys do it, it seems there's no rhyme nor reason to the numbers.
 
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