Partsmen, a breed apart

[tel]

ill agree i had an advantage that my grandad was a well respected mechanic so i started to learn as soon as i was old enough so i had the advantage over other people to actually know alot about cars but even now i still get people ask me for things that throw me

its how you learn, its a hard trade to get into to be honest as most people want experience

[disco_al]

again, that's how i learnt, followed my dad around from an early age, learning all the time. hence the reason i do nearly all my own maintenance, and it helps with the job as well - it gives the customer confidence when you can give them a useful tip for replacing a part (let alone the related sales it can generate....)

[red90 driver]

The other problem is if you go to a parts counter and want to buy something that is not meant for the original vehicle.

I have had several aguments with staff who insist that I can't have part X, because it will not fit onto vehicle Y, when I know I that part will fit because I have modified the vehicle to take that part, i.e. X-brake hand brake cable for the 90. Can't give you that one sir, it is not for a 200TDi Defender, you need.....

In the end the local motor factors get to know you, and run for cover when they see you roll up outside!!

[Ryan]

When we were stuck in France with a couple of broken vehicles this summer, Richard (Dlander) and myself had to seek out the local LR dealer to try to obtain a number of parts to repair said vehicles. Luckily (we thought), Dan (V8bertha) had brought his laptop along with has Microcat installed on it. So pen and piece of paper in hand, Richard sets about creating a shopping list of part numbers and what they relate to i.e. clutch plate, bearing, etc.

After spending what seemed like an eternity finding the local LR dealer (which wasn't where most people said it was), Richard hands over the list. I don't speak French. Richard doesn't speak French. 'Le partshomme' doesn't speak English. We hoped the list would make it easy. For some reason, the guy behind the desk insists on looking up every part on Microcat first before he will punch the numbers into the stock system. Strangely enough, all of the part numbers we supplied matched exactly with the list he wrote down . We were stood there for 30 mins gesticulating at each other and playing some cruel Anglo-Franco game of charades, when he could have put the numbers in and told us within a couple of minutes whether he had stock or not

[landroversforever]

Very nearly gone, are the days of the old boys, who could remember parts numbers and fitments in their head,, good old paper parts books, are now lost in the depths of parts department, collecting dust !! and microfiche when out, what 10 years ago ??

When i did my work experience....the parts guy was amazing...most of the parts/numbers in his head! and then on top he knew exactly where everything was in the stores!

[JimAttrill]

When I started my apprenticessip I was sent to the stores for a 'spirit level bubble', a 'long weight' and other such stuff. But they stopped doing it when I stayed away for the whole day, only reappearing at knock-off time.

[steve_d]

As a lad I took a clipboard full of part descriptions for a bottom up rebuild of my mini engine. The parts guy/superhuman took the board and disappeared into the racking. I knew he was still in there as I could hear him whistling (badly) from different parts of the store. He was probably gone for 15 mins before returning with every item stacked up on a trolley. Never once looked in the catalogue.

As an apprentice I was also sent to the store for the normal trick requests, long weight, sky hook, box of sparks for the grinder etc. etc. but was also sent for a 'Glass Hammer' which the fitter, I was working with, seemed to think we needed.

When I got to the front of the queue I told the storeman I knew it was a fools errand but that was what I had to ask for. His response was a look of glee as he replied that he had one. Seems his brother was a glass blower and had made it for him in anticipation of this very request. After a wait of some five years for this to happen he, and the rest of the stores queue, were not going to miss out on the fun so I had to wait while he locked up the stores.

By the time we got back to the bench most of the shop floor was in tow. The guy took a fair bit of stick but in the end all agreed it was worth it as the 'Glass Hammer' was a work of art with every detail of the hammer perfectly copied even down to the wedge driven in to hold the head on and the grain of the wooden handle.

Steve