I stopped by the local Mopar dealer to get a light switch for my 2000 Dodge van. The guy behind the computer could not look it up without the VIN. Nope, nada, nothing. Finally, the manager came over and showed him how to find "the catalog". Nice to know mother mopar is looking out for their customers. I get it that new cars get revised often during their build cycle, but this is a pretty universal part, on an older vehicle.
They're lazy - VIN makes their job easy. Been through it so many times w/dealership parts guys. Job probably pays lousy too.
Having worked on the other side of the counter since 1976, I can say the main reason for this is an amazingly high percentage of customers who come in do not know enough information about their vehicle to give the counter person a fair chance at getting the right parts first try.
Fair enough. It does make the system foolproof on both sides of the counter. Most, if not every time where I didn't have a VIN but knew the parts well, I've been able to coax the parts guy into looking it up by application but they sure are reluctant.
When I first started in parts I was amazed at people who didn’t know what kind of car they were driving. No information no parts; I ended up most of the time sending them back out to get their registration
Having been on the inside with design and release, the running changes during any model year is wild. VIN tells what it was, and what is the best parts replacements. And it's not just running changes, aftersales is constantly changing too. If you want the latest & greatest, VIN tells all. Gone are the days of "I need a switch for my 1977 Chevy". Hell, even then the VIN helped, you never knew which engine GM stuffed in! Devon
Try getting a customer tell you if his rotors are 11” or 11 1/2”. Whether the drums are 9” or 10”. Does if have rear heat? RPO code for the suspension? Tow package? Heated windshield? 140 or 160 amp alternator? Stow and Go? Third row or not? Is it an F250 or F250 Super Duty? (Hell, sometimes shops didn’t know the difference between a Tahoe and a Suburban-try getting them to tell you which version of Escalade is on the rack). A lot of weird questions exist for parts that seem unrelated. Shops don’t want to lower the car to read the SPID either, so they say ‘send it all!’. A lot of vehicles’ names don’t tell you enough- 2000 Tahoe, Tahoe Limited and Tahoe Z71? Limiteds and Z71s were old body style with a 5.7, others were new body with 4.8 or 5.3. Malibu or Classic? (Classic was the previous year’s Malibu. Built different than the ‘new’ Malibu). Plus, many catalogs both paper and electronic have become printouts of parts lists instead of having a flow to the pertinent questions, so the manufacturer interface is becoming necessary. Patrick
My brother has/had a Chevy truck that you had to have the VIN to get parts because they changed a WHOLE bunch of stuff mid-year. Major stuff, like engine design, transmission design, etc. My father had a John Deere tractor fromm the 1960's that you had to have the tractor serial number, engine serial number, transmission serial number just to get parts because they changed the design on each section during that model year. Even a set of points because they used different manufacture distibutor! I'm no stranger to THAT world. Imagine how I felt when that block cracked during a freeze one year after Daddy died. Glad we has started leasing out the farm land a few years before he died!!! I did find a block out in Kansa or somewhere like that at one of those Mega- tractor junkyards. NOT gonna happen ($$$, $$$)
I brought the old part with me - I figured that would help. The guy didn't want to look at it. The manager read the part number off it and bingo, no fuss no muss. I picked up the part today and it is a perfect match. I get the VIN thing, but this guy was so well trained he couldn't budge from his protocol. Several years ago I needed a special part for my GS, I forget what. But I knew Chevies had the same part and I went to the local chevy dealer and while I was explaining what I needed the manager walks over with a PAPER COPY of a 1970 BUICK parts book. I just about fell over. The manager said they were told to throw all the paper copies away a few years before but he couldn't do it. He stashed them in a filing cabinet. Saved them to help guys like me. I was so grateful!
What Joe said. It's a PIA if you want to purchase a part that was not standard for the year and model of the car you want the part for.
All but 4 of my 44 years as a parts guy were at a GM dealer, 5 years Pontiac/Buick, then 35 years at a Chevy dealership. GM is far and wide the best for not making changes mid year to their vehicles. Ford is awful and a number of the overseas manufacturers as well. And we never really needed the VIN once we got back into the 70's and older vehicles. I still used paper catalogs as much as I could up until I retired a year ago. Depending on the situation, many times the paper was faster than using the computer. The problem is, GM quit printing paper parts books after 1993 so I could only use the books for stuff older than that.
At my Napa I get customers who buy a part like a starter and then call an hour later saying it was a different year. Then I have to look it up again to see if it is the same part. I'm sure other stores can do it, but Napa an input the tag # instead of the VIN.
My snapper lawn mower drive cable broke. Its just a plastic coated cable, one end hooks on a spring and the other to the push handle to engage the belt drive. Parts guy: What's the serial number? Me: I don't know...Its 23yrs old, 6hp Big Red Snapper Parts guy: I cant help you without the serial number. Me: I have the old cable right here can you find something that length that will work? Parts guy: Nope need the serial number. Me: *^%$# Parts girl: Let me see the cable...walks in back less than one minute...Here you go! Lesson learned! Go to the parts girl
That happened to me at AutoZone. I needed a belt for my 1974 Cub Cadet tractor. I just gave him the belt size. He said that he needed a year and make. When I said 1974 Cub Cadet, I was told that they don't sell tractor parts. As he was telling me that, the older guy threw the correct green belt on the counter and laughed.
I would HATE to have to get parts based on an applicable VIN number on some of my projects. Try a 1985 Lincoln LSC with the 5.4 Modular motor out of a 2001 Lincoln Navigator, Adapters for 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra intake, with brake system off 1998 Ford Mustang Hydroboost, with K-member off 1998 Ford Mustang GT.
Exactly - I needed a generic 30 amp relay. The kid needed me to go through a book and find an application. The old guy showed me the one hanging on the wall.