Pretty quiet in here... what are you working on? (8 Viewers)

[OTRAMM]

I deal with all of the parts guys. But I'm in there several times a week and know all of them.

 

[Diff Kraken]

I think with parts stores/dealers it's about forming a relationship. I use the dealership John won't name daily. I never have to give them a VIN, they'll order by part number, and they stock the parts I commonly use even though they don't regularly use them. But they've been the only place I've bought Toyota parts from for 9 years. They know I'm not going to stick them with a bunch of returns if the part I ordered by number doesn't fit. They know I'm not constantly price shopping them for the absolute lowest price. Yes I could find stuff a bit cheaper online but I've built a relationship with these guys. They treat me well and go above and beyond when I need parts quickly. IF your looking for the parts experience of old, you have to treat it that way. Before the internet you had to walk in and talk to the parts guy. That's where the relationship is built. It's a two way street.

Point well taken but if I wanted to develop a relationship with the parts store I would have bought a land rover

 

[D21FJ60]

Point well taken but if I wanted to develop a relationship with the parts store I would have bought a land rover

My understanding is Land Rover is more of a one night stand type of thing, not really committed relationship types...

 

[Diff Kraken]

So I wondered what type of box the seller would use to ship the used tire I ordered off of ebay for my spare... come back from taking my dog around the block and this is at my front door... lol. Didn’t know thats how they ship!

 

[Crusha]

Took the 40 to Robledo Mountain OHV Trail System just outside Las Cruces, NM to test it out

What a fine ass 40!

 

[emorth]

Going back to the VIN discussion, I have a related story to tell.

A friend of mine was into photography, so while in college he would work at the local big box store in the camera department during Christmas break. This was back in the day when you had to have film for your camera (am I dating myself?). Since he was a part time college kid and didn't care about his longevity with the company, he developed a very efficient way to assist his customers with their film selection. When a customer would walk up to his counter and say, "I need film for my camera" he would turn around, grab the closest box of film, put it on the counter and say, "OK, here you go". Amazingly, the majority of customers would take the box, say, "Thank you" and get in the check out line. Clueless idiots! Absolutely no discussion of camera/film details. Needless to say, there were a lot of complaints after Christmas.

So, can't you imaging the same scenario playing out at the dealership?
Customer walks into the parts department:
Customer: "I need a part for my car"?
Dealership: "What part do you need ?"
Customer: "The broken one under my hood"
Dealership: "OK, here you go"
Customer: "Thank you"
OK, that is a bit of an exageration but I'm sure that's why the dealership insists on getting a VIN number. Minimizes the number of returned parts that were purchased by the clueless idiots.

 

[PAToyota]

I think with parts stores/dealers it's about forming a relationship. [snip] It's a two way street.

Definitely! You have to put yourself in their shoes. How many times did they special order something only to have the person return it because it didn't fit? How long have they spent on the phone answering questions and then have the person order it online because they can get it $20 cheaper there? I could go on...

Didn’t know thats how they ship!

View attachment 2364301

I've had tires from Summit Racing and NTW that came just with the shipping label taped to the tire like that.

 

[D21FJ60]

..... Minimizes the number of returned parts that were purchased by the clueless idiots.

Had a guy when I worked at Vatozone come in to do a brake job. Insisted he had brake shoes on the rear. Also purchased rotors for the rear. Despite my insistence he wanted them all.
Guess who was back that afternoon. Guess who didn't have the pads in stock


(OK maybe we did but still is funnier if I say we didn't)

 

[HoundDog]

I’m researching fire extinguisher options for the 40 and came across the Element fire extinguisher. Way smaller and lighter than a traditional fire extinguisher and provides 50 seconds of fire fighting juice. You can get roll bar and seat bracket mounts for it too. Do any of you guys have any experience with this?

Element E50 Fire Extinguisher Review - Off-Road Ready & Trail-Tested

Element E50 Fire Extinguisher - Benefits Of It's Compact & Unique System Over Conventional Options: Smaller, Lighter and Easy-To-Use On & Off-Road

trail4runner.com

 

[JohnVee]

I've been curious about those for a while. I don't know anybody who has, or has used, one though. @Outsane sells a couple of 3D printed mounts for them (along with a bunch of other cool stuff...shaky 80 side mirror fix too!)

SolveFunction - Etsy

Shop Solve Function by SolveFunction located in San Mateo, California. Smooth shipping! Has a history of shipping on time with tracking. Rave reviews! Average review rating is 4.8 or higher

www.etsy.com

 

[NearJetties]

I’ve been meaning to pick one of those up. The videos are impressive. Ferrari guys swear by them and many of those love to get toasty.

 

[MyLandy]

I have one, I'm hoping never to be able to share personal experience but I read a lot of good things before picking it.

 

[HoundDog]

Look what happens when you powder coat your e-brake drum, then accidentally leave it on.

Inside voice: “What’s that burning smell?” “It’s your e-brake dumb azz!” “D’ohhh!!”

At least it burned all the gear oil out of the drum LOL....

 

[1MOA]

Crap Cruisers of Texas.
Ordered mirrors for the 40 and waited till after the PA trip to install them.
The LAST bolt to tighten down the drivers side mirror on the arm and the trash pot metal weld gives out under the force of a flat blade screwdriver.

 

[iptman]

Anyone have any advice on how to remove this nasty rusted fill plug? I had to change out the ABS sensor ring that is sandwiched between the pinion flange and the diff housing. When I pulled the flange some amount of gear oil poured out but since the spec is only 2 3/4 pints even a cup or two is significant. I tried my 1/2 impact and it started to turn inside the plug. The service manager specs thread sealant on the plug threads so I'm assuming that and rust is screwing with me.

 

[Crusha]

Mapp torch and a cold chisel.

 

[iptman]

I got propane....not hot enough?

Also the diff cover is NLA so if I eff it up I'm screwed there too.

This is a 03 2wd Frontier that's spent it's whole 89,000 mile life in Northern VA. And people say Toyota rust is bad.

 

[jcj_78FJ40]

Looks like the perfect opportunity to pick up a heat induction tool

 

[iptman]

Looks like the perfect opportunity to pick up a heat induction tool

 

[JohnVee]

Weld on a nut?