This is the thread for you to post your experiences................vent, whine, cry, or complain here! I've gotten screwed several times by both in the last 7 days, so bad it deserves its own thread. It started off with the manufacturers (CAT) stupidity of not selling a electric motor and gearbox combination as a unit. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about...............that thread is in the paver section for your review. Yesterday, I have to do repair work on 3 Cat paving rollers. I consider this minor work, mostly operator seat repairs. I call Cat to order my parts from the jobsite. I tell the parts guy the model and serial number of the machines...... and that I need 6 seat switches (the ones that let the VCU know your ass is in the seat so the machine will start and operate) , the sliding rails for the CB34B, and the thumb boots for the joystick controllers. Simple right!? When I show up to get my parts (next day air'd ) I open the box to find 6 switch kits.......now I have 12 switches when I only needed 6. I told the parts guy that there was 2 switches per seat, 3 machines..........= 6 last time I did math. Didnt matter, he just ordered what was on the screen without even looking and telling me anything. Next thing I look at in the box is the thumb covers.........well, they arent thumb covers..............it 2 rubber lever boots. WRONG AGAIN!! I told him on the phone they went over the END of the control handle. He just saw "boot" in the parts column and clicked on it not even checking. Then I go back to the seat switch kits.........notice anything missing? 2 switches, one has the weather boot, the other doesn't! I opened all 6 kits...every one of t hem has a switch with the rubber weather boot missing. Now what!!!? I even took a pic of the old switches still in the seat frame just in case.... SO, incomplete kit, NSS, ..........I ended up having to reuse 3 rubber boots from the old switches that were weather cracked. I told the parts guy that he should let someone at CAT know about this, that there was probably 100's of incomplete kits in inventory. He said "I wouldn't even know who to call." LOL More coming Im sure! Be ready !
I have an e stick for a backhoe that's lost on a truck supposed to be in 4 days ago no one knows machines been down 2 weeks and counting but dont worry the dealer is more than happy to rent a machine to me
Don't blame the untrained, underage, underpaid drone answering the phone. Most dealers still work under the 3P parts man model, "Present with a Pulse, and a Pencil" you're a parts man. And when CAT absorbs these off breed lines and puts CAT yellow and stickers on them, the parts listings can pretty damn obtuse. But yeah, everything is a crap shoot nowadays, even the simplest ****.
Really we are just living the pinacle of everything got so complex there are to many parts required nowadays for the right ones to be on the shelf and less of every part on the shelf because there are ever more parts to inventory
Why don't you get your Cat dealer to give you a SIS-web account then you could order your own parts...........??
He could have one....I’ve offered my login! Lol
@Vetech63 who did your order? I have a guess....lol. Is it a cowboy hat company name? There’s a guy there that shares our name and seems to be pretty good. Since Dennis and Kim don’t seem to be around anymore it kinda sucks....
Partially in his defense SIS absolutely sucks for parts listing a lot. The people who put the listings with the diagrams have an absolute hatred of providing enough information to make an informed choice when ordering parts. I fight this near daily when ordering parts.
I commented the other day on a post about this and was having problems getting an EGR valve for a 329E that was on a worldwide freeze. Finally got one in after waiting over 2 months only to find out that the gasket for the exhaust air intake manifold was not available and it has to be removed in order to grind out the old valve. Come to find out the EGR valve was available the entire time as an assembly with air manifold and is only a few hundred dollars more than the valve itself. Of the 10 parts people I talked to at 2 separate dealers not one of them mentioned the fact that they came as an assembly. Was probably a good thing I was not the one picking up the parts from dealer because I probably would have been escorted off the property and told not to return. Parts people and parts computer systems p**s me off to no end
A good parts person is worth there wait in gold a bad one or even a good one having a bad day can cause an unbelievable amount of damage And having SIS parts actually makes me have some sympathy for the parts counter people
I'm not even an HE mechanic, just a owner/driver. Of Cat, Deere, Kubota, New Holland, and Volvo, I always get the right parts, at reasonable cost, with SIS.
Called a company yesterday, needed a part # for their b*****d size drive sprocket.....first parts dood tells me my serial # is wrong, ***? I'm reading off their tag. So I look at the parts info on-line, nope not even close...sooo, get another beer, call back, get a different dood this time. Tell my story, oh, yours must be really old! You need to talk to Chris...I'll transfer you...thanks...time for another beer. Get the right guy and half a beer later I got my part number. Ed
The CAT guy must have learned math from that new "Common Core" curriculum. It started when my youngest kid was in high school in the early 2000's. I remember my wife and I tried to help her with some math stuff and said *** are they teaching these kid's. What the teacher's wanted them to right out to solve problems was insane and too long. We ended up teaching her the way we learned so she could figure out the correct answers quickly, then right the problem out the way the teacher wanted it.
I too had the same problem with my kids in school. My son was so upset because he couldn't understand how to solve the math problems the way he was taught. I sat him down and had him show me what he was taught. No freaking wonder he was confused and upset. It was the most convoluted and confusing way to go about finding the answer. I showed him the way I was taught and he got it immediately. He told me that was so much easier and made so much more sense. He then told me that he will need to show his work the way he was taught to get the grade. I just told him that his teacher is a moron. And if she fails you when you have the right answers. I would take care of it and not to worry about it. After that he was the only kid in that class getting A's. Our schools are producing morons at a faster rate than China is bringing junk into this country. Rant over.
I had a summer job at a Ford dealer once. I worked in the stock room. Some guys really knew their stuff, and some just answered the phone. This was in the micro phish days. One guy had worked for an international dealer before, and had picked up the Ford system really fast. Same as the Napa dealer. There are certain guys that I tend to ask for on the phone. I took the crankshaft for my Ferguson tractor to a machine shop to be turned. As soon as I set it on the counter, one fella said "Looks like you got yourself a TEA20. I have an Artic Cat snowmobile. I had put a few pounds on over the years, so I wanted some fatboy springs. I went to the dealer. I told the girl what I wanted, and when she called, they were just stock springs. She tried again, and brought in aftermarket, stock springs. One more time with her bosses help, and they were stock springs from Arctic Cat. Boss says, no such thing exists. Was hauling salt to the dome a couple hours north of here, and I saw the sign for the dealer there. I took the chance, went in, and buddy says no problem, I know what you want. Should be here, in the morning, and I can send them down on the bus. Went to the bus the next day, and the springs that my dealer said didn't exist, were in the package. Now this fat boy is sittin up pretty as can be. And I should add that I am not bad mouthing stock girls. Napa has a girl that has been behind the counter for a while, and she even knows how to order points and condensers.
As soon as the online systems came available the Stealers started downsizing, dealer mechanics first were told to order their own parts, and then out to the bigger customers, and now anybody can get online and order their own bits. So between downsizing and retirement what you have left is an ever declining pool of experienced parts guys and gals that have become mostly tech support and the call of last resort, and a counterman or two at each dealer location mostly to handle shipping and will call, put parts on the shelf, etc. The learning curve is astronomical walking in, and the wages ain't on par with the service techs, because you can't gauge parts people by the hour the way you can mechanics. Twenty years ago I was churning through on average a million and a half a year in parts invoices, making a third less than the lamest mechanic out in the service shop. You get what the dealer is willing to pay for and train. Oh, and even if you're the hero, with the right part, in the right place at the right time, nobody likes parts techs. Maybe the odd mechanic, but that's it. Everybody that calls or walks in has a problem, and you're to blame. YMMV
I don't think any of us will understand that level of shenanigans.
Sounds like dealing with the Japanese... "You did not ship the part????", "Yes, we did not ship the part.", "Why???", "Because the moon was full and the rice was cold." Anything works as an excuse.
That meme sums it up. My brain felt like that cat looked after trying to learn common core math.
The next person to say shenanigans is getting pistol whipped
SHENANIGANS!!!!!!
Have not seen Cornholio in years.
Core math......My daughter is ten. I was more than happy to help her practice multiplication tables. I actually found the old songs by Billy Leach that they used to play for us in school. The core stuff is doable, if you have the time to wrap your head around it. They should put a class on for parents to be able to help the kids with it. If you have enough weed, you can figure it out.
Now they've got SIS 2.0 and it's really obtuse. Our local dealer has been on it for a while and it's lead to quite a few issues with parts orders.
If I did that I would be putting some parts guy out of work. I don’t want his starving family on my conscious.
Some yahoo outside of Tulsa is all I know. All the good parts guys are gone my friend.
Is that free?
Of course it's free, for a fee. Bwahaha
If you do enough business with them and speak to the right person in the dealership it ought to be FOC. I dunno who your contact is there, the Service Manager or maybe even his boss might have to get involved.
It ought to be free with the ownership of a cat machine our dealer here wants a subscription fee for it not sure how much it is tho
It used to be free. The dealerships took that away and decided to charge for it. Now days I'm finding it is limited to only the machines that you currently own as well. Gone are the days when you would get access to every machine in the system. It does pay to ask though, if you are a big enough customer they may give it to you. That is, if you negotiate it with the purchase of a new machine. You can ask now though and let us know what you are told. I've heard that some dealerships are more interested in keeping customers and selling parts than they are keeping everything a secret.
Whoa I just did those same seat switches on a Wacker Roller, and the switches came from cat and only one had the rubber! I RTV'd the other rubber on to it.
I am not to Cat happy right now! Called the same phone number I called Cat in Augusta on for 36 years. Ordered some loader pins and misc. I could order anything and write a check when I picked it up. Was told it would be there in the morning. That is the same great Cat service I had come accustomed to but I had to prepay with a card. Did not get the machine for a couple days and took it apart. Went to get the parts but they were half way across the state. Where do you call? You talked to a man in ABC XYZ. I called here! Same place I have been calling for years, 706 790 1300. What do I have to do to talk to a person here? Oh: You can't. All parts orders go to the call center. Had to put the machine back with the old pins and run it. Get it back apart about 3 weeks later and the parts are wrong. Called and talked it one man in Lawranceville I believe. Same Augusta number. Maybe our conversation was taking to long. Hello? Hello? Can you here me? Click. He had sent me a parts diagram and called me pack later. After the click I had his number and called him back. The call went through the call center program and I ended up talking to a man in a different city. The same one that did the original order. He helped me thew the parts ID with the diagram I had. Hope it is correct. He told me the parts will be in Augusta tomorrow. I asked him if he needed a card but I never got an answer. We will see how this works out. I am kind of on the payroll for a company that has a good bit of Cat equipment. When I was working on a large job and ordering parts I got a call on my cell phone. It was From Cat, I believe in California, for a customer satisfaction survey. No one is calling me now?
I have many horror stories about dealing with bad parts people. But the first thing I need to do is give props to my local cat parts guru, Kalei. She is amazingly good at her job. And SIS 2.0 is a tragedy. Parts and information is such a huge logistical part of my effectiveness that I think I honestly spend more time and effort in those relationships than I do with my children. My grown children won't seem to move out of my house. A talented parts person can have my spare bedrooms AND the master bath. I remember having a long conversation with an idiot client a few years ago. He wondered why I had to drive to town to order parts instead of doing it over the phone. Interpersonal relationships make or break the process. But, let me tell you about this little douchebag, George....
Nice picture! Anywhere close to getting the old dozer fired up?
No, I stumbled across that while trying to get up the mountain to a d8. I think I actually took.the picture in order to tall clients that I would really rather work on that old cable rig than anything that they bought as military surplus.
Perfectly stunning tree, by the way.
I always try to give them the part #, a lot more likely to get what I need. And I still use parts books...
Call in and get the "bad" parts guy (should have hung up and called back like I normally do but in a rush) "I need a rebuild kit for X". He replies "Only comes as an assembly and don't have it in stock cost is XXXX.XX can have it here in 3 days. Do you you want me to order it?" Yes! Go in to pick it up and the "good" parts guy hands me the order and asks "Why didn't you just rebuild it, I got 6 kits here in stock?" Funk Me! I hate working on this brand of equipment because of this deader (nothing wrong with the brand I personally own 3 pieces). Next time in (a few weeks ago) I go to counter and am waiting for the "good" parts guy and he said "he can help you(the "bad parts guy"). I'm at the counter for almost 2 hours and half the crap isn't in stock. So I place the order (except for the cylinder rebuild kits, they want over $300 a piece for them and I get them from my "seal" guy for less than $100 a piece and he has it all in stock). Pick up the order and go to machine to to continue work and find that I got some wrong parts! Spend an hour on the phone to straighten that out and another trip to dealer to get the right stuff and return the wrong stuff. They want to charge me a restocking fee! Funk Me! I lose my mind! In the end they gave me a pass code to get into their data base and didn't charge me to restock. I always have trouble billing customers full rate for time spent tracking down parts and it seems like it been taking longer and longer these days.
I can completely relate to this! My local Cat dealer has 1 parts guy, I'll call him "L".......that no matter how or what I do, if I have him look up parts for me over the phone, something isnt going to be right. It has happened so many times that when he answers my parts call, I just hang up and call back, hoping to get someone else. I've called and hung up several times in the past cause I kept getting "L" on my calls. When I have gone inside to order parts, guess who is the only parts person available? ......... "L" of course. If I have to deal with "L", I make dam sure I myself am seeing what is on the parts screen. Its the only way I can make sure Im getting the right parts I need. What really pisses me off is I have done this with him numerous times, but he cant seem to remember my company name, or even my actual name. He asks me every F^%$ing time.
I just a week ago or so had a stripped pump drive coupler on a Case 590 SM. Called the dealer here........not a dam thing in stock.........no pump, no coupler, no adapter....NADA. Well.....do you have the rubber engine mounts? Well HELL no they dont! DO you have the mounting bolts for the front engine mount bracket since 3 of 4 broke and caused this failure? Well again........HELL NO! You mean to tell me that there is 1000 Case backhoes within 150 miles of here, that use the same dam mounts across the board, and you......A long time DEALER.........dont even have 1!?? It makes no sense at all and is aggravating to put it mildly. Its only going to get worse folks!
THIS IS BILLABLE TIME! You dam sure are responsible for the job from start to finish, at least thats how it is with me. If they don't want to pay you to hunt parts down through this current fiasco then have them try doing it. They will come back begging you to handle it.
You got it Case! And pump drives are so common among different models but carry different part #s Funk Me! The "good parts guy" knows which ones interchange (and the least expensive) and the "bad parts guy" orders the wrong one (and most expensive) every time. Funk Me!
I'm getting better at it all the time!
What a frustrating day I had yesterday. I took a cased thrust bearing to the local bearing house to find a new replacement. Young guy at the counter spends 15 minutes measuring and thumbing through books.......then tells me there isn't any manufactured to the dimensions of the bearing I needed. The old guy (LOL, my age) happens to walk by during this conversation and asks young guy what he is looking for. He measures the bearing and thumbs through a different book while telling the young guy he isn't even looking at the right type of bearing. Called Cat dealer for part I need , Get "L"........hang up and call back, Get "L" again...........hang up and call back, Get "L" AGAIN! Drive to Cat dealer to avoid "L". Pretty much look up my own part number. Stop at a local Taco Bueno that's notorious for being slow. The sign on the door says the dining room hours start at 1030 AM. People in the drive through but I get there at 1045 and the door is still locked. So I decide they may not open til 1100 so I sit there.........and watch numerous folks go up to the door, then leave in frustration. My service truck is too tall to go through the drive thru so I walk over to the drive thru speaker. I attempt to get someone to answer , NOPE..........nothing. Go back to the front door, its now 1105 AM and the door is still locked. I see a guy pull up to the drive thru, so I walk over there and ask him, to ask them, when in the hell do they open the dam dining room. The reply he got was 1130. So back to the truck I go to wait yet again. While Im standing outside the front door, I see what looks like the manager glance at me several times.......its now 1135. Doesn't even wave , smile, flip me off............not a dam thing. I leave at 1145 with the front door still locked. If my service truck was capable of burning rubber I would have left most of my tires in the parking lott. I go to Braums across the street, yet again not able to go through the drive thru. I walk in and order food for me and the wifey (whom I was meeting at her shop for lunch). I order a #7 and a #12 with NO DRINKS. The 40-something woman started to push buttons on the register, then stopped with this confused look on her face. She keeps pushing buttons and gets even more frustrated, all while a long line is forming behind me. She FINALLY calls a manger over and asks how to enter a combo meal with no drinks. The manager says you cant get a combo with no drinks, you have to enter the items separately. I kept my cool, but inside my soul I was ready to go postal at that point. This was all in the first half of the day. I decided to go to a job I had scheduled for later in the week. I knew there would be NO ONE there to deal with for the rest of the day. It was a blissful last half of the day! What the hell will the rest of the week bring?!!
We have ALL had days like that....if you work in a “service” related industry, at least PROVIDE THE ******G SERVICE!!!!!
Truly we are simply experiencing the pinacle of everything got so mind boggling there are to numerous parts required these days for the correct ones to be on the rack and less of each part on the rack on the grounds that there are perpetually parts to stock
Usually I get the reply. We don't have it but we can get it in overnight. Which takes three days and is then the wrong part.
It is getting worse ALL the time. Ordered a bunk heater control relay for the 05KW, One dealer parts man said cannot find it in the parts guide where had been having incorrect ordered stuff from these people, second dealer other direction from us same miles looked it up and found TWO, in WA State, ONLY two in system so ordered one, came in correct and found the other one was gone Same day, none available now. Shop I am working out of keeps a pretty generous inventory of high usage stuff, had two bad auto slacks on truck I am using so replaced and ordered more, were told TWO WEEKS to receive, for essentially common parts to a million trucks. Korean Factory produced.
My business includes emergency service so I always try to keep common parts on hand but getting double nervous nowadays about some things.
Anything from Asia is delayed multiple times, all the container ships typically call on multiple ports in Asia and at least Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver BC on our end. The covid caused cancelled container ship sailings and the lack of empty containers flowing East-word from us is causing massive bottlenecks, container stuffing warehouses are, well, stuffed and refusing truck shipments and deliveries, ports are jammed up while still trying to maintain social distancing, and after two to six weeks delay in getting shipments into containers and onto the dock, they wait for the container ships that have not as yet returned from the Americas. On our end typically container ships are slow steaming in circles or anchored offshore at a buoy for average 20 days before they can proceed to the dock for unloading. Truck shipments for final delivery or port to port moves are delayed due to a shortage of drivers. THEN, if the container, or it's contents are destined inland, there are NOT ENOUGH RAILROAD CARS! ***? And we're not even fully recovered yet, what happens when we get fired up?
Am wondering how many conex boxes are simply being dumped here to not propagate the virus BACK to home ports? Seeing LARGE volumes of Conex boxes sitting in yards everywhere and not just at ports. As to railcars, empty skeleton well cars for intermodal are sitting all around here on storage sidings and small staging yards, were several Hundred in ESL yards and the yards between Mexico MO and KC.
They're waiting for outbound freight, container lines and railroads don't like moving empties.
Been sitting for months
Probably waiting on China to tell us what to do.
More bitching about parts guys LOL! I need some fan hub parts for a 320C so I call Cat (Tulsa line). Ron picks up, I give him the model and serial number of the machine, and he emails me the 255-2877 fandrive breakdown with the parts costs of each item..... Perfect!, just what I wanted. I notice on the email that he is in Amarillo Texas, not Tulsa. No big deal, it happens all the time. I have been trying to call him for the last 3 hours and no answer, just voicemail. I am trying to get these parts here tomorrow morning so I can get this emergency repair done for the customer. So screw it. I just called the Tulsa line again and start all over. I give the "new parts guy" the same group number to look up. I spend 30 minutes on the phone while he lists the parts I need into his computer......only to find out the parts are double the price the Amarillo guy gave me 2 hours ago. I'm like ***?! Turns out he ended up doubling the quantity on everything somehow.....and also informs me that there is an updated hub base that requires several more parts (something the first guy didnt say anything about) No big deal, it happens......he then tells me that what I need will come from several locations and it would be 2-3 days. Well, figure freight then cause I need this stuff in the morning. another 10 minutes for him to correct the paperwork then all of a sudden I hear the phone hang up! ***!! So I have no idea which branch the second guy was from so I cant call him back. Knowing I came up on his call ID there, I figured he would call me back...... amirite!? Its been 45 minutes since then so I guess NOT! So here we go for the 3rd time........just called the Tulsa line again to end up on permanent hold I thought until the operator comes on the line. She informs me that all the parts people are busy and that she would have 1 of them call me back as soon as they have 1 free..........that was 40 minutes ago. The saga still continues and I probably will not get my parts tomorrow. Have you ever wanted to just kick your dog to let some frustration out? Its a good thing the wife took him for a mannie and peddie this morning.
Not the dog but usually end up with a sore hand or foot from hitting something solid like a wall. I like the old days when they had to look in books to find the right parts. The parts people had to actually know something. Parts person is supposed to be a trade but I highly doubt most places have a journeyman who over looks what the apprentices do. Too bad it wasn't a requirement that parts people had to be journeyman or indentured apprentices to work in their field like it is with welders here. You would think Cat would have some of the best parts people in the industry. I know Finning tried to break the union here several years ago but that didn't go well. They went with a 3rd party logistics company and moved stock from their warehouse to the logistics company... what a nightmare. One of their largest customers was losing something like 250K a day waiting on common pistons (something at 1 of their gravel pits). Before the change they could tell you where the parts were and when they'd arrive with real good accuracy (usually next day). After the change I needed something and was told they don't really have an idea, it could be 1 day, 2 days or 4 days, they just couldn't give a more specific time. I heard they ended up giving the big customer a credit to cover their losses. The big customer was Sureway construction who I believe has the largest scraper fleet in N. America. I live about 10 minutes away from their headquarters. A couple years ago they had a whack of their scrapers parked in a field close to a freeway while they were building their new facility. I just saw $$$$ signs sitting there. I worked at a welding supply when the head of maintainence came in for something. He was a real nice guy and happy that all 638 machines were up and running, most on job sites. Sureway is one of the companies that financed the ring road around Edmonton that was over a billion dollars. Of course they did a ton of work on it. Take a look at their shop in the 2nd link. Home Page - Sureway Construction (10) Facebook
What are you guys promising as far as parts acquisition time? I can't imagine trying to get anything done on an overnight basis in this day and age. Tell the customer, you need to get a rental in here if it's that important. I had one late last year, needed some parts, the vendor has a box to check for overnight shipping, they don't tell you how much it is going to cost. It was always about $60 for smallish parts before. Well this time it was like $300 instead. Happened 2x before the bills started hitting us. Customers were not happy. I don't use that option any more unless someone truly says, I don't care what it costs.
Typing from the other side of the counter (and, yes I have been in inventory control and material management for almost forty years), please consider; Starting in March of 2020 (Covid-19), I have never been as challenged to procure parts in a timely manner. Our parts counter represents almost ten global brands and the parts are sourced globally as well. Covid seems to have started in Wuhan, China (the land of almost right). Almost all of our brands get at least some of their parts manufactured in China. Now Covid (and weather) have shut down much of the production in India. In the past two weeks I have been told by one vendor here in the US that my order for rotary cutter parts would be at least twenty weeks before shipping. Same vendor was shipping within forty eight hours prior to Covid. Another manufacturer has gone from four days to ship a stock order to an average of nine weeks with a fill rate of less than eighty percent. Another manufacturer is struggling to hold a fifty percent fill rate on parts ordered. It is an absolute truth that us guys and gals behind the parts counter should be very familiar with the brands we represent. However, it is an absolute impossibility for any of us to know everything about everything. Parts book at the counter are a thing of the past and I did find great value in the notes hand written in the books left by those that traveled the path before me. Believe it or not, there are errors in most of the parts lookups that we have access to, not to mention parts that have been left out of the system. Shipping has become another fiasco that we have no control over as well. Lastly, please do not forget to do what Nige has asked all of us to do, stick your tongue out and tell me - what's your serial number? Model number would be nice as well. Today it is most difficult to locate anything with any degree of accuracy without this basic information. The thingamajig to the left of the whatchamacallit down below "that fitting" just don't cut the mustard any more. Just my $.02
Years ago someone brought the fix all into my dads business. Wish I could find a pic. of it. It was a carboard package with the clear plastic over it that hung on a hook. It was for all the thingamajigs, whatchamcallits, gagets, gizmos and other non descript items customers are looking for. Instructions were to chew till desired consistency and firmly apply where needed. It was a piece of Bazooka bubble gum! Perfect! It does work both ways. Some customers are horrific and expect you to be a mind reader of what they want. Then they get mad because you can't figure out what they want or they blame you why it takes so long to get. I worked at a welding supply who had one of the oilsands operations need some specialty welding electrodes for the shutdown they were working on. They needed them yesterday at any cost. They paid to have them flown out ASAP the same day Ontario to Alberta. Shipping them was hundreds of dollars more than the electrodes cost. A regular customer expecting the same thing without the cost is not as uncommon as one would think. I think the general consensus nowadays is that good parts people are much harder to find. Some are just lazy and others who could be good get absolutely no training. They're just thrown right into the hottest part of the fire. They get overwhelmed and then kind of shut off wondering why the heck they are even there.
I have but four people I can deal with, one of those is leaving the truck parts supplier in Columbia MO next Week. Sad days for certain.
I do not know if this works the same for Cat all over the US but this is what I found out and how. Took this machine apart again and some of the parts were wrong. Did not even bother to call. Drove to the dealer and was standing around at Covid distance. Bad mad must have been leaking out as a man walked by and did a double triple take and stopped. Have you been taken care of? Is there something I can help you with? Ends up he is the parts guy for the shop. The machine I was working on is a bit of a basturd or maybe just the loader - quick hitch. The parts I needed showed up under the quick disconnect section but not under the machine. Also appears there were 3 or 4 different options along the way. He helped the other man at the counter and they got it all worked out. Also told me if I call and have a choice to hold or leave a message to leave a message. The message stays at the location you called and they will call you back. If you stay on the line it goes to the first available open line where ever it is. This has worked out OK since then and I have one man I deal with. Always keep notes: Date, time and who you talked too. What you ordered.
I have to order parts today for several things. I'm wondering if I should have a couple of stiff drinks before I start.
Sure I get this. Im talking more of the parts people that don't know what a camshaft is. Too many times I have to describe in detail over the phone what area or component I am working with to even get them close. I have even been told by a parts person that if I didn't have a part number, odds are what I order may be wrong. Its frightening when I call the Cat parts counter trying to order new tappets/lifters and have the parts guy not even know what I'm talking about. I had to tell him over the phone to bring up the valvetrain pic on his computer and he STILL couldn't find it. I had to tell him to find the pushrod in the pic, then find the camshaft, I wanted what was between them. His reply was "You mean that barrel looking thingy?'" I mean, COME ON MAN!
Fully understand, I have gained access to SIS for my needs from a Friend so I can look up my own stuff, parts man asked "Where did you get the p/n? so I told him, said it cannot be correct so gave him the detailed access directions I used, told me then I was correct. Pretty bad when a Customer can wade thru SIS 2.0 and find needs the parts counter people cannot.
Lean manufacturing and “Just in Time” inventory has really come home to roost.
If they were employed for their intelligence they wouldn’t be working on a Parts counter IMHO.
I can understand the issues of new people on the parts counter. What I can’t stand is a know it all on that counter who’s only knowledge is from a book, computer screen or out of someone else’s mouth. They blow smoke and still get everything wrong and blame everything and everyone else for their own incompetence.
Had a heck of a time getting a fuel filter for a 3306PC. The local CAT dealership has a shop five minutes from me so I went in, gave the model number and serial number of the engine, and their catalog only turned up cartridge-type filters at first. Eventually the parts counter guy found a spin-on and ordered it, but it magically morphed into a massive cartridge filter upon arrival. I gave up and bought one online. Serves me right for trying to give local guys my business.
I used to work as a sparepart salesman for Volvo about 15 years. 13 of those for Volvo passenger cars and 2 for Volvo trucks & buses. In my opinion you have to have a certain passion for what you do and genuine interest in your job. I try to get a correct partnumber every time when i need something so i know it's right stuff . If you know next to nothing about engines / brakes / hydraulics etc. You are on a wrong job.. And what comes to know it all persons i had a colleque who was "allways right" If parts didn't fit it was a fault on software or mistype at cataloq. If they didn't arrive it was couriers fault (he just placed order too late in reality) Heck i even claim that If i'd told him that person responsibly for failure can be found from a mirror he would have claimed someone else was looking back from there..
Parts man used to be a trade, not sure if still is or companies don't want to have to pay the wages once they become a journeyman. I don't think there's much in house training for any type of counter people nowadays. I worked in a few welding supplies but have a welding background so mostly just needed help figuring out the computers. There was no training for the other counter people and some of the longer term employee's didn't have a clue either. When I was hired at one place the satellite manager said I was a good edition and they'd be asking me about a lot of stuff. I was quite surprised how little most them knew about welding. I would have thought most places would try to hire counter people with some knowledge of the industry they're in but sadly I think they don't want to pay for experience and figure they're saving money. They're more likely losing money because customers get annoyed with the lack of knowledge and go somewhere else.
Don't know that I ever heard of a parts man being a trade anywhere. Not in a union program, not in a state approved apprenticeship program and not in any trade schools. All the dealerships took someone out of the warehouse or grabbed a floor sweeper and put them on the phone. The guys that got good at it became product support people and went in a truck to sell face to face. Once in awhile an old mechanic in pain or just plain tired of climbing on gear decided it was easier to sit at a desk and answer phones. Parts people were always not smart enough or not enough ambition to be able to do something else that paid more money.
I guess they're called technicians now too. 3 year apprenticeship. Tradesecrets - Parts Technician - Parts Technician (alberta.ca)
Very few people give a ****. They don't take pride in their work, and don't give a rat's ass about the customer. The only thing too many of them care about is how many seconds to quitting time.
The same thing happened to me, except it wasn't their fault. Deere changed the filter design halfway through the model year. My serial was made in March, but they listed me as the new design. Had to swap out the filter for the correct one.
I hate the parts thing just cause of the amount of time it eats up, we've only got a few places where I know I can call sometime in and they'll get it right so a good amount of time gets wasted chasing parts in person.
I have two parts suppliers I actually like dealing with, both are out-of-state so it's all via phone or email. Granted they're both both family-owned outfits, but being able to call in a part number for a 40-year-old machine and receive exactly the right kit, or give a vague description of a part (no manual on hand) and also receive exactly the right part, is refreshing. Young's Machine in Monticello, UT is good people.
I deal with two local Finning parts men and they are excellent -definitely not doing it because they’re dumb. As far as SIS2.0 goes, the system sucks but between them and me, we get there. Same with most places I use. I just wonder if the way one or two on here obviously think of parts people leaks out during dealings? Just a thought.
My parts guys are Saints. I’ve asked them a zillion questions and cut a bunch of very small orders and they have been nothing but decent. Kudos to Schmidt Equipment in New England.
I think it all depends on individual places and the parts people. Like anything else, there's good and bad.
how do i get this SIS web account?
Have a LOT of equipment and a defined Mechanic Need, then Cat will evaluate if YOU need it!!!
For a parts lookup only account just call your dealer If you dont already have a customer account they will need to set that up first When I registered for SIS we already had a customer account number I followed a link and was set up the next day
Not all parts men are created equal, had a few over the years knew EXACTLY where to look in the guides for those items that were not typical location, much as Cat SIS for parking some Valve train pieces in Engine Brake, or Valve Train cover components in other than Valve Cover section. Takes a bit of skill to negotiate thru many OEM Supply documents, KW as I have found is as bad or worse, IHC used to be a joke now is a Utter joke to find correct pieces, tried to aid the shop techs on a Corn Queen tractor as to defining identifying names for parts they needed, still turned inside out as the parts man 'Could Not Identify' a Heater box(Blend Air) Filter.
Parts guys have the same issues as techs, there’s an ever growing variety of models and variations, with more and more components, along with the older kit that we keep nursing along. No human can keep up. As I said though, I always try to treat people how I accept being treated and there’s never been an issue getting pages from parts lists or workshop manuals emailed through. There’s the occasional new guy/gal who needs breaking in, but I haven’t found one in any company who actively doesn’t want to get the right parts to the right machine.
If you have an account at your local Cat dealer have your PSR set it up for you.
See this thread- HeavyEquipmentForums
thanks for the info. we've recently had a lot of changes post covid a few of the long term rock solid parts guys i depended on have left long term positions and now i find myself having to go multiple times and being unable to send my helpers to pick up parts because they keep getting the wrong part missing gaskets etc which i don't need to tell you guys is a pain in the a**. anything that allows me to double check that were getting the right parts at least for now seems like time well spent.
Well, the last 24 hours has been fun. I started looking for a Komatsu stick weldment yesterday for a customer. Part # 20Y-70-01310 (New from Komatsu $22729.28, none in stock at the factory, approx 6 months lead time) so I go to my trusted Machinery Trader Website and throw in the part number and Presto! So, Rock Eq shows 1, Con Equip. shows 2. I look at the pics supplied by Rock and notice there is a thumb base weldment on it........not preferable for me. So I call Con late yesterday with my part number I supplied. He asked me how I got the part number, I told him from my local dealer. He still requests to look it up anyway.........so I provide the model and serial #. After 10 minutes of listening to him type on the other end he tells me they do have 1 but would need to verify that this morning as their yard had already closed for the day. I said no problem, call me in the morning.......I will need pics of the stick, price, and a freight estimate to Tulsa. He calls me this morning and says he has the price and quote, but is still waiting on the pics to send. I said no problem , email it all to me as a quote so I can get back to my customer. I just get in about an hour ago and open his email to find.......... Look familiar? NOW I know they never had 1 to begin with. They found the same one I did in a search, represented it as theirs, and are playing the middleman. Little do they know that I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THAT ONE! That explains the amount of typing I could hear over the phone yesterday. Would you believe Con has called me 3 times today trying to sell that stick! Don't get me wrong, we all have to make money to survive but to do this and misrepresent what you actually have in stock..........or NOT have, is just wrong. I'm calling Rock Eq in the morning to see what their price is to me directly. This guy at Con has a big surprise coming in the morning. In the meantime, if you know where one of these is that is in good condition, let me know cause I'm buying.
What you are seeing has been common practice for thirty years or more. I have fun at times running them on about seeing another machine for less money. I did a job for a repo company about twenty years ago on some cranes that were all over the country. I did the appraisals and helped write the ad copy that went into the trade rags. Price was set and I monitored the advertising. One day I did a search on the biggest unit and picked up another company advertising our machine for about fifty percent more asking than our price. Called up my principles and let them know that they were being two timed. They weren't too pleased about the price being advertised as it made people think there was more that one unit on the market at that time.
Hence the watermark on some pictures on Machinery Trader. Some of the sellers have gotten savvy. Like this one Kelly Tractor put on a mini for sale
Actually that feed is direct from the CatUsed web site and is an option that the dealer has when they load their equipment up in CatUsed. When I ran the dealer feed for NC Machinery I didn't put that in. The asking prices were already so high nobody would bother trying to steal a photo and market as their own. Instead they would call the dealer and ask for a commission if they sold it.
Same difference. Here is one for Abele tractor which is not a Cat dealer - The sellers are watermarking their products to thwart re-sellers. More times than I can remember when I'm searching for a specific used machine on MT the same machine comes up with multiple sellers and of course different pricing. The world is full of hustlers.
It's the same thing only on the John Deere web site. Those are there as part of a business agreement between the advertiser and the seller and those as far as I've seen are very expensive and put together by the manufacturer. So Cat and Deere did a contract with Machinery Trader, Rock and Dirt and Mascus that would link the Cat and Deere web feeds directly to the big web advertisers and paid a substantial fee for the privilege. Log onto My Little Salesman or Trader Online and see how many of those you pick up. So Joe's repo company might have the means to watermark but most consider that someone else is paying to advertise their machine is not a bad thing.
I use MT in my used parts business and have had to watermark my parts photos for the same reason. We generally already know who is piggy backing our inventory. With the exception of a few mistakes if a MT search shows it in our inventory we have it. With that being said, we use the system to locate parts for customers that inquire but we let them know we can get it for them never claim it to be in possession . Also we have local customers that have us aquire new cat parts for them and are willing to pay a little more to assure they get the correct part. The level of photo pirates is much greater on the social media platforms.
Well I got bailed out by a dealer this week. Need a shaft for swing gearbox on a Grove RT. Call my dealer in St. Louis with my serial # and part #. Dealer confirms my part #. None at Grove in the factory parts. None at any other dealers. " Wait a minute- its showing I have one sitting on my shelf here in St. Louis!" (Why his own inventory is the last thing he checked may indicated their stocking levels, but I'm interrupting my own story, sorry). I hear him walking back to the shelves, and sure enough, he has one in his hand. He said lead time was 40 days from grove, and I'm assuming that's 40 business days not calendar days. Then he asked if I wanted it!?? Of course I want it- that's why I called. He said he would be ordering one to replace the one I bought.
Buy a lottery ticket.?
Felt a miss in the wive's 4Runner yesterday. Looked down at the odometer and it said 185K and since I had never changed the plugs, I should probably do that first. Coming back from a project this morning I stopped at OSmiley and told the kid at the counter what I was working on and what I needed. He hands me six plugs. I go home and get started. Pulled the first plug and it didn't look anything like what the kid gave me so I looked them both up on the home computer. No cross over so back to OSmiley I went. Different counterman this time. I told him what happened and showed him the plug I removed. I told him I checked the cross over and what I got didn't. He looked it up and agreed, then asked me if I wanted the same plugs as was in the car. I asked how much and he said two dollars less per plug than what I paid. I said yes please and when done I told him I'll talk to him first next time.
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.
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
Sounds as YOU are Overhauling!!!
Push it out the door and have a smoke and a beer.
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
Yeah, I got the word today..............I guess I'm pulling it for teardown in a few days. Is it thread worthy you think?
I'm waiting to hear from Cummins on that possibility.
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." ***??!! 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!!!!
It really gives DIY a whole new meaning….
Gūsfraba
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.
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.
One step up from flipping burgers. No training provided, no skill necessary.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Well, more parts guy bitching!!! This thread will turn into a book series at some point soon. Last week, after doing a fan speed test on a JD200D excavator with 8700 hours, I determined that I needed a new fan pump and motor.........I always replace them as a set. I call up my local Deere dealer, give them the model and serial number of the machine. He tells me that they have the fan motor but will need to bring the pump in...........no problem. I'm not tearing into this until I have the parts in my hand as freight has screwed me so many times this year I quit keeping track. I pick up the motor and pump this morning and drive 60 miles to the job. I installed the fan motor first thing, no problem. I get to the pump and notice it is different from the one on the engine. I pull the original pump and find that the part numbers are different......the original is a aluminum pump and the replacement is a heavy ass cast iron pump with the fitting holes in completely different locations. So I call the dealer and give him the part numbers on both pumps.........he tells me that the original pump is replaced by the new cast iron pump. I ask "Didn't the update show a plumbing kit or something!?" After 15 minutes on the phone he THEN confirms that there is a plumbing kit for that pump with the reversing option. My intent when I left this morning was to complete this job in 1 day. Now, because they didn't tell me this was an updated pump that needed a plumbing kit its a 2 day labor and travel job.........once I get the plumbing kit at the end of this week.....if Im lucky. Was it an oversight? Was the update listed on the parts diagram? I have no idea whos fault that is.........All I know is its aggravating as HELL and this seems to happen CONSTANTLY!!!!!! I swear I'm on the verge of going postal Rant over......for now.
For Now.......!! I am also in that league!! Rants are REALLY close to the surface for me too!
I don't vent online. I'm in a redflag state. Some do-gooder will report me to the government.
Well with the current guy in charge of the Post Office you should have a couple days to calm down as he is putting the Snail in the Snail Mail!
I use to get wound up when parts were wrong or late-this day and age it's 50/50. I can't do a damn thing about it. I just take a break grab some coffee light up a smoke make a few clicks on the company PC and check out what's going on at HEF. Pretty soon I read where someone has way bigger problems than I do and know their world is the same as mine. I'm not alone.
lothe politicians more so than parts guys
When I worked for someone else I would get upset. Finally just told the boss the news and let him get upset. Then turned around a walked out. When I was a teen my dad had an International Scout that he no longer used. It sat outside for a couple of years and then we decided to get it running again. I needed something or other and it was only available from the International dealer at the time. I ordered it and was told it would be in the next day. Dad told me not to go down there when they said as International was never on time about anything they said or did. Well I went down there anyway and sure enough the part didn't show up. I was a bit miffed more because dad was right and I wasted time and gas. Before I left I gave them the home phone number and told them to call when the part was in. Three days later I got a call. We are just going back in time to 1968 and we have had it too good for the last forty years.
I used to get bent out of shape horribly. Like the kind of behavior that will get you thrown in jail this day in age. Now it doesn't bother me. If the parts guy gets it wrong or forgets to order it at all. I simply tell the boss that I did my part. I showed up, troubleshot it and ordered the part. What happens after that is of no concern to me.
One of my previous foreman would always reply to folks, this is service, we provide service, I can help you. You want parts, not my monkey, not my circus.
Best ever! I tried a million times to say exactly this, and never got close!
Postal? Um? Everybody knows baby chicks are shipped overnight or 2nd day in some cases. The route carrier will deliver them but the local office knows to call me. I will pick them up first thing. Carrier appreciates it and better for the birds. Post Office in the next county called me at 3:30 in the afternoon. We have your chickens. You are going to come and pick them up? 200 bags of feed have been on order from Manufacturer. 53' trailer showed up today with 9 bags. Overhaul kit came with a sleeve of twelve rod bearing shells. One was bad and would lock the engine down. Stuff ordered from dealer for same job has not shown up. It came in we forgot to ship it to you. I will get it out today. I am not looking for it to get better but the feed company can be replaced.