Think it through before ordering parts

carl

carl

True Classic
Once again, my agony and stupidity becomes a lesson for you guys.
My other sports car that shouldn't be mentioned here failed safely inspection because the steering rack boots were leaking. OK, no problem. Went to the dealer who didn't have them in stock for a 1999 Miata but could order them for $81.00...each! Moss had them for $15 each. Anyway boots come in, I'm installing them and realized the tie rod ball joints, which have to come off to install the boots, has torn rubber caps. Hoping the Mazda dealer had them in stock I went back to them. They didn't and they were $100 each if I wanted to order them. Moss had them for $25 each.

The point of this has nothing to do with Miatas, I have the Miata sitting in the garage with the outer tie rod ends off while I wait another four or five days for the new ends to show up. I know you have to remove tie rod ends to get the boots off and I know that it it's not unusual to rip their covers with ball joint loosening tools. If I had looked at them I would have seen was was already torn just sitting on the car. If I had used what's left of my brain my car would be done and I could be driving it instead of waiting an extra week for the second order to come it.

As a brief commentary, since modern Fiat dealers don't stock parts for our old Fiats we don't get to see how massively expensive the dealer parts would be.
 
I follow what you mean Carl. Typically when I acquire a new project vehicle I start by making a huge list of all the parts I think I'll need for the whole build. Then I order all of it so I'll have everything on hand as I work on the car. That was how I was taught to plan a project. But naturally there's always a bunch of stuff that I find I need as I progress through things so I end up making several more orders. And every time I think I've finally got absolutely everything I end up finding something else.
 
Ralph, I'm waiting for he auction to go live so I can pay too much for a car I don't really want. But thanks.
 
I was expecting a different thread reflecting my usual experience - not planning ahead and ordering all parts at once which, even with good pricing, makes the project twice (or more) as expensive because of multiple crazy shipping costs.
 
For big projects that will take awhile I end up making lots of orders because I don't know what I need and that develops as I get into the project. In my situation this was supposed to be a simple task that should have been done in one day. I have learned to order more than I need when getting seals, fastener etc, based on the fact I lose one or tear up a seal installing it.
 
I feel your pain. My wife is leaving on trip to that will ultimately be about 3000 miles. She drives from Knoxville to NY to pickup her mom, take her to Kill Devil Hills (outer banks) for a family reunion, then to our home in Knoxville for a couple of weeks, then take her back to NY and then back home to Knoxville. So I did a comprehensive service on her car a week ago and noticed the brakes were needing some attention. The pads were about half depth so they weren't an issue but the wear was uneven and the rear rotors were rusting where the pads weren't making contact. These are the originals.

I figured I would just do the brakes and be done with it. (we are planning on trading her car next spring anyway) So I ordered pads and rear rotors planning to do the job sunday. Got everything setup and ready to start when I realized I didn't have brake fluid to bleed the brakes, which is best done _before_ you dig into replacing pads/rotors. Well, I knew I had brake fuild in the racar hauler but that's at the storage lot. I would drive by more than a couple of autoparts stores to go get what I had in the trailer. So I have to make a special trip to get fluid. Dumb. And... since I was doing this job in the driveway I had to put all of the tools away before running the errand. The trip basically doubles the time spent doing the job.
 
carl said:
Once again, my agony and stupidity becomes a lesson for you guys.
My other sports car that shouldn't be mentioned here failed safely inspection because the steering rack boots were leaking. OK, no problem. Went to the dealer who didn't have them in stock for a 1999 Miata but could order them for $81.00...each! Moss had them for $15 each. Anyway boots come in, I'm installing them and realized the tie rod ball joints, which have to come off to install the boots, has torn rubber caps. Hoping the Mazda dealer had them in stock I went back to them. They didn't and they were $100 each if I wanted to order them. Moss had them for $25 each.

The point of this has nothing to do with Miatas, I have the Miata sitting in the garage with the outer tie rod ends off while I wait another four or five days for the new ends to show up. I know you have to remove tie rod ends to get the boots off and I know that it it's not unusual to rip their covers with ball joint loosening tools. If I had looked at them I would have seen was was already torn just sitting on the car. If I had used what's left of my brain my car would be done and I could be driving it instead of waiting an extra week for the second order to come it.

As a brief commentary, since modern Fiat dealers don't stock parts for our old Fiats we don't get to see how massively expensive the dealer parts would be.
Click to expand...

Ponder the quality of those "lower $" parts from Moss Motors...

~Questionable..

Having obtained enough Brit car parts from Moss Motors, totally un-impressed with their parts.. From no possible way it will fit (machine tool required to fix), overly porous castings, last about two weeks and more... Yea sure Moss has parts.. Question is are they any good and how many time ya wanna re-do the work, waste more resources and all that..

At this point in time, majority of aftermarket parts are... junk that should have never been made with any resources .. wasted on this trash.


Bernice
 
Steve, they have this new invention called airplanes that dramatically cut down travel time. At least you are not going to the Outer Banks during beach season which of course is the only time we go and each year I swear I'm never doing that again. That was about thirty years ago.

Bernice, I am not paying $80 each for a steering rack boot, that is just insane. I could have gotten them for about the same $15 or thereabouts from any number of ebay vendors and probably Amazon too. When they arrived they were from a popular foreign car parts supplier. The downside of non-Mazda tie rod ends it they are different enough that I will have to get the car realigned but that should be done regardless. I have never had any issues from Moss parts for my Miatas. It's a street car, not a race car running flat out for 24 hours in a series that gives points for wearing funny hats or putting Halloween costumes on your car.
 
Ha! Carl,

Ths Milano is sitting in the garage going through the exact same process. I even checked the tie rod ends before ordering the rack boots. Looseness wasn't evident until after disconnecting them from the rack. At least I now know why it pulled to the left under braking. 😂

Rod ends show up from Centerline today and it should be back on the road by the end of the week. And I'm sure I'll find a bad ball joint shortly after. :)
 
The weather is supposed to turn unusually warm for a few days and I was pissed that the M car was on jack stands. Being the senile guy I have become I apparently forgot I have a wonderful X1/9 parked out front of the house.
 
Just for grins I looked up the boots and tie rod ends on Amazon. Many many listings for both and I could have had either delivered the next day!
 
For other cars I buy a fair amount through Rockauto.com, of course they sell all manner of levels of quality. In general I have been happy with my choices there. I no longer buy from Autozone etc unless in extremis.
 
carl said:
Steve, they have this new invention called airplanes that dramatically cut down travel time. At least you are not going to the Outer Banks during beach season which of course is the only time we go and each year I swear I'm never doing that again. That was about thirty years ago.
Click to expand...
Carl.... if only....

I am a million mile flyer. I offered to use my FF miles to fly them both but her mom doesn't want to fly and there are lots of complications. Wife is stopping in Harpers Ferry (our old home) in route to NY to spend a couple of days with her daughter and our grandkids (one has a birthday tomorrow) so a direct flight to NY was not an option. Next challenge was the two hour drive from the Norfolk airport to Kitty Hawk. Then drive back to Norfolk and fly to Knoxville. Then back to NY.

So if they fly:

Flight from Knox to ATL. Change flights.
ATL to IAD (Dulles) rent car and drive to Harpers Ferry, 2 hours.
Drive back to Dulles (2 hours) Fly IAD to Stewart (SWF), via PHL (philly). Uber to Highland Falls.
Pickup Mom. Uber back to Stewart.
Fly to PHL, change planes, fly to Norfolk.
Rent car drive 2+ hours to Kitty Hawk.
2+ hours back to Norfolk, fly to ATL.
Change planes, Fly to KNX.
Fly KNX to ATL, change planes, Fly ATL to SWF.
Uber to Highland Falls.
Uber to SWF, fly to ATL, change planes, fly to KNX.

All in it was 250+K frequent flyer miles and more than a dozen flights. Rental cars and Uber would be $750+ alone.
She will spend about the same amount of time, or less, driving the whole trip vs flying and the cost of the required fuel to drive is about $400 all in.

I couldn't make flying work. At all. Not to mention, since COVID, my luck flying has been terrible. I haven't flown as much in since COVID but more than half of my flights have been delayed, canceled, rescheduled, etc... Trying to manage a dozen flights? Any delay will create havoc. Not to mention half of those flights will be with a 89 year old woman who is showing signs of dementia. Driving is going to be way easier.
 
kmead said:
For other cars I buy a fair amount through Rockauto.com, of course they sell all manner of levels of quality. In general I have been happy with my choices there. I no longer buy from Autozone etc unless in extremis.
Click to expand...
I buy a lot of my parts from Rock Auto now, if for no other reason I can choose the brand/supplier and usually for less than a local auto parts store. And these days the local autoaparts store is a chain (autozone, advance, oreilly's) with a house brand that is of unknown quality.

Buying brake pads for my wife's Hyundai and the local parts stores had nothing but house brand pads. My experience with house brand pads has not been very good. I could buy Power Stop ceramic from either Rock Auto or Amazon for less than the "premium" pads at any of the local chain stores.
 
Well, from my one experience from ordering parts "in stock!" from FAZA you would have waited several months for parts.

Steve, I turn 75 tomorrow, my anti-bucket list is to never have to fly again. I don't like the experience, you are lucky if your flight actually leaves on time, you are treated worse than cattle and my big fear is being stuck in the plain on the runway for several hours.

However, I would enjoy a flight on an old warbird WWII bomber.

Oh, the tie rod ends arrived yesterday and got installed immediately. State inspection this morning then alignment and we are done with this simple job.....that took two weeks but probably saved me $500.
 
carl said:
Bernice, I am not paying $80 each for a steering rack boot, that is just insane. I could have gotten them for about the same $15 or thereabouts from any number of ebay vendors and probably Amazon too. When they arrived they were from a popular foreign car parts supplier. The downside of non-Mazda tie rod ends it they are different enough that I will have to get the car realigned but that should be done regardless. I have never had any issues from Moss parts for my Miatas. It's a street car, not a race car running flat out for 24 hours in a series that gives points for wearing funny hats or putting Halloween costumes on your car.
Click to expand...

At this point in the aftermarket auto parts era, not convinced aftermarket parts are any good. OEM parts DO cost more, there is some assurance of OEM level of quality, durability and all that..

When the OEM part fails to meet durability or functional requirements of long service life and all that, find a solution that is not auto industry norm.. or if and when possible make the part as a re-design.

"Street car" reliability is much pressing as who enjoys trying to deal with dead tonnage on a public road. IMO, street or public Roa driven motos are the most in need and demanding on the requirement of "can never fail"..

Race car dies on track, no big deal, wait for the track tow vehicle, push the dead race heap back on the trailer it arrived on.. The tow vehicle... must work..ala "street vehicle"..


Bernice
 
carl said:
Well, from my one experience from ordering parts "in stock!" from FAZA you would have waited several months for parts.

Steve, I turn 75 tomorrow, my anti-bucket list is to never have to fly again. I don't like the experience, you are lucky if your flight actually leaves on time, you are treated worse than cattle and my big fear is being stuck in the plain on the runway for several hours.

However, I would enjoy a flight on an old warbird WWII bomber.

Oh, the tie rod ends arrived yesterday and got installed immediately. State inspection this morning then alignment and we are done with this simple job.....that took two weeks but probably saved me $500.
Click to expand...
Carl, my wife and I enjoy going to cool places and sometimes that requires we fly. For now, I'll put up with it.

That said; flying has gotten progressively worse by an order of magnitude it seems every decade since I started flying regularly in the late 80s. My recent flight from ATL to HOU might as well have been a Greyhound bus. Half of the passengers looked like they had just gotten out of bed and hadn't bothered to change out of whatever they slept in or even comb their hair. No consideration for anybody else and no patience. I used to be able to use my FF status to upgrade to 1st class but this was a late notice flight and 1st class was full.
 
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