Part numbers.

[Donald]

Yeah they're definitely confirmed for complete and utter ballbags.

Went into Lings this afternoon to try sort my lost locking nut key saga. Bear in mind they're genuine Honda locking nuts, parts guy basically said that I should get a hammer and chisel. Not even joking. No help trying to suss out what key it is to see if the garage side could help, let alone what key it is so I could even just buy a new one ffs. I suggested I could pop my head into the workshop to ask someone who actually knows what's what, got told they wouldn't be able to help.

That aside, I would really not recommend anyone deal with Lings other than via an automated ordering system. Staff are rude and seemingly disinterested, as well as appearing to not know that much about Hondas other than something like an 08 diesel Accord. I will never forget being pretty much asked what a Prelude is.


Perhaps it's bedtime.

[Thebusofwoe]

That's bad. What happened to customer service and all that . I think the parts warehouse in Swindon, by the factory is the biggest ive ever been in or seen. Absolutely huge. As for lings, i cant comment on them as ive never used them, but from what i can gather, they ain't great

[Donald]

Yeah I was pretty shocked.

Any idea if something can be looked up by vin in the system? These locking nuts are the kind that were fitted to all of that era, so I'm assuming they've been there since new and so might have been linked to the car at POS?

I know there are other methods of getting them off just curious if there is a simple way of looking something like that up.

[Thebusofwoe]

Yea possibly. I wont be back at work now untill Wednesday but can certainly find out. Sometimes dealers put a sticker on the inside of the glove box stating the key number, but not always . Have you tried going to a dealer other than lings, to see if they have a master set

[mercutio]

tyre places normally have loads of keys

[Donald]

Yeah I tried two different places

[wurlycorner]

I suggested I could pop my head into the workshop to ask someone who actually knows what's what, got told they wouldn't be able to help.

One of the parts blokes at my local Honda dealer is great, he's a young lad who knows I know my car way better than he ever would and is basically happy to hand over the parts screen to me and tell him where to go.

My experience of the service dept. is unfortunately similar to your Lings parts one though The day before I took my UKDM in for a pre-booked cambelt change a few years ago, the A/C pump started screaming.
I took it in, parked it up went in to the service receptionist and told them the a/c pump was knackered, so when they start it up don't be surprised or worried about the screaming, just ignore the pump and re-fit a non-a/c drive belt.
"Oh, so you want them to look at the a/c as well then, ok".
No, the pump's knackered, I know it's knackered, you won't be able to fit it but I want the cambelt change done, so just re-fit a non a/c drive belt, I repeat...
"Oh ok, well I'll see what the technician says".
No, trust me, I know the car and I'm engineer, that is what's wrong with it, I just want to save you guys time trying to work out what the noise is and thinking you can't do the cambelt change. Do you want me to have a word with the mechanic that's going to be doing my car?
"no, that's fine I'll let them know".
I then watched her write "check a/c system for noise" on the service paperwork

Can you guess what happened?

[wurlycorner]

so I'm assuming they've been there since new and so might have been linked to the car at POS?

Dealer fit options don't get updated on the car parts database (well, unless they've just started doing it very recently anyway!) it just picks up the 'as built' parts list.

[Donald]

Utter gentleman's sausage pumps. I imagine they billed you for it too?

Now believe it or not I am quite a polite person and despite probably being quite far into the spectrum my people skills are pretty good Whenever I deal with ANY kind of face to face service I make a greeting, perhaps ask how the day was going (briefly, I'm there for something I want, not to make friends) and then get down to business. I expect the same in return, especially if their position is specifically to deal with the public. When that doesn't happen, it really fouls the whole exchange. I should've known I would get no help after the parts guy continued typing whatever it was that was so important he couldn't stop and look up when I was talking to him. Just stopped and waited for him to see if I'd disappeared or not before I continued. Shocking really when you consider the traffic Lings must get each day.

[wurlycorner]

I imagine they billed you for it too?

Nope. Later on that day I got a phone call from the service bird to say "I'm sorry, we can't do your cambelt."
Errr, why not?
"when the mechanic started up the engine it was making a shrieking noise. He's diagnosed that your a/c pump in faulty and we don't have one to replace it with"
Yep, I know, I told you it was knackered.
"Well they're not happy to work on it and put it back with that in that condition, they don't want to run the engine any more"
Yep, so like I said, just fit a non a/c drive belt back.
"oh I don't know about that"
Well get the mechanic to call me back and I'll discuss it with him if you like.


<later call back, the mechanic pretty much repeated what she'd said, then I said yeah, well just refit a non a/c belt and then it won't be turning the a/c pump anymore, right? So problem solved. "Oh yeah, I guess so. Ok, we can do that">

More than half a day wasted fecking about But at least we go there in the end! Amazing how things can get sorted when you speak to the organ grinder instead of (an obstructive) monkey (that doesn't want to listen)