The saga continues…
I went back to the Ford dealer (Price Auto Group) yesterday to take a look at the new Motorcraft wheel cylinders they were supposed to have ordered for me, and instead was surprised to learn that they’d gotten in some AC Delco parts instead. These ones had the wrong brake line inlet size, just like the ones I got from Checker Auto. Glenna, who is the parts manager and who had been helping me all this time, seemed pissed, like I was really putting her out. I asked her what else she could do to get the correct wheel cylinders for my truck, and she said that she’d order the actual Motorcraft parts, though at this point I was fairly certain that they would also not work.
The new parts came in today and, surprise surprise, they were just like all the others. Luckily Glenna wasn’t in, and Reggie was helping me this time. I asked him what it would take to find a wheel cylinder just like the old ones, and he asked to look at the old one that I’d brought with me, just like I’d brought it with me the last four times I’d gone there. He cleaned it up and found a part number on it, looked it up in his computer, and told me that Car Quest (which was only a block away) had two of them in stock. I was dumbfounded that I had been waiting since Saturday for Glenna to get the right parts, when all it took was a competent person to look up a part number for me.
I went to Car Quest, and not only did they have the correct wheel cylinder in stock, but according to their computer it was the actual cylinder that’s supposed to fit my truck. I’m not certain why Checker’s and Ford’s computer systems show the wrong part number for my truck, but it’s not the first time either place has gotten the wrong parts for me. I think Car Quest will be my first stop for parts from now on.
After work today I installed the new wheel cylinder, new brake shoes, springs, and other parts on the left side. I ran out of daylight to get the right side done, but I should be able to bust through it tomorrow evening after work. Then I’ll need Traci’s help to bleed the brakes, and hopefully I’ll be done having dirty hands for a while.