Man this one mazda dealer parts guy!!! He's somewhat new, never been real helpful in the past.

So i call up with with part numbers for 1st gen gsl-se corner seals and apex seal springs, and he's like where did you get those numbers, and i told him the parts fische on the internet and he's like "oh those would be american part numbers"
ARE YOU FRIGGEN KIDDING ME!
he gives me this big line about how they are different even one digit but they cant use american part numbers
I told him thats first ive ever heard that!


Why have i had no problems when ordering parts like that before with the "american part numbers"

so i get him to look them up, and i find out they're parts books go to 86 and up
they have to email mazda and tell them what i want and they will send the part numbers back

i told him "i bet you these are the part numbers" and he's still stickin to his american part number guns

so obviously i have to make an extra 35-45 min trip before work, so i can order my CORRECT parts and do it again in a few days to pick them up

AVOID SERG AT LONDON MAZDA!!!

 

While there are some parts that are different (for example, the part number for the speedometre would be different because the Americans got the MPH one while we got the km/h one) it wouldn't make a difference. They should still be able to order the American part if that's the one you want.

The guy sounds like the same type of dumbass working at 90% of the parts counters for any given dealership. Most of them don't know what they're talking about.

Next time tell him you got them from Mazda Motorsports Canada but that you haven't raced enough this year to order directly from them. Or tell him to just look it up and stop asking stupid questions. If the number doesn't appear in their system, it may have been superseded by another number, or he may be an idiot... To be on the safe side you can go to Mazdatrix and compare their part number to yours. Mazdatrix part numbers are like the Mazda ones but re-arranged slightly. Or if you have a friend witha Mazda Motorsports membership get them to look it up online.

Last time I went to the dealership the guy told me that he "couldn't find anything in the system for an '84" so I pointed to the microfiche machine and said "do you know how to use that thing?"... when he said no I came in the back and showed him how to use it, and vowed to myself that next time I'd show up with the damn print-out from the fiche instead.

Jon

 

The Mazda Electronis Parts catalogue used by the dealers has Canadian and US part numbers.All pat numbers are available through any Mazda dealer.Some part numbers may require a short wait because they are not stocked in the Mazda Canada Parts depot in Toronto.You need to ask the dealer to order such parts"VOR"

 

whats that microfiche? should i ask them to check on that?

I look at the Parts Fiche on rotor heads page, has the exact same thing they look at.
I ordered my shift **** and other parts using the part numbers i got from the parts fiche with no issues but was with another guy,

this guy had to get a mechanic to help him order my IAT, it came out of the states so maybe he was having trouble converting the part number LOL

kept calling it a MX-7

 

I have had issues with the new employee at Probart as well. He's been there quite a while, so one would assume that by this point he would be used to the part numbers and operating the system. Then again, perhaps he received no training?

When I buy parts now, I count on it being a 30-45 minute experience. Generally I either print out the sheet from the parts catalog (if just ordering one item) or have it up on my tablet screen in an organized way (if ordering multiple items). Giving the part numbers directly from the catalog helps greatly and I've never really had an issue with them being "American" numbers vs. "Canadian" numbers.

Occasionally Igor is behind the Probart desk (he now works at Subaru, owned by the same people) so getting him is nice...

 

When I lived in Kitchener, I once wanted to get some touch-up paint for my car. I told the guy it was "Dove White"; I didn't know the paint code number off by heart. So he tries to look it up but can't find it. He says it doesn't exists. So I go back to the car and look up the paint code number and give that to him. Then he says, "OOOhhh, That's Dover White".

So I guess it was my fault. My car is the colour of a white dover, not a white dove.

 

Over the course of the last decade, any time I call up Probart I know their first answer will be that they cannot find the part number (or infrequently only the name of part) I've provided. I know the parts system is difficult to use, but it's BS. They've lost thousands and thousands of dollars of business from me because they make it so painful. Much of that is Mazda's crappy parts distribution system. I've never considered dealing with Igor to be a treat. I particularly enjoyed the time he told me that my $2000 order (with 200% markup) would be a hassle for them to order. They do seem to do better if they have lots of time to figure it out, I'm not certain what problems they run into. I order from Mazda Motorsports if I can help it, but sometimes it doesn't make sense to do so. I sometimes avoid fixing minor problems in part because it's a hassle to get parts.

Most of the times problems with dealerships are just problems with individuals. Unfortunately the parts department is a chronic problem at Probart.