jmfay:
Please do not put words in my mouth. I did not say it would leak faster if you changed the housing. I said “By changing the housing you disturb 4 joints and therefore have 4 potential leak areas”. This does not mean leak faster just a better chance at a leak.
~Michael
Plus, there are a few things that will take the water pump out as collateral damage. As stated a failing belt tensioner can cause the pump bearings to go bad. A bigger culprit is a failing fan clutch bearing causing shaft wobbling.
The part itself may of indeed been bad, but as also has been stated, there are several different grades of parts available for the same application. New factory, OEM, factory rebuild and after market rebuild. A cheap after market rebuild is not going to be as reliable.
If you took the job to a mechanic to fix, the mechanic will warrant both the parts and labor if the job fails prematurely. If you put the part on yourself then obviously just the part will be warranted directly from the part supplier.
I personally have no problem with Checker parts, although we don’t use them professionally.
Benzman
OK…If you don’t have any locals then Autozone may be your best bet. Robins is strictly here in NH. Sanel Brothers is NH and a little in VT and MA…and I think ME. Their the local autoparts stores of years ago. Great people to deal with.
At least they don’t give you that deer in the headlights look like some of those AZ kids do!
And then you have to wait about 15 minutes to FIND the ONE person who MIGHT know what you’re talking about. I rebuilt a friends 2brl Holly Carb for his 70 Chevy Nova. It was Sunday so we went to PepBoys to see if they had a carb kit. They didn’t have one, but could order it. When I asked if it came with a Float…Got that Deer in Headlights look. They had to get the head mechanic in from the garage. But first they had to get a Spanish interpreter. He didn’t speak english, but he knew what he was tallking about…very knowledgable. We ended up going to Sanel Bro’s first thing Monday morning…They had the kit IN-STOCK…and it included a new float. I think the average age of the people at Autozone and Pepboys is no more then 22. At Sanel bros…mid 40’s.
Well if dont you use them professional; it seems to us you do have a problem with Checker parts. or is it your customers who have a problem with them?
We have talked to the mechanic in ID twice on the car. There was no offer to warantee the labour and since we dont live in ID; he obviously cant fix it again.
This is beyond our mechanical knowledge so we are waiting until Michael talks to Randy. Not all mechanics give customers a choice of parts. Randy doesnt as he knows us and what we want but the mechanic in ID didnt offer different grades of parts and who even knows if the stores were open since it was Memorial Day in a small town. We doubt the mechanic was going to drive to another city to get the part since he isnt paid to do that!!!
No, I do not have a problem with Checker. Many people buy good parts there everyday.
Professionally, we use Worldpac http://www.worldpac.com/ for most parts, or we get factory parts for some applications.
If the mechanic was worth his salt at all, regardless of how big of a town he’s in, he will warranty his work. Usually this warranty has a specified time and miles attached. That info SHOULD be on the billing statement. If you’re past the time or miles then the warranty has of course expired.
Your first step is to diagnose why the water pump went bad again in eleven months. It may be the pump or it may be something else effecting the pump. Once you diagnose the problem then have it fixed at a local shop and know what the warranty is. Be an educated customer and ask about the different grades of parts. Some parts you can get by with the lessor grade. Some parts, especially parts that effect safety or will leave you stranded, you can opt to upgrade.
If you broke down on the road far from home I do feel for you. You’re at the mercy of a stranger in a strange place. They know you won’t drive back many miles to have warranty work done, and may treat you accordingly.
Good luck with this. I hope you get it worked out.
Benzman
HI:
Thats 11000 miles in 4 months and the part is on lifetime warantee.
Well we were about 9 to 10 miles from town in the back of beyond on a Saturday or a Sunday (dirt road). We got really lucky in that we met a nice couple and his dad lived nearby and they went above and beyond to help us out. We had a tow rope and SK got towed to town by them and then we started to make some calls. There are few AAA places open on a Saturday if any in ID and it was the holiday weekend. It was a riot and AAA ID dispatches from OR which makes it even harder to get help.
You are correct. Did you talk to Randy?
I have stopped buying parts from Checker and Schucks for years now. They have good prices and a great warranty, but it gets a little old changing our parts every weekend. Any work that I do not do myself, I insist on NAPA parts. They cost more, but when you consider having to fork out money or time to keep on changing “lifetime guaranteed” parts, it’s well worth it.
Read your Checker warranty, it covers only the part and not the cost of labor to replace it.
Jmfay:
Sorry I have not responded earlier. On my way to work Friday morning I encountered an accident scene with a burning car. We got everyone safely out of the vehicle however I ended up inhaling a large amount of smoke. The smoke caused me to lose my voice for a few days. I hope to be able to speak to Randy by the end of the week.
~Michael
Read your Checker warranty, it covers only the part and not the cost of labor to replace it.
I’ve NEVER heard of any parts supplier that covers the labor cost for replacement.