front brake hose part # mixup, plus generalized rant about parts

[Austin Healey]

A heads up to anybody buying front brake hoses (in my case, for a '97 Explorer with OHC engine) from Rock Auto (and possibly other sources). The numbers for Sunsong hoses are mixed up -- left should be right, and vice versa.

No problem w/ getting a refund, of course from the Rock, but thought I'd mention it (it's the fault of the manufacturer, not the vendor). The (wrong) hose that I did receive is a good-looking piece of equipment and also includes a new top mounting bracket that is much thicker and stronger than the OEM bracket. Rock Auto told me to keep the "wrong" Sunsong hose (part #2202899 -- says left but is really right), so I'll just order the other one.

Now, a rant: First, I've had more problems with incorrect parts for my Explorer than any vehicle I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot of them). Brake hoses: wrong. Caliper rebuild kits: wrong. Sway bar bushings: wrong. Exhaust hangers: wrong. Lug nuts (in a replacement rear axle kit): wrong. You'd think that for one of the best-selling vehicles on the US market, the parts suppliers would have figured things out by now.

And, even more annoying is the mix of metric and SAE nuts and bolts on the vehicle. Brake bleeders and brake line nuts, for example, are SAE. When I was replacing the big sideways-mounted shock on the rear differential, one of mounting bolt was SAE and the other was metric. I believe there are other examples that I can't remember.

Thank you for listening ... I feel much better now.

 

[shucker1]

As well as a general repair forum we also Moonlight as therapist...

Glad we could be of assistance.

Like the Peanuts Cartoon..

Psychiatric Help Cost 5 Cents...

 

[J_C]

Every now and then I get something that's wrong, or missing parts, but I'm thankful that there are places like Amazon and Rock Auto to get parts now, as they're usually at least 30% cheaper than the local auto parts stores and there's a much greater selection.

The downside is the wait and hassle returning things. I learned my lesson to always check parts when they arrive, not just tossing it in the garage and not looking it over until the moment I'm about to put it on a vehicle.

 

[koda2000]

That's the downside to buying parts on-line. I must say that I've had pretty good luck buying parts on-line for 7 Explorers/Mountaineers over the years. I honestly can't think of any part I've purchased that was incorrect (other than a too-short alt belt for a PT Cruiser). When you consider how many parts are entered into RA's on-line catalog by humans is it any surprise errors happen? I've had far more instances of the local auto parts stores handing me the wrong part due to counter person or catalog errors. Whenever possible I always bring the old part with me to the store for comparison. As far as metric vs SAE hardware, it's so common to find this on U.S. vehicles I don't even give it a second thought. I have far more gripes with the engineers that design how vehicles are assembled than with the parts I buy.

 

[96eb96]

Advance auto happily matches RA with shipping and the discount, and you can pick it right up or have it shipped. I guess they realize they have plenty of walk-ins paying full price, they make a profit, and cash flow is always good. Better than the part sitting on the shelf for 12 months.

Only downside is you pay tax, but I'm 5 minutes from the store if it goes bad!