Shouldn't they always have stock of service items?

I just went to buy some sundries. I'm missing a few bumper clips, two spark plug cover bolts (thank you Springfield Honda for not torquing them up), and some diff washers.

They had one bumper clip in stock, and nothing else.

If I had decided to have my service done there, rather than doing it myself, what would they have done with the diff oil change? Presumably done the change, used the same washers, but charged me for new ones anyway.

 

When you booked it in for a service they would have ordered all the parts.

So long as they order by 5pm the parts will be in the dealer by 9am the next morning.

 

Try waiting 4-5 weeks for an engine.
Granted not a service item - But you would think they would keep at least one somewhere in the western hemisphere.

 

They have ordered them, but they won't be here until late next week, the fella said.

Gas, that sucks balls.

 

A taste of things to come mate.

IMO Honda UK just don't care.

 

Would you book it in in advance? Week before maybe?

And the service manager would order the relevant parts to cover the service schedule for that particular service?

Thats probably how it works I'd imagine.

I've always wondered this as I also service myself and always have to pre-order my bits and bobs.

EDIT, opps, this was mentioned in the first reply.

 

JITS
to keep stock down and inventory turns up!

 

I guess that's the answer then. It's just they have always had oil and air filters in stock, and sump plug washers, when I've bought them in the past. Never done the diff oil myself before, so I was just a bit surprised such a small cheap item wasn't kept in stock in bulk.

 

If you'd have put in for a service, they'd have put in the parts as VOR and you'd get them next day - at a price.

It's okay though, it's the customer that pays.

 

Dealers will keep "common" items in stock pretty much as per the dealers stock policy (i.e. someone thinks it's a good idea to keep spark plugs knocking about just in case someone wants some). In your case they'd probably fall within this category. If you turn up just after someone else has bought the last set or they decide not to keep them in stock since nobody regulalrly needs S2000 bits then you'll be scuppered.

Next level will be service hubs. Much higher stock levels and capable of delivering most things to the dealerships with 24 hours. Typically they'll have trucks doing daily "milk round" deliveries every day to make sure the parts get to the dealers.

Much above that becomes a bit company specific. You might, for example have a European service hub that can deliver within a longer time frame (5 working days or similar) but will have almost everything.

If they don't have them at this type of hub the parts will likely be held at the manufacturing plant or made on a bespoke basis. I suspect this is what Gaspode/his dealer are struggling with.

As a manufacturer you are oblidged to provide service parts for 10 years after the end of manufacture of the model (so people with 99~01 model cars will be able to get official spares until 2011). The two ways of doing this are to keep a manufacturing line in place (often not cost effective) or to do an all time build. An all time build you'll look at your service parts ordering level during the manufacturing life and then manufacture enough parts to cover that level. For such a limited sales volume of vehicles I'd be staggered if it made financial sense to keep a manufacturing line in to provide engines for the S2000. I'm almost certain they'll have chosen to all time build.

This means Gaspodes problem is most likely a) logistics in getting the engine from whereever it's stored to the dealer, b) they're unsure of root cause and are faffing over whether it justifies a new engine c) incompetent/just really really slow at administrating the claim