Asking for technical help / advise

dmccurtayne

dmccurtayne

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Fellow Frogger
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Over the past few weeks I’ve seen a lot of posts asking for help and parts advise but not giving a description of the vehicle ie just saying 206 is not enough.
Some people on here give great advice and are very helpful but nothing is more frustrating than having to ask what year what engine etc ( and sometimes not getting a response) And for some of us with a bit higher knowledge base a vin would be great don’t forget nobody can do anything with your vin and it is stamped on the windscreen of most cars for the world to see.
This below is a perfect example of a good description

I have a 2011 308 Sportium HDI Auto, with the RHR motor. It has done 74,000 KM's.

With that info you will get your answer within a few replies or at least won’t have to waste time or get frustrated with standard replies.

I’m not trying to be rude but I do like helping the people on this forum but find having to go back and forth a bit tiring.


Garage C5 X7 3008 XTE
Gone but not forgotten 206 GTI 180 306 XR SED 405 MI16 x2 xzara VTS 406 SV 206 XT Berlingo 2011 (best car ever) 306 HDI 307 XSE HDI touring
Fix it right the first time
 
"Can you match this colour?" with a mobile phone thrust towards me.
"No, as the phone doesn't have enough clarity to get opacity or allow for light condition."
I'm pretty good but I'm not Bloody Mandrake!
:cheers: Brendan.
 
Bravo!

It is something that happens all too often. I have the same situation at work, people self log a call "there's a problem with our SharePoint site". (even worse when a helpdesk person logs it). Customer then literally disappears into the ether. First thing we need to know is "what is the URL of the SP site? Because we only have 1,200 plus of them to manage" :rolleyes:

Giving "too much" information is always helpful and "no information" is worthless.
 
Great advise ,and also were you are located ,amuses me when someone replies that they got the part from fred nerk round the corner no problem ,when the poster is in egypt ,im also more likely to reply to a request for a body panel or large item ,if its feasible to get it there ,not to w,a or darwin though ,,pugs
 
No point moaning about it.

I answer such posts with random gibberish (say check the headlight fluid or some such) to hint the author.

If they don't catch on, too bad.

Sometimes silence in such threads is a hint as well and some people get the drift, others don't.

I would suggest this is the path of least effort.
 
Yes, definitely not a Vyvyan, Rick or Mike.
 

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I tend to ignore the questions that show up the inability to do a quick search and those demanding to please fix my car, for free and yesterday urger threads. Some just begin at the wrong end of the stick and the best advice is to just call a mechanic.

You might consider adding a Pug version of the 'Thread of Excellent Threads' sticky in the Citroen forum. For PSA-era cars, some of the Citroen threads are directly useful for Pugs. It is simply some listings of useful threads that aren't always easy to find, but are of real value. Then you can point to that thread and there should be some relevant links for questions that have been asked repeatedly.

p.s.
PeterT said:
Yes, definitely not a Vyvyan, Rick or Mike.
Click to expand...
Though he probably needs to tell his washing machine that his dirty overalls are Felicity Kendall's underwear.
https://youtu.be/BQUOwXbbG_4?t=200
 
We get the free advise calls every day and so does the rest of the trade and it drives us nuts.
Often it's just that, I have a 206 and it goes Ping what would it be.

Sometimes getting the VIN out of them is like extracting teeth, sometimes it can be 2 or 3 phone calls.

What's the vin? I'll ring you back.
No that number doesn't come up. I'll ring you back again.

The trade tries to help people but geesus people don't waste our time.
 
David Cavanagh said:
We get the free advise calls every day and so does the rest of the trade and it drives us nuts.
Often it's just that, I have a 206 and it goes Ping what would it be.

Sometimes getting the VIN out of them is like extracting teeth, sometimes it can be 2 or 3 phone calls.

What's the vin? I'll ring you back.
No that number doesn't come up. I'll ring you back again.

The trade tries to help people but geesus people don't waste our time.
Click to expand...

That’s why I mentioned it here can’t deal with it here and at work [emoji23]


Garage C5 X7 3008 XTE
Gone but not forgotten 206 GTI 180 306 XR SED 405 MI16 x2 xzara VTS 406 SV 206 XT Berlingo 2011 (best car ever) 306 HDI 307 XSE HDI touring
Fix it right the first time
 
David Cavanagh said:
... I have a 206 and it goes Ping what would it be. ....
Click to expand...

Well, had that been a (real) later Citroen DS and it made that sound when you closed the door, you could simply reply 'Well, you've obviously got a good one!'. The sound of a good DS if it has the ping when closing the doors instead of a dead thunk.

It's an education issue for people who often think the parts guy must know what suits a given model just by what it is, often unaware that manufacturers change specifications mid-production or use more than one supplier concurrently. While you only need the last 8 for PSA models, the whole VIN is good because you could easily find the wrong car if the last 8 is misquoted. The range of cars sold can also be very complicated. A carpark lot of the same basic shape can potentially have a dozen or more engine/gearbox combinations e.g. C4 or 308.
 
Also perhaps harks back to the days when the parts interpreter at the dealer really did know the part numbers and what fitted what just by basic description. Now all they can do is open the computer and want the VIN; your birthdate and tax file number. If it was really obscure, they may have had to go to the microfiche!
 
No I don’t think so. Most parts guys know their stuff but try doing in some cases 6 or more brands with multiple models and plenty of variations. They more so don’t want you to come back complaining


Garage C5 X7 3008 XTE
Gone but not forgotten 206 GTI 180 306 XR SED 405 MI16 x2 xzara VTS 406 SV 206 XT Berlingo 2011 (best car ever) 306 HDI 307 XSE HDI touring
Fix it right the first time
 
agree the multiple franchise business model; and larger product range within a brand certainly complicates things these days compared to going to your holden, datsun, peugeot dealer in the 70's or 80's.
 
Dear the people/the internet,

Stop being like you are.

Love,
The internet
 
O for Yong Wong of Auto France, who knew what you needed, never looked at a computer, and always knew where on the shelves to find it. It will be a while before we find another parts man like him.
 
I want a oil filter for a peugeot hatchback


Garage C5 X7 3008 XTE
Gone but not forgotten 206 GTI 180 306 XR SED 405 MI16 x2 xzara VTS 406 SV 206 XT Berlingo 2011 (best car ever) 306 HDI 307 XSE HDI touring
Fix it right the first time
 
He's no longer with us, but I swear he had supernatural powers when it came to vague requests. He had some good put-downs too. He also seemed to have memorised the whole PSA parts catalogue. Older French car owners in Sydney will have more stories.
 
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