I have a lot of parts for my CR-X. A lot.
It was a running gag when my CR-X arrived from Japan. “Oh, you’ll need a new xxxx.” And my answer was always the same: “Ya, I’ve got a spare one of those at home”. The guys at my local dealership joke about it. I don’t consider it hoarding since I do plan on using them. The way I’ve approached my build is to gather all the parts then go nuts and install everything once so I’m not tearing her apart every other weekend. I hate doing things twice. It’s the OCD in me maybe?
Anyways, every month I check Honda Canada’s inventory for the parts that I need for my build. I’ve been doing this for about 6/7 years now, maybe longer. When something comes up to be discontinued I can usually tell and I buy it. Sometimes I miss one and it’s already discontinued by the time I check but I usually get the guys in parts to order it, and because it hasn’t been discontinued very long, Honda Canada will usually order it from the US for me if it’s still available (no additional charge).
I’ve amassed so many parts that earlier this year I started looking at barcode readers so that I can scan all my parts and keep an inventory of them so I don’t end up buying things twice. At issue were a few parts: door hinges, a/c o-rings, and throttle/clutch/hood release cables that I weren’t sure how many I had, and a battery hold-down that I had bought double of by accident. In the end I just downloaded a iPhone barcode scanner app and used Google Docs to assemble my inventory. It took me an afternoon to compile the list and sort it so I have a reasonable idea what part is in what bin/tote/box/area.
Anyways, I’ve kinda left Project PRO.2 for a while now, but still kept up with my inventory checks. Last month, I was reviewing my parts list and revising some things and planning my build when I realized: “I don’t have rocker panels. Rusting rocker panels were the straw that broke the camel’s back for Project 88. I should have some for when I take my CR-X to the body shop and they remove the Mugen side skirts. Dealer cost isn’t very much for them, and it would be more expensive to have the bodyman repair than replace, I’m sure.” So I added them to my list and checked availability on them.
I found that the left side was in stock, but the right side was discontinued. I emailed the parts dept at my local dealer and asked them order the left and to phone Honda Canada to get me the right side from American Honda... The next day I got an email back: No luck; the US didn’t have any either. I checked a Vintage parts distributor that I know sometimes handles old Honda inventory. No luck there as well. I phoned a dealership in Washington state and asked them to check dealer stock around the country but I hit another dead end.
The chase was on.
My first stop was Australia, calling a dealer ‘down under’, where the parts guy there verified it was a good part number there but said no stock on the whole continent (makes it sound more dramatic to say continent rather than country, doesn’t it? lol), but he could ask Honda Australia’s parts team to contact Japan for me and check their stock. I said I would call back the next day. In the end, I had nothing to show for my calls to Australia but more dead ends; Japan had no stock either.
Out of desperation, and acting on a rumor I’d heard floating around the message boards once upon a time, I called Honda Japan to see if they would make me one. I heard a long time ago, and I can’t remember where, companies like Honda and Mugen would remake a discontinued part for you if you called them to specifically special-order it. (Side note for everyone thinking of calling Mugen in Japan to ask for emblems/fiberglass kit pieces, I called them already… they don’t do that anymore, for CR-X parts anyways). I was asked to email the particulars including my VIN to them and they would get back to me. That was June 28th, and I never heard back. In their defense, I called every day last week and received an automated message saying Honda Japan was closed. Perhaps something to do with the earthquake back in March? I seem to remember reading something about the car manufacturers doing rotating closures so there wouldn't be as much of a drain on the power grid during the crisis. Regardless, it was a roadblock, possibly leading to a dead end, so I moved on to England.
The time change from Western Canada to England is unforgiving, especially for someone who has to work a 9-5 job, so I sent them an email and figured if I didn't hear anything back in a day or two I would simply get up at 4 or 5am and call them. The next day I received the reply I'd been waiting for. Honda Europe had to no stock and there was no stock at any dealer in the UK, but they did manage to find one in stock at a dealership in Greece. Woohoo!!
One small problem though... I don't speak Greek and can't read it either. The dealer's whole site is done in Flash so Google translator didn't work and with Flash there's no 'cheat' when hovering over the links on the site either. So I figured I would call this coming week and see how much of a beating my wallet would take getting this part from Greece, what with the money Exchange, the Shipping costs and, most certainly, the Duty and GST when it arrives.
Friday I picked up the left side and brought it home. I regaled my former co-workers with the tale of trying to track down the right side etc.. and they all wished me luck and I just put the part on the floor and scanned the barcode with my app and added the part to my Inventory list way at the bottom.
This morning I was working in the garage and decided to put the left side away and decided the best place for it was on the rafters in the garage where it couldn't get damaged. So I got out the step ladder and asked my wife for assistance. It's not a heavy part but is awkward what with the box and all. After several attempts it became painfully obvious that the box would not fit in the rafters (too long) and I would need to find an alternate location. I scanned the garage and found a small space on top of my spare quarter panels. Then I started to look more closely at what was already on top of the quarter panels and realized there were two boxes that looked eerily similar to the box I was trying to find a home for.
Sunnuvabich!
Sure enough, I went to check and there, staring back at me was a Honda parts label: 04631-SH2-A50ZZ. I couldn't believe it. I checked my inventory I'd made back in April and sure enough, there they were. Both sides. I'd been calling all over the world to find a part that had been less than thirty feet away from me the whole time. And by my calculations I've had them for almost 6 years now!! If only I'd checked my inventory before I started I could have saved myself a whole lot of grief and hassle (and money for international long distance phone calls).
Lesson learned. Next time check the inventory before rushing off to chase CR-X parts across globe.
Remember, this blog was written in chronological order so, you will need to click OLDER POSTS to move forward in time, and click NEWER POSTS to go backwards.
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