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 Post subject: Spark Plug Follies Or How To Become A Flustered Old Fart
PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:48 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 19, 2009 1:21 pm
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I needed a new spark plug for my Toro snowblower and dutifully secured its part number from my Toro manual - #119-1961. Online research tells me that Home Depot carries it so on Monday morning I go to my local Home Depot in East Meadow to buy it for $5.98. A pretty young lady shows me where the Toro spark plugs are. I thank her. Easy, right? Well no.

The Toro spark plugs have no part # on them - the package lists the snowblower model numbers for that particular plug and I do not know mine. Silly me, I thought the manufacturer's part # was good enough. Later on the bride and I are making the winter trip to Costco and I get back to the Home Depot with my model number but it's the only Toro spark plug that's out of stock. Coming back from Costco we stop at the Westbury Home Depot and they don't have it either but an inventory check by an associate tells me that the Jericho and Freeport stores have them in stock. And the nice man tells us that there is a Toro dealer on Front Street in East Meadow and that's closer.

There is no snow coming but temperatures in the 50s are for a couple of days and that's when I want to be in my garage to tune up and service the snowblower. I need that plug in a hurry so we go to the Toro dealer and they tell me that that for around $12 they can have the spark plug shipped in about four days (when it will be freezing again). Here's a Toro dealership that doesn't carry a common part. I am dumbfounded and we go home.

On my PC at home I buy the plug online for store pickup at the Home Depot in Jericho. I figured to pick it up Tuesday morning but the bride tells me to get it now while the car is warm and I haven't settled in the old recliner yet. I tell her if I make that trip and don't get my plug she's going to have to take a cab to get the car because I will be someplace with bars under high bail.

When I get to Jericho Home Dept the correct spark plug is waiting for me at the Customer Service desk and I am finally thrilled to be the owner of a goddamn new spark plug that was driving me nuts. I have it for when the temps hit 50 in a day or so and I can work outside.

I wasn't angry at the Home Depot. Their people were very helpful (the Westbury associate sent me to a competitor and that was classy) - I was pissed at Toro whose part # in their service manual does not appear on their packaging when you go to buy a replacement. That led to confusion and worthless trips for something that wasn't there.

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 Post subject: Re: Spark Plug Follies Or How To Become A Flustered Old Fart
PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:16 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 19, 2009 1:21 pm
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With temps nearing 60 today I gapped my new plug to 30-thousandths and replaced the fouled plug on the snowblower - runs like a champ now.

Doing useful things around the house will usually have a wife thinking twice before she demands that you pack up and leave. Gotta go do some laundry now.

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Image The race doesn't always go to the swift and the strong but that's the way to bet.


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