[vent] watercooled newbie vs "experienced" carpart salesperson. (long)

["koabi brooks" <koabi@lazyslacker.com>]

lemme just get something off my chest.  i encourage you not to read :)

	On wednesday i went to a nameless parts store (BAP*cough*) to buy gaskets
for the 2.0 16v with 1.8 head.  i got intake, exhaust, and valve cover
gaskets.  they looked odd to me right away (im new at this though, what do i
know), but since i would have to pick up an order on friday (seals for block
and such), i figured i could return the stuff if it was wrong when i went
back to pickup the order.  i take a look at the stuff once i get home...sure
enough, everything is way too small.  I didnt look carefully, but didnt seem
like i needed to.  ok, ill go return it on friday, not a huge deal.
	today when i go to pickup my order, i express my concern that they may have
ordered me 8v stuff like they did with the other gaskets.  The guy looks up
gaskets for a 88 scirocco ( i told him 16v) and pulls out some more gaskets.
Amazingly enough, they are EXACTLY the same as the ones i was given the 1st
time.  i tell the guy those arent right, and he checks some more, and says
those are the right ones.  Maybe i was wrong, im not an expert by any
longshot, afterall.  i give up finally, go back home, and do some serious
comparing, and i also see if the block gasket and seals set that i ordered
is right (it was!).  I return to the parts store again, this time i bring
the intake manifold, the exhaust manifold, the old valve cover gasket, and
the oilpan gasket (btw i was told that the oilpan gasket would come with the
set for the bottom end, but it did not).
	I bring everything in, and set it on the counter.  the guy says "oh those
are 2.0 liter parts."  "Nope, these are stock scirocco 1.8 liter 16v parts,"
i tell him.  "oh really?" he says, then proceeds to check things on his
computer (he looks up the stuff under passat this time).  He comes back with
a intake manifold gasket that fits!  he then tells me, "see these are 2.0
liter parts.  The stuff we gave you before would work on a 1.8 liter 16v"  i
tell him "these are stock scirocco 1.8l 16v parts.  I can bring my car next
time and show you they are the same."  the guy replies, "i dont need to look
at your car because i know what ill see."  implying that im a complete moron
and hes so certain that hes right that he doesnt need to waste his time just
to verify is alleged correctness.  i try to explain again these parts are
from a scirocco 16v 1.8 liter and i tell him i could bring in more intake
manifolds if it would help him (and i mention how the 2.0 intake manifolds
usually have the TB attach on the opposite side...see im learning!) but the
gasket is the same for either.  he starts going off about how he has 6 years
experience and he was trained PROFESSIONALLY (oooo!).  i tell him, "i have 6
months experience, non-professionally, and i can tell you that youre wrong."
Finally the guy leaves the issue alone and goes to find parts, finds me the
exhaust gaskets, an intake gasket, but not the rest.  I tell him to keep his
stuff, and i left.
	I hope i can get what i need tomorrow (from some place else) and get this
badboy in the car finally!  Thanks to Peter for getting me the mounts
quickly.  Thanks to Tom for listening to me whine.

scirocco newbie,
koabi


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