I get frustrated when a part is not made correctly. I recently purchased a convertible top from a supplier and upon installation I find that the rear window is just not made correctly for this car. Three months ago I had the same problem with a top from the same company on the same model car. I ordered another top and find that it is exactly the same. That tells me that this company’s tops for this specific model are being made incorrectly. I contacted the manufacturer and was told that the top has to be correct because they are made from the ORIGINAL patterns. I send them photos and measurements etc showing exactly what is wrong and what can be done to correct the problem. My supplier, in trying to help me contacts some installers in his area who politely tell him that they are not going to share any of their expertise “Tell him to take it to a professional installer”. With 45 years of experience of working on Thunderbirds and after installing many tops from lots of different manufacturers and finding that there is a specific problem in this one part of this top…………….. I should just take it to a professional installer! After all, WHAT DO I KNOW?
While it would be much easier for me to just order a different brand top an be done with it, I feel it isn’t fair to all the other customers out there that might purchase this top and end up with a crappy installation because they assume the top is correct and do whatever they can just to get it on the car. So what if the zipper shows when the top is up? There is a time when someone has to do whatever it takes to make things right so that the rest of the world does not have to deal with the bad results of the wrong.
I know the frustrations you folks have when you get parts and find they do not work for what you are doing only to be told by someone that sells them, that they must be right, that is what is listed in the computer or catalog. Or you take your car to a shop and when it is not to your standards you are told that is just the way it is. And of course you should pay the bill because they SPENT THE TIME.
When you know you are right, be strong enough to do what it takes to prove it and make things right. We do not have to put people down or call names or anything else, we do have to prove that we are right though. Most of the time it is not about opinions, it is about facts. Take the time to get the right facts and then share them with those involved so that things get resolved for the better of all concerned.
I will let you all know how this turns out.
God bless
