Always good to have a parts machine

I bought that other Yamaha Moto4 Saturday. It ran like a top,played around with it that day. Sunday it wouldn't start. I took the plug out,no spark. I fooled around moving the plug around on the side of the block to get a good ground,finally got it,put the plug back in and it started and ran good all day.
Monday,cold as all get out,wouldn't start again,but I didn't have time to fool with it. Last night after supper,still wouldn't start. No spark. Tried three plugs,nothing. Went to town this morning and got a new plug,still no spark.

I called the big Yamaha and everything else store,they said they couldn't get it in for two more weeks. There's another little shop south of town,so I loaded it up and took it there. The guy said he was even farther behind than that,didn't really want to take it on,but he went out and climbed right up in the back of the pickup with it. I told him I had another one for parts. He took the seat off and pointed out a little box. He said intermittent spark,it's usually that box. Told me to go home and swap that out before I paid anybody to work on it. So I did. Started right up! No doubt saved a few hundred bucks and a few weeks down time.

I had the same kind of experience when I bought a different baler two years ago. It was just like the old one. In fact,only 75 numbers difference in the serial number. The first time I used it,I was back at the house three times swapping parts off the old one,but haven't laid a wrench on it since. Next time I saw the salesman who sold it to me,I laughed and told him it was a darned good thing he sold that thing to somebody who had one for parts or he probably would have gotten it back.

I hope you offered to pay him.

I thanked him profusely. He seemed more than happy to help. I'll remember that next time I need something. I think that's what he was counting on.

Hi Thats the advantage with dealing with a small shop. I got a few guys here spend money with me, and will call and ask me to look at something. If I figure it's small and they won't get into more trouble. I will tell them what to look for and call back if they can't figure it out.

one guy Knew I was busy so took his truck to a shop for trailer wire repairs. cost him $200 and still not right. he turned up here, i checked the wires, nothing. went under the hood replaced some fuses that blew, when somebody ripped the trailer socket off.
He said what do I owe you. Answer you already got more in it not being right than you should have. Nothing it will cost me more to bill you and to right a check than I'm going to put on the bill!.
Sometimes it's more about helping a guy out than the money with those nothing small jobs. He comes back regular and passes my name to somebody else, and so do a few more. I never advertise in print, guys phone me and ask from a recommendation to work for them, and those recommending me know who pays and doesn't, so it shakes out the bad payers that answer advertisements to.
Regards Robert

I believe that it works best to ask how much, so that the one doing the favor has the privilege of declining the payment and having the satisfaction of helping you for no pay. At least it works well for me.

It wasn't even a matter of asking him to look at it. When I told him what it was doing,he was headed for the door and jumped right up in the back of the truck. He popped the seat off and showed me where that box was,talking a blue streak the whole time.