Manager Forum

I'm working on a 2008 chev suburban rear heater.

My problem is the 90 deg quick connector at the heater core is cracked. I can't locate a supplier that sells just the fitting. GM supplies the entire line. Dorman has straight fittings, but not 90s.

Anyone fixed these? Thanks, Tom.

Gates has a selection of connectors. I've taken straight connectors, made sleeves with attached elbows to give me the 90

I'll gentley push the customer towards the lines but if they can't do it I'll do the same as Steve.

We do the entire line. You fix one section and another portion fails in a month. It would have to look perfect for us to repair just one part.

I don't want to give anyone the impression that i would attach an end on a line in scenario like this one. I would also replace the line. I was replying to a direct question. Snow belt line issues have to be front to back. It's like brake lines, i have some vehicles come in with a rotted brake line to find a compression union attached and a new piece of line in between two rotted gnarly was once a brake line. I'f i'm remembering correctly these lines look a lot more difficult than they really are. If it's not a balk by tech issue and it's the customer wants it just "patched" up gently pat them on their breezeway and point to the door or do what i do, give them a list of shops that will be more than happy to cut and splice.


Speaking from experience, there is going to come a time where you repair something that should be replaced, it's going to fail somewhere else and all of a sudden it's your fault. No matter what you say, show, or remind them of the conversation it's going to be your fault. I had one bottomer beg, plead, promise, sign a waver, he was only keeping it for another month, etc. A year and a half later i get a visit from him saying i do shoddy work. I reminded him that it was him who declined the repair the correct way and signed a waiver. He claimed he never did and it was never explained to him about the issue of failing. I produced a signed copy of the order and acknowledgment from him stating he knew all the issues and the repair was nothing but temporary. His claim to fame was his lawyer said that since i was the professional and knew that something like this could happen i should have refused the work. Basically he was correct. The only thing that saved me was the little piece of paper he acknowledged that the repair was only so he could make arrangements to return to have it repaired completely (never use correctly, it means you know it's wrong) it was only a temporary fix. That proved to his lawyer i acted in a prudent and professional manner and his client was in fact the idiot.


We, in our business will always get the sob stories, promises to return, only keeping it for another two or three months, etc. Heck, when my computer fails i'll tell the tech i only expect to keep it for a month or two until i can afford a new system. i'll user it until it melts, then and only then will i purchase a new one. I will not accuse the tech of negligent work. I may tell him that his temp was the best temp I've had in a while.

I wasn't implying you would, Steve. I apologize if it sounded that way.

By the sound of it, I don't think you'd lend yourself to any undue liability.

We get ourselves in enough trouble as it is.

ricmorin wrote:I wasn't implying you would, Steve. I apologize if it sounded that way.

By the sound of it, I don't think you'd lend yourself to any undue liability.

Definitely not taken that way. Just making clarification, that's all