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Super Cheap - lost the plot.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:19 am
by subanator
I went into Super Cheap to get my "Fathers Days" compressor special, and while I am there, pick up a couple of other goodies. I am giving a lawnmower engine, a Briggs and Statton, a top end rebuild. All I wanted was a basic piece of engineering tooling - a valve lapping stick.
Nuh, none to be found, neither the lapping paste......FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, this is an accessory shop for the home mechanic isnt it??????????????????
Apparently not since they took over Marlows (WA), a sad day indeed, so elsewhere got my business.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:49 am
by julian
EEK!
If the compressor you bought is a superworks/air power brand make sure you keep the reciept. Got one for my dad last year and he had it for about a week before it sh#t itself. The bloke at supercheap said about a third of them end up returned faulty!

I dont buy anything more than basic stuff from them anymore, just isnt worth the hassle.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:05 am
by tim_81coupe
Mate, try Covs for the valve lapping stick. From memory their part numbers are CVG12, CVG13 and CVG14 in department 21.

Stick to supercheap for all your neon and seat cover needs.

Oh, and each store should have a good variety of pastes, both water based and oil based. Depending on what you need the part numbers will be different. If you get a zitty kid on the counter who doesn't know, get him to punch in department 12, V075CWM.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:16 am
by subanator
Hope I have a better run with the compressor + 50 piece tool kit & air tools. Its their brand 2.5hp 40L tank. I know it Chinese etc , etc, but at that price it was cheap as chips.

I went to Repco in the end Tim, Covs seem to over priced and looked closed when I went past late this arvo.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 8:54 am
by Chris_Rogers
subanator,

I have went through 4 of those compressors. motors give up (at $440 a pop mind you!)

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:52 pm
by steptoe
I snaffled up the same Dads day deal, (but me Dad has no use for it :) ) also a bit wary of reliability so keeping receipt. Saw exact same on the back of a 6metre tray truck - all faded and still going. The fifty piece kit normally 149 bucks was in the other catalogues at 89 bucks !!

Just waiting for the $39.99 air hose to be marked down soon I hope!!

Super Cheap and Ripco have had serious share value drops in recent times

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:00 pm
by Subafury
well i work there as u might kno, and agree that u cant always find the thing u need. And the cheap shit is dodgy. But its there for all your cars stuff and is a shitload cheaper than most.( today was a good example hey D3V1L) we exhange just about anything too even if its been used.
jono-the hose wont go on sale anytime soon coz were givin em away free with the smaller compressor. good luck even finding one next week. last weeks compressor deal was great and we havent had any faulty ones...yet.

ill defend em a little bit tho coz i feel i should - super cheap is shop for most of ur car parts, not ur lawnmowers but we try and have a little for other stuff for the DIY/boating/home repair too.
and the share values should be goin up coz were making f**kloads of profit from each financial year. i just got a bonus from this one :) theres my 2c anyway.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:52 pm
by tim_81coupe
Subi: hit up Coventrys for a job mate!!! :P (at Repco the best parts interpreter won't get more than about $30,000 pa)

Nah, Supercheap probably pay better than Covs. But just know you're working for the automotive industry's #1 joke! :P

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:06 pm
by subanator
Subi , not knocking you for working there, but a valve lapping tool and paste is as basic a tool you would ever need in ANY engine rebuild (lawnmower included....LOL)

The compressor duty cycle in the handbook doesnt suit a large volume of air recharge, like spraypainting, sandblasting for long periods. This would kill the motor, as more volume and reservoir are needed. Lite jobs around the shed and driving the air tools should be ok.

The hoses sold out when I got mine, looked at Repco, thought I found a cheaper one at Bunnings - add in fittings and it worked out the same.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:09 pm
by Subafury
oh ok. clearly i dont know what a valve lapping tool/paste does. And yea it is a bit of a joke but i like the job. today me and dave snapped a supercheap extension bar and buggered up 2 ratchets! this time i bought superworks gold.
#1! lol

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:26 pm
by D3V1L
and gold means best!!!! hahahaha

dave

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:59 pm
by SuBaRiNo
I will admit i have never heard of these soo called common tools and never layed eyes on them untill Tim got me the links. Can't say i will ever likely be needing them ever either... still don't know what they hell they do.

Im not defending Super Cheap... i used to love Marlows. But it's a good stop to make on the way to Repco.

Dave

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:07 am
by AndrewT
I still go into Super Cheap regularly. All the Supa-Brand generic stuff is absolutely terrible quality and not worth looking at... I only go there to pick up branded stuff because you have to admit, they are usually cheap.
Remember the engrish slogan too "WE BEAT ANY PRICE ON PRODUCT WE STOCK".

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:33 am
by D3V1L
AndrewT wrote:....Remember the engrish slogan too "WE BEAT ANY PRICE ON PRODUCT WE STOCK".

teehehehhe

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:51 am
by Subaman
I have lost count of the amount of things I have bought from "Supachump" that are either stuffed when you get them out of the packet or stuffed after the first use, I have lost count of the amount of fuel and time wasted having to return this crap, their tools are crap, they make look every bit as good as a name brand one, but thats where the similarities stop. Chump is crap for buying Subaru related parts too, they didnt even have fan belts in stock to suit my Liberty, the icing on the cake for me was when I went in the to buy a test lamp and the didnt have one of them either. Coventry has better tools, better service, and always has what you want in stock.

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 11:13 am
by MUDRAT
I shop there for all my under-car neon, stick-on plastic red checkerplate, immitation carbon-fibre contact and pod-filter requirements. :mrgreen:

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 12:10 pm
by PeeJay
I wait tillt they have a 20% off sale and stock up on oil, oil filters, air filters, coolant, gear oil and any other name brand stuff I'm running short on.

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:26 pm
by Ben
subi wrote:oh ok. clearly i dont know what a valve lapping tool/paste does.
This just epitomises the hiring ethic of supercheap and BCF. Both of these stores should stop trying to hide what they really are and that is a outlet for cheap shit products.

For all the aliens reading this live via satellite, when you crash to earth in your spaceship, don't go to Supercheap unless you are just chasing oil or filters, and only then if your spaceship uses the same filters as a holden 202 motor. Don't buy any tools there, or anything else for that matter.

I bought a torch from there (I had a gift certificate) and when I got it home I went to use it and it was dead, unscrew the lens and doh, the spade terminal had broken off the battery inside, another trip to supercheap to exchange... Chick on the counter says "It doesn't work" my response "No, see the terminal has broken off the battery" she then goes back to serving people (who actually lined up after I arrived with my doa torch) Eventually she comes back to me "So it doesn't work at all?" by which stage I am starting to get pissed off "Battery operated devices need to have a connection to work, can I just exchange it for one that works?" "Sure no worries..." ARGHGHHGHGHG!!!!

BCF - exactly three people work at my local who know anything about fishing. They usually don't work when I can get there and I often leave work early just to speak to one of them before they knock off. Everyone else who works there just looks blankly at you "Can I have some bilge hose?" "Hang on I'll just get the manager" (put on your best Krusty Burger attendant voice there...)

Ah well, at least there is some rivalry in town for Fishing Tackle Australia now- woohoo competition makes prices go down!!

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:34 pm
by Suby Wan Kenobi
BCF was better when it was called Camp Mart ...

Supachump as Subaman says is for the peeps who own a falcon or commondore and feel the need to play. Coventry or Wilbur is the places to get Suby stuff. Chump have good degreaser on a can........

Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:08 pm
by Alex
ewww BCF...i use to work in a Fishing/camping in midland in perth...BCF just opened up next door pretty much...

im not having a go at over-eastern people, but everything that is bought at BCF comes directly from the eastern states, all the profit goes directly there, and it makes me sick actually...its like a bunnings warehouse opening up next door to Jims hardware or something...

and if your in Perth i would give Malz a go, its owned by the marlows dude, and they stock all the L-series bits and pieces, supercheap didnt even have a oil filter for an ea82! :confused: whilst Malz had everything ive ever needed, they even had a distributer cap for me!