Official word is out, and it's not good!!! (false alarm)

All,

CLASS F means that the part is discontinued & you cannot even get it if you try to special order it from Japan. And miracle man Jeff Watson is not going to be able to help either.

The parts classification designation goes anywhere from Class A to Class F. "A" or "B" generally means that the part is still being made & is easily available (like most engine & all tune up parts). If anything, the part is in stock at the dealer or they can get it the next day. Or maybe 1 or 2 extra days if they need to get it from a regional warehouse & the distance it is between the dealer & the warehouse (I'm in Seattle & the nearest regional warehouse is in Portland, OR, so it's about a 1 - 2 day turnaround).

Class C... The part is available, but not within your region, they probably had to do a nationwide dealer search.

Class D... Already discontinued, but there are only a handful of these items left. Either a dealer has "one" sitting on the shelf somewhere gathering dust, or it's at the North America Parts Depot in Ontario, Cali doing the same.

Class E.... Time to panic..... :shock: We're down to maybe 1 or 2 of these items left in the country.... Assuming that everyone has their inventory up to date. This was the situation that I was in, when I tried to order replacement intake connector hoses for the MKI 5ME. The center connector hose & the TB hose were Class D items, the AFM hose was a Class E item. Turns out I was able to get the center & TB hose (one of the last few left), but the AFM hose is now CLASS F. Am guessing that MKII 5MGE connector hoses are either Class C, if not Class D items already.

Here's another example of a Class E item. Two years ago, someone was looking for a brand new complete assembly center mount 3rd brake light for a 86 P-Type. My parts guys did some looking around & they found ONE that was somewhere on either the east coast, or in the Southeast. And yes, it's the only one left in the country. Don't know if it's still around.

So yes, if in doubt. if it looks like this part is borderline extinct, check on it's availability!! And see if they can get it for you!!!! If the local dealer fails, call Jeff Watson @ Champion Toyota (formerly Jay Marks). Sometimes they can pull some strings & they might be able find some items that are stashed away in the North America Parts Depot that nobody knows about (Belinda @ Jay Marks was able to find some interior items for me that nobody else was able to get (Maroon console lid, shift boot & shift knob, AND a Terra Cotta console lid & shift boot. Struck out on the shift knob). No, none of these parts are for sale..

And yes, there is "one more" classification that is beyond Class F. It's called "no longer listed". This is what showed up on the computer one day when I tried to order some replacement plastic clips that holds the side pieces on the 3 piece roll up cargo cover on the MKI. My parts guy busted a gut laughing when he saw that there really something mentioned for things that are basically "beyond" Class F. (I was able to find these items later in a junkyard MKI).

Yep, parts really are becoming extinct!!! Get them while you can!!! This is going to be pretty tough for those that restore our MKII's & are "purists" about the parts & how they look.

(OT, yes, I'm back from Vegas, had a blast, great to see everyone).

Hey Flyin Hawaiian!