Got Laughed at Today at the parts counter!

Damn, it must be Tuesday we have a bitch about the parts houses thread.

In the little cow town I live in the parts house that I did business with for 30 years finally closed because the owner's two lazy sons didn't want to work anymore. The Napa folded because the owner couldn't manage a snowcone stand let alone a parts house even after taking over one that had been in continual business for over 50 years.
Then we have the mom and pop store with ten cats running around and the fine essence of cat pee. Both man and wife are great parts people and can usually have the part there in a few hours if they don't have it on the shelf but there is that cat pee.

Then we have Auto whatever with some guys who might make a parts man one of these days and some who are just happy to not be flipping burgers. I usually look the part up online, check to see if they have it and write the part number down and run in the two miles to get it.

We do have a couple of pretty decent O'Reilly's in Yakima and a couple that are pretty typical of the comments above. I do the order and pay online and pick it up in the store at one quite a bit but it doesn't save anything like it used to when they were Schucks.

I live in a town where 50% of the customers at either of the parts houses walk in with their registration in their hand because they don't know what model of car they have or don't speak enough English or clear enough Spanish to communicate with the the counter person. Even when you have a fair to middling counter person the have a hard time figuring out exactly what the customer wants a fair portion of the time.

 

AutoZoned.
CarQuestions
AdvancedAlzheimer's
NotAblePartsAlways
PoopBoys

Nope, I don't have a smart-assed one for O'Reilly's.

For me, the local NAPA stores and the O'Reilly's stores are the best, so far as chains go. The others...no.

 

I get the same response when I ask for parts for my 58 Edsel...they say, "who makes that?" and I tell them Edsel makes Edsel. And they look at me with a blank stare.

 

the o'rielys here hires idiots. unbelievable. I think the boxboy at the grocery store would be a beter pick

 

That's the way to do it.

You can use their search engines just as well or better than they can.

 

A th400 will wrok fine with type f ford fluid, you can even run half type f and half dex three. Old trans dont care new ones do.
If you know who to talk to you can get parts you need at auto zone and other box stores. I never try to explain what I am doing, I tell them what the part could have came from for there computer.

 

Ummmm/ Didn't Ford actually manufacture the Edsel?

 

5

4

3

2

1

 

I didnt notice if Canadian Tire is on this thread but they are the worst up here in Canada....other Canuks will know exactly what I mean

 

^
X2!

Owning a package store I know what it's like to work behind a cash register with the public.. You're damn near ALWAYS wrong.. This thread has had me crackin up though!

 

Just ask them for a thermostat for a 1961 VW Beetle. That will mess their day up.

 

My local NAPA has a gem of a parts guy behind the counter...George is all tuned in to points, carburators, 9" Ford Gaskets, etc....It's a pleasure going in there and doing business with a guy who knows his stuff...these other auto stores have no competition for George with the younger guys they hire...if those young kids knew what George forgot, they would do just fine.

 

Did you work at autozone?.......... because VW aircooled beetle did have a thermostat.

 

Yes, the parts store is a festering cess pool of stupidity. They have to hire the morons because all the "smart" people are busy deciding how many air bags to install into the tail lights on the latest shitbox coming out.

 

OReally's?

 

Should've scared him by asking to talk to the manager after that comment for turning away business.

 

Ford did manufacture the Edel but Edsel was it's own make.

 

I went to O'reilly's for some tubing to bleed my brakes. The counterman couldn't understand "BLEEDING" brakes, and came back with some black vacuum tubing.

 

My local Autozne is useless even when I have special ordered parts and had them shipped to store they seem to loose them.

I have an OReilly's though that are excellent they have an older assistant manager that knows his stuff and if he can't find a match on the computer he will pull out the paper catalogs and parts interchange manuals. Got my 40 Ford brake parts there that I am using on my Model A. Also they let me out the back when ever I am looking for weird shaped radiator hoses etc.

When ever I go in its always what car are you working on today?

Cannot ask for better service.

 

You know you are old if you can remember when you use to be able to go to an auto parts store not knowing shit from Shinola about what you needed to fix your car problem, but you knew the guys at the parts store would probably be able to figure it out and hand you what you needed.

Anybody here remember those days? Well, if you don't don't make excuses for the lame crap they call auto parts stores these days. Believe it or not, that is how it use to be. Not just auto parts either, most anything.

 

Around here the customers know the difference, Vatazone at 10am on a Saturday is empty, with the employee's moping around and stocking shelves. The NAPA on the other side of town was hopping, with the 6 counter guys where all helping someone while a couple people waited in line. The difference you ask? This NAPA stared out in the 60's as an independent chain, and their counter help know what they are doing. Ask the 20 year old kid for the price of a 6 volt battery, and he'll start muttering about how he can never remember the part number.

 

To the original poster of this thread: You poke at their abilities while you struggle to get your motor to fire?

 

If you really want to mess with them, ask for spark plugs for a '78 Dodge D150 with a 4.0 6-cylinder. I used to call around doing so when I sold parts. The 4.0 is a Mitsubishi Diesel that was offered but rarely bought, and nobody's heard of it!

Eli

 

I worked part time an Shucks auto supply store up here in Washington when I was 17/18, that was back in 77 and 78. I was the young newby, the rest of the staff had been in auto parts for a long time.

I remember my first day. Some guy slammed a set of points on the counter and just looked at me. I had no idea what they were for lol. He just got this disgusted look on his face and asked for someone else to help. One of the other guys walked to the back and came out with the correct part. The old guy (prolly my age now lol) just shook his head at me and paid for his points.

It didn't take long to get good at just looking at a part and know what it was without having to ask or look it up. Ahhh, the good ol days =)

 

How the Hell did ya find some one willing to work?or wanting to help?

 

It's good to see somebody know their stuff!

 

Is that where you got the bad set of points?

 

NAPA is No Auto Parts Available.

 

I hit The Baxter's Auto Parts here in T-town ( Rusty takes good care of me) He will take his time to find the correct part ( The NAPA guy couldn't get the correct temp light switch for my Pontiac... I told him two prong switch , with cold and hot light in dash... Kept on telling me it's gauge( I gave up ) ... 7-10 days on a engine gasket set for a Pontiac 400... wow

 

one of the first times i walked into the local advanced auto was to see if they had a 12v bulb to replace the 6v licenceplate light bulb in my 50 (doing my 12 vconversion)

the counter guy i asked owns and regularly drives a beautiful dark green 46 ford coupe with what he claims is a holman and moody flathead init (or maybe it was a rousch) cant remember at the momment

he looked at me and laughed and said we dont have 6v bulbs anymore when i explained what i was doing (hes an older guy early 60's) he looked at me(42) and said YOU! have a 50 ford with aflathead in it???? and i said yes i do then he got me the bulb that i needed

now when i go in there and hes there he usually says theres that flathead forever guy again