Funniest lines from the parts counter

OLD but I couldn't resist...

If some one else posted already for I havnt reached the end yet Sorry for the dupe

https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-capacitor?q=flux capacitor​

 

Keep in mind that at one time, Chrysler had a line of mid size cars in 2 and 4 doors. One version was domestic and the other was a completely different car made by Mitsubishi. I don't remember which was which, but I don't think much of anything interchanged.

Gary

 

I do work at a box store myself... But run the commercial part

Customer calls for a brake line for a 2001 F350 4X4..
did the question thing to him abs or non, cab and chassis? 4 door? and to top it off manual or auto locking hubs, All those did make a difference on a simple brake line.
So YES sometimes the DUMB ASS questions will get you a correct part.
Wiper blades YES a 2 door and a 4 door can and will have different blades.

It is very trying to look up parts for these new fangled cars especially when the DIY customer does NOT know what they have?
Different brakes for different wheel sizes and or gear ratios. same with shocks on a Tahoe/Denali are they electronic, factory 22 inch wheels z71 package and the list goes on.
Back in the day when you needed a water pump for a SBC the guy asked you short or long ! now its 10 million questions and hoping it is correct. Do you have a 2011 model year car with 2010 parts..

So YES give that NEW parts guy a little break and give the year make model of the part you are looking for as other have said in this thread.

And for all you SMART ASSES that do come into my store and harass the new guys/gals and ask for a muffler bearing for the such and such car... I got one for you $119.95 Thank you

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But, do you have any chrome reverse bumper bolts?

 

I was rebuilding my Bridgeport mill and needed some copper oil line for the lube system.

Went into Napa and asked for 1/8" copper line. They asked what it was for and I said I just need oil line for an oil pressure gauge.

He said "Sir, oil pressure gauges use electric sending units"

At another place I took my rear drums in to be turned off my 80 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup.

I sat them on the counter and the kid said we don't turn semi truck drums.

Years ago I walked into a speed shop. Asked for a set of valve cover gaskets for a rat motor. Blank stare. Old guy came from the back with them in his hand.

 

That's fair. But, I think, most of these tales are about lacking the basic common sense that some parts people seem to be missing. It is partly the computer system that can only find a part when linked to a vehicle, but some 1/8" copper tubing doesn't have the same specifics as left side brakes for a Tahoe with 22' wheels. You probably shouldn't be working at an auto parts store if you don't know what copper tubing is. Frustrates the customers who tell their tales here.

 

Let me rephrase this... Front Brake Hose for the 2001 F350 4X4 Diesel ...

And YES I do know what 1/8 copper tubing is ! Do you want it BULK in a 25' roll or small package of 10'

And if YOU read what was stated it was for SHOCKS on the Tahoe and YES it does matter 22 inch wheels or NOT !

https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/...&fitAttr_10039=Show All&fitAttr_10010=4WD/AWD

^^^^^^^^^ Read dill weed

Here at the red box store even...

https://www.autozone.com/suspension...er=2&filterByKeyWord=shocks&fromString=search

DONT TELL ME That I shouldn't be working behind the counter !

YOU SIR should read what was stated and NOT combine multiple quotes into one person when I didn't even mention one thing about copper tubing !

You are probably still stuck in 1972 when there was only like 2 water pumps for a SBC...
And there was ONLY copper tubing for a oil line and NOT a sensor/switch with a electrical connector. (except for Fords)

It MAKES a BIG difference for parts on these newer cars and YES it matters how the computer is read providing the CUSTOMER gives the CORRECT INFO FIRST !

I bet you wouldn't last 3 days in a busy store before your head Xplodes trying to read the crap that we have to as parts persons today and putting up with the retail retards that don't even know what kind of car they are driving !

So next time you get that NEW pimple faced kid at the counter give them a BREAK
Remember ever one had to start some where you learn from your mistakes.(providing they can retain it)
In todays day and age of the millennium child it is hard to find a person that actually GIVES A SHIT about there job to show up on time and WORK !

 

I have a couple of vehicles that are modified with "mix-and-match" parts. I get on my computer, look up the part, verify that is in stock in my local store - THEN print out the page and drive to town.

I found it helps to circle the stock number, the counter folks almost never see their website printouts.

 

This solves alot of problems and time.

 

How can I help you?
I need a transmission cooler.
We have antifreeze.
I turned around and walked out.

 

Those lube systems were more than likely Bijur. I don't recall if they used "std" 1/8" tubing; or something metric. Quite a few mfgs used the same setup.
Seems I had to make a number of phone calls (pre-internet) to even find a distributor.
We ended up dealing directly with Bijur

 

It's interesting how many of you have failed to link poor pay, and the complete absence of benefits to the inability to hire qualified, knowledgeable staff at an auto parts store.

Bare minimum reward gets bare minimum function.

 

I once asked a counter girl at AZ for a price on a 350 trans for an off topic Chevy pickup. She looked it up and said they had one listed for the application but also had a listing for BOP trans, She had no idea
what that meant. I told her it was for Buick/Olds/Pontiac, she said no one had ever explained it to her and thanked me, so I think there may be some hope.

 

Some of you get really testy about this subject. If it upsets you, maybe you shouldn't read it.

 

Same store, same kid,I was looking for a radiator hose for a car I was building, I used to frequent this store a lot and I knew where they had all there hoses hanging.So I went back there to look at them,the kid comes up and asks if he can help me and about the same time the owner of the store walks by and says he's building a hot rod leave him alone!

 

When I taught high school Auto Shop, 5, 7, or 9 spark plug tune-ups happened once or twice a year, although the odd plug was a call back part, not part of the original order.

When it comes to dealing with people, no matter which side of the counter you are on, you can't fix stupid! On the other hand, it rarely takes more time to educate the ones who are trying to learn than it does to show your ass. At one time we were all Tuner/Hot Rod magazine experts, but we learned and grew until now we are the real experts. If we take the time to help the kid behind the counter learn, he can turn into the guy we need, instead of the "I'm not putting up with this shit" and gone kid. As for the computers, the kid has to deal with the system in place. He is in no position to walk in and change the world. If it was still books he would still need the same info, it would just take longer to find the part number. Remember , today's 19 year old was born in 2000. (Y2K) What do you expect him to know?

From behind the counter, I'd be willing to bet you get more than your fair share of guys still trying to figure out which end if the screwdriver to hold. If you educate the ones willing to learn, you are making return customers. (who will now come with the required info)

 

And you can NOT fix bad information. I come from a world where 392 CID is a small block International Harvester engine. For a 1970's IH engine, the parts books listed the Autolite 303 spark plug, Properly fits the engines from the late 1950's, quickly carbons-up in the newer redesigned cylinder heads.

The IH community has warned about this for over 20 years. Nobody has successfully got the books changed. Today, Rock Auto still lists the Autolite 303 for the 1973 IH 3932 CID.

Garbage in = Garbage out

 

And on the customer side of the counter- Do you have piston rings for a XYZ? How do you put them in?
Some people should not be allowed to watch "those shows" on TV, where everything takes 2 minutes to do.

 

This happens at a NAPA.

Me: Can you look up bearings by dimension?

NAPA: what's the application?

Me: application won't help. Can you look up bearings by application?

NAPA: I need to know the application!

Me: fine.. 1936 6.5ltr Bentley... Do you have wheel bearings?

NAPA staring blankly: That won't be in the computer.

Me: no kidding... can you look up bearings by application?

NAPA: No.

Me: Thanks (thinking: thanks for wasting my time)

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

And for all you SMART ASSES that do come into my store and harass the new guys/gals and ask for a muffler bearing for the such and such car... I got one for you $119.95 Thank you

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[/QUOTE]
Yes, but is it chrome?

 

" Used to be " doesn't matter anymore.
What we have now is the way it is and that's what we've got to work with.

Consider yourself fortunate if you have a parts counter man who remembers how to get stuff done and still willing to do it.

Working on old stuff is an anomaly. We are the

Oh they can, just not that guy or not for you. However, the info is also available to you and if you can get on the hamb you can find bearings by dimension

 

Didn't you know Silly Wabbit that Chrome don't get you home !


But for a Xtra $125.00 I am sure it can be accommodated

And if you are a cheap date... There is the rattle can version $7.49

 

I must be a lucky sumbitch, my local NAPA has some pretty decent guys working there, one of them is a car guy and is into early Fords, bald and some tats but pretty good, the other looks like too much coffee, all day long, and both go out of their way to find old shit for me, we'll do bearings and seals by dimension, radiator caps and thermostats by size, when that don't work we'll go thru shelves to find something. How do you find parts for shit like a 42 Dodge army command car, besides the military guys back east, or a 42 Ford bomb truck, these guys are usually my first choice, then I'll go back east to find this crap.

 

I think I posted this earlier, but my old school parts store hired a young woman to learn the trade, she has absolutely no idea what she sells. So....I've taught her what glow plugs are, how water pumps work, everything I buy there, I give her a lesson on what it is and how it works. The other guys there teach her how to find what I want, I teach her what it does. She will be a fine parts person, and....she's good looking too.

 

I do most of my auto parts buying at a local store (we have 4 in this small town) that my Dad worked at in the late 60's, early 70's and I also worked at a long time ago too (changed hands and store names several times). I get along well with all the employees and owner. I asked one of the fellas, a car guy, for a set of valve cover gaskets for a '47 Ford flathead V/8. He looked for quite awhile until I couldn't stand it any more and clued him in on the joke. When I told him they didn't have valve covers, he got a good laugh from it as did the rest of us. Been several years since that day but he still asks me every once in a while if I have found any yet. In all fairness I guess you could call the head gaskets valve cover gaskets but, nah, I don't think so!

They do go out of their way to get parts for ya. I wish they were on my end of town instead of the other but it is worth the drive to shop there and support them. Thanks for putting up with me Andy, Dave and Dan at Chappy's Auto Parts!

 

Pay peanuts, get monkeys.....

 

Yep. Well said !
When you consider the wealth of knowledge on this board, and that most individuals here have, how can you possibly expect a young person to know what you know.
I find that if you are helpful, you can get a bit further, a lot quicker.
Realistically, most on here know more than even the experienced parts guy.
Now, back to the funniest stories........

 

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Yes, but is it chrome?[/QUOTE]
I need a reverse rotation one.

 

Go ahead and call the Wabbit in my avatar silly. Make my day.