I have been quite impressed with the local NAPA store. I've needed hoses, they had em. I needed a belt, they had it. Plugs, wires, thermostat, gaskets, brake lines, wiring, they had everything I've needed for my Buick so far-aside from a fuel pump. The guys behind the counter were super knowledgable too. Just wanted to give a shout out!
Napa is usually pretty decent. I still like dealing with a small local independent parts house. I know who I'm talking to as soon as they pick up the phone.
Aren't all Napa's independently owned? I don't think they have the same chain structure as say Checker/O-Reilly. Always feels local when I walk into mine.
I am glad your NAPA is good. The guys at my local Napa have to favorite sayings, "Never heard of it" and "No". In fact I was in there the other day trying to get some Evaporust and after the guy told me he "Never heard of it" three times a couple guys had to come out of the back stockroom so they could holler "No" also. I exaggerate, but that is what it feels like.
The key phrase in your post was, "The guys behind the counter were super knowledgeable too." That's the main ingredient in a good auto parts store. The NAPA I go to has a variety of counter people, some will only look at the computer, some will only do the minimum when they find out you're looking for a part for an old car. For them it's easier to move onto the next guy looking for the high end part for a 2000 something car. The manager of this store is the best and I try to get him every time I go in. Once I needed a adapter bushing for a mechanical sending unit so I could mount it in my flat head. I was working on the truck over the weekend and none of the chain stores could help out because it wasn't on their computer. Monday morning I went to the NAPA store and asked one of the counter guys, he did his best to find the bushing in the pull out hardware cabinet but couldn't find the part I needed. Just about the time I was ready to walk out the manager walked past with his arm full of parts, ask if I was installing temp sensor in a flathead and rattled off a part number and then nodded toward a spinning display in the middle of the store and said they were "over there". Sure enough, four were hanging from the hook. This guy knows every inch of his store, and is well versed on everything in the store including their paint supplies.
Anyone with some knowledge beats these stupid computer geeks that only know how to punch in year and model car and get you what the screen says. I am sick of them. My local NAPA went out of business because of the cheaper Auto ZOne/O'Reileys etc. Wish I had them back.
I miss the old Champion Auto when we used to have to use BOOKS to find parts....you actually learned about stuff.....amazing how its gone from knowledgeable folks to idiots pushing buttons in the local part stores
We're loosing good retail establishments because of our own fault. It seems that everyone has the Walmart mentality, buy the cheapest. I have seen it both in my private life and my business dealings. My wife insists on going to Walmart for some items because she can save a few cents here and there. I refuse to go to Walmart because I don't like how they operate and it takes longer to navigate through their maze of rows so they can snag you into buying more than what you came for. I want to go in, get what I want and then get out. When buying people don't realize that places like NAPA charge more than the chain guys because most times NAPA stocks better parts, more parts for more cars and more knowledgeable people. It costs money to do all this. I work with professionals (not auto related) who will try to do everything with on line parts dealers to save some money. They complain about the prices that the "Brick and Mortar" businesses charge for their parts. I remind them that the old "Brick and Mortar" business sell a lot better quality parts than most cheap internet sites, have more inventory to handle odd applications and have the experts that can help with any application problems. These professionasl will run to the "Brick and Mortar" businesses the second they run into a problem because they know they can get action but won't buy from them unless they have to. I remind them that these places can't give out tech services for free, it costs money to do so.
i had a 12 volt coil go bad on my 65 caddy on a sunday i whent a pep boy,s all the kid at the counter knew was thier computor doen,t go that far back i then went to 2 more chain stores and got the same ansewr had to wait till monday to get one at the napa got 2 keep 1 as a spare another time i need a new battry for my 50 chevy ( it,s has a v-8 and is now 12 volts) they wouldn,t sell it to me cause they couldn,t find want i wanted in their computor i try to go to napa or indepented stores now
Yea, just about every time i've gone in they've known what i was talking about without even glancing at a computer. I believe every napa is independently owned and all the employees are older car guys. no kids sittin in front of the computer screen. The auto zone near me is the opposite. I think there database only goes back to 1978 or something. Anyway, the guys at my napa have greasy hands and dirty old t-shirts. I dont want to bad mouth the big chain stores but I do know they are losing a huge chunk of there customer base when it comes to parts for older cars. If i had a honda civic and i wanted to put plastic stick on portholes and a neon light up exhaust tip on then auto zone is the place to go!
Same here and they have the same sayings to. The guys at the NAPA close to me are clueless, They never seem to have even simple things. I'm so glad my daughter works for Autozone, If they don't have it she finds it, And I even get a little discount to.
I got a lot of the brake parts for my 48 through Napa, and a bunch of stuff for my 72 F100 when I still had that. Good people. I also like to go to Autozone if I can't get to a Napa. It helps to come armed with the part numbers you're looking for rather than go through the mindless banter with the kid behind the counter.
I guess it varies from place to place. My local Napa acts like they have no interest in helping or selling much of anything to me. It seems they're only there to serve the local garages and dealerships - the complete look of disinterest when I walked through the door was apparent, and to be told they're going to be closing a few minutes and only there waiting for a pick up order was pretty off-putting. I haven't been back since.
I use the local Autozone here and most of the guys are good, and it is on the way to the shop. But mostly for common stuff plugs,paint,etc.. The other parts are crap, who cares if the fuel pump has a lifetime warranty...changed one 3x in 1 month. But what pisses me off about Autozone is they make you wait while they answer the phone for someone sitting on the couch and help them...its not the employees fault, its corporate policy. Yes NAPA has better parts and good service here
Our local Napa stores are drying up. No parts in stock and everything has to be ordered in. The counter guys are the best I have ever had, anywhere. The manager just took a 7,000 dollar a year paycut to keep his job, the second major paycut in the last 5 years. After 30 dedicated years and full of knowledge and experience he is about to lose everything. Schucks and Kragens are busy with high school kids at the counter that wouldn't know a 12 volt coil from a coil spring...cheap ain't always the best.
Im a big supporter of Napa, but the one in my area has yielded no luck. My last trip they didnt stock bleeder screws for a 2006 Chevy truck, they used the same caliper for about 15 yrs. counter guy told me theyve never had em and I'd have to buy calipers. Shit. Found a great auto supply house close to work but far from home, gotta plan my trip to get there.
My local Napa is great they know my car and me and try to keep parts in stock for it.And speaking about the honda humbing crop rocket loving geeks behind the counter i recently applied at a local advance auto parts and was rejected because of a complaint by one of the shit face little dweebs behind the counter because he said I knew to much and I was a show off its not my fault I know what part and part number I'm looking for. Its called being a informed consumer.
I do appreciate ANY parts store that takes the time and effort to at least search for what you need. If the website shows the part is "in store" and you get in your car, drive to the store, walk in and go to the counter. Give them the part number and they immediately respond with "we dont carry those" without pushing the buttons on the keyboard...........Fuck em. I have far more respect for the old timer with the parts catalog memorized, sitting on a stool behind a dingy parts counter shootin the shit with regulars.
I live in a small town in a farming community. Our local Napa and the guys that work there are the best. They know their stuff, use their head, and they're friendly too. The local farmers needing parts for their old tractors and such wouldn't put up with anything less. I've often depended on these guys to help me brainstorm a problem, and they always help me find a solution.
Used to try to get what I needed at NAPA, always been a supporter. Only problem is that they are normally closed when I need what I need. Either not open on weekends or close at 1PM Saturday. Now unfortunately I usually just hit one of the box stores or wait and order it.
I go to NAPA on line, look up the part no. and call my local NAPA with the no. in hand. I needed a brake light switch for my 34 P/U. I knew it was the same as the one on my 56 Ford. I looked it up as a 56 Ford and they had it in stock locally but without the number they never could have found it in the store if I walked in there with the part in my hand. I hate spending more on shipping than the cost of the part.
sadly, the days of real countermen are fading fast. the corporate mentality is take all the money and give as little service as possible. you really cant blame the kid behind the counter, the corps have set policies on how to sell a part, and if you deviate from that, your outta there. i know this from experiance. i had 30 yrs selling parts, i fought for three yrs at a corporate store and was replaced with a 19 yr old girl who didnt even drive. the corps absolutly do not want employees to think. period. we were told "only do what the computer tells you to" if you think the computers wrong, dont THINK, just do". they even have the store managers monitor conversations between employees. i hated every second of it, the whole experiance stunk of a prison camp.
hahaahhha hank! But our napa here in placerville is pretty good. They dont think that i (being 18) no anything about cars so they have tried to sell me the wrong thing before.. auto zone by me is the biggest waste of time in my life. I have found the local grampa's auto parts store by me (c&h auto) is def the best in town. The chain places (auto zone, napa, kragen) all just want to hire people who can look crap up in a book and go get it off the shelf. C&h actually knows what im talking about when im asking them for help.
I worked for NAPA in 1967 & 1968 when catalogues were the ONLY way to look up parts. No one had computers. I also worked for NAPA at one of the three privately owned NAPA stores in Virginia from 2006 - 2009 when I left. Because it is a private store they still had books to use as well as the computer system. Most of the corporate stores either don't have catalogues or don't bother to teach anyone how to use them. This store is located in a farming community and there is nothing like farmer Joe coming through the door at 9am on Sunday morning with the broken starter for his Minneapolis Moline tractor and wanting a replacement immediately. Sorry guy, we actually have to order this one. But at least we CAN get it for you. And in only two or three days. If you need that hydraulic hose replaced we make new ones all day long every day and we have almost every hydraulic fitting known to man in stock. I think (and believe) that NAPA has the best quality of parts you can purchase if you purchase the premium line. If you opt for the cheap stuff you get what you pay for. Our counter staff was excellent; even the younger guys (I'm 60) because they grew up on the local farms and know what equipment is made of. It is difficult to train a person that doesn't know what a spark plug is. Yes, I've gone off the computer and made a part rigid ( brake line ) and part flex (hydraulic hose) hydraulic line for the clutch master cylinder to clutch slave cylinder for a GMC 3500 truck on Sunday because the guy needed his truck back on the road NOW; not in four days when the dealership could have had the part in. You aren't going to get that at any Autozone or Advance, I promise you. Rich
Even our corp. stores here are pretty good. But, we have two large operations, one is local NAPA and one is now a regional conglomerate as well as the corp Carquest store that are ALL good. Not bragging but it must be a midwest car guy thing? And Burger King actually does pretty good on drive through orders as well.
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