What's the dumbest thing you've heard at a parts store?

"We dont have it"

as you point to it hanging on the wall behind the guy

 

How long `til your part of Canada switches to English??????

 

I always warn the poor bastard that I'm about to take him on a wild goose chase. A little humor goes a long way. When the kid behind the counter knows that you realize you're goin' to be a pain in the ass things ussually go pretty smooth. Like what was said earlier their bread and butter is not our old junk and I bet most of those guys know the modern stuff aswell or better than most of us know the old.

 

KILL THIS THREAD. Some of You FNG's need to wheel on down the road.

 

hahaha

 

One nice thing with Advance Auto, it will tell you what stores have the part in stock, so usually you can just go in and get it.

But you have to outsmart the computers. Someone mentioned how the 88-up Chevy pickups have different filters - Advance doesn't list the cheap brand brake shoes for 88-91 1500 Suburbans, but they show 'em for an '87 pickup. Same damn thing. They don't show that they have brake shoes for 51-54 Chevy, but they do show them for 55-58. Again, same thing. And so on.

Rock Auto has the best online lookup, but if the tax is cheaper than the shipping will be I cross-reference it to someplace local and see if the savings on price is worth it. And they aren't perfect. I managed to order a Y-pipe they said would fit my van, that didn't fit. They dicked me on returning it, so I ordered the other brand, too, knowing it wouldn't fit, and made them eat the $40 or so FedEx to return the second one. Then I went out and changed both manifolds so I could use the first one.

 

that's a solid tactic and one i employ myself as much as possible.

 

The dumbest thing I have heard in a parts store???

I hear it several times a day: "Why do you need to know the tag number, the kits are all the same".

The line changes when the customer is told the kit is not returnable.

Jon.

 

I go looking for the new guy, the other guys sit back and watch and laugh knowing I'm about to see if this new guy is a parts guy, or temporary help.

 

If you shut your cock sucker. You wouldent be able to shit.

 

Recently told by napa all they have SAE impact drivers and that they dont stock metric and wondered if that would work. Same store that claims a right hand thread lug nut is non standard and has no clue what a bearing set is (ie set 20 ford bearings).

 

another recent DUMB customer.....a shop calls for a serpentine belt for a chevy pickup and the mechanic absolutely could not tell me if it had air conditioning or not. even with the vehicle right there with the hood up he could not tell me. all he knew was he was in a hurry and i better get the correct one there right away so he could finish up for the customer. not sure if i would ride in that pickup

 

What?? And miss posting a redundant thread.

Bob

 

The one for the windshield washer?

Bob

 

So yesterday i went to pepboys, i told the kid i needed a starter solenoid for my chevy. He asked what year and i told him 1980, he then asked "for like a 350" I said sure and he disappeared and returned with the correct one. It was junk and doesnt work out of the box. But he knew what i wanted. There is hope after all.

 

Here is one from the other end of the counter.....

I worked at a NAPA store and one time I was at the counter and a girl came in and showed me a broken clip for a door handle latch rod. I asked her what it was off of and she said "1998 locksmith van". Thinking she wasnt that stupid I asked is it a ford, chevy, dodge??? She kept telling me "its a locksmith van they are all the same" like, Im stupid because didnt know that they made "locksmith vans". It went on and on for a few more min and I ended up matching up a clip that would work and got her the F#$k out of the store. It was after taking with her that I realised there are some real stupid still out there. I think she was from a religious camp thats outside of town.

 

My NAPA guy is an old Hot Rodder. He can tell me a LOT more stupid customer stories than I could EVER tell him stupid counterman ones...

 

best parts counter encounter I've heard of happened to a guy I raced with. He was at the ford dealer to pick up his daily driver that was getting new shocks all around. He had been put off a couple times already and was on day 2 or 3 when they told him you can pick it up tonight. He has his wife drive him down to the dealer only to have the service manager meet him at the door and tell him the shocks "didn't come in today" so the car wasn't ready. My buddy is hopping mad and goes off. His wife starts to wonder away down the hall to the parts dept. and asks the guy at the counter for shocks for her car. parts guy pulls em off the shelf and she goes walking back to the service manager with them. Wish I could have been there to see him back peddle outta that one.

 

One of the guys in my club runs a Carquest store. It's the busiest parts store I've ever seen because EVERYBODY that needs a knowledgeable parts guy goes to him. All the restoration shops and anybody that works on old stuff comes straight to him. They don't even mess around trying to go anywhere else, they just know to go to him and he'll have it or can get it. Sure makes it easy to have someone who knows what's up. There's probably 10 parts stores between my house and his store, which is on the other side of town, but I wouldn't even buy a quart of oil from any of them.

 

Something about NAPA guys, they seem to know their stuff. At least more than the other chains.

I've gone in to the local NAPA, looking for a brake booster vacuum fitting and grommet. The guy knew what I was talking about, walked out to my car with me to see the size of the hole (might have just wanted to check out my 55 ) and between the two of us we were able to make something work out of what they had until I could get the right stuff. THAT is good customer service. NAPA is A-OK with me.
AND they still carry the oil filter inserts for my dad's 283 in his 'vette.

 

Napa is hit or miss. Went into one and was able to get pistons for the brakes for my Chevy. But I knew a guy who worked in a 2-store franchise in a small town up the road, that without him I don't know how the place even stayed open. When he quit two major accounts left with him. They'd get new inventory and not put it away, put it in the wrong place, then tell people they didn't have things.

I might even have the term wrong, piston, just the little slotted bar that fits between the master cylinder piston and the brake shoe. Slot end goes on the shoe side.

 

One of the service writers at work told a customer that her blinker fluid was low. He didnt know any better (and hes writing service repairs). Lady goes home and tells her old man about the blinker fluid being low. He calls the service manager up and reams him a new asshole. Manager calls the kid in a chews him out. Bottom line, kid still works there because they wont hire/pay for good help.

 

That's classic. I love this idea!

I think the problem here isn't that the computers are the main/major problem, but the lack of intelligent 'thought' that goes into selecting parts for people. I can understand the idea that the computer asks for lots of superfluous information that we *KNOW* it doesn't need, but the kids working behind the counter need to realize that to order a set of valve cover gaskets for a Chevy 350 you don't really need to know if it has 4 wheel disc brakes or is an auto or standard.

Most of us have a pretty good idea of what we need, and if *WE* assume some of the 'training' of these youngsters, they'll be better parts people when they encounter people like us in their future. If I have time, and the store isn't crazy busy, I will try to run these kids through a scenario that they can learn from such as looking for a 350 oil filter. 95% of them are identical enough to get by, and the main variations are what... short or long, or the oddball for the 4x4. Teach the kid to realize that yes, you can punch it into that computer to find the part number, but take a stab as to what it might fit, and then find the number. I'll have them write it down, and then have them go back and cross reference it - using their computer - to another vehicle of THEIR choice (as long as it is GM) and see if their wisdom improves. Think back to the first time you encountered (if you have) right hand thread wheel studs. Struggle, strain, pull, use breaker bar, etc to get them loose until someone showed you that righty-loosey and lefty-tighty worked on this particular vehicle. Once you learned, you didn't have that problem again.

Now, the only problems I have with parts store counter help is that as soon as I get one trained,they are off to manage or find a different job.

 

I miss the old "speed shops" that were run by car guys!

Now Pep Boys is opening one of these up the road from me on May 15th.

I got to check it out just to satisfy my curiosity!

I doubt they are going to carry much "speed" parts for my 291 hemi!

 

I carried a battery into the Advance Auto down the street. I went up to a guy who was at the counter, doing something on the computer. He was about my age (mid-50s) and I hadn't seen him in there before, so a new guy (at least to that store)

He didn't acknowledge my presence, ask if he could help (I was holding a battery, standing right across the counter from him), or pay any attention at all. He just kept doing something on the computer. The other two employees in the store stood there watching, not reacting, just staring.

After 2-3 minutes, literally, of me standing there while the guy ignored me, I started out the door with my battery. Then and only then did the guy look up from his computer and say, "I'll be right with you." I said, "That's ok, I'll go somewhere else."

I did go somewhere else where I bought a battery and a starter.

Found out later that the jerk was the new manager, who had replaced an excellent manager half his age.

All the good people at that store have either quit or transferred to other stores.

 

We brought in a set of burnt points to match them with the set since the distributor wasn't likely stock and the kid behind the counter asked what they were...

I guess asking is better than assuming but still, GEEZ

 

One time I called up my local Napa and needed to get some prices on different parts for a disk break kit. Different parts from different vehicles 57 T-bird rotors, 92 Chevy Calibers, ect.... I told him what I was doing and just needed to find out if they have them and price. I got half way through the list and he asked me, "Are you a price shopper for the competition." Nope just looking for parts. "yeah right" then hung up on me.

 

'57 T-birds had rotors?

 

sounds like my NAPA buddy. Old countermen can get a little gruf over the phone when there's a paying customer standing in front of them. His tolorance for answering questions over the phone is about 2-3 minutes.