About done with Autozone

[Finklejag]

Get in the zone, vatozone.

 

[DGXR]

VatoZone is good only for the loaner tool program (often garbage) and recycling used oil & filters. Or if you are desperate and need any part at any price, right now. That is all.

 

[Rmay635703]

I go to Autozone when I need one of my strange overpriced oil filters just because they are near my home.

If I’m already here or aware of a clearance I will stop by. Occasionally luck out.

But ordering “clearance “ online has never worked for me no matter what store (not just autozone) we are talking, it’s either never there or not the price I expected or the wrong item.

So for clearance whether it’s AZ AAP, Walland, Target, etc I only look for it in person and usually don’t devote a special trip

 

[HM12460]

Too much over priced cheap junk at Auto Zone. I generally use NAPA or OEM. NAPA is slipping too.

 

[PF52]

It happened to me at Advance; I ordered some Denso spark plugs online and a half-hour later I got the email telling me they were ready to be picked up. But when I got to the store, the deer-in-headlights guy working there couldn't find my parts or any record of my order on the computer. He went back and forth between the computer and the shelf area about six times before giving up and declaring my parts just weren't there. Then he mentioned another Advance location two towns away, and suggested maybe that's where my parts are since many of their parts get shipped over from that other store. So with some misgivings I headed to that other store.

Of course, at the other store they didn't have the parts either, or any record of my order on their computer. The guy there looked at me like I was crazy, ordering parts from one location and showing up at another. He even mentioned maybe I need to go to a third Advance location which was across town and even further away than this one was. I asked about initiating a Return, so that the money could be refunded to my card (so I can go online and order them instead from Rock Auto). Eventually, he checked his computer for alternative part numbers and found he had NGK plugs in-stock, so he went back and got me a box of them instead. I knew those plugs were several dollars more expensive, apiece, and was prepared to cancel the purchase if he needed to charge me the difference. He must've felt bad knowing I'd been getting the runaround up to that point so he let me have them at no extra charge. Ironically, I got halfway home before I realized he never gave me a receipt.... So their system has no record of my items ever being picked up. I bet in 7 days the money gets refunded back onto my card.

 

[TiGeo]

To me, AZ, Adavance etc. auto parts stores are for going in and buying things, not ordering online. Much better reliable sources out there for that (cheaper too!).

 

[PF52]

To me, AZ, Adavance etc. auto parts stores are for going in and buying things, not ordering online. Much better reliable sources out there for that (cheaper too!).

I only order online there because I can earn airline points, or Speedway points, by doing so. Advance is currently 20 points per dollar (for Speedway points), but occasionally it is more.

 

[2EHA]

car flipper tired of vatozone

more at 11

 

[nthach]

My go-to parts place is the local Monument Car Parts (total old skool auto supply). I was sold on them after seeing Aisin T-IV, Idemitsu TLS and Mobil 3309 on their "wall of lube".

monument and SP Automotive are actually pretty competitive with the chain stores on price and somewhat better parts - the differences between AZ/AAP/OR and the parts houses are blurred. The house brands are supplied by the same house brands but I suspect “binning” also happens - just like Intel and AMD will relegate a CPU that doesn’t pass that tier of testing to the next lowest tier. MAT, Driv, BBB, Gates and many other will have their name brands sold at a parts house and package similar for a house brand. Bendix brakes are also sold under the Duralast/BrakeBest/WearEver brands - the FMSI edge codes are similar. Bosch rebrands QuietCast pads for Aftermarket Parts Alliance members. Wagner and Raybestos rebrands QS/PG Plus for Federated. BBB/WAI supply the rotating electrical for O’Reilly and AutoZone - and sell as Remy for the parts houses and Rock. Standard owns BWD that’s sold at O’Reilly, and is one supplier for Duralast engine management.

 

[Baveux]

Needed an engine drain plug, not in stock at AZ or Advance, but yeah they showed it in stock at O'Reillys so I decided to order online since it was readily available ...so I've received a confirmation that it would be ready for pick up in about 1 hr.

24 hrs later no call to confirm the parts ready for pick, it took them another day to get it ....

if you want my business do not lie to me ...

 

[goofy]

Napa closes too early to be convenient most of the time, and these high priced parts are about convenience, otherwise I would have gone online. Advance is hard to find. It usually comes down to O'Reilly or AutoZone and service is very poor at both, but it depends on the store. It's to the point I wish they would convert to a 100% self service model.

 

[RooflessVW]

Just picked up 4 jugs of Valvoline AFS 10W-30 for $72 today. There's a $5 per jug rebate from Valvoline too.

Autozone ain't bad to me.