I consider that to be a good thing.
Lack of knowledge when running an Auto Parts store?
- Thread starter BAJA_05
- Start date
I consider that to be a good thing.
I bought Delvac for my diesel garden tractor. Since a comment was made on me only buying 1 gallon, I was asked what it’s going in. (Although I think he was more concerned on there being enough on the shelf, which is fair.)
I was told Delvac was for semis only and that I needed Rotella.
I was told Delvac was for semis only and that I needed Rotella.
Me too!
I bought some RGT 5W30 at my local AAP and the guy at the checkout questioned why I was planning on putting it in a Subaru? He literally said, "this is truck oil and that is why it won't work." I felt generous that day and explained to him that it was not like RT6 and showed him the SAE seal on the back side. He had this "whoa" look on his face, it was pretty good
Why would you go to an autoparts store, where you expect to try and get something for a low price, and expect their employees to be knowledgeable? At minimum wage they aren't paying those people for their knowledge or experience. It's a result of the buying public wanting the cheapest prices possible.
Some years back, I stopped into an O'Reilly's in the midwest and noticed they no longer carried the BWD spark plug wire sets. I asked who made their Ultima Select wire sets and the counter people told me Federal Mogul, and that it did not matter what brand of auto parts one purchased, they were all made by Federal Mogul because Federal Mogul owned all the parts brands. I replied, OK and walked out.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
I have been run out of auto parts stores for going in and getting a certain thing and it being not for exactly what I am buying it for lol like my dad he is a truck driver and needed a radiator cap for his truck so I went in to get one and the guy asked what it was for and I said a Freightliner truck and he said well then I can’t sell it to you because they are only for cars so I grabbed it and had exact change set the money on the counter and they told me just to leave but not to come back and the part won’t be warrantied if something happens lol. Also bought a Gearwrench socket from AA one time and the guy said now if you use this for anything but mechanic work it voids the warranty and he said if they find out that I did use it for something other than mechanic work then they would ban me from buying tools there lol.
I wrote this before on here but it still cracks me up years later. I was in AZ to get an oil filter and I was looking at the Frams or STP filters and the "helpful" worker was on the floor asking me what kind of car. I told him Toyota. He said, "Oh, you don't want a Fram or STP. You want an imported oil filter like Bosch. Imported cars need an imported oil filter." I said, "But Toyota is imported from Japan and Bosch is imported from Germany." He replied, "That doesn't matter. Imported is imported."
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Dude that is hilarious nowadays all the filters are imported too lol
Two things i've posted before. The look on the parts guys face when i asked for a banjo bolt for my truck. And another time, vacuum hose. He has no idea , thought i was repairing a hoover! He let me walk him to the back of his own store where i showed him the rolls of vacuum hose.
It was like this when I was an assistant manager for an emissions station. The sign said that we couldn't give any emissions or maintenance advice. However if the customer was close or easy to work with we'd try to point them in the right direction.
That reminds me. The ATF cooling lines on the older Corollas are metal and they rust/corrode. Wanted to replace them with hose. Asked the large and in charge guy at AZ for ATF cooler hose. He told they don't carry it and there is no such a thing as ATF hose and to use fuel hose. I disagreed with him so he took me in the back to show me. There on the shelf sitting next to the coils of fuel hose were the coils of ATF hose.
I was once legitimately trying to get coolant for an '04 Forester that had blown its radiator. The kid at O'Reilly told me I needed the coolant for Asian vehicles (pink, maybe?).
I didn't have time to thoroughly flush the system and it had had green in it before. Anyway, a little web searching indicated Subaru didn't go to the Asian stuff until '08. Still, you just can't expect kids at the parts counters to know stuff like this, given what they're paid and the turnover rate.
I didn't have time to thoroughly flush the system and it had had green in it before. Anyway, a little web searching indicated Subaru didn't go to the Asian stuff until '08. Still, you just can't expect kids at the parts counters to know stuff like this, given what they're paid and the turnover rate.
The days of tenured, career 'counter guys' at parts stores is long gone. As a kid, my father always took me to the local NAPA store (Wolffs Auto Supply, back then) when one of the cars needed something. These guys also serviced all the local coal mines (Gillette, Wyoming), and for a time, they were the only game in town. These guys literally knew everything. You never got a puzzled look, a dumb answer, or a wrong part. This particular store also stocked EVERYTHING.....there was a giant warehouse full of parts behind the counter. I got a tour of it when I was a kid, as my sister worked in their office for a while. In 1987, they had a clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing and pilot bushing in stock for a '78 Chevy Monza. Didn't have to order anything for the job. I miss those days. I don't know if wages have changed, or just people's attitudes toward work. These guys weren't getting rich working there, but they cared about their jobs nonetheless. When you find something like that these days, you cling to it for dear life.
You should've told him it was for an El Camino. Imagine him trying to figure that one out.
Folks expect smart, knowledgeable people to work at OReilly / AZ / AAP / Lowes / HD. The problem with that is that smart people don't want to deal with the general public. I've paid my dues in retail, at the airline, and at the parts counter in a GM dealership, and I can honestly say I can't blame them. The internet has provided the tools for us all to help ourselves, so all we really need the guy at OReilly for is to ring us up. I know better than to darken their doorstep before I've already looked up everything I need. It saves time, aggravation, and return trips.
What do you expect, when these places pay mininum wage and no benefits? Its hard enough finding people that want to get there on time, you arent going to get a SAE certified master tech when you pay what they pay. On a side note the O' reileys by my house used to have a retired aircraft maintenance dude (I used to live close to dfw airport) who did know his stuff and was the only guy who knew how to use the brake lathe. I spoke with him and asked why he was working at a parts store, he said to get out of the house and away from his wife
It's exactly what I expect actually! What amazes me is how these places succeed. Long gone are most of the Mom and Pop parts stores, some of which actually had help that knew something!!What do you expect, when these places pay mininum wage and no benefits? Its hard enough finding people that want to get there on time, you arent going to get a SAE certified master tech when you pay what they pay. On a side note the O' reileys by my house used to have a retired aircraft maintenance dude (I used to live close to dfw airport) who did know his stuff and was the only guy who knew how to use the brake lathe. I spoke with him and asked why he was working at a parts store, he said to get out of the house and away from his wife
You get those once in a while at Home Depot too. There's an ex-plumber that works in the plumbing aisle that's great. Knows where all the parts are so all you have to is ask and he goes and grabs it all. I guess he go old and wasn't up to all the work any more.What do you expect, when these places pay mininum wage and no benefits? Its hard enough finding people that want to get there on time, you arent going to get a SAE certified master tech when you pay what they pay. On a side note the O' reileys by my house used to have a retired aircraft maintenance dude (I used to live close to dfw airport) who did know his stuff and was the only guy who knew how to use the brake lathe. I spoke with him and asked why he was working at a parts store, he said to get out of the house and away from his wife
As for the parts counter, yeah, they just want to sell you some parts, don't know anything else about it. I had them pull a code for me before I got my own code tester. Had an EGR code so they wanted to sell me the EGR valve and I declined. Looked it up and it was usually pointing to some other part like the DPFE which was what it turned out to be.
