...shut its doors recently. Does anyone still have an un-affiliated auto parts store in their town? I know many of them over the years have became affiliates of Giant or PartsPlus etc. but even those are disappearing nowadays leaving the Autozone's, Napa's, Advance chains in their place. Sad.
Last independent auto parts store in town...
- Thread starter sloinker
- Start date
There's a Napa store 2 blocks from my house. The only thing you can get there is oil and do dads. The don't carry even simple automotive items. The last time I was there, I was third in line and the guys in front of me were told the items they wanted, would have to be ordered and be there tomorrow. When it was my turn, I was told the same thing after waiting 15 minutes. I wanted 2 champion spark plugs. So I left feeling I wasted my time, and went went advanced auto. The guy that was in front of me at Napa, went there also. He was paying for what he wanted and we looked at each other and laughed. After all these years I finally figured out what Napa stands for, No Auto Parts Available.,,,
I know of 3 in this area. Agreed, it is sad to see them go and be replaced with these ho houses.
Nope. Last one got bought out by Carquest 20 years ago. Then promptly closed.
Many chain stores are a day out from their main warehouses. The trick is to live near the warehouses that have a storefront operation to boot. That used to be the case 15+ years ago as I lived near three large warehouses in the Puget sound area. Not the case here in Wyoming.
Yeah we have one..... he does mostly aftermarket rims and body panels.
When AutoZone moved in..... independents vaporized. AutoZone was the first "discount" parts store to move into this area. We had one town with a population of 7500 and five auto parts stores. AutoZone moved in, two down immediately... now we got three since O'reily's just moved in with their high prices.
When AutoZone moved in..... independents vaporized. AutoZone was the first "discount" parts store to move into this area. We had one town with a population of 7500 and five auto parts stores. AutoZone moved in, two down immediately... now we got three since O'reily's just moved in with their high prices.
When charm goes it's gone forever.
Small bakeries, fabric stores, hat stores, tailor shops. It hurts continually.
Is it moral to pollute in order to send you 4 pair of shoes so you can select one and further pollute returning the other 3?
And where does the profit margin come from to pay for the shipping in the example above? Just askin'.
Small bakeries, fabric stores, hat stores, tailor shops. It hurts continually.
Is it moral to pollute in order to send you 4 pair of shoes so you can select one and further pollute returning the other 3?
And where does the profit margin come from to pay for the shipping in the example above? Just askin'.
Our last one here in town closed up a few years ago when the owner decided to retire. It was one of the few places where you could tell him what you were working on and he knew cross references off the top of his head for most common stuff. Often times too I want to shop by manufacturer part number rather than y/m/m since I'm using something not specced(i.e. the computers all say to use an NGK BPR6ES in my MG, and that's not my preferred plug). A lot of the chains will look at you like you have three heads if you walk in and ask for a part that way, but the independents usually are fine.
The closest we have now is KOI, which is a regional chain. They work like I expect a parts store to work-there's almost nothing on the sales floor, no buy one get one free on Seafoam, but just a counter with a couple of computer terminals and some cross reference books.
The closest we have now is KOI, which is a regional chain. They work like I expect a parts store to work-there's almost nothing on the sales floor, no buy one get one free on Seafoam, but just a counter with a couple of computer terminals and some cross reference books.
A&M Motor Supply in Los Gatos. Turn rotors, custom made PS hoses. Love this place.
I go to SP Automotive in San Pablo or Monument Car Parts in Pacheco when I need something bigger than a filter/plugs/battery and I don’t feel like going to the dealer or waiting for Amazon/Rock/online dealer. I refuse to buy parts from Autozone, I’ll do O’Reilly but that’s not saying much.
Since Carl Icahn owns Federal-Mogul Motorparts(now Driv Automotive), Pep Boys who he also owns is the preferred outlet for his parts brands. But they also sell on Amazon too - bypassing Pep Boys.
Since Carl Icahn owns Federal-Mogul Motorparts(now Driv Automotive), Pep Boys who he also owns is the preferred outlet for his parts brands. But they also sell on Amazon too - bypassing Pep Boys.
I don't know of too many left around here.
I consider Napa and CarQuest to be a little bit different than AutoZone or O'Reilly. At least around here they're independently owned and operate a lot like an independent. They might have access to a big catalog of affiliated parts, but not necessarily everything.
There was one I liked using called Vic Hubbard. They had several locations but eventually were down to one. That's where I got Redline SI-1 fairly cheap years ago. There was one store in Fremont, CA I found by accident that had almost everything ACDelco. Don't remember the name. But over the years I bought ACDelco cooling tabs and even an ACDelco 51R battery.
I consider Napa and CarQuest to be a little bit different than AutoZone or O'Reilly. At least around here they're independently owned and operate a lot like an independent. They might have access to a big catalog of affiliated parts, but not necessarily everything.
There was one I liked using called Vic Hubbard. They had several locations but eventually were down to one. That's where I got Redline SI-1 fairly cheap years ago. There was one store in Fremont, CA I found by accident that had almost everything ACDelco. Don't remember the name. But over the years I bought ACDelco cooling tabs and even an ACDelco 51R battery.
We have a Bumper to Bumper franchise store and an Oreillys. The Oreillys is used to odd ball stuff as were their largest customer and do mainly industrial maintenance. I worked for a Peterbilt dealership in parts for a while. I was expecting the tape measure and calipers side of parts but ended up in the “computer says it’s NLA” side of things. I didn’t like that aspect. Where I came from and am back at now if you can’t get it you get material and get on the lathe or mill and make it.
Agreed on NAPA(I don't know of a Carquest around here, although I've popped into them on the road). They can get about anything, but the ones here seem to take a lot of pride in hiring people who at least know something and I also find I prefer their house-brand parts in a lot of applications.
The one I used to visit frequently was fun since it was a small storefront sitting in front of the regional warehouse. They stocked very little in the store itself, but instead would have to "order" almost everything from the warehouse and wait 5-10 minutes for it to come down the conveyor. Even though that was a bit annoying, you could walk out with a good majority of the stuff in the catalog without waiting.
They made my day one time when I went in to hunt for a generic electric fuel pump(Facet or equivalent). I went in and said what I was looking for, and the guy I talked to(who knew me) said "Wait a second, I saw something in the back a day or two ago that might just make your day." He walked out with a brand new electronic SU fuel pump(exact fit for the car). Sure enough, it did make my day since I had no idea NAPA would even be able to source one(figured that was a specialty supplier or direct from the manufacturer in England part), much less have it in stock.
Once I lived close to a small parts place that specialized in foreign cars. British and Italian mostly. It was owned and run by two brothers who were both licensed SCCA drivers. It was a hangout for the sports car guys in the area. The aroma of Castrol R was heavy there. I could walk in and walk out with a part for my Fiat.
It was a joy to go there.
It was a joy to go there.
One near me closed down last year, and I said good riddance. It was a father/son run place, but they were known for being rude and condescending, especially if you owned a foreign car.
I've posted about a small, local parts shop in our town before and went past there recently and see that they've closed up.... They were definitely old-school (stuck in their ways), such as only taking cash or checks. No credit cards ! Their Google reviews were pretty good but when you posted the comment above, it reminded me of a review I saw for this shop. Lady went in and bought a battery and was told a special tool was needed and a mechanic has to change the battery. Her husband gets there (with cash) and they sell him the battery and this special tool (no idea what that is though).
In Tacoma the sole remaining independent and family owned auto parts store closed some months ago.
Lincoln Auto Parts.
I used to go there all the time in my earlier years.
