Pearls of wizzDumb from Auto Parts Clerks?

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by VaderSS:
As far as parts that were WRONG, with the response, "That's what I show in the book/computer." Well, I could fill a book...

---

Being a parts-guy for years, I can solemnly assure you that the books have a high level of being incorrect. But...It really takes know-how of the models you're dealing with to give the person the correct part, even though the computer said it was "the right one". A set of one's own cheat sheets help to keep track of errors in the computer's databases. This makes for happier customers.

I was real fortunate to work for a a few managers who were in the industry seemingly forever and knew their stuff backwards and forwards. I learned more from them than the silly computers can ever teach. Altough, it WAS easier in the parts world back then with fewer variables to the equation. Ever see parts books from the 70's? No where near as many pages as there is nowadays. Even still, it takes brains to overcome bad text.

 

[VaderSS]

Oohh. Almost forgot. Take my car to a place that does ATF exchange. Kept an eye on them to make sure that they hooked up to the tranny lines instead of the engine oil lines and saw that they were working on that side. Started talking to the owner of the store, and a few minutes later,

I see them staring at my car with a puzzled look. I walk over and the tech says;
"I've pumped out 3 quarts more than I've pumped in, and it's still reading overfull." I look at the car and realize that they have hooked onto the oil cooler lines afterall. I immedietely run to the ignition and shut the car off.

I asked them why they hooked up to the oil cooler lines when they initially stated on the ATF lines, and he said, "We could not hook up the atf lines, so we hooked up to these." He thought they were both tranny coolers... I then showed them the external cooler, which IS easy to hook to and, after giving me an engine oil flush with 10 quarts of pennzoil and finishing with 6 quarts of Mobil 1, they flushed the transmission the right way. I had a VERY CLEAN engine, and no charge, when I left.

I brought my car to my regular oil change place to have the diff lube changed. They came back and told me that they could not do it as the sway bar was in the way. I did not bother to tell them that jacking it up would move the sway bar OUT of the way. Took it to an off-road specialty shop that knew how to work on RWD vehicles...

 

[medic]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bogatyr:
"Well (with authority), the orange stuff isn't ethylene glycol"
"Hmm, that's strange, why does it say contains ethylene glycol on the back"

---

I'm shocked that the guy even knew what ethylene glycol was.

This reminded me of another story. Kinda

, but it's funny. I had just gotten to work one morning last fall. It was one of the first cold mornings of the year. There was a call for an ambulance for a guy who accidently drank two mouthfuls of antifreeze.

Unfortunatly, this call was for another crew. I kinda wanted to find out how you can accidently drink TWO mouthfuls of something.

Come to find out, the guy had been out drinking all night when his friend called him because his car wouldn't start. He went to help. His friend had just changed the antifreeze the day before and replaced it with 100% antifreeze and no water. This guy knew enough to know that you need to mix water with antifreeze and you can't run it straight - this must be why the car won't start. Needless to say, he tried to syphon it out and drank it - twice! He said it was sweet and he didn't know it was poisonus.

Good news, he was still drunk from the night before and ETOH is the way to prevent ethylene glycol from killing the kidneys until oyu can get to a dialysis center.

BAD NEWS - This was claimed as a personal injury accident on his friend's automobile insurance.

NEVER LET A DRUNK FRIEND WORK ON YOUR CAR!

 

[Bogatyr]

I was at a local parts shop looking for coolant. I decided to put in the Zerex Extreme 5/150 in our Hondas as it's formulation is pretty close to the Honda formulation (ie no silicates, phosphates or borates) and it costs less than the $18 a quart for the Honda half water mix...

Anyway, the conversation went something like this:

"Are you sure you want the orange stuff?"
"Well, I don't really care what color it is, I was just looking for a specific formulation"
"Oh, well, just be sure not to mix the orange with the green"
"Really? Why's that?"
"Well (with authority), the orange stuff isn't ethylene glycol"
"Hmm, that's strange, why does it say contains ethylene glycol on the back"
"Hmm, (sheepishly) I don't know"

Heh.

Bogatyr

 

[GSV]

he tried to syphon it out and drank it - twice! He said it was sweet and he didn't know it was poisonus.

Wow, what a dumbass! The one fluid I won't mess with is antifreeze. There are too many dogs and other animals that come into my yard.

 

[GSV]

I had another encounter today at AutoZone.

I put 6 quarts of GC 0w-30 on the counter and the clerk asked me if I really wanted that 0w-30 stuff.

"It's awfully thin!" - Do you bother to explain how the Xw-XX number is kinda bogus and you should look at the 100 degree C viscosity? Or point out the ACEA A3 rating?

NAH! I'm stocked up enough on this stuff I won't need to buy anymore for at least a year even if I only run it 5000 miles (and I do over 30,000 miles a year)

 

[labman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GSV:
he tried to syphon it out and drank it - twice! He said it was sweet and he didn't know it was poisonus.

Wow, what a dumbass! The one fluid I won't mess with is antifreeze. There are too many dogs and other animals that come into my yard.

---

I switched over to Prestone Low Tox several years ago. Any of the propylene glycol based antifreezes are much less toxic to man and beast.

 

[tom slick]

quote:

---

I was told to get NGK spark plugs for my saturn s-series by a salesdroid because "(saturns) are made in japan."

---

you could really screwed him up and informed him NGK plugs are made in Irvine California USA!
i used to work at a NAPA. it was an old style parts store where they pay their clerks well and they stay working there for a long time. they could get just about any part you wanted from whatever discription you gave them. their computer was just another tool, not the defining answer. there is a difference between the discount stores like autozone and kragen, and stores like NAPA and independant stores. unfortunatly autoparts has become just another way to make money, not to provide a service.

 

[medic]

Next good one - from a guy who thinks he is a mechanic and knows about oil.

Quaker State puts parafin wax in their oil as an additive to make it slippery. They are too cheap to buy the good additives.

And - Exxon just bought out Mobil and changed the name of Delvac 15w-40 to Exxon XD-3 15w-40. Soon, you won't be able to buy any oils with the Mobil name.

 

[rpn453]

I stopped in at a parts store (can't remember the name of it, I was in an unfamiliar city) to get a couple of oil filters and they wanted $10 a piece for regular Purolator filters. Told them it was too expensive and the guy started ranting on to another employee about how I was going to waste so much money in gas driving around to get another one. I wasted 25 cents in gas and drove a few blocks for some NAPA filters at $4 each.

 

[labman]

Is it fair to pick on a Wal-Mart cashier? Long enough ago that they had Quaker State for $.96/qt. and sales tax was 5%, I drop a case of 12 on the counter. She rings it up at over $14. I say, wait a minute. It is scanning at over $13. She insist the register has to be right, the 12 quarts at $.96/qt. is over $13, and over $14 with the tax. After a loooooooooooong argument, she finally scans each individual quart in the case coming up with a much lower total. I couldn't believe that she couldn't see that 12 at less than a dollar had to be less than $12.

At least the dog didn't know enough to be embarrassed by me being such a turkey.

Not much later, I spent time at K-Mart explaining that when they advertised all AC filters at $2, I wasn't paying over $3 for a PF 1225.

 

[steeltoe]

I was at Napa today and saw that none of the products had any prices what-so-ever on them.
Only three things on one shelf had prices and they were all napa products. (I wanted to know about the 3M fuel system cleaner) I asked the clerk why nothing had prices and he said Quote "It's too much hassle". So I thought, well I was going to buy something but it's too much hassle to get out my wallet!