Those crazy auto parts store guys.

[T-Keith]

A while back when I lived about two blocks from a Checker store I went in looking for a washer that would fit a battery bolt. Thinking there was a chance that the counter guy would know I asked him, he said it was 5/16, so I bought the washer and tried it. It didn't work, too small, so I went back and tried asking another clerk, when the first guy butted in telling me again that it was 5/16, I explained to him that I just tried it. He said he works in a shop and can tell any bolt size just by looking at it. Boy was he upset when I handed him the bolt and washers.

Where do these guys get off, being so cocky?

My Father called me the other day and told me his Checker story. He needed a tailgate strap for his 98 Chevy, the counter guy gave him a "universal" one and told him it would work. Of course it is about 1" too long, so he brought it back. The guy has the nerve to argue that it has to work, even though my Dad just came back from the truck. As if to prove his point he says, "I've been a mechanic for 5 years, and I know it will work". My Dad responds, "Well, I've been a mechanic for 50 years, and it doesn't."

Good luck to that guy.

Just because you work at the part store doesn't mean you're always right.

-T

 

[Chris142]

That shivvy tailgate strap is covered under warranty recall.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Oh boy, this is why you like to know the part size/number before you walk through the door.

 

[mechtech]

Parts people are always 100% confident of their beliefs. They are never wrong.
[At your time and expense]
Always do your homework first!

 

[dave1251]

I have not had the problem you guys have had with parts stores. But the last thing I need is a parts guy telling me what will work and what not.

 

[JHZR2]

problem is that sooooo many idiots and know it alls come into these (or really any other stores) places, that eventually, most clerks get hardened to anyone that comes in, as chances are theyre an annoying idiot...

JMH

 

[kkat]

Around here if you want somebody with some knowledge of vehicles you go to Napa, A friend of mine was a manager for an auto parts store and when he quit, the stories he would tell about trying to hire someone with any knowlege of auto parts was unbelievable, If the computer screen didnt display the info they had no idea what you were talking about. he quit after 6 months due to stress from not being able to find any decent help,

 

[kenw]

I dunno. The NAPA guys here seem to talk in low voices on the phone to someone while customers are lined up at the counter, and then disappear into the back room for awhile... I don't want to know who they are talking to or what they are doing in the back room afterwards.


Now, a case of the opposite: We once had a 198x Mazda 323. No matter where I went, the filter books all called out the wrong air filter. It wasn't even close. No way, Jose, esta no bueno.

Every book and even the online lookup searches showed the wrong one. The dealer was the only place you gould get the one that fit.

One day at HiLo (now O'Reilly's), I expressed my frustration and the guy said, "Can you show me the filter?" So I went outside and brought the old one in. He and several other counter guys looked at it and made a few intelligent guesses, and then he went back in the back room and rummaged around a bit. In a few minutes he had a perfect replacement filter. While he sold it to me (for about 1/3 the Mazda price, btw), another guy went back and pencilled in the correct # in the book on the shelf and sent in a correction for their corporate database.


But for a washer I go to a real hardware store.

 

[XS650]

quote:

---

Originally posted by JHZR2:
problem is that sooooo many idiots and know it alls come into these (or really any other stores) places, that eventually, most clerks get hardened to anyone that comes in, as chances are theyre an annoying idiot...

JMH

---

problem is that sooooo many idiots and know it alls work in those (or really any other stores) places, that eventually, most customers get hardened to anyone that works there, as chances are they're an annoying idiot...

 

[TooManyWheels]

When you shop at places that sell on price alone, you will find employees that were hired on price alone. And when enough people do it, as they have, then the pressure spreads to the "good" stores to adopt the same business model.

I'm waiting for a purely self-service auto store.

 

[MN Driver]

I've been to them all. I keep hearing advice that is outdated, incorrect, or downright dangerous. I've heard the autozone folks say to a skinny guy that they thought he could pull his engine out and replace it without an engine hoist. I know the kid wasn't that stupid, but it really shows what is in the head of an autozone employee. I was just at Checker the other day getting a sidemarker light and the guy asks, "what's that", so I say it's the side light that is on when you use your turn signal. He rummages around the shelf and gives me the larger turn signal bulb, I tell him it's actually a small rounded one. He tells me that it's all they have, so I walk behind the counter and type in the cars info and pick the option "Sidemarker light", and he gets furious that me telling me there is no such thing. I couldn't help but tell his manager that he needs to learn to listen and other people can be an excellent source of knowledge. Generally I like to go to places like Fleet Farm where you have catalogs to look up your own parts and don't need to rely on the clerk who can't use his computer. *end rant*

In the end if I want automotive advice I call a few mechanics and ask and I'll verify by asking online if I'm not 100% sure. If there is a descrepancy I can decide on who is right from there, or keep asking.

 

[Slick 55]

TooManyWheels hit the nail right on the head.

 

[55Test]

One time I was at Canadian Tire at the parts counter, and I heard this middle aged woman on the phone to her husband, I assume. She had just bought new tires and was going to store her old ones outside or something. She said to the other person on the phone 'The mechanic told me I can't keep my tires in a garage because it will rust my steel belts'. Uhh, WRONG! 99 percent of the people who work at the parta counter at Canadian Tire only know as much as the computer screen tells them. However, there is one guy, Aaron, who knows his stuff. He ran a garage about 6 years ago but went under and now works at Canadian tire waiting for a position to open in the service bay, so for now he works the parts counter. Whenever I go to get a part or ask a question, I always look for this guy.

 

[Willy_G]

I picked up some brake rotors from an Advanced Auto in Indy, a couple months back. The mgr’s attempt to bump-up the sale was to tell me the cheap one were Chinese steel, and the expensive ones were American steel. I told him I needed cast iron rotors!

 

[T-Keith]

I don't think the prices of parts have anything to do with it personally. The ratio of good guys to bad guys is the same everywhere, NAPA, the dealer, Checker, Mom and Pop shops, you name it. I could give a story for every place in town. I've always said it's the person, not the name on the sign. That Checker, I will never go back to if I can avoid it, there is one by me now just like it. Most of the NAPA's close to me are bad as well.


-T

 

[drive it forever]

Is anyone willing to pay a higher % on the cost of parts if these places had knowagable parts guys?

 

[drive it forever]

I do hate when these places put more emphasis with someone on the phone then the guy at the counter wanting to buy something.

 

[Bret Chase]

well if it's at a NAPA or a Carquest, the person on the phone is probably a shop that spends 10's of thousands a month there. I'd put more priority on the phone too.

 

[GMGuy]

Of course the universal strap is going to work. Universal = must modify to fit. =-)

As for low voices on the phone, thats when they are giving the mechanic his price for the part so the mechanic can calculate his own overhead. Don't want you at the counter to know you could potentially pay less than suggested retail.

Alex.

 

[kenw]

"...As for low voices on the phone, thats when they are giving the mechanic his price ..."

i don't think he calls the mechanics "honey'.....