Sears 'auto memories'?

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With Sears Canada and (AFAIK) US closing down and liquidating out; thought I'd ask for some memories of their auto parts or service.

At one point, they did a lot of repairs, sold parts, and were a regular part of the 'auto servicing' landscape. In the 'what was your first oil' threads, lots of folks used Sears Spectrum.

Did you get your car serviced there? Did you use their oil and filters? Lets hear your memories!

Sears Canada sold their auto-repair business to Active Green and Ross years ago, and I've had my car serviced by them, too young to have Sears do it. My dad and his friends shopped Sears regularly in the 70's and 80's; they may have had service done there, I don't really know.
 
I think my last experience was a mostly free set of tires cashing in Discover cash back bonus money, getting Sears gift cards at 80% of face value. I.E. $40 in Discover cash back bonus got me a $50 Sears gift card.

Let me see if I can find the post. Stay tuned.
 
I know my Dad would order tires for cars from the Sears catalog.

I think it's a shame what has happened to Sears. I think a retailer could have turned around Sears but it was a financial guy making the decisions and he kept selling off parts and closing stores until there is pretty much nothing left.

I have worked for them twice part time earning hobby money, buying tools at employee discount. The best deals were had by being there several days a week and seeing when something was put out at a super discount.
 
Oh boy, this brings back fond memories of me and my younger sis hanging out in the toy section while Pop was getting stuff fixed at the service desk. Our Sears was darn near in downtown Miami. What great memories.
 
Oh boy, this brings back fond memories of me and my younger sis hanging out in the toy section while Pop was getting stuff fixed at the service desk. Our Sears was darn near in downtown Miami. What great memories.
 
My folks got a Die hard battery 20 years ago and they parked the car in 2nd gear with no e-brake when they were done.

They also went to "Jordan Marsh" (Macy's now) car care when they switched insurance companies; JM was the closest spot to perform the free inspection for hidden damage or whatever.

I remember in the early 90's looking at a display super-cheap tire that was probably the last bias ply available at any price. Had just zig zags for tread like a trailer tire. Wondered who would buy such a thing.

Was following a Fiero that had a wobbly rear tire. Tire came off. Stopped to check on motorist, let her sit it our car out of the rain. She got towed to Sears b/c they were the closest shop. PS the rear axle of a Fiero looks like the front end of other GMs.
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My dad had a '64 Impala with dual exhausts. He went to Sears to get a muffler replaced. They took the good one off and left the one with the gaping hole in place. They didn't notice the problem until backing the car out of the bay.

I used to buy their filters by the case, and yes, I used Spectrum oil also.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald

I think it's a shame what has happened to Sears. I think a retailer could have turned around Sears but it was a financial guy making the decisions and he kept selling off parts and closing stores until there is pretty much nothing left.


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For years my father was a big Sears guy for tires, brakes, battery's and basic maintenance. He used only two oil brands for years Oilzum and Sears spectrum usually with a Sears filter.
 
When I turned 18 i got my first job at the sears auto center by my house. I just lost it cause they closed my store down. I would have been there 5 yrs on Halloween. I moved on to the Ford dealership accross town 2 weeks ago and so far its a lot better.
 
Years ago I would use Sears for batteries and tires.
 
I bought a few sets of tires there in the 70's and 80's, prices where good and for an
extra $10 on top of balancing I could get 'life time balancing'. Turns out rebalancing
tires every 18 months or so kept the ride smooth!

At the time I liked Goodyear 'Vectors' for my Chrysler 5th Ave V8s! smooth runners!
 
Only thing I ever recall about Sears auto dept was their shelf full of Syntec 5W50 SJ rated at $10 a quart!! The stuff had sat on that shelf for so long that the labels were beyond faded and barely legible.
 
Got my very first oil change there. They did a free alignment inspection for me too. Courteous and professional. Place looked modern and prices were great. Closed down 2 years ago.
 
As the story goes, my old man traded a '70 Chevelle with a 454 in for a '73 with a 350 (I love bringing that up). Anyway, the '73 didn't have A/C, so he had it installed at Sears! The evap dripped onto the floor board rotting it out causing the exhaust to catch the carpet on fire. At some point in the 80's I was strapped in a car seat when it caught fire and my Dad put it out by beating it with the vinyl floor mat and getting covered with melted vinyl in the process.

They traded the Chevelle for an Accord DX that also didn't have A/C, and my Mother refused to let the dealer add it, even though it was a kit provided by Honda. My Dad had a K-car with factory A/C so we rode around in that all summer.
 
I have many memories and they helped make me successful ... but while you are all putting Golden State oil in the hearse I predicted a retreat to the small towns where I have spent over $10k with them in the last two years ...
 
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