Confessions of a parts store customer....

So the turbo brick needed a new radiator. I had to have the car towed because it broke down on the highway. I call up the Autozone closest to where it broke down and they say the radiator is $100 some bucks. I get the car towed 100 miles to my house and I contact the closest Autozone again and they quote me $200. I call the first Autozone back and they said the second Autozone had the wrong part number. I call the second Autozone back and they claim, no they for sure have the right part number and the first Autozone was wrong. So plop down my money because at that point I was just getting dizzy. My mistake for not looking around but Autozone was the closest. They say it will take a couple days to get it. I don't hear back so I call them. They say, "yeah its here, come get it."

So I go to put it in and its the wrong one. Its for a non-turbo.

I take it back. I tell the guy at the counter that I am sincerely not mad at him personally, just Autozone in general. He explains that whoever set up their computer system switched the parts number. He and his coworker give me my money back, a bunch of free antifreeze, a coupon and what was even more valuable, some free advice. He tells me to go down to O'Reily's. He says they will "never say no" lol. I go down the street, they end up having one but its at a different store. I go get it and put it in at night with the headlights of my truck lighting the way.

Never again Autozone.

i had the exact opposite issue. the company i work for has accounts at advanced and oriellys so i tend to shop there. between the 2 of them i sent back 4 sets of the wrong brakepad for my zephyr. even had to argue with the salesman too prove they werent right. next day autozone had me the correct pads and new rubber lines... Now i shop there almost excslusivly for the wagon.

ha. Interesting! In northern Kentucky we used to have a place called Kentucky motors. They were in an old building in downtown Covington. You could go there at any ungodly hour and they would be open and would have your part. Those days are gone.

In reply to plance1:

I would never use a fast foods auto parts store for Euro trash parts, not even VW parts. There are to many good online sources that specialize in getting right the first time to mess with those boobs. For example, in the Northeast & MidAtlantic regions, eEuroparts will often have the parts in stock and in your hands in less than 2 days, for a competitive price. My local NAPA has also been pretty good at getting BMW parts. I often have to give them the OEM part number, but once they have that, they can get it fast most of the time.

The Main parks auto in charleston sc used to be open until midnight 7 days a week.

http://www.parksautoparts.com

Napa Altrom line for import parts.

Oreilly is my go to general purpose parts store though, an Advance with a commercial counter is a close second. I avoid autozone, they have a habit of arguing with me, seems the more covered in dirt and grease I am at AZ the dumber the counter guy I get*, goes the opposite way everywhere else.

*Like that time I walked in covered in mud, melted snow and brake fluid, needing some brake flare nuts and unions, standard GM bubble flare stuff, gave the thread pitch and everything, and the dude walked out with the wrong nuts and a compression fitting, then the wrong nuts again and the wrong union (at least a flare union this time) again. Then he told me "all 3/16 brake line hardware is the same". This is when I started yelling, then a manager suddenly appeared properly fulfilled my request.

That's why I keep a spare turbo radiator in the back of my turboed 245. Actually I think I have a spare everything for that car.

But! Ive become so used to my local autozone (lived in the same place 20 years and autozone was the closest parts store) they knew me by name and never offered me advice but rather asked me advice for their own cars. Now I get pissed at every parts store cause they insist I need some gasket goop for a waterpump that is sealed by a freaking o ring! I dont need that gasket goo just give me my damn pump...anyways.. im done with my rant, for now.

This is the downside of working on my junk after hours, napa and carquest are always closed.

I called autozone last night looking for a coolant temp sender for the mustang. The dunderhead on the phone says that my car wasnt equipped with one. I went in the house and looked it up on their website then called back with a part number.

I do enjoy being able to look up the part and availability online and then go to the store to buy the part. I tell them what I am looking for and after they punch around on the computer for a few minutes, tell them that website says that they have it in stock. Suddenly they find the part in the computer. Happens every time.

I shop retread auto because I order online, apply a coupon for discount, then go pick up about 20 min later.... So far, I have yet to be wrong and much less hassle with brain dead employees.

You know, I worked the counter at Advance Auto Parts in college. I still stand by the opinion I formed then - that the chain parts stores are all the same and what makes the difference is the crew at an individual store. The one I worked did a lot of commercial business. Of the entire staff, I was probably the least qualified person. Most of the others had some level of ASA certification. I learned a ton, and I've never been in another chain store with that kind of firepower.

These days I usually still shop at Advance - it's close and I know their systems. But if I find an o'reilly or Autozone with a really great staff, they become my go-to until they wise up and quit. I will say that around here NAPA >Advance=O'Reilly>>>Autozone for the most part based on who they hire.

We have Auto Zone and Pep Boys and Advanced Auto Parts. All three are great...if you want car polish and neon lights for your ashtray.

As stated depends on the employees.

FWIW Carquest was recently bought out and/or merged with Advance so many part numbers are changing. My shop uses CQ as a primary vendor. Lots of parts quality has gone downhill.

I request OEM whenever possible. I hate doing the same steering rack every freaking 2 months.

Great experience with this outfit. OEM fit, good prices and fast shipping.

Coolest Radiator.com

gearheadmb wrote: This is the downside of working on my junk after hours, napa and carquest are always closed. I called autozone last night looking for a coolant temp sender for the mustang. The dunderhead on the phone says that my car wasnt equipped with one. I went in the house and looked it up on their website then called back with a part number.

sometime i find it easier to just give them a list of part numbers that i was able to find on there website

flatlander937 wrote: As stated depends on the employees. FWIW Carquest was recently bought out and/or merged with Advance so many part numbers are changing. My shop uses CQ as a primary vendor. Lots of parts quality has gone downhill. I request OEM whenever possible. I hate doing the same steering rack every freaking 2 months.

The best part about that buyout is getting Carquest parts at Advance Auto minus online discount code price.

As long as the Carquest inventory is still out there, i fully support that buyout. Benefits me in a big way.

I use my local NAPA store for hard parts.

If they don't have it in stock they will have it tomorrow.

This is a problem around here whether you are dealing with Canadian Tire, Partsource, NAPA or Bumper to Bumper. 99/100 its some sullen teenager with a bunch of facial piercings that does not know the difference between a spark plug and a differential. I called a Canadian Tire to get a new hub for my Sierra 2500, guy at the store, "oh yes sir, we have two kinds, a regular for $50 and a premium for $110".....I thought that was way too cheap but thought, hey what the hell its my lucky day. Drove to said store, and the kid had a bloody berkeleying brake disk sitting on the counter with my name on it!!!! GRRRRRRR Luckily I had the hub with me, with much frustration and anger, finally got said kid to find me one....at the store closer to my house. Sigh....yeah....dealing with parts stores is amazing.

I must have the best parts store around. The Advance by me has some really good guys. They are friendly and extremely knowledgable. My buddy has one on speed dial for transmission problems and when I have a truck problem, I go to a specific guy. A year or so back, one of them left to open a shop and he is the only guy that touches my cars now.

I agree 100% that it depends on the staff at that particular store. Knowledgeable staff help preclude a lot of parts issues.

I worked at Advance for a few months almost 20 years ago. Nowadays I find that Advance and AZ are very good if you want bolt on flash and cleaning supplies. Pretty good if you have an American car. For Euro or Jap, O'Reilly's and NAPA has better quality parts. At least in my experience.

Yup, totally depends on the staff.

The AZ in my hometown used to be excellent, lots of knowledgeable older guys around that the younger counter guys seemed to benefit from. Lately, this store hasn't been nearly as good and there seems to be a whole new cast of characters every time I'm in there, and only the worst of them seem to stick for any period of time. There's one guy who looks like a fatter Dale Jr. who NEVER takes his sunglasses off, even indoors and at night. There's another young guy who just makes me laugh every time I'm there, giving bad advice with his overconfident, slick-talking hillbilly persona (think Joe Dirt doing the gator show.)

I try my best to do the counter guy's job for him, and show up armed with their part number and the exact cost, which usually works pretty well. In spite of this, every once in a while you get a one who just insists on bungling things up. At the AZ store closest to where I went to college, I once spent 20 min trying to convince a guy that yes, I really did want copper plugs instead of platinum for my Volvo 850 Turbo. When he finally agreed to sell me the plugs I wanted, he could not understand why I would want 5 of them...

Seems like most places always have staff that treats you like the Soup Nazi or is a bumbling idiot that will ask you for make/model/year/engine when you are buying brake fluid.

I will agree with others that it often comes down to staff. A good knowledgeable group makes or breaks the service you will get. Luckily there's some decent guys at the Napa and the AZ near me. Most of the time I order online for anything serious or specialized for my car anyway. Like HappyAndy said there are some great online retailers out there for VW/Audi and other Euro cars out there.

I have a 99 new body Silverado. I always get pissed when I tell them 99 Silverado and they ask me if I have the 5.7. No I have the 5.3 and you're looking up the old body truck 1500 not the new body Silverado. One insisted that I didn't know what engine I actually had. At least she was cute.

Stampie

To be fair, much of their bad attitude comes from learning that 99.9% of people who know way less than them about cars. Then you walk in, and you're cast as just another of the same.

Stampie wrote: ... One insisted that I didn't know what engine I actually had. At least she was cute.

I mutter something like that when someone cuts me off, "you better be hot..."