73-87chevytrucks.com
General Site Info => General Discussion => Topic started by: jumpkickyergunt on October 01, 2015, 07:05:15 pm
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but you know you're right and they keep trying to give you the business? Holy mother of God it is the most annoying thing in the entire universe. Like a guy starting an argument with me about how thermostat housing gaskets are different between Silverados, Scottsdales, and Cheyennes. Please don't argue with me about my truck which you know nothing about ok parts guy?
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Ain't that the truth? Lol! :D
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as an ex part guy from autozone. what size engine is it for your brake pads?
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if someone came into our store and asked a question about a bmw i would send them to one guy. if they asked a question about gm they got sent my way. some vehicles it matters about what package it has cause the engine would depend on that. but for no reason have i ever had the computer ask me what package the car was it would ask just whats the engine size and ask for the 8th digit of the vin
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That same guy also sold me a 3" catalytic converter and when I noticed after the sale that that was incorrect (2. 5" obviously) he told me that "it's what it call for" and I had to get back in line to return it because he "had to get out of here". Line was pretty long too. Get back up there to the manager and tell him that his employee is a jackass. Turns out the idiot got the 6 and 9 mixed up in the part number when he grabbed it off the shelf. All that arguing and sneering was absolutely annoying to have to deal with.
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Every freaking time I've gone to autozone (no offense Irish) I've had to school them on something because they try to prove I'm wrong. That's why I go to O'Reilly hahaha.
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Every freaking time I've gone to autozone (no offense Irish) I've had to school them on something because they try to prove I'm wrong. That's why I go to O'Reilly hahaha.
Aw man this was at Oreillys! Haha. Autozone is bad too. Once had a guy there pretend order me some lug nuts. Checked in a day or two later to find out that he never ordered them. I still laugh at the idea of someone pretending to type the order out on the keyboard when you could just put a little more effort in by applying slightly more downward force on the keys. No one can possibly be that incompetent and lazy.
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That same guy also sold me a 3" catalytic converter and when I noticed after the sale that that was incorrect (2. 5" obviously) he told me that "it's what it call for" and I had to get back in line to return it because he "had to get out of here". Line was pretty long too. Get back up there to the manager and tell him that his employee is a jackass. Turns out the idiot got the 6 and 9 mixed up in the part number when he grabbed it off the shelf. All that arguing and sneering was absolutely annoying to have to deal with.
yeah his first clue should of been when he found the part number on the computer he should of asked for your phone number. then when you paid for it normally you dont have to enter in another phone number unless the part youre selling isnt registered with a warranty.
but to be fair the stupidity is sometimes on the other side of the counter. someone might ask for parts for a Plymouth sunfire or tell you its a 3.2 in a sunfire when the only options are 2.2 and 2.4. or they ask for brake caterpillar or cadillac converter.
our favorite is when someone walks into autozone and says i would like to return this part and its in a advanced auto parts bag and box.
even had this one lady tell me her brake line was rusted and she needed to replace it with fuel injection line. i straight up told her no im not selling you that she got upset and stormed out so i called all the other local autoparts stores (i called them a lot so we all knew each other) and described the woman and what she was trying to do.
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I can't give the guy a break. He was trying to get home rather than taking care of the customer. Believe me, I don't like getting stuck at work late, but we're talking about 15 minutes after 5pm at a parts store. It ain't a steel mill. I work overtime and Saturdays in much worse environment and I'm not crying about it or trying to run off when my shift ends. Nobody takes pride in their work anymore. I don't know, maybe I'm too German...
I do admit though that at autozone especially, the employees have to deal with quite a wide array of "interesting" customers.
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I know its frustrating to have to answer 20 questions to get the parts you need, but there is a method to the madness.
Most of these parts counter people aren't going to be experts on every make & model. They are simply typing info into the computer to get a part #.
You know the deal, you have to give them the year, make, model, trim level (as you mentioned), and the engine size.
It may not make a difference on a thermostat housing gasket (as that parts gut thought) but for some parts, it will make a difference.
An example is on the 1980 trucks, silverados had square headlights, base models had round headlights. Same with taillights, some models have the chrome trim, base models don't. This also caries over to the engine compartment. The sending units for the oil pressure & temperature gauges are different to match the gauges on the Silverado as opposed to the dummy lights on the base trucks.
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I think he should just listen to what I say. When I say it doesn't matter then he should say ok and click either one because I can clearly see that there is no Bonanza option on their screen. All the interior packages were listed under every gasket anyways and he's telling me the opposite of what the screen says right in front him. I can't defend incompetence. I would not let him stay in my armored fortress if WW3 broke out. He'd screw something up and doom the whole group.
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Well I haven't been in to an autozone in a very long time and my trips to O'Reilly's have been rather uneventful for a long while too so lately I actually have nothing to complain about.
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Every freaking time I've gone to autozone (no offense Irish) I've had to school them on something because they try to prove I'm wrong. That's why I go to O'Reilly hahaha.
Aw man this was at Oreillys! Haha. Autozone is bad too. Once had a guy there pretend order me some lug nuts. Checked in a day or two later to find out that he never ordered them. I still laugh at the idea of someone pretending to type the order out on the keyboard when you could just put a little more effort in by applying slightly more downward force on the keys. No one can possibly be that incompetent and lazy.
Oh man lol double trouble!
If memory serves me right, I think Irish or maybe it was Engineer, I'm not sure I know it was one of the regular members, had a pretty good story from a Napa store about a year ago, I think it was over brake parts, not for sure tho.
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I remember when they used to say they had whatever it was you called them for, then changed their mind when you got there. It was Jeckyl and Hyde. On the phone, "Yeah, we got that. Come on down." Then when you got there, "Oh... no we don't have that," usually accompanied by a vacant expression. That really cheesed me off.
To some extent I blame the businesses. They want to hire the cheapest person they can find. Then they don't train, so the guy behind the counter only knows to punch keys and follow the script. Try to go into any store and say "I need a filter for a TH400." Even if they know what you're talking about, they'll still go through the script. Parts guy used to be a career you retired from. Now it's just another low wage retail job.
Hey, just be glad you can still get parts for these trucks. My beloved Red Car is sitting dead in my yard because I can't get parts for it anymore.
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a "good" worker will automatically say "let me make sure we have the part" and go check on the shelf. most workers wont mind if you ask "can you verify the part is on the shelf" although i was only a red shirt, i did some work of the gray shirts (management) and i was getting paid more than most managers, which pissed them off when i told them how much i was getting paid. they have a dress code black pants and black socks with black shoes. i would wear my brown cowboy boots and be dipping (really frowned upon and un professional but as long as i didnt spit in front of the store or a customer and kept my bottle out of site. no one complained) but if we had some other big wig come around i would run to the car was section and grab some "back to black" or something like that and give my boots a nice coat to turn them black/dark brown lol.
went to a diffrent store once to get a conversion u joint with my friend who put a 14 bolt under his blazer and the kid said our computer doesnt tell me what u joint so i cant help you. fire went though me, so i "nicely" told him "why dont you get the u joint for the blazer then get one for the 14 bolt then find one that was the same as the two for the conversion u joint". he then said in a crying voice "you know how long that will take?" i laughed and told him "the store is empty you have nothing better to do but sweep the floors. so just do it" i was using a tone i normally dont use and wasnt smiling one bit. he gave me this blank stare my buddys grabbed me and said "c'mon tim lets go." im friends with that store mangier but she normally works the after noon so she wasnt in. i wished she was so she could straiten him out. i even had this one girl who didnt want to work and ended up quitting a week later and she didnt know who i was. but she read some codes on my car and i asked her to print it out she says she cant. i go over to the next computer enter the codes and press print then ask her to hand me the slip that just printed out. she didnt even care that it could be done just wanted to get paid for doing nothing. this was at my old store and me and the store mangier are like father and son, he told me i was like the son he never had lol. but i kind of work undercover for him to see any week links for the new cats.
i could go on and on about stories just from our store even some about me screwing up or when i drove for autozone i used to pick my beagle up and take him for rides with me.
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I remember when they used to say they had whatever it was you called them for, then changed their mind when you got there. It was Jeckyl and Hyde. On the phone, "Yeah, we got that. Come on down." Then when you got there, "Oh... no we don't have that," usually accompanied by a vacant expression. That really cheesed me off.
To some extent I blame the businesses. They want to hire the cheapest person they can find. Then they don't train, so the guy behind the counter only knows to punch keys and follow the script. Try to go into any store and say "I need a filter for a TH400." Even if they know what you're talking about, they'll still go through the script. Parts guy used to be a career you retired from. Now it's just another low wage retail job.
Hey, just be glad you can still get parts for these trucks. My beloved Red Car is sitting dead in my yard because I can't get parts for it anymore.
parts for just about every car in the universe on eBay
What kinda car you got that parts can't be had ?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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'89 Honda Accord. I can't find a prop valve for the SE-i trim level. It was the only year with 4 wheel disc brakes. I'll have to fab a universal one in there and well, that's just another project on my list. Now that I have the Suburban, it's way down the list.
Be grateful you guys can pick up any part you could ever need so easily. I was floored to find all the hardware I need to convert my rear window from power to manual crank within about 5 minutes of searching. It was all brand new too! Man, on the Honda, that would be months of junkyarding. Then when you found it, it would be an afternoon's project restoring the parts to some semblance of usefulness.
#threadjack
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At our local O'Reilley's and Autozone it seems like every other week there is a complete new set of faces behind the counter.
I typically go to the dealer or more traditional parts stores when I need things. At those places I feel I'm respected more because the guys are people I have known for years. I usually only use the retail chain stores for late Saturday or Sunday buys when the other places are closed.
I recently had a LONG OVERDUE visit with a guy I graduated college with. He is now an in instructor in the automotive department at a prominent St.Louis technical school. He says the kids he gets in now have little or no knowledge of cars. Many have done little more than changed the oil on their cars and very few have ever rebuilt an engine or transmission. Few can even explain what an alternator does. He said he has had to change his curriculum so that he can't assume his students have any prior knowledge of automobiles.
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I teach high school mechanics for a living.
In my "Level 1" class, students disassemble, diagnose, and rebuild an automotive engine. They also learn how the ignition system works, the fuel system (both carb and efi), and the cooling system. My lessons and activities are rich in diagnostics and troubleshooting.
"Level 2" learns drivetrain and they rebuild a manual transmission. They also learn brakes, suspension, steering, electrical (including explaining how an alternator creates electricity, and how a starter creates motion - they need to explain where the magnetic fields come from and everything). They also learn about emission controls and how they work and how/if they hinder performance.
"Level 3" learns engine performance, balancing & blueprinting, nitrous and forced induction, automatic transmissions (including rebuilding an automatic), lifting and lowering, and limited slip differentials.
The students who leave my program and head to the college for their apprenticeship do very, very well.
Having said that, they are in the minority. Most students don't care enough to adequately learn the material, and do not seem to retain much, if any, of it.
On topic - my parts guys are really good at just letting me paw through the books and find the parts that I want. Except two of the moved to a different store, and now I have to train the new guys.....
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Skinny-
You are the high school auto mech teacher I prayed for and didn't get. My auto mech teacher was a good guy but was a short timer looking forward to retirement. Despite that fact I still managed to learn a lot. Most of the guys I was in class with were just looking for graduation credits.
I doubt your students will ever know how fortunate they are.
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I can't help but chime in on this, as I've been working for Advance Auto Parts for about 5 1/2 years. I started as a part time driver, and over the years moved into the commercial manager's position at my store. Stepped down from it at the beginning of 2015 (still part time for the discount) to become a service manager at a local garage because of many issues, and I don't miss it. Half the people my manager hires have no clue when it comes to cars, and I'd get asked all the time "where can I find this?" I'd go in the computer and pull it up in seconds. U-joints are always fun... the way its listed in the computer is terrible, so I always just grab the book and look it up there. Never had one come back unless the customer gave me bad info. My co-workers can't understand that though, they insist on fumbling around, grabbing about 6 u-joints, and trying to match them up. Too lazy to get the old book out. People just don't wanna work anymore, and it sickens me. Or management will hire any moron who can say "battery" and they get a job. I hate the scripts they make us do on the phone. "thanks for calling advance auto parts and batteries..." last I checked, a battery is an auto part! I've had commercial accounts laugh, cause they're like "they really make you say that?" I've been there long enough too that I'm brutally honest about our parts sometimes. If its junk, and I know its junk, I'll tell the customer not to buy it. I refuse to sell our reman transmissions. have yet to see one that doesn't die in less than a year. Or Airtex fuel pumps. same deal. Had one guy buy one anyway cause it was cheap, and when it died less than a month later, he came back and said "you were right, its dead already." He's still a regular though, cause I was honest. I know, I could get fired for saying all this, but I don't care.
I should probably stop now though, cause I could write a book on how pathetic the auto parts business has become.
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I went to Napa which I try to avoid at all costs but was right near there, asked for a 45° exhaust pipe 2.5" ID/OD He says you mean a 90°, I say no I mean a 45°. He says there's no such thing, I laughed, he opens the book up right to the 45° pipe page lol Moron...Oh and he owns the store.
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talking about phone greetings. autozone used to have us say "thanks for calling autozone, best parts and prices guaranteed. how can i help you". then you have those little packs they try and sell with batteries, plugs, wires, brakes and water pumps. they have a weekly competition to see who can sell the most then the winner gets a $20 gift card.
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Sometimes I'm really really glad I work at the dealer lol. Our company moto is "The family business that treats you like family".
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One of my funnier was I went into Napa for a PCV valve and gasket for my 2000 Camaro V6
Me:"I need a PCV valve and Gasket for blah blah blah"
Parts Guy:" You mean grommet"
Me:"No, mine has a gasket"
Parts Guy:"grommet"
Me:"gasket"
Parts Guy:"Ok, this is a PCV valve"(pulls up picture on comp)
Me:"Yep"
Parts Guy:"and this is the grommet that goes on it"(pulls up a generic pic of a grommet)
Me:"Nope, mine uses a gasket"
Parts Guy:"Oh, we don't have that then"
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I've shown the old guys at Napa a time or two about parts and how things do exist. I picked up a new master cylinder for my truck the other day and asked if it was their NUP line and the guy says "its a new part"... Well no shoot but I want the NUP line as its better than your economy line.
Another time I ended up with some 18 year old behind the counter who didn't have the first clue about carburetors at all.
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Most of the time I just buy parts by the part number. Keeps it quick and simple. Cross reference part numbers on the interweb if you haven't memorized them. With me I have modified vehicles so even if I did give them specific vehicle information, it wouldn't do much good.
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If you ever have a spare moment... put on a straight face and order a case of engine compression.... 8)
Tell 'em you want the high dollar stuff!
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Years ago I was building a V8 Vega. I needed an air filter that was yeah big by yeah high to fit under the hood.
Them: "What's the vehicle?"
Me: 1975 Chevy Vega, but it's not the original engine, I need..."
Them (interrupting): "What's the engine?"
Me: "It's a 350 V8, but it's not the original...."
Them (interrupting): "There's no 350 listed."
Me: "I know. I'm doing an engine swap and I need a filter that's yeah big by yeah big. It's not the original engine."
Them: "What did the engine come out of?"
Me: "It came out of a Toyota Landcruiser, but that's not going to help you either."
Them: "If you can find out what that engine came out of, ~then~ we can help you."
No filter that day.
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Hahaha. Good stories.
While we're at it, I can't remember HOW MANY TIMES I have taken the old part along only to find out that they can't match it up. The parts counter guy acts like the part doesn't exist despite the fact that one is laying right there on the counter. At that point is usually when the flunkies will exclaim "it's been discontinued" or "that's a dealer only part". Grrrr. The non-flunkies then move from their computers to the books or start making phone calls. It doesn't take long to figure out which type of parts guy you are dealing with.
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Sometimes you get a parts guy, and sometimes you just get someone that works there.
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most the kids working there dont know about the parts books. i didnt at first till one of the managers showed me. then we had to knock the dust off each one.
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i wanted to know if they had the tool to remove the pulley from a power steering pump (cavalier). Not only did the parts guy tell me you couldn't do it (they won't come off) he asked another customer in line what he thought so as to backup what he (the parts guy) was saying----as if this customer is supposed to know about my specific vehicle..........
To which the customer agreed with the parts guy. Again, the customer did not own a cavalier much less a gm vehicle.
This was at a Pep Boys unfortunately.
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they really love it when you do your research before you come in. me and a buddy went to napa and asked for a part the guy couldnt find it and said they couldnt get it. i had the part on my phone, so i asked him if he wanted autozones part number or advances. he said autozone, i laughed and said or do you just want your part number and gave it to him. me and that guy are still talking and we get along pretty well
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they really love it when you do your research before you come in. me and a buddy went to napa and asked for a part the guy couldnt find it and said they couldnt get it. i had the part on my phone, so i asked him if he wanted autozones part number or advances. he said autozone, i laughed and said or do you just want your part number and gave it to him. me and that guy are still talking and we get along pretty well
I showed a guy at Napa once that said a part doesn't exist because it didn't list for my truck. Went to Dorman site got the part number and they had it.
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Best bet is to look everything up yourself first so if they can't find it you can just say, "try this number"
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What I do more than anything is I find it on their website myself, or on summit or whatever site, take a screen shot of a pic of the product with the part #, line code and price, then I just say "I need this" and show them the screen shot on my phone. Of course this only works on product brands they carry but it has always worked. If they don't carry it then I don't even bother, I go to who has it, duhh. Probably why I haven't had any issues in a long time lol...
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I walked into Autozone a couple of months ago looking for a specific tool. The girl runs to the computer. I say "Hold up." She is ready to start typing. I say "What I am working on is older than you and is not in that computer." She says "I bet it is". Me-"Ok I am looking for a ball joint adjusting socket for a 1978 Dana 44 front end." Her eyes glazed over and she says " That is older than me. We can ask one of the other guys." No one knew what I was talking about, so I explained it to them. How are they going to learn if us old guys don't educate them? Anyways I went to NAPA. They knew exactly what I was looking for but did not carry it. I ordered it online from RockAuto.
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While I think it is frustrating when you just need that set of points or a fan belt which you are holding in your hand and the counter person still asks you those "dumb" questions it's been my experience to try and find a ma and pa store that still exists. I have one in my town and when I'm working on my suburban I tend to frequent auto zone or O'Reilly's. But when it comes to my 76 truck or my 66 impala nothing beats the grey beard behind the counter. He knows what your holding in your hand and about the era of vehicle it is from. Not to slam chain auto parts stores, because there are truly some car guys working there. Not just a person passing through on a journey of their life.
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A lot of people bash me for buying a lot of stuff for my 84 from my local speed shop saying there overpriced but I like talking to someone telling them what I'm looking for and what parts will perform better and sometimes even a few installation tips
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Shoot yesterday I took my truck for 2 new tires and they told me they couldn't do a front end alignment because my wheel bearings were bad since he could move the axle shaft up and down...what an idiot...the front axle shaft on a 1980 K-10 4x4 has nothing to do with the wheel bearings..we have some idiots thinking they know about trucks...lol
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I get a few still avoid me and go for the older guys just because I'm 30 and look like it. If its a new face, give them a chance. If they screw up, and wont accept it as a learning experience, then skip over them.
If you are in an o'reillys and getting the blank stare, ask them if they know how to look up another store's number. If they do, have them call the Kirksville, MO store, store 261. Have them ask for Chris. Im usually there, Ill tell them how to find the part, and if neccessary find it for them.
If you are in the mood for a "colorful" conversation, call your local store and ask them to describe a water pump gasket for a 97 toyota tacoma with a 2.7 engine. Be ready to hear most new guys squirm.
Also, ask them in person to order you a part number 121g line code EB, and a 121gmf in the same line.
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Werewolfx13, way to step up and offer to help out other members.
Thanks,
Fitz
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Dare I ask what asking for those parts and that water pump gasket get you? Is that like the secret code for ordering nuclear launch codes?
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ltz the gasket its um....... not site friendly lol the nuke codes well NSA is probably watching now
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You piqued my interest so I looked it up on rockauto. Oh my! Now that's funny! Ha ha ha! If you have a gutter mind it's definitely not site appropriate! ;D
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Well crap now I gotta look it up lol
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Well.......
That was a good mid day giggle....
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Ha ha ha! I knew it would get you to laugh! That was pretty creative on werewolfx13's part to come up with something like that! It makes one wonder why the engineers come up with the designs they do! Was somebody in the Toyota plant bored or have a sense of humor? You can almost make up any story you want to go along with that! But it's still good for a nice juvenile laugh!
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That had me giggling like a little school girl for an hour after I looked at it. Lol
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Ok I just went on oreilly website and looked up those two part numbers. I just freaking LOL'd out loud in the restroom at work!
Freaking hilarious!
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Its a prank played on new hires, much like asking for a water pump for a 67 corvaire. My favorite is when somone from another store tries to prank one of us and gets the wrong part, either wrong motor, wrong vehicle, or the like.
As far as those two part numbers, they are both nuclear related, but in a comical way, especially for those who remember watching a certain series of movies as they came out.
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I figured it was some kind of gag. The part numbers made me laugh! As did the water pump gasket. A water pump for a 67 corvaire is a good one too. I swear the stuff on this site really makes me baw haw sometimes.