today i went to try and get my truck inspected, but it failed because my tailpipe is like way rusted out on the end, right where it turns to go behind the spare tire. So im like ok, itll be a quick fix. NOT! first i go to NAPA, where i usualy have good luck finding part for my truck. well i guess my lcuk ran out because the first person i talked to said they never made a truck that needed 2 1/2 inch pipe. what a idiot. then the second guy i talked to wanted to sell me this flex crap that looked a lot like furnace flu pipe and wouldnt hold up to crap. so i grad the catalog sitting on the counter and thumb thru it, i find the pipe but they only sell it in 10 ft sections! 10 ft! i would of gotten that but of course they were out, and could get it in in a few days. So then i go down to PEP BOYS and try to find a piece of pipe about 4 feet long to run straight out of the back, a quick fix to let me pass. they only sell the 2 1/2 inch pipe in little short 18" sections. That would take up too many clamps and look like it belonged on a chebby. So i go next door to the advanced/mieneke muffler shop and talk to the guys working there. Turns out they had a big pile o fscrap muffler and they had a perfect 2 1/2 piece perfectly cut in a 4 ft length. BINGO!!! plus, he gave it too e free of charge. i guess i will frequent mieneke more often for my exhaust system needs.

Does anybody kow how loud a 2.5" cherry bomb glasspack would be on a 351M? they had them at PEP BOYS for only 20 bucks, with would be a big improvment over my crappy old stock muffler.

 

I remember when parts stores were just parts counters. You didn't have to look up your own parts, and when you asked for a gasket for a 9" rear end the parts guy didn't start typing, he just walked to the back and grabbed it, then wrote the torque values on the box for you.
Man I miss those days.....

 

some times your just better off running to the muffler shop and letting them custom bend a new one.

 

I like going in where they've still got a couple of the 'old timers' behind the counter. One guy starts looking it up in the computer and the old guy goes to the back and returns with it before the new one finds the number. What's even better is when the new guy looks through the computer and says they don't have it, and then the old guy says they do and grabs one. Getting harder to find with the wimpy chains putting them outta business. AZ and Pep Boys are great for cheap general stuff, but quality requires a trip to a good NAPA or Car Quest, with some experienced 'Old Skoolerz'.

 

Sorry to say it but you experience seems to be the norm, not just for auto parts stores, but ANY store in general. In my neck of the woods, NOBODY stocks ANYTHING anymore. The standard answer is "We can order it for you and have it in 4-5 days" (assuming they even have a clue what you need).

I have found that is is just easier to order online, wait the 4-5 days anyway, and get it at a price 1/2 to 1/3rd of what a local store wants to do the same.

The WWW is a great equalizer and in time these stores that do not stock items that pertain to their primary business line will go by the wayside.

Dialtone

 

Ah yes, I remember the good 'ol days. Used to be that someone actually had to have some knowledge about cars to work in an auto parts store. Now, they only have to know how to press the keys on a keyboard...and that's all the knowledge most of 'em have anymore.

Makes me crazy when I ask for something like a wiper motor or a power window motor and the guy says, "...what engine do you have?" What the heck does that have to do with the part I asked for??? Of course I have no problem telling him whatever he needs to know (because unlike him, I really do know what I'm doing.) Obviously the guy is just reading what the computer tells him...'cause he doesn't really know anything. Most of these guys wouldn't know what to do with a real paper and ink parts book.

Fortunately, we still have a couple of real good parts stores in this town, with some real intelligent people. Being a "professional" I prefer to deal with "professionals". I don't know why a couple of these chain stores don't just have the employees run the cash register and let the customer punch his own info into the computer, give him a "bin location", and let him get his own part. An "auto parts Wal-Mart" so to speak.

Sorry 'bout the rant....had a bad day

 

luckily around here there is a staff at napa that actually knows how to work on cars. then theres a discount auto, those people are at least nice to me, and try to be helpfull. Autozone, oh autozone. There is 1guy there that holds that place together. Everyone else is usless and they all have attitudes. One time i needed some hose and some guy got bitchy cause he didnt want to cut any. Another time i went and asked where they had a tap wrench at and she had no clue what i was talking about. You know what the difference is between those stores. The staff is at this perticular autozone has always been younger people who are too cocky. Everyone my age seems to be cocky for some reason. All i ask is for them to do their job that they got, if you went and got that job by yourself then dont get bitchy at me about it. ahh sorry but i could go on for a long time about that place

 

Sounds like what I ran into today.
Went to orielys to get a tube of permatex to seal a hose,asked the "Kid" behind the counter he didnt even know what permatex was! He asked the same ******* I ran into before about a headlight assembly for my truck,the idiot wanted to argue about what it was when I had it infront of him. A guy my age asked what did I needed,I told him,he said what aisle,went there and there it was.

 

I have to wonder how much of this stuff you guys make up... I've heard some pretty wild stories... any kid that didn't know what permatex was, would not be working for me...

I bet you guys would love to hear the stories from the other side of the counter.

 

My muffler busted off, went to a Muffler shop(big name, begins with an M and ends in S)they had to replace everything behind the cats. I saw the guy bring in one pipe, a muffler, then 30 seconds later he came out with a prebent tailpipe section. The whole job took 8 minutes and 120.00 dollars.
Don't do your own exhaust, it isn't worth the hassle. Parts shops don't carry the best stuff or the exact parts you need, because there isn't a great demand for that stuff, and it takes up too much space in the inventory.
You must learn what Parts stores are good for, and what they will not have.

Matts, parts stores are full of ignorant help, no wild stories. Pep Boys let a stupid kid stand behind the parts counter one fine day when I was visiting. I asked for a radiator draincock, the kid looked at me and with a straight face said " no we don't have any back here, check the tools aisle".
That kid was in his proper place the next time I saw him, he was running the cash register, with the other squaws.

 

I have good luck at our Napa stores; I know for sure they have 2 ft sections of pipe from 2" to 4", they just may not stock it.

 

The guys that work at O'Rieleys here are good, but there 18-19. Ive known them though for a long time before they even worked there. They actually know alot about what they do. The only bad thing about one of them is that he drives a jacked up Z71 (the older body style). Looks good...but thats all lol.

Thats the only place Ill go, even though I dont like the prices. Ill go in and BS for about 30 minutes and get my part in about 20 seconds. fortunatly though Ive never had any wild stories. I would like to hear some from the other side of the counter thoug.

 

I went to O'Reilleys to price a carburetor. The goon behind the counter told me to just sell the truck and buy something that has fuel injection. I got another salesman. He is still working there.

Back to the subject (!) Break down and go to a local muffler shop... the kind that bends his own pipe. We here in my town are lucky to have a shop like this that has been in business for 40+ years. The original owners son runs it now, and he is a joy to work with. Deal with a business, not the auto parts store. You will have better satisfaction.

 

When I have to go to AZ, I usually find one or two kids I know, either will listen or will at least make an attempt at doing it right. I have brow-breaten a couple of them, and they just listen to what I say and don't ask a bunch of stupid questions.

When they ask what motor, and I'm looking for a bulb part number, I usually say 'amuse yourself, or it doesn't matter'

I would rather go to carquest, or Napa. But, Carquest is only open M-F 9-4, and Napa NEVER has anything in stock., at least Napa matches their website prices.

 

I asked a parts counter monkey at Advance for a choke cable. I'm sure I don't have to explain to yall what I wanted. She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I guess, in a way, I was. She asked another little chippie what it was and she told her not to worry about it because they didn't have any. Try getting parts for a modified car. My Mustang uses parts from different cars. That really throws them off. I've started ordering from online sources or through my local speed shop.