You gotta love peoples "car knowledge"

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I'm not too familiar with the older stuff, but I try.....however, I'm old enough to know better than to go to Autozone, Advanced Auto, or any other national chain parts store.
 
When I was still in college I worked at Autozone (i know) but it was money and i could work after school hours, but none of the other employees could figure out why there would be a line of locals waiting to work with me when they would keep saying "I can help the next person" and nobody would even blink an eye.

Also once had a kid come in with a car problem swearing that he needed this certain part to fix the problem when I said I dont think thats the issue, after paying $100 for the part and installing it in the parking lot and it not being the issue he called for the manager demanding his money back because i sold him the wrong part! :angry7:

I guess they're on both sides of the counter! lol I will say however as soon as I got my job offer even before school was out I quite that hell hole.
 
Just yesterday, I went into an Autozone for a vacuum T for my truck. The "Help" section keeps shrinking to make room for more gaudy crap to jazz up the Civic. Against my better judgment, I asked the kid behind the counter if they had any vacuum T's. He went to his computer and said, "For what car?"
I couldn't take it anymore, so I said, "Any car. All cars," and left. I ended up scavenging the T from my windshield washer.
 
Not to say I haven't had bad experiences, but I have to speak up in defense of my parts guys.......
At my local Advanced Auto, when they are disposing of the magazines from the previous month, if there are any magazines with a Demon on them they hide one behind the counter and I get a present. This is the same store that I went to order some parts at, the parts were going to be there the following day, but I didn't have a ride so I told them it was probably going to be a couple of days till I'd be able to find a way to get up to the store and pick them up. The guy working that day then says, "no problem, I'm going to be going past your house tomorrow when I get off, I'll bring them by." They helped me ID the brake calipers on my car, have found the correct parts for me without fail, and have willingly pointed me to another store when they thought it would save me money. All of this, and not once has anyone been condescending to me, nor have they ever answered my inquiries by speaking to my boyfriend which, sadly, is a common occurrence at other stores.

I also frequent the NAPA at school and the guy who works the counter there is a student at my school. He is knowledgeable and at the same time will not guess if he doesn't know the answer. He pulls the book out and I get the correct part every time without fail.
 
We have 1 "indi" in my area, and I like the guys who work there, but they know a lot more about who's running for mayor than what's running under the hood. We have NAPA, I'll never go there again (I say that every time I go there), O'Rileys, I'd rather get a root canal, AutoZone, That'll be my favorite store if I ever decide to crap-out a civic, and Advance. Advance isn't great, but it's the best of what we have here. The 2 "managers" are great guys, and even if the person at the counter doesn't know everything, he's usually polite about it. You can't get everything from the pull-a-part, but if you treat a trip to the parts store like a trip to the junkyard (know what interchanges) you stand a better chance.
 
I hear you on random morons. Usually I get people telling me how their parents used to have a valiant and how they met their wife in the back seat. The Best one I ever got was this one kid up at my community college told me I had a sweet car but if I installed a cold air intake and a better chip it would run faster in my '70 valiant. I kindly replyed "I do have the best chips in the car, see the bag or Doritos"
 
I have a nice decal on my cozy wing that says' "No flyers please" for car shows and cruise in's. No one ever seems to pay attention to it, because I always have a seat full of them.
the O'Reilly's around here hired most of the guys that worked at the local stores that closed, so they're not to bad.
I was a Mopar Parts guy in a Dodge dealer for 14 years, I learned to hate Autozone. They would call me weekly wanting part #'s for something they couldn't look up. I found out that they could source parts with a OE P/N and then undercut me. I did all the work, they get all of the profit. They got mad at me when I cut off the help and complained to the G/M. Of course he kissed their *** because "they're customers". When they thought they had me by the balls they wore me out. No sweat, from that point forward all I ever gave them was P/N 4797131. Need a timing belt for a 94 Sundance w/3.0 P/N 4797131, need a Lt Ft Wheel Brg for a 05 Ram 2500, P/N 4797131
and on and on it went. By the way 4797131 is a P/N for A/C Evaporators for older Caravans. I was told they brought at least 6 of them in before they caught on to me. But I also would play the game of give you what you asked for not what you need. Had a lot of people tell they wanted one thing but this would work out too. No sweat, when it doesn't work you got a spare. I would jump through flaming hoops to get you what you needed, but piss me off and forget about it.
Now that I'm out of the business, I do give those guys some leeway and try to work with them. I also keep in mind they were to told to up-sell fuel injector cleaner for my Dart.
 
All parts guys and gals ain't bad, the problem is thay usually get what thay pay for in a worker.. I wouldn't work at advance for what thay pay, my local bumper to bumper store is husband and wife owned, the guy bends over backward to help me out, hell, he gives me nos moog parts for the china cheap prices, I can call him up anytime and he'll have a part the next day, bought a wheel cylinder kit for my rat rod and he gave me 2 for the price of the one, their good people, that's why I deal with them...
 
Yeah there are but the problem is, autozone and advanced are putting all the "good people" out of business. They just cant compete.
 
years ago, I called auto zone for a brake light switch for a 70 duster, and was told my duster didn't use a brake light switch, that the lights came on automatically when I hit the brakes, and the new guy at work has a crappy 85 camarro that he claims will run 240 mph in the 1/4, he don't know the time but his speed is 240, it's a v6 that smokes more then I do.
 
mac daddy mopar said:
years ago, I called auto zone for a brake light switch for a 70 duster, and was told my duster didn't use a brake light switch, that the lights came on automatically when I hit the brakes, and the new guy at work has a crappy 85 camarro that he claims will run 240 mph in the 1/4, he don't know the time but his speed is 240, it's a v6 that smokes more then I do.
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He probably smokes more than his car does.
 
AHAHAHA! I don't know what's funnier, the 240 tale or the 4:20 joke!
 
1970PAValiant said:
I hear you on random morons. Usually I get people telling me how their parents used to have a valiant and how they met their wife in the back seat. The Best one I ever got was this one kid up at my community college told me I had a sweet car but if I installed a cold air intake and a better chip it would run faster in my '70 valiant. I kindly replyed "I do have the best chips in the car, see the bag or Doritos"
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HAHA, thats probably the best one i have heard, putting a new chip in the car.
 
I get people calling my Scamp a "Dart" all the time. I've corrected my next door neighbor three or four times, finally just gave up.

I went into the Auto Zone last week for some header gaskets. I told the girl it was for a 360 and she went down the "what's it in?" path. I finally told her a 72 Dodge truck. Then they didn't have any. Went next door to O'Reilley's where I should have gone in the first place. Told the guy, "header gaskets for a 360 Mopar". He immediately said, "I have one set left" and had them in my hands a minute later.
 
I worked with a guy who swore up and down that he had bought a special edition Chevy blazer xtreme that came with a vortec supercharger.....see:

131_0707_06_z+1992_chevy_s_10_blazer+engine.jpg


See, the engine says vortec.....lol!
 
Friend of mine got a job as a lot boy when he was 16, the salesman told him there was a guy coming in to test drive a VW bug and they wanted him to go top off the radiator. Vic said he looked for about 10 minutes and finally filled the washer bottle with anti-freeze.
He had a hard time living that one down seeing how is dad owned the car lot.
 
greendart72 said:
Friend of mine got a job as a lot boy when he was 16, the salesman told him there was a guy coming in to test drive a VW bug and they wanted him to go top off the radiator. Vic said he looked for about 10 minutes and finally filled the washer bottle with anti-freeze.
He had a hard time living that one down seeing how is dad owned the car lot.
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Reminds of a time when a kid attending Cornell came into the store. 18 years old, brand new BMW. Walked in and asked, "my oil change light is on. What's that mean?" Pretty bad when the idiot lights aren't understood.
 
Used to get 20something kids come up to my Dart at car shows, look under the air cleaner, see the 2 barrel and say,"Oh, it's just a 318."
Once saw an ad in the newspaper for a street rod(don't remember if it was finished or a project). "Must hang from suspension", "Chevy 12 volt rear end". Still kick myself for not clipping and keeping that ad.
 
Well I cram my foot in my mouth a lot....but it's not from tryin to show off. I really enjoy trying to help people that much. It's gratifying. I have a lot of general automotive knowledge from turning wrenches for a LOT of different dealerships through the years. It's the specific stuff that sometimes hangs me up....but I readily admit my shortcomings and am humbled by those people on here that are extremely knowledgable.
 
about 10 years ago the guy across the street was building a 55 chevy. he bought a 454 suposedly ls6 from one of his buddys. he finally got it all together and it wouldnt run.i told him i would see if i could tell what was wrong. anyway it had no compression. so i pulled it out and tore it down all the rings were sucked into the ring grooves. he wouldnt buy a new set of pistons so i carefully took them out and cleaned it all up installed new rings and put it back .2 weeks later he says its the fastest car in town now. im thinking yeah right .well we go to grudge night .he runs it and wont show me his timeslip. i found his competition and looked at his timeslip 13.99@101 pretty slow my 70 satelitte with a cordoba 360 ran 13.80 .he got mad and wouldnt talk to me anymore . it was hilarious and i didnt have to hear his bragging anymore. almost forgot guy tells me he had one of those 340 hemis
 
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