laughed at

[Steve P.]

The problem then lies that the ONE guy you can count on moves out of the parts business because he can't make any money at it.. Now we are back to the collage drop outs. Worse than that, the ones with a few brain cells DO go to Mc Donalds because they know they will meat more CHICS there..  And what the hell, the Pay is the same but they can eat all the dropped on the floor food they want.... 

I really loved working the parts counter.. What I hated was the corporate BS.. We had 2 MF-ing isles of air fresheners and thousands of quarts of oil all on display, but until I went against store set up policy nobody in Clearwater, Florida knew we had steering racks IN HOUSE or otherwise..  Oh yeah, we must not forget the hundred or so plastic chrome wheel covers.....  AND the cheapest crappy excuse for hand tools ever seen...

If I could get away with a Mom & Pop auto parts store I would open in a heartbeat.  Problem is the same here as many other businesses today. If you are not part of a very large buying group you can't buy parts at a fair price..  All this Walmart Superstore crap is KILLING the USA...........................

[hemihead]

I've worked both ends of this story. I have worked behind the counter and I have been the one looking for parts.I do know how to use a parts book and interchange Mopar parts between models.I can use a computer.I , myself prefer the Parts Books.But of of you people don't even know the proper names for the parts you are looking for let alone what do with them once you do get them.And everyone is an expert mechanic on the weekend and when they can't fix the car it is always the wrong part( it's not because they aren't qualified to be working on ANY car).
And as for the part of 1 step away from flipping burgers, it's the same as anything else in life, you get what you pay for.You want knowledgable
staff then be prepared to pay more for parts so a higher wage can be paid to the good employee.
On the other side,yes some of these people are very incompentent. But then see above.

[blackcharger]

Save yourself a lot of driving around and make the phone calls first.

I bought all of my stuff at Car Quest.  If they didn't have it in stock, which they usually don't, they'd order it and have it there the next day.

Car Quest is great,my guy can have the parts the next morning. and some stuf is in stock. and it has a lifetime warrienty.

[41husk]

exactly what i was saying steve. The problem is they dont know how to look in a book to find a part number!! its not in the computer so it doesnt exist.

That is so true, I use Oreilly and car quest and at both stores there are a couple guys I talk to that take care of me.  The rest I don't mess with.

[Steve P.]

Come on HH.. If you worked the counter you know damn well that corporate runs the show from the bean counters desk only.. These kids are hired at minimun wage or just above. That is no excuse for not doing the job well.. I climbed the latter fast in every job I ever had due to my wanting to BE MY BEST. The common excuse today is, (THEY DON'T PAY ME ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT)...  That f---ing attitude was my first line of fire. I don't want anyone with that kind of attitude around or working for me. My regular customers didn't want no-loads waiting on them..

I get that you have been on both sides of the counter. I have as well. I owned and operated 2 auto repair shops in Rochester, NY before moving to Florida. My parts house back home was on top of everything I EVER called on. I grew up buying parts from them and used them as a role model when I went to work in a parts house. My numbers went up so fast that the big wigs had an inventory done 3 months after I took over.. They couldn't figure out why my numbers flew up.. I tried to show and tell them, but the air fresheners were more important.. Well, a year later the place was bought up by DISCOUNT which is now Advance Auto Parts. I think they are owned by someone else out West now.. Cragan* comes to mind.

I'm not trying to argue here. It just pisses me off that this country is so polluted with people that don't give a shit. I hear that NOT PAID ENOUGH crap all the damn time around here.. I want to strangle them.. 

[Bluestar]

I worked as a counter person at both ADAP (Now AutoZone) and then Allied Auto Parts (Jobber Parts store) and ADAP hired who they could get but they preferred us high school / college type motor heads.  Allied more or less required you to be somewhat knowledgable of auto parts.  BTW.  When I did it nooone had computers on the counter.  I only used the parts books.  I try to use Allied Auto, but if I go into a Pep Boys or AutoZone and the counter person soesn't seem to know what their doing, I'll just ask if I can look at the parts catalogs to help.  I have noticed that the parts catalgs are now on lazy susans to turn them around.  When I did parts the customer, usually a mechanic, would have to step behind the counter to look at the books.  There are still good people in this business, but when I did it in the late 80's everyone who worked the parts counter was trained to know the parts or at least ask for help.  I remember ordering a steering box for a 1970 Challenger for a friend that he never picked up and then selling it to another friend for $70 for his 69 Charger after it sat in inventory for about 18 months.  I don't recall if it is the same part number, but I assume that it was.

[deputycrawford]

     Steve P. I have the same problem in my line of work. I once had an officer stop 3 burglary suspects. They all ran on him. I was called for "code 3" , lights and siren, backup. Every deputy should be trying to blow their cars up getting there fast enough. I had one deputy that was about halfway between me and the chase but he was transporting a car to the garage for scheduled maintenance. You guessed it. About three of four minutes into the code three run, this asshole drives by me going the other way. He was twice as close, and an officer was trying to deal with three FELONY suspects breaking into an auto repair shop of all things. This piece of garbage disregarded the whole thing because he was not in his own marked unit. He was still in a marked unit that just needed an oil change.   

[SeattleCharger]

 I go to schucks up the road all the time, couple of them know the books.   But for some reason they don't stock lots of things that they always say the schucks at the other end of town has.  There was a girl in there for a year or so that really knew cars.  and the cross town schucks stores, there are two within two blocks of each other, they both have women that really know cars, funny, but, I am always glad to see a women in the store when I walk in and they are the ones I go to because I know they are going to know what's up.  They have helped me a bunch with ideas of what the problem might be, or advice that is really helpful. 
I think the car parts girls are cool, they would make a good girlfriend, too, heh 

[Wheels of Terror]

It all comes down to the employee behind the counter, and most of them that I've met (near me) are idiots.  I know what you mean about getting laughed at, 68chrgrwife.  Or scoffed at, as the case may be, as In "why the F would we ever have that part"?  I've got 5 parts stores within 3 blocks of my house, and of the dozen or so counter guys that I've dealt with, I'd say one of them has better than a 2 digit IQ.  If it doesn't come up on the computer, then obviously I'm wrong about something.  And god forbid you should suggest that a part may interchange from a different vehicle.  If the mere idea doesn't break their feeble little brains, they'll tell you "it's against store policy to sell a part for a different application."  No kiddin.  Heard it twice.  And match a part by size & specs?     As Steve P said, a lot of these guys are just one interview away from flipping burgers.  Once you find a knowledgable parts guy, just keep using him.  It'll save you time and stress. 

If i can't find a part at a store, I go see a local guy who has Mopar parts. I found him accidentally. The parts guy at Advance Auto who is a Mpoar fan told me about him when I was looking fopr parts.

[plum500]

I've had great luck at Napa, Car Quest and Canadian Tire. Canadian Tire, often raises their eyebrows, but, once they check the system, it's either sittin in the stock room, or available from Montreal

Most laughter/WTF reactions I've experienced have been from a couple local Dodge places. Nice. Hehe... if you have to explain what engine enamel is... well... and the other Dodge place, well, I might as well have landed a UFO in their parking lot for all the understanding and service they cared to, or were equiped to offer.

Another local Chrysler place (parts counter), Halifax Chrysler, gets it though, and has been great the couple times I've been there.

[Charger_Fan]

Man, there's more ex-parts dudes here than I knew.

[68chrgrwife]

When I worked at the restoration shop we used Car Quest...hubby and I went to Pep Boys and Kragen and got laughed at then we went to NAPA they had the parts but at over twice the amount anywhere else.  We looked at carquest and they didn't have some of the parts.  It is just a pain.

[SirNik73]

you guys don't know the half of it.... part of the fun of working on the Charger for me is the fact that the parts house HAS my part!

the other car i work on, my Mercedes is like working on and alian space craft. i'm lucky if the guy tilts his head and says "is that for a mercedes?" at least he knows what the part is... and then tells me to go to the dealer... witch is instantly translated in my brain "time to go to pick'n'pull"
last semester my mercedes had a wiring problem. i spent a few hours with a multi-meter, fixed the problem, and then when to install the fuse... damn i was out of the ones i stole from the pick'n'pull... its ok the dealer has a service center down the street... i paid $0.50 for a damn fuse! 

[learical1]

I've been in Dealership Auto Parts for 29 years (Fords, I need something that breaks down regularly to make decent money.)  I have a college degree (B/S Mathematics, Arizona State University).  If you need something for your '65 Mustang, I will look on the microfische (if it's legable) to see if it's still available.  But, after 29 years, I know most of what's still available off the top of my head.  Yes, the computer is much easier to use to look up parts, but it only goes back to 1980, and here in Phoenix, vehicle bodies last forever.  The fische slides aren't replaced very often, and they can be a bitch to read.  But that's what I get paid to do, so I damn well better look up the parts or find another job! BTW, knowing the correct terminology for a part isn't all that it's cracked up to be.  GM may call it one thing, Ford uses a different term, and Mopar yet another.  Federal law changed that about 10-12 years ago, but when you're working on older vehicles, the old terminology is what's in the catalogs.

[69pistolgripRT]

I laugh everytime I try to order a valley pan.

"a valley what?"  They have it listed under filters. I tell them everytime. We spend 20 min. checking everything else first.

[Silver R/T]

I can get most parts at napa or schucks or auto zone, usually people respect when you own a classic.

[smasherofall]

I've been working in auto parts since 1980, I've managed a couple Carquests in Indy, but left because it seems they do their best to take money out of my pocket to line theirs. I actually work at an AC Delco distributor now and make more than i ever did before. Nobody has less than 12 years experience there, and we have 7 guys answering the phones. Computer cataloging really sucks on older cars, and only goes back to 68. you really gotta know the books to get anything right on the old stuff.

[Steve P.]

i paid $0.50 for a damn fuse! 

I had to replace the fuse for constant hot in my 7-way plug. (Trailer plug)..  $4.00.............   I nearly shit myself!!      So the last time I was in the local bone yard I started looking for some replacement fuses in the same style.. Forget it!! I could not find one in the joint...  I guess others have had to replace these fuses too... $4.00 for (1)  20 AMP fuse.

[Chatt69chgr]

I have received an education dealing with parts places since I started the restoration of my 69 Charger.  I have learned to get on the computer first and look at the websites of the big 4 around here:  Auto Zone, O'reilly's, Advance, and Napa.  You can see if they supposedly have the part and can compare prices.  (I didn't mention idiot Pep Boys since they are now just interested in selling off brand windshield wipers, harbor freight tools, and chinese motorbikes----plus, their website won't let you look up parts).  This is just the starting point because just because the part appears on a website doesn't mean that they have or can get it locally.  Example would be Advance.  The website lists Raybestos stuff but they only have Bendix (good but expensive) or an off brand at the store.  They can't even order the Raybestos locally.  Same with ACDelco.  Wanted a starter relay.  No dice on ACDelco locally.  You can also check the big national parts suppliers like Rock Auto and others.  But need to be careful since if you order more than one part and they ship from two locations you pay two shipping charges.  Still, they were a good source for all the Raybestos stuff I needed.  Then there is the independent parts place.  They have access to warehouses that the others don't and will really try to help you find what you need if it can be found----if you can find a good independent store.  But it's true that a lot of what you need just can't be found locally since they only want to handle what turns over quickly.  Then there are the special suppliers like RT Specialties, AM High Tech Auto, Hoovers and others.  Thanks to them or some of the stuff just wouldn't be available at all.  But, all-in-all, it is real frustrating when you go to Auto Zone for a Timken part and they say they don't have it----it's not coming up in the computer and they don't have any books to look at.  So I go home, look the part up on the Timken website on my computer, then look it up on the Auto Zone website and, voila, get a AutoZone part number.  For some reason, the Autozone database I find on my computer is not the same one they have in the store.  So I have to go back and give them their own part number so I can order it from them.  Kind of crazy.  Another pet peeve of mine is that some places can't look up parts unless you give them an application.  Their computer is set up to go one direction starting with make, year, model of car.  It can't look up anything any other way.  And since they don't have books, they can't either.  I guess we can't blame the parts guys since it's probably the bean counters at headquarters that wouldn't know a valley pan from a valley girl that are responsible for the current state of affairs in the parts business. 

Actually, one interesting thing I have found is that when you mention you are restoring a 69 Charger, most of the parts folks get real interested.  They want to know what engine it has, etc.  Then they say how they wish they had one.  I suppose when you look up parts for jelly mould cars all day long that when someone comes in with an interesting car it kind of wakes them up.  I have noticed that at most of the places, there is usually one person that the rest turn to on unusual parts----oftentimes an old guy but not necessarily----maybe just the only car guy there.  They are the ones you always want to try to deal with.  Let the others sell air freshener and off brand oil filters. 

[2fast4u]

We have an O'Relly parts store here and there have been several things I thought would be order only at best, but they had it in store and their prices are really good.

[FastbackJon]

Some of the parts people they hire are stupid too. I asked once for parts for my Barracuda and the guy behind the counter asked if it was a Chevy...