Projects Discount auto parts shocker

Had wheel cylinder leaking on 55 Ford I just got,tore it apart and damn,looks like it had been seeping for awhile so shoes were trashed,I"m trading this car off so I thought,I'd have to order and wait a week on parts,went to Discount Auto,18 year old kid at the counter,explained what I needed,he got on the computer and came back with got them in stock,$17.95,he goes to the back and I"m thinking yeah right,damn,exact shoes,had wheel cylinders in stock too.Then the kid comes back with I"ve got a 3-speed overdrive standard transmission for an old Ford if I know anybody that needs one,I bought the thing for $250 .When things go right for a change it makes you look over your shoulder wondering when its going to hit.I was really inpressed by the kid and told him so.

 

Some days just go the right way...

 

Sounds like you were in the right place at the right time.

 

Nice. There's an old lady at O'Reillys here named Mildred. Went in for flathead spark plugs. Showed her what I needed. Asked what kinda tractor or old Ford I had. Man, if I were 50 yrs older....

 

Some people are good at what they do. They actually have a brain instead of the typical parts-monkey response: "Hmm... it's not coming up, would you like to buy some discount fuel cleaner?"

 

Did you catch his name so when you call or stop by you can ask for him, and then you should call and let his supervisor know what a great job he did so they give him a raise and he doesn't bail out of there and go work somewhere else just cause they paid a little more.

Whenever I get excellent service like that I let the manager or supervisor know In hopes that it will sink in that customer service does make a difference.

I specifically shop my local hardware store as much as i can because of this. He knows his stuff, knows where it is in his store, and knows me, he actually read about my son being born in the paper and congratulated me when I stopped in. Yes, I pay a little more than i would at home depot but i dont have to shop for an hr for a list of 5 things and he has taken very good care of me on items when a return or warranty was needed.

 

I had a semitruck one time that was driving great, friendly to traffic, even sat through an extra light to let an older lady cross the street rather than rushing her (maybe it was Mildred?). Anyway, he had one of those "How am I driving? 1-800-000-0000" stickers on the back. I thought to myself these guys probably get nothing but complaints, so why not give the guy a little praise and I called it. I spend about 30 minutes on the phone with his dispace accusing me of being his friend or relative trying to pull some kind of stunt.

 

Good idea but I think the manager knows ,the kid is ***istant store manager,he was standing there when I got the parts and was talking about a crown that his Dad has,all in all I will start using the store and N A P A can keep there prices and TOYOTA RACE CARS.,just for a kick I called NAPA,they would have to order the parts and the price was $38.

 

My son works at an OReilly's. He is more of a computer nut but all the car stuff I taught him is paying off now! He learned the difference of a srewdriver and a wrench before he could talk! He is the acting ***istant manager cause of the people that don't want to deal with the others there.
Just a proud Dad here, nothing more to add.

 

Sorta O/T, but then again maybe not--
I used to build VWs, lots of them. I had a favorite Mom and Pop store in town, called the OVW company. Usually, the place was run by a lady named Nancy Cerutti. It was funny... guys would come in, and say "I need a wheel cylinder for my 57 Bug" or "Can I talk to the parts guy, please?" and Nancy would say "I am the parts guy, is your 57 early or late?" they would ask "why, all wheel cylinder are the same, it says so right in the JC Whitney catalog" and she would reply "no, they are NOT, in August of 1957, Ch***is ID # !@#$%^&*(*&^%$#@#$%^& (whatever it was) they changed from a two bolt mounting to a one bolt mounting, the one bolt P/N is 113#$%^&*&^%$#$%^ and the two bolt P/N is 113%^&*&^%^&*() so go out, get under the car, and tell me how many bolts you see on the backing plate, not including the M8-1.25 pitch bolt that holds the e-brake bracket" They would do as she asked, and by the time they got back in the store, she had two of each wheel cylinder, the flex hoses, and probably a can of brake fluid waiting...
DAMN that lady was good !!!

 

At our local Oreillys there is a young gal around 21 or so. She has to be one of the best parts people hands down. I know her Dad and he taught her right. You have to just smile when all of the guys that work there come to her for advice and help. I make sure she is the only one that I deal with. She actually knows what a parts book is and how to use it.

 

man you guys are all pretty lucky. i have never had good service. oreillys by me asks if its 4bbl or carbeurated.

 

Does it have A/C? Two or Four Wheel Drive?

 

wow! where at? the ones working on the southside of Indy don't know much

 

Sorry! We are 100 miles south of you! Straight down 37 to a town called Paoli. If you are ever in there, ask for Josh!

 

Brad Chevy: Sorry you've gotten bad service at your local NAPA I have all four wheel cylinders in stock and 12.00 ea for the front and 8.00 each for the rear. And the shoe's for all four corners I can get over night. Lot of NAPA folk here on the Hamb, we are not all bad

 

hahahahaha, I get this sometimes, 25 year old Honda accord, parts guy asks if it's 2 or 4 wheel drive, and if it has an 8 6 or 4 cyl engine, I know off topic but still pretty funny, I also look for something small like a gasket, and I get asked if it has ABS, airbags, etc. It's 25 years old.

 

yea the Nappa store here is great!! It's an old store too, been in the same family since it was new. I'll go there or the Orelies sometimes, I try to avoid unadvanced or autozoned as much as possible. They once refused to sell me an oil filter, I have a remote filter, I told them brand and part number, and they said since it didn't "fit" my car, I had to put in the stupid questions of course, they wouldn't sell it to me. I guess they know more then I do, Lik I said the Nappa is great and the manager at the Oreilies here knows his stuff, some of the counter people there don't have a clue though. This is the same reason I go to the old Ace hardware store for my hardware. This store has been here even before Ace existed I believe, building moved one time, but same family.

 

The Napa store here ****s with a not so good inventory,losts of bling **** ,then I have one store 20 miles away can"t beat the service.Idon"t have anything again"st Napa,I was doing business with them when they were Standard Auto Parts.but they can still shove the TOYOTA RACE CAR.

 

I went into a parts store to get parts for my 52 Studebaker. Kid behind counter says..........."Studebaker? Who makes that?"

*Slap*

 

I got shoes for a '54 Chevy at Advance... some parts interchange far enough for them to make sense to stock.

 

Way O/T, but I just got off the ¨Napo¨ River in Ecuador. Great service, but not a car in sight. Lots of rainforest,though. Now,I´m sitting in a fancy hotel I´d never afford if I weren´t on a tour getting a good fix of hotrods.

 

Being that I work at an autoparts store, on the southside of indy (that I won't name. If you don't see my car, then it really doesn't matter.) I resent that. Now, am I an expert on anything? Probably not. Do I have at least a rough idea of what makes a car go, I'd say.

Also, I know its not an excuse, but after a long day of school, no sleep, and usually closing my store, I'm not exactly in my sharpest form.

I'm not throwing stones at you, don't get me wrong, its just that the blanket statement that people that work at box stores don't know anything gets old fast.

I'm more than willing to learn what I don't know.

 

My dad has a 41 plymouth coupe and was needing brake parts, he went to the local napa to see if they could order them. The guy looks them up, and the total for two front wheel cylinders and a master cylinder was $68.00...in stock. LOL WTH!

 

Why wont you name the store you work at? If you resent his remark, that means you don't think you are in the same group as the idiots he is refering to. If that is the case and you actually do NOT fall into that catagory, then why not name the store so you can PROVE it. Plus if you do prove it, it never hurts to have customers actually asking for you by name.

 

Didn"t mean to start a thread to piss parts counters guys off,just had something good to say for a change,now we got guys standing up for N A P A,some downing parts counter guy,one counter guy that needs a nap,bottom line the trip to the parts store is nothing like it used to be.

 

We just got some parts for the Plymouth at O'reilly worth the $$. Wheel cylinders for Mopar 8.75 for $10ea and a 68 Charger master cylinder for $16. The rebuild kit for the same master cylinder was $30!!

 

Can't remember the last time I rebuilt a M/C or put kits in wheel cylinders, since you can often buy a rebuilt m/c for little more than and sometimes less than the kit, and new wheels cylinders are not much more than the kits. Only down side to it is that the new wheels cylinders are probably made by happy children in China.

 

Sounds like you made a new friend, get him on the HAMB, see what he's building, old school hot rodding local networking can get you most everything you need, remember this is how we built cars prior to mid 90's.
I have a folder filled with names/ phone #'s from swap meets, Ive called guys that I met 15 yrs ago from a note that said Joe - Impala guy, sure enough, he still had Impala's, still running an engine I sold him.

 

I work at an O'Reilly's and I can relate to the people at some stores being clueless. I love when people come in with old cars. Some of the people at my store are as dumb as stumps when it comes to cars and couldn't turn a wrench if they had to. One guy had no clue as to what a flathead was and he is 62. Since I have been at my store, the number of old car owners has tripled. I actually keep some parts(voltage reducers, flathead filters and gas tank sealer) in stock just for them. I tend to do more for the old car crowd than the Honda crowd.