What's the dumbest thing you've heard at a parts store?

well, what about the times when you call or go in with ALL the right info, and still get a crazy answer? called a parts place years ago, wanted a set of headers for a 70 chevelle with a 350, person on the other end looks it up, and tells me, 'no listing for a 350, it's either a 283 or a 400', to which i reply, do you have a set? he tells me they have a set, but they won't fit the 350, as the port spacing was different for a 350.

so, yeah, somtimes you do get a goof at the counter, but like others have said, know what ya want before ya get there, way smoother.

 

I just ordered the gasket that goes between my third member and the housing for my 8". I stated what I needed and told them to look up a 65 Mustang as a reference. The guy was lost. So he asked the other counter guy to come over for help. So I repeat what I wanted. The then proceeds to ask me what the ring gear size is. 8, 8.75, or 9. I stated that I had a 8". He said he understood that but needed to know what the ring gear size is. I just stared at him. Repeated my self yet again. He in turn stared at me.
All I was thinking is how hard does this really have to be. Once they "understood" me. They had to order it. And to think I thought this would have been readily available on the back shelf.
I miss parts guys that know their stuff. I've also noticed that with the newer guys, if its not in the computer, then it doesn't exist. Very rare to see a counter person actually get a book/catalog and then know how to use it.
Does this fit here? Or am I just rambling?

 

A kid came into wise speed shop and asked how much it was to get a headjob on chevy motor.

 

Thats a full service shop,I`m sure they quoted a price and told him where to get one. LOL

 

None taken Doc ... none at all

 

today I neede a headlite pigtail for my 03 suburban blah blah blah from the counter man year?model ? engine ?model / .... click click of mouse sorry man we don't have those .. walked over to the headlite aisle picked out the pigtail for a 9006 bulb and put it on the checkout " hey dint know we had those" it was not in the computer"


oh ya i was a counterman at 5 autoparts stores for 15 years ... quit when computer look up was replacing the books

 

Installed Granada disc brake swap on my 63 Comet, needed one rotor bought the Granada parts from a guy he couldn;t find the other rotor. So I went to AUTOZONE (A.K.A AUTOTARDS) asked for a brake rotor for 76 Granada,the guy then asked LEFT OR RIGHT SIDE ! I could't belive it he swore their was a differance. I left and went to NAPA where the have better people with knowledge of cars.

 

went to autozone to buy some paint. gave the dude 5 ones to pay for it. dude counts it. rummages through the till. counts the bills again. gives me my change. counts bills again. hands me back said bills and reciept. the funny thing is, he was joking around about how stupid his coworker was. i gave the money back while the co worker was watching, just to make him feel like an ass. another time at checker i went in looking for a carb rebuild kit for a holly 4bbl vac secondary carb. i just ask for a generic 4160 kit. the guy said he needed to know what vehicle. so i told him exactly. he tells me this vehicle does not have this carb. we have owned this vehicle since new and this was the original carb. now he wants carb model #. i tell him. he then tells me that this carb does not even exist. i tell him it does. he calls "the warehouse" and starts talking to someone. then i hear "ya well maybe he will just make up another number". i said excuse me? he tells me again the carb does not exist. i walk out to my car get the carb body go back into store throw it at the dude and say what now. he looks at carb body and just says that we need to order it. will never spend another dime at checker or what ever it is now.

 

What gets me about parts store people is that they just don't seem to be able to listen. Whenever I call looking for a part , I speak very slowly and clearly" I need a water pump for a 1984 Chevy Suburban 4WD with a 350 and automatic". After being put on hold while they are searching I get, " was that the right or left front brake caliper ? ".

 

Ahem......I WORK in a parts room.

Somebody comes in and wants an 18" wiper blade or a set of AC 44S spark plugs, I go right to those items. I don't need to know what they go on.

If they don't know anything but the year of the car, then you gotta walk them through the process.

 

One more thing, at my local napa, when you go in there, they stare at you with a wtf look. my grandpa works for orileys. He tells me that the local napa buys parts from o orileys because its cheaper.

 

"My Parts Book doesn't show anything for a '52 Chevy V-8." Now think about that one. From an "experienced" counter person. Get me out of here now!
Normbc9

 

This happened two weeks ago. I went in to get a thermostat gasket for my truck. The guy at the counter says what kind of vehicle, I said it doesn't matter, it is for a 74 500 c.i. caddy. He said I need to know what kind of vehicle (which asking again already makes him mentally challenged) I said it's for a 40 chevrolet pick up truck. He looks at me, and was serious, and said I need to double check the motor because he was fairly certain that wasn't what motor was in it. That equals moron on more levels than I can count. That one took the cake for me! Parts guys are not what they used to be.

 

seems that the learning curve in auto parts salesmen come from..

all parts books ... reviewing the index with pictures and dimensions .

restocking parts on the shelves ... so they know whats in the store..

time .. with a wilfull learning attitude

apptitude to remember what they have learned

computers actually should benifit with proper use afterall the internet is the best info source ever

 

Autozone shmucks asked if my 383 was a chevy motor after telling them my car was a '70 satellite.

 

I hail from across the waters, so on the odd occasion I am in the USA and want to buy something simple from Auto Zone, such as a fuel pump or head gasket, I do my homework and get a generic part number sorted in advance.

It is a lot easier than trying to explain "well, yes, a valve cover gasket for a 350 Chevy, ANY year will do" or words to that effect.


I'd guess a lot of younger people who earn a crust in these parts stores wouldn't know a 350 if it ran over their foot?

 

Me: I need to rent/borrow a harmonic balancer installer tool

Clerk: Uh, what's that for?

Me: Well, it's a tool for installing the harmonic balancer.

Clerk: ...uh... no... I meant is it for the brakes, air conditioning, or...?

 

thats what i heard ?

 

Best put your stab vest on dude.

First post and you never did an intro.

 

Guy walks in and asks for brakes, counterman asks for what car and make. Guy says he wants da bestus brakes dat Rays makes!.

 

" Just a moment, I need to answer the phone"!
I have had to phone the parts guy from the other side of the counter , just to get waited on with cash in hand.

 

Most counter guys here are car guys, but even that's no guarantee of intelligence. Long ago I was at local Nu-Way parts to buy a Pinto clutch cable. The douchebag waiting on me told me "no such thing" as a cable-operated clutch. "Can't be done" he says. Wouldn't even look it up in the book. (This was pre-computer). 10 minutes later I bought the cable from a NAPA store, of all places.

Frank C.

 

customers are just as bad
had a man hand me his car keys and say I need spark plugs for this car ,,,no tag or I.D. nadda car was parked at her house..

another guy says he needs plugs for his truck "what brand I ask?...
he says"they are all the same does not matter just give me 8 sparkplugs " I hand him a box of 8

'will these fit?
why not you tell me they are all the same!


the absolute worst was girlfriends / wives getting parts for the significant others w/o any info and they need to "make the call home ...." make, model, engine , cuz even they did not know "their own" cars make, model,engine""why is my cars parts more expensive than my dad's"

 

Spark plugs seem to be a common stumbling block for the parts jockeys:

Parts guy: "Shouldn't you use hotter plugs for nitrous?"

Me: "I need a set of 8 autolite 3924's."
Parts guy: "What kind of car are they for?"
Me: "Don't worry about it."
Parts guy: "I need to know so I can look them up."
Me: "I know what I need, you don't need to look them up."
Parts guy: "Well what engine is it?"
Me: "They're for a set of edelbrock heads on a small-block chevy."
Parts guy: "What year?"
Me (dripping with sarcasm): "1955"
Parts guy: "The computer doesn't go back that far, let me check the book."
Parts guy walks over to the book.
Me (casually sliding down the counter to the next parts guy): "I need a set of 8 autolite 3924's."

 

a friend of mine, machinist and engine builder, went into the parts house with me, he happens to have a full scale BBC camshaft tattooed down the back of his right arm (pretty awesome piece too, i might add). well, this kid about my age, (23 yrs), who happens to be the guy running the counter at that particular time says, word for word, "Damn bro that is tight, you got like, a whole bone tatted on your arm, that is sick!" My friend, thinking that the lighting was bad, responded, "its not a bone, its a big block chevy camshaft." the PARTS SALESPERSON replies, "its a what?" at this point we exit the store, shaking our heads in disbelief.

moral of the story is, to work at a place that sells parts, all you need is a room temp. IQ, and a pulse. it makes me feel very discouraged that the people my age have absolutely no idea what makes an automobile work. I dont claim to know all, in fact, i dont know much, but i know guys my age that couldn't change there own oil or spark plugs, or at the very least change a tire! its a very sad truth, and I aim to change it one buddy at a time!

 

There's no such thing as a roll of steel fuel line.

Only sticks of hard line up to 3 feet long and rolls of soft line are manufactured.

 

Some years ago I worked in a machineshop specializing in Porsche race motors. After a while, we ventured into VW boxer motors. The single most requested part was a 3/4 race cam, what ever that is. So, I took an old cam, removed 1 lobe (VW cam has 4 lobes) and welded it back together and had it moly coated to look new.

We placed it in the counter window with a tag stating "3/4 race cam, $175".
Would you believe that a half dozen people actually tried to buy it?!?

I should have made more............

 

Unfortunately it seems the dumbest thing I hear at the parts store anymore is "Can I Help You?" because obviously they cant help me, maybe their computer can be of assitance but not them personally. The days of walking in and simply asking for a part without going through the whole year/model/trans/ac B.S. is over. On the positive side of things once in awile you get a counterperson that knows they dont know jack about cars and they will simply look you go in back and look at the premade brakelines and things such as that and just pick out what you want. I know one thing for sure, rockauto.com is much better for me than the hassle of any of the local chain parts stores. Have found my own parts there that none of the locals could find in their computer.

 

always do business with local O'reillies, but was running a hard vacuum line and wanted 3/8 brake line but theirs has that green finish and i wanted to polish it. SO i you across the street to the dreaded auto zone. Need a 16-18 in piece of 3/8 brake line. Dip shit number 1 " what size fittings? Dip shit number 2 Year make and model of car. Gave up went back across the steet and got one from oreillies, just buffed the green stuff off...............

 

You want to hear stupid, just try asking about something for a Studebaker.

I don't even bother going to any parts stores anymore unless I just want some oil or anti-freeze. I get all the pats I need off other Studebaker guys, the Studebaker vendors or sleaze-bay. Got too tired of hearing the first question being who makes Studebaker and then followed with year/make/model BS and finally ending with sorry, nope, don't have it. Really? You don't even have the spark plugs or a fan belt? Not in the computer. Never fails.