Where did the brains go in the parts counter guys?

its 5.40773112 litres next time they ask.

 

You are my hero Tinman. I was never good at math & I know the parts man will thank you too when I go to the 100 millionth decimal!!!

 

just think of how it will confuse him and how miffed he will be that you are being a true smartass. think of it as karmic revenge.

 

As a peron who has sat behind the counter
Some of the customers ( A LOT ) do not have a clue either.

I work part-time with a friends salvage yard. The other day a grown man ( about 35 or so ) came up to the counter aand asked if I had a bumper for his truck. I asked " what type of truck ? "

He said a BLUE one

We actually have folks wanting to buy wiper blades ... fan belts and such. Folks cannot ( or do not want to ) understand why I will not sell them the grille out of a 2008 vehicle with a complete good front end. If I sold them the grille, then I would have to buy a NEW ONE to complete the front end so I could sell the front end.

 

She should be at home where she belongs!

 

One problem, is that must of these counterguys weren't even born by the time the DONOR
car was built, much less the actual Hot Rod.
Imagine some old geezer makin fun of you, because you don't know any thing about buggy whips, or steam valves for his Stanley.

 

Why do rappers call their cars "whips"? Pass me a beer.

 

its short for White Hottie In Passenger Seat.

 

Oh snap!

 

I needed a 7/16 - 20 lug nut for an Oldsmobile, so I asked about a lug nut of that size, then the counter guy hit a few buttons on the computer and started with the "What type of car, year, model blah blah blah"

I asked where they keep them, I just wanted a stock tapered lugnut, after he opened a drawer just behind the counter I looked over and they were in a drawer with dividers and a sticker saying the thread size and pitch, I showed him where it said 7/16 - 20 TPI, he didn't even know how to read a fraction, I just grabbed the number of lugs I needed and paid for them and left, it's not worth loosing your cool just because somebody has a job and doesn't know a thing about cars, they just do as they are told, then use the computer to find it

It just goes with the times, if it isn't on the computer it doesn't exist, you just need to keep your cool and remember most of the counter people just took whatever job they could get to HAVE a job

When I need a good part for an older car I go to a parts place that is privately owned and has been in business since the mid 60's, they still use books to look up part numbers, the only thing run on computer is the cash register


Ron

 

Went to the funeral Monday for one of the best parts counter guys I have known in 50 years of working on cars. C W Coldiron, local Rockdale NAPA parts counterman, died of a brain hemmorage at the age of 30.
R.I.P. my friend, you are going to be missed.

 

Its gotten to the point where they just tell me where it is in the back and find the one I need... There are a few parts guys left but not many and they dont get paid anything... times have changed and the computer generation sealed the fate... those keyboard punchers cant think of 3 vehicles to try if this 1 part is wrong for what your looking at... Yeah a generation of buying junk to fix junk cars is what were in...

 

Then you havent been to my store,arnold motor supply in sioux city iowa.

 

got a little hole in the wall parts store i go to, these guys actually know what a stove bolt and a flathead are!

 

At our local parts store, we have Tony the old drag race guy,Chad the 4x4 guy, Jason the paint guy....all specialists in their own areas . I go to Melanie, no specialty, not even a car type person. I can wait all day while she tries to find a part on the computer. I guess I`m getting more tolerant in my old age eh?

 

We represent a very very small percentage of car owners in America. The big chains are not set up for us.

That's why we need to identify, support and be loyal to helpful niche companies.

 

Very good point.

 

O'reily Auto Parts is the big store in Wa. so when I need a part I go to their web site and do my own research for part # and what store has the part in stock. Saves allot
of frustration when you go to the store and give them part #'s

 

I work part-time in a small hardware store. It irritates me when someone comes in and asks for a 1/2 inch bolt. I show them one and they tell me, "no, that's too big." I explain that it is a 1/2 inch bolt and then they tell me "it takes a 1/2 inch wrench." I also have had people try to tell me that a 10-24 or 10-32 fastener is metric.

 

I used to work behind a parts counter, left because it was just a job while I was in school. With what they pay at parts stores these days you cant expect there to be a fully knowledgeable staff behind the counter. Some of you guys really need a reality check...I agree there are alot of useless parts guys out there, but would you do the work for what they get paid? I didnt think so.

Also the stupidity is often on both sides of the counter. Like the OP (sorry to bust balls) asking for HEI wires...there are dozens of different applications and part numbers behind the counter for HEI wires, if the guy went out back and pulled HEI wires for a 4.3 v6 would you be happy? You need to give the guys atleast some sort of application or details for what you are using them for. I used to get the odd guy coming in asking for random shit like that...once a guy came in looking for a brake light switch, I asked for what, he said it didnt matter, so I grabbed the first one I could find show it to him and he told me it was no good...then he goes on to ask for a GM style switch.

Now I will say again there are alot of useless parts guys, most dont even know that there are catalouges out back with more listings than what the computer has, often listings for part numbers for much older vehicles that will never be listed in a computer. But if you want the least painfull experience at a parts store, do your research online to find the part numbers you need and go in and get them, dont be lazy and leave it to the snot nosed kid behind the counter, because you'll probably get the wrong parts then will have to do it all over again and then go rant online about how useless part stores are (which will take way more time then looking up the parts yourself)

 

I don't know how many times i have just had to have the clowns at autozone just let me into the back of the store in order to get my own parts...

Locally, I prefer Pepboys. Because, their manager Andy is one of the most knowledgeable car guys I have ever dealt with at a parts store...and because, he also has a '62 Falcon. So, he practically knows where any part I need is located.

 

the parts guys around here are either high school kids or just out of high school, after 3 minutes of not understanding what I am talking about they let me wonder around looking for what i need behind the counter, all they ask is that i don't mix up the parts

 

what are you going to complain about when china stops selling to the USA? Its coming soon

 

Profit > Service

 

You know what? Its NOT just in the parts trade......

 

It is like that everywhere. Glad I have an old school store I can go to.
Hop's Place RULES!

 

Try selling something on Craigslist, yourself, then come back and complain about the parts counter guys if you still can.

 

I feel like I'm in a Heinlein book where I dropped through a time portal into the past and now I'm posting on the same thread I did months ago... but it's not and I'm not.

Y'all need to find a coffee clutch full of old fucks so you can sit around and bitch about whatever comes up. Good grief.

 

Ive been selling auto/truck parts for 40+ years and I can tell you there are idiots on both sides of the counter. Its a good thing I love what I do. Some of us can get those wires for a HEI or points for your old tractor if we get a little info.
The biggest joke in the parts biz is THE'RE ALL THE SAME! If they were, I'd have a lot less inventory to worry about.

 

I agree with one opinion expressed on this thread: Reality has gone out the window in this crappy economy. Even in the lumber and hardware stores, the newbies who mostly got their jobs online just defer to "the old guy" in their departments. I believe in being fair, but the system now pretty much, well, you know. KNOW what you need and, maybe, you'll get it. What pisses me off even more is that even the old, well-recognized name stores admit that that a hell of a lot of stuff is made in China or Mexico.