Funniest lines from the parts counter

Thread title is "Funniest Lines From The Parts Counter". Page 41 has sure went sideways.

Just sayin'.....Roger

 

Seems like a lot of threads here have gone sideways lately.

 

Well you got that right Roger . With a bit of moderation i think the whole page 41 will vanish. Then this will be page 41

 

Ok back to the main focus.
Years ago I had noticed a customer walking towards the back counter kind of looking all around. Looking over left and right. Came to the counter and asked if we had fire extinguishers?
I turned to show him where they are and noticed his car in the parking lot fully engulfed in flames.
Told him to save his money, too late.


Just this week I had a good professional customer tell me he could not find a Downstream O2 sensor on a newer Jeep.

I told him to look behind the rear Cat and should be right there.

He said called me some odd names and hung up.

A minute later he called up asking if we had a sensor for the vehicle. Had one on the shelf and he was happy. Still called me names but this time with a laugh.

 

What is rondies? google is no help

 

American style Circle Track Racing, of course!!

 

About 30 years ago me and a buddy went into one of the independent parts placr,was a great place had lots of knowledgible staff,always lots of fun to go to.Anyhow i go to the counter and ask the guy for 2 1157 bulbs., abox of 1/4 washers,and a couple of grinding discs and a water pump for a 72 super beetle?.My buddy near crapped his pants watching the guy gather up the stuff and then proceed to look in the old paper books for the water pump,he was leafing through the book then a big smile came on his face,he said you got me today.He said back when he started they used to send the younger guys all over town looking for the same stuff,wish i could remember what he told us,we still laugh about ti today. Harvey

 

When I was in the Navy I went into a NAPA in Grafton Va, looking for something for something for one of my old cars. Several people working the counter, one of them was girl, not much older than me. It came to be my turn and it fell to her. I was thinking to myself that this will be a fiasco. She turned out to be one of the best parts people I ever dealt with. In my time of fooling with cars I've ran across at least 3 women that were much more competent than some of the guys they worked with.

 

Had a customer tell me "I know they only make two, a big one and a little one but I need the one in between."

Another time, I had an old farmer with a mouth full of chewing tobacco come in and ask for an oil filter for a Nayden. I was confused and said "A what?" He then hollered at me "Nayden, Nayden! A Ford tractor! Nayden!" That turned on the light. He wanted a filter for an 8N tractor.

Had a lady come in once to ask what went wrong with her paint job. Her son had sprayed her car using a Wagner power painter, paint straight out of the can, no reducer. Worst orange peel I have ever seen.

Once had a younger guy come in with an Autolite 2 barrel off a Ford to get a rebuilt carb. I used the tag number to look it up (he wasn't sure what it was off of) and he went an installed it. Came back later driving the car to get a new fuel filter. Two weeks later, I get a call from the BBB. He had filed a complaint, saying I had stolen his 4 barrel carb by substituting a 2 barrel. No manifolds were removed to facilitate this theft.

Another counter man jumped back and dropped the phone one day, cursing. Someone had held the phone up to a tailpipe and revved the engine. He gingerly pick the receiver back up and heard them ask "What do you think is wrong with it?"

I got a million of 'em.

 

A can of prop-wash? Six feet of shoreline? Light bulb repair kit? A Corvair radiator? Blinker fluid? Some compass juice?

 

What year was this? I have been here (Grafton) since 1995 and never heard of a NAPA being in this area. Only ones I know of a round here are in Hampton and Newport News. But, that's beside the point. Reason I ask is, I probably know who you are taking about. But she worked at Apples Auto Parts, then Advance and now O Reilly's. I think her husband had owned Apples. It's got to be the same woman.

 

We had a gal that was in charge of the Pontiac parts department, here in Muskogee, back in the day, she knew more about GM than anybody in town! Gender has nothing to do with parts smarts! It’s if you want to do it and know your job! She was easy on the eyes,too! I went there for most of my GM stuff!






Bones

 

I'll bet you $20 you're wrong.

 

OH, THAT'S HARSH. True, but harsh..

Roger

 

That's funny.. I thought that page 41 made the most sense of anything on this thread.

 

Had a NAPA parts guy refuse to sell me DOT-5 brake fluid because I would need to upgrade the brakes first.

 

Funniest one I saw was on the door of our local Advance (harking back to the fiduciary stories on previous pages).

"To serve you better, your nearest store is now in town"

A 1 mile drive versus a 33 mile drive.

Yup, that was a decision borne in profits. The building is still vacant, 10 years on.

 

This was the mid-80's. The store was right on 17 in Grafton.
At the time I had a 64 BelAir and a 68 Chevelle, which even then a lot of the parts were obsolete. I had a 72 Ford pickup too, which was getting on up there in age.
The lady would be around 60 by now, give or take a few. This was before computers, she had to get in the books, but if they had it, she could find it. I used to know her name, and I would seek her out for help most of the time.
For some odd reason I miss the days when I was a dumb kid, and the parts people often knew more about what I was trying to do than I did. I've learned a lot at the parts counter over the years.

 

Next time I am in O Reilly's, I'll ask Linda if she had worked at NAPA. Maybe that's where she got her start. She's probably pushing 70.

 

"What's the year, make and model of your car?"

If you hear this question too frequently, it's probably because if a store manager doesn't hear a counter person saying it often enough, he or she can likely expect a reprimand. Or a dismissal.

 

AAAGGGHHHHH! @gimpyshotrods , you're going to be the end of us. Illicit and illegal gambling on the HAMB. Oh, the tragedy! Psst, you've got a sure thing, take his money.

 

Need a job? We are always hiring..

 

motorcycle story, not a joke.
a bunch of years ago i ordered a tire for a chopper i was building and this shop you had to pay for the tire up front.
when the tire arrived a few days later i brought them the wheel because they (used to) give you a discount on mount & balance if you bought the tire from them.
the counter kid called me the next day and said my wheel was ready to pick up. i said great, i'm on my way. whats the balance due?
the kid said thats what makes your tire run evenly with no wobble.
i said nevermind. i'm on my way.

 

The best Chevrolet parts person in and around the Houston area, a FEMALE, has recently retired. She started delivering Chevrolet parts 40 years ago, quickly became a counter person, and subsequently evolved into the "go to" person to call and order parts from. She WILL be missed.

 

LOL! Sounds like the kid did a good job of answering your question.

English can sometimes be a funny language, can't it? As an example, see if you can solve this riddle.

"30 cows walked into the barn and 28 chickens. How many didn't?"
(Hint: Try saying it out loud instead of just reading the printed version.)

 

10........ But I'm fairly sure they don't do that.

 

If they're small and got into the hay I'm sure a few could go along by accident. Just like vegetarians may eat the odd insect in the salad.