Auto Part Store Questions

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I tend to appreciate the guy that knows whats going on behind the parts counter and is onto the old cars and performance cars in general. I dont agree that all the parts are different and if you need a ford starter solenoid for a 72 galaxy you shouldn't have to know what color the wipers are. Its a ford starter solenoid for chrissake!!
Here's a couple of good ones, go in to you favorite auto parts store and ask for a 3/8 bolt, when the guy says "how long" (which he invariably will) just say "oh, in about 6 hours".... that really gets em goin.
Another one is you walk in and say " I need a water pump" and they will ask "what kind of car do you have?" with a straight face just say " it's blue" (I have been asked to leave.....when you get banned from O'reillys, you know your a real MOPAR gearhead!)
One thing that I have found out is that the computer is not always right. One time i went into the local A-Z and was trying to get a part for the trans in my 80 pickup (powerwagon) like a throwout bearing or something of that nature (cant exactly remember). Any way, I go and say to the guy " its an 80 dodge pickup." he gos through h is usual line of questioning and finally he gets to this question "is it a hydraulic or cable operated clutch?" I was kind of stunned...surely the computer would know that the 80 dodge 1/2 ton W150 would have a clutch with mechanical linkage? So I just look at the guy for a second with a puzzled look on my face. He's got this look like,"whats wrong?"....so, I say to the guy "neither, it has neither of those type of clutches" Guess what, now he has the puzzled look on his face ,he says "what type of clutch does it have?" I say... "a mechanical one... you know with rods and a transfer cross-shaft and a clutch fork that pushes the throwout bearing..."
Here's the scary part, he has never heard of that before!! I say "well let me look at that computer screen" so he spins it around and sure enough it has no mention or listing of a mechanical style clutch for that year of Dodge truck in a half ton........We figured it out eventually!! lol
 
Lol, when I say 70 Duster, they don't know what make it is.Rear brakes, with the dana? I tell them 67 gtx.
 
I'm lucky enough to have a friend who owns a NAPA store. Before the store he worked in the service department of his dads dodge dealership, this was back in the 70's and 80's.
Sure makes it easy to get the part I want.
 
omahamoparguy said:
I dont agree that all the parts are different and if you need a ford starter solenoid for a 72 galaxy you shouldn't have to know what color the wipers are. Its a ford starter solenoid for chrissake!!
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That's all well and good until the parts guy tries to sell you one for your '72 that ACTUALLY fits an '80's and doesn't have the coil resistor bypass connector, like this one:

2008-09-17_185321_push_button_starter_Ford_solenoid.JPG


You also might be learned to learn that not all solenoids are WIRED THE SAME internally. Some have one end of the coil grounded, or one end hooked to one of the big studs, or hooked to both of the small terminals.


So ya see, even something as "simple" as a "Ford solenoid" can bite you in the ***
 
Here's what I'm laughing about on this thread. For the guys who like to go into the store and play dumb, the joke's on you. We've all dealt with people who ARE that dumb. When the counterguy rolls his eyes, what he's thinking is "not again". Most of the general public know nothing about cars, and we can't tell if you do either.
Nobody knows what year their car is, 'I bought it in 03', or what engine 'the big one, I think?', or even what model 'you know, Regal or Riviera'.
One of my co-workers many years ago used to tell people 'If you want to guess at what the car is, I'm willing to guess at what parts it takes. As long as you keep them.'
 
Demonracer said:
they dang sure couldn't look up parts for the drive train because they don't exist. We had tons of fun with them until .
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When I used to run into guys like you I also liked to charge you a little extra just to screw right back. You might be interested to know that most of the time this didn't actually put any extra money in my pocket, either.


I'm tellin' you guys, this is a losin' proposition. When you go into a parts store, they have seen YOU before. They know all about the know it alls, the "they're all the sames", the "it doesn't matter," and the "let's see just how much screwins"

If you REALLY want parts, get serious. You are wasting their time AND yours.
 
dusterglenn said:
Here's what I'm laughing about on this thread. For the guys who like to go into the store and play dumb, the joke's on you. We've all dealt with people who ARE that dumb. When the counterguy rolls his eyes, what he's thinking is "not again". Most of the general public know nothing about cars, and we can't tell if you do either.
Nobody knows what year their car is, 'I bought it in 03', or what engine 'the big one, I think?', or even what model 'you know, Regal or Riviera'.
One of my co-workers many years ago used to tell people 'If you want to guess at what the car is, I'm willing to guess at what parts it takes. As long as you keep them.'
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It's even worse when you're dealing with a wholesale customer who doesn't know their *** from a hole in the ground .
They'll insist that they're providing the correct info , then when the part(s) get delivered , everything's "wrong" ; "wrong" year , "wrong" engine , wrong colour seals , ad nauseaum !

Then , there's the magical car / year / engine / transmission changes as the idiot -- typically 'non-citizens' -- is trying to tell you what they need .
For instance :
Idiot Customer :" 1996 Mercury Villager . I need the axle. "
Counter Person : " Automatic or Manual ? "
Idiot Customer : " It's a ... ahhh ... What year did I say ?"
Counter : " 1996 "
Idiot : " Oh ... it's a 2002 ... Toyotas [sic] ... "

And , yes , we , the poor bastards whom have to deal with non-stop *** hats , will "add a gratuity" to your price for wasting our time :joker: .
 
I know what your saying, I knew I would get some ex auto parts store guys all riled up about the "solenoid" deal. (yeah there are different ones, but in the old cars they're pretty much all the same, almost "GENERIC") that is the point, Try and give the auto parts guy a hard time.......come on people, we are MOPAR gearheads. These kind of things are in our DNA, it's in our job description, it's part of our schoolin'. The chevy knuckle draggers dont even know how its done. You gotta' have the skills man, come up with stuff that they ain't even dreamed of someone sayin'....god forbid there is a young lady behind the counter...that's when it really gets good.....all y'all auto parts guy need to lighten up a bit and laugh at yourselves.........luckily, I am starting to get my parts guy TRAINED........now there startin' to get ME with the comebacks.....at least they get a laugh!!........a ford soleniod is a ford solenoid, the one you have shown is the "non regular" ford solenoid....man you parts guys are a touchy bunch....
 
omahamoparguy said:
.......a ford soleniod is a ford solenoid, the one you have shown is the "non regular" ford solenoid....man you parts guys are a touchy bunch....
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Well how are "we" supposed to know that you want "OH THAT REGULAR" Ford solenoid. See, that IS the point. Regular, standard they're all the same. Yeup. Until they don't fit.
 
luckily, I know when I look at it at the store... that is why I would specify a 1972 but it really dont matter.......a regular old solenoid, I know what that is so if it is the wrong one I just say "no I meant the old type solenoid" when Russ opens the box so that I can look at it. I dont get mean at any time, that is the difference....we all just have some fun sometimes. Even if I do end up with the wrong part, I do not blame the parts guy, I figure itis my fault for not looking at it or not knowing the info. I can tell if theguy is not in a mood for joking around also like if he is getting slammed with customers. Hey if I get the wrong part from a parts guy even if it"s his fault I just go back and get the right one later, its not a big deal.
 
abodyjoe said:
never knew why people played that stupid game. just say whatever car you know the parts are coming from instead of screwing with the kid on the other side of the counter.
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Exactly... if you know what the part came off of, say looking for a big ball joint to put on a car that originally didn't come with it why bother saying what car it's going on? Just ask for the part you know you want and be done with it.
 
For you folks that don't like to give the year, make, model & engine to the parts person. You've said it is so much easier to just look up the part first and go in with a part number. Where, exactly, are you finding that part number? Every site I go to makes me put in year, make, model & engine to start with...

Now, I do have a pet peeve for these new computer "look ups". As an example, I am now looking for 60" pos & neg battery cables for my Duster. All of the web sites want to give me a 78" pos. and 15" neg. I cannot figure out a way to just ask for "battery cables" and browse... Anyone else have this problem?
C
 
omahamoparguy said:
....god forbid there is a young lady behind the counter...that's when it really gets good........
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The one gal at another parts store I frequent is sharp as a tack. Her old man has a Ramcharger and she's a Mopar freak. not only that but she's much more fun to look at than the other counter people. :mrgreen: She's the one that turned me on to Percy's exhaust gaskets. No more header leaks and she had them in stock just for the pre air injection LA Mopar guys.
 
...my parts store gave me access to their software...so I just look it up before I go in..and with prices..great guys..

Grassy
 
dusterglenn said:
Here's what I'm laughing about on this thread. For the guys who like to go into the store and play dumb, the joke's on you. We've all dealt with people who ARE that dumb. When the counterguy rolls his eyes, what he's thinking is "not again". Most of the general public know nothing about cars, and we can't tell if you do either.
Nobody knows what year their car is, 'I bought it in 03', or what engine 'the big one, I think?', or even what model 'you know, Regal or Riviera'.
One of my co-workers many years ago used to tell people 'If you want to guess at what the car is, I'm willing to guess at what parts it takes. As long as you keep them.'
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Exactly, I work at parts store part time just to keep some extra money and a discount in my pocket. They offered me the job since i am in there all the time getting parts to do side work and some of my stuff as well. The computers half the time don't understand that you have a 78 motor in a 67 car or vica versa. I am very knowledgable about what things will work or fabricating things to make them work. I absolutely can't stand when ppl come in with a chip on their shoulder. I had a guy come in asking for motor mounts for a motor he had in a diff. car and I tried to tell him he could use the ones for the year but would have to fabricate the bottom to fit on the later year car. He said "you mean your going to make me go to a competitor of yours and get them huh" I said sir I have what you need but your free to do whatever makes you happy. He was back two days later to listen to me.

P.s. I can't say which parts store as they have made it clear they do not want there name posted in forums, social media, etc. unless it is positive advertisement, so I am just going to not say anything all together.
 
now HERE's a true story

Guy comes in, alleges "he heard" "I'm the electronics guy." So be it

He has, he says, an Evinrude V4 outboard with factory breakerless ignition, "the marina" wants 500 bucks (20 years ago) for the "box." He wants to adapt automotive stuff

We are busy, we have phone calls, but I AM in agreement with the 500 buck box being a rip

I tell him, "A friend of mine and I have been down this road, with little success." (We both tried to use the old 'Vette breakerless dist, mine adapted to a 340, hooked to Mopar ECU, his in a Chivvy, hooked to stock Jeep electronics. Neither worked right.)

One thing led to another, and a waste of time ensued.

I finally told him, "look, you might mess around and finally get some automotive components to work, but you might ALSO spend a REALLY cold night on Lake Pend Oreille."

He says, "OH IT'S NOT FOR A BOAT, IT'S IN A HOME MADE HELICOPTER!!!"
 
i have been selling parts for 20 years and still work at the parts store full time
i have seen it all and i will let u know if ur a dipshit sounds like we have a few here
 
I usually go to NAPA, as they know my cars and they have old school hot rod guys there and a girl who races VW's and has a bunch of cool AMC's and is building a 50 Ford.

But i was cruising by Action Auto, which also sells lots of hot rod stuff so i thought they would have a valve cover gasket for the Slant. I go in and there is a guy in his late 30's or so at the counter, so i think this will go good.

"Hi, i need a valve cover gasket for a 70 Plymouth Duster with a 225" Blank stare. A 2.2 you mean?

WTF, what did i just say?. "no a 225 Slant 6"

hmmm a 70 Duster, did they have a V6 back then?

UMMM, are you listening to me dude? "No its a 225, a 3.7 liter, inline 6 cylinder" I leave out the slant part thinking i was confusing him.

HMMM, 273, 318, 340, 383, 426, 440, hmmm no listing for a 6 cylinder in a 1970 Duster, are you sure there is a 6 cyl in it.

SIGH, ummm yeah dude wanna look under my hood and count plug wires? Just then a older guy comes from the back. 70 Duster with a Slant here ya go. hmm i think i was being used for training.
 
Never. I get parts cheaper from RockAuto.com. All I get from parts stores is stuff like paint and little stuff. RockAuto beats them to pieces even with shippin.
 
But, doesn't Rock Auto ask all those annoying questions too? I'm pretty sure it needs to know year, make & model to find anything. Or are the questions less annoying if asked by a website?
Prices are a whole other issue.
 
My hay squeeze has a 350 chevy in it. They ask me all the time for the year make and model. I never know what to tell them. I just say it is a 350 in a hay squeeze. They get me what I need after some looking. The parts lady at the Napa down the street knows her stuff.
 
I had a guy in the store here saturday, looking for a p/s rack for his 50 Chevy pickup with 70's Cordoba front suspension. He left the old unit with me for a few hours so I could puzzle over it. Took some searching, but I figured it out. Turned out to be a TRW rack from a mid 80's K-car.
Now, had he come in with a big attitude and no info, I probably would have just sent him down the road. I'm more than happy to help someone if they're willing to work with me.
 
In my opinion there is a big difference in not knowing and being completely ignorant. The people that don't know can learn the ignorant ones are helpless. example below:

Our Local parts stores don't have 73 or 74 Duster in their computer for some reason. So I usually tell them I am working on a Dart. This usually works great when I need to get parts. No confusion for any one there.
However when I went to get my flywheel they could not find it in their system. The lady (manager) at the counter told me they didn't make flywheels for 318's and that there was nothing she could do. Typically I am cool if their is an issue with finding a part and they need time to find it ,but to tell me that they don't make a flywheel for a 318 kind of set me off. I asked if I could see her computer and looked it up my self under a pick up of the same year. Guess what, they make a fly wheel for a 318 and they had 3 in stock.
 
I'm glad most people agree that the way the original poster handles his business is just dumb.

I mean if most of us were dropped in a parts store and a guy came in and dropped some random oil pump down...would we really be able to just find it without asking questions? I mean come on these kids are 20 years old, they don't know every part for every car. You gotta realize that the majority of people are buying parts for newer cars, so most of their knowledge is going to be in 1990+ vehicles.

You guys that walk in and act like they are idiots for not recognizing your mopar part are just making fools of yourself. Does it make you feel smarter than them by doing that? I bet that kid could pull a piece off his Honda that you'd never be able to guess in a million years.

I know that the computers at the Napa near my house don't have Duster as a model in them. Sometimes I forget to say Valiant and they get all confused and don't know which vehicle to select. It's not like I get mad because I don't know what exchanges with different Chevy or Ford models so how can I expect someone to know what Mopars interchange?
 
StrokerScamp said:
Never. I get parts cheaper from RockAuto.com. All I get from parts stores is stuff like paint and little stuff. RockAuto beats them to pieces even with shippin.
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wow sounds like a good for u and what to u do if the part fails wait 3 days for a new 1
 
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