Auto parts retail stores rant. :puker:

When I worked in a Mopar parts room, I learned to HATE Autozone.
I can't tell you how many times people would walk in with a broken dipstick from an Intrepid and get pissed because Autozone told them it was a recall part. "You mean I have to pay for this? Autozone said it would be free!"
They would call and ask me to look something up then want the part # because they couldn't find it. I got to the point that I would give them the same part # 4797131. An evaporator for a old style Mini van. I wonder how many of those turds they ordered? :twisted:
I loved they're read codes for free thing too. One of the last things I had to deal with was, a guy went to A/Z got a code read. A/Z told him it was a EGR valve. A/Z sold him a EGR valve. He gets it on and has the same problem. He comes to me wanting help. I hooked up a DRBIII just to see what the real problem was. Low voltage at AIS. I sold him a AIS motor and a T/B gasket, showed him where and how to replace, told him how to clean the T/B and to take the useless EGR back.
Advance is hit or miss around here. the O'Reilly here is pretty good. The guys there are mostly from the old KOI that moved. there is only 2 NAPA's that I know of around here. I got a hell of a good deal on some gear wrench X-beams there. $19 a set. CarQuest is just setting up shop around here. Don't have a lot of experience with them.
On the whole, I don't have a lot of use for the big chains. They're great for oil and wax past that, I avoid them like the plague. It's worth a couple of bucks extra to get decent service and the right part the first time.