Parts people

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Heres what you do for our Ex-NASA employees at the local parts store... Ask them for a upper radiator hose for a 72 VW bug ... and carefully sneak out... . heheh that will keep them occupied for a while eh? John

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99 Quad,Long bed 4x4 SLT Auto

 

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I like telling em "I'm tuning up my truck", I need points,plugs and a carb kit for my Cummins. The older guys get a laugh and the new "parts" kid who was working at Burger King yesterday will go to look it up.

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99,2500,QC,6speed,3. 54 LSD,long bed,Line-X
A-Pillar Isspro Boost and Pyro Gauges, VA box

 

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Good parts stores are still out there, but they won't be if we keep buying the easy stuff from the discount houses and just go to the knowledgeable guys when things get tough! Show your apprecioation with loyalty for your REAL parts house. If you don't, one day you'll be stuck with nothing but wet-nosed computer jockeys who don't know anything but what their computer tells them after they drag you through the stock question, "year, model, make, cylinders, AC?"

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http://coffeewithJesus. homestead.com/web1.html 89 1-ton, K&N, cleaned up exhaust, Dynomax straight-thru, rebuilt pump, intercooler, louvered fenders, 93 aftermarket smoothe grille; 78 35'Avion. Jesus saves!

 

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I once asked for a belt for my '83 GMC K2500 at the local parts place. After telling the parts guy what axle ratio, radio station, vinyl ar cloth seats, etc. and everything else except provide a stool sample, he divulged that they did not have the correct size belt. I said, "I'll take one of these smaller ones IF you have a belt stretcher in stock. " Left the guy dilligently trying to find a belt stretcher in his catalog.

Keep the stories coming, this is the funniest thread I have seen in awhile, ROTFLMAO #ad
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'00 2500 reg cab LB 4x4, 5spd, LSD, Van Aaken, 275 injectors, regulator boost fooler w/elbow, combo boost/egt guage, line-x, alumasport diamond toolbox, vernier idle controler, cold front, Warn front receiver, ventvisors and stepguards by autoventshade, OEM foglights, Super H headlight bulbs, my own "brite box", hide-a-hook, loadsaver, G-tech, name a factory option - I don't have it!

 

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Went into Autozone one weekend, needing shocks for the 'burb. Mgr was on the phone, one guy on the counter, three customers waiting.

After two minutes (or less, I'm an impatient guy), I walked over to the next terminal on the counter, spun it around and went to work. My nephew with me sez 'you can't do that!'
'Just watch me'.

I got done just in time for the mgr to walk over and ask me what I needed.

"I'll take two of these right here- you've got 'em in stock. " #ad
He was a nice guy, had no problem with it.

Mike

 

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Originally posted by Arcticat:
telling the parts guy what axle ratio, radio station, vinyl or cloth seats, etc. and everything else except provide a stool sample.

LOL #ad
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One of the things I try to do is to have the Part# and the manufacture`s name of the part I need before I go to get it. Example: GoodYear P#23578. Sometimes its possible, other times its not. Usally the parts man is knowledgeable in an Acme or a Napa. Terrible in a Pep Boyz or similar store. In a Pep Boyz type parts store, its possible to look at the computer screen and help him or her. #ad



Bill R
94 2500 SLT,4X4,5 Speed,3. 54 LSD... . Still looks brand new... .




[This message has been edited by HEMI®Dart (edited 04-15-2000). ]

 

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To be fair I have to say that there are some parts guys that do know their stuff. For example, the guys at North Coast Auto in Eureka (where I bought my truck) know what's going on and will go out of their way to get it right. We were in there a couple of weeks ago buying an LHS for my wife and I decided to order a cat test pipe while the paper work for the car was going on. I don't have the part number with me and the guy can't find it with both of us trying to get his computer to give up the secret. So I ask him if any of the computers around there have access to the Internet. "Sure, that one over there. " So I look it up on this forum and he orders it. Another time I needed a push button switch to rig up my TC lockup and couldn't find what I wanted so I tried them. I describe what I want and the guy (different guy) says that they have a bunch of things in the back, so let's take a look. We rooted around in their switch collection and found one that was just right.


The guys at Swift Auto in Sacramento are pretty good at their job too.


There is another Dodge dealer (who will remain nameless) that if someone wants to burn down I will gladly supply the gas!


Maybe this makes me grit my teeth more when I'm dealing with a parts twit at a chain store.

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Joe George
Eureka, CA

'95 2500 CC auto 4X4,Combo EGT/boost guage,custom switch panel,PacBrake,Torque plate,BD valve body,Automatic motorhome steps on both sides,Foldacover hard bed cover,Cummins chrome kit,Black steel grill guard,Front hitch receiver

 

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Stopped at a Fisher Federated Auto parts in VA. Asked the man for an ignition condenser, after he looked for about 20 minutes he came out and said here it is, he had a set of points! #ad

 

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Sheew, been gone for the weekend. Glad I don't work at Autozone. Ok, gotta another one, these people break down about a mile and a half from the store, don't know what's wrong with the car(I'm not making this up), don't know what make year etc. , don't speak much english, then just stand there and stare at me, like if they do that long enough I'm gonna wave my magic wand and their car will be all better!

 

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Here's the ultimate in frustration;
A few years back, I went to the NAPA parts house in Bowling Green, KY, needed a new distributor cap for my 77 Dodge...
Lot of customers, only 4 parts guys behind the counter...
My turn, I get a guy who has a LONG mustache, completely covers both lips, looks like Yosemite Sam, when he talks, his mustache goes, puff,puff,puff, flipping out with every syllable...
No big deal, ya say? I lost my hearing at age 5, gotta read lips to know what anyone's saying to me !

me: Sir, I need a new distributor cap for a 77 Dodge pickup, 318 v8, 2bbl. 2WD
Yosemite Sam: puff, puff, puff
me:Sir, I'm deaf, can't hear you, can you write it down, please?
YS: puff,puff,puff
me: please write down what you're saying!
YS: puff, puff, puff
(at this point I write down on a piece of paper what parts I want,AND in the note, I ask him to WRITE DOWN ANYTHING HE HAS TO SAY TO ME !, and hand it to him)
YS: puff,puff, puff, puuuufff
me: you illiterate hillbilly, you need to trim that mudflap under your nose !

I left and went to a friendlier parts house across town... THAT'S the ONLY time I've ever run into a parts guy I couldn't communicate with AT ALL ! The rest of them have been pretty bad at times, but I can see their lips, and they can read !

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2001 Ram 3500 4x4 Quad Cab,all black(Sport pkg. ) Cummins24v, 5speed, 3. 54,all options including leather , AMSOIL Dual Remote bypass oil filter,AMSOIL air filter,Westin black nerf bars, limo tint,DeeZee Platinum toolbox painted black to match, Line-X bedliner
NRA Life/Endowment member(it's about freedom, not guns!)

 

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Briar Hopper,

I'll have to remember the mud flap comment! #ad
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I'm in the same boat. Lost most of my hearing 20 years ago. Without my hearing aid I couldn't hear a big rig drag race. So I have to depend on being able to see someone's mouth to help out my understanding of what they are saying. The numb skulls who talk while they pick their nose or talk thru their hands really tic me off!

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Joe George
Eureka, CA

'95 2500 CC auto 4X4,Combo EGT/boost guage,custom switch panel,PacBrake,Torque plate,BD valve body,Automatic motorhome steps on both sides,Foldacover hard bed cover,Cummins chrome kit,Black steel grill guard,Front hitch receiver

 

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Other side of the counter;

A few years ago a neighbor, hoping to get in on the new wave, bought a new ford diesel. A polite conversation as he was showing off his new toy led me to say that it was getting pretty crowded under the hood. He replied in all seriousness " yep, its going to be a bear changing the spark plugs!"

Vaughn

 

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lest the truly knowledgable 1 in 13,487 thinks we've forgotten him/her (not being PC, just paying homage to the "parts girl" who, in a male-dominated line of work does indeed know her S*^%) I once had a '73 W-100 Powerwagon w/ a very tired 360 and a retro'd ignition system... After un-replacing the electronic ignition back into the truck (previous owner must have not trusted "that newfangled crap. . where's the damn breaker points!?!?!") Timing dead-on at whatever btdc @ ###rpms---still getting bad backfires at anything above 1/4 throttle... hmmmmm must have been 10 or 12 "parts guys" around town who blamed "timing", 1-2 who suspected "mixture too lean" (at least i did indeed have a carb #ad
) and, finally 1 at Checker who said "flat-spot on one or more exhaust lobes" I said "what?" and he explained that at low rpm the gases get expelled "OK" thru the not-enough valve opening, but at higher demands, the gasses are still in the cylinder. . when the intake valve opens, it backwashes up thru the carb... He was right! new cam-no more backfire! #ad
hats of to 1 out of 13,487 !!

 

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What really erks me about parts stores is when you walk in and either have to take a number or stand in line waiting to get helped. Then the phone ring! The parts man(or woman) immediately answers the phone and starts looking up parts for someone wanting to get a price on a part. Here there is a waiting line of PAYING customers waiting to give them money for parts and the parts man is on the phone giving prices.
I finally got fed up with this treatment at a local Napa store where I do alot of business, I told them how rude they were to make me wait 5 to 15 minutes, with cash in my hand, while they take phone call for prices while I wait in line. I told them I was a paying customer with cash and that if they expected to keep my business, that they had better dedicate 1 person to answering the phones and have the rest of the parts men waiting on the customers with cash standing there waiting, and that the paying customers waiting for help should be a priority and first to be served!!

They haven't taken a phone call before me anymore! We'll see if it's last.

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99 Quad Cab, White, SLT, 4x4, 5-sp, 3:54's, LSD, Loaded except cab lights and leather, Raven cap (cab high), Rhino liner, Stainless Nerf Bars, Stainless Rocker Panels, Tow package, Pro-flap mud flaps (Stainless Cummins "C" coming to add to rear flaps), Power Edge (my first BOMB), Valentine One, Amsoil throughout, CB Radio.

Things to come;

Hadley Bully Air Horns, 285/75R16 Cooper A/T's, SPA Pyro and Boost gauge, 4" exhaust system, DDIII's, Psychotty Air Filter.

NRA Life Member! (Need to protect our rights and FREEDOM!!)

 

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Just to add to the fun -

I grew up in a small town with three owner operated parts stores and was entirely spoiled by their knowledge. They all had machine shops in the back and had the same counter employees for years. They KNEW cars and trucks and PERFORMANCE MODS.

I live in a larger city now - Autozombies, O'Reallys?, etc.

They turn over counter staff faster than the burger cook turns burgers? at McDonalds!

Some of the best help I got was from a female parts person at O'Reallys. Most of the help has been trained to use the computer and the test? equipment. Most couldn't tell an exhaust pipe donut gasket from their own a**hole!

They've practically made me give up on vintage automobiles. I've nearly had to open several cans of whup a** just to get what I was after. About to run out of parts stores where I'm still welcome.

Every now and then I go back home and go by and visit my buddies at the NAPA. They are all going to get old and die one of these days. I carry parts back home from most of those visits.

I did talk a buddy of mine into stocking the Fleetguard filter for my Cummins!! He ordered a case - I bought two! He's a computer trained truck parts counter person. Doesn't know the difference between a dip stick and a torsion bar!

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"Red Rage" - 2001 2500 SLT 4x4 QC Lowered Rear End 2. 5" 5spd, 4. 10 K&N Stock Replacement - 7800 miles and counting! 30' 5th Wheel

 

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Hey! One of my favorite threads is back! It's funny, what I do when I'm waiting on a customer (small store, lots of times by myself) and the phone rings, I just ignore it while I wait on them. Completly. Act like I can't hear a thing. Usually after about the 5th ring, the customer hollers,"WOULD YOU PLEASE ANSWER THAT PHONE!!" Hehehehehe
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Gotta tell a story. While back guy comes in and buys a fuel pump for an old 318. Comes back later in the day, informs me the fuel pump wasn't what was wrong with his truck after all, and wants to return the one he bought that morning. He hands it to me, and I pull it out of the box, and gas pours out of it. When I told him we couldn't take it back 'cause it had been put on he got all #ad
Come on, it was like a whole whopping 25 bucks. After he left, one of my GOOD customers was like, man, how many a%*&**es like that do you get a day?!!

 

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The best way I've found to deal with the parts counter problem is to go to www.napaonline.com and get the part number (you might have to answer the same BS questions),phone it in,have them charge it out,then it's just the problem of picking up a part with a totally different number. Most parts houses can cross a NAPA number for you,just do it over the phone and check it out before you walk off with it.

[This message has been edited by illflem (edited 07-05-2000). ]