parts store questions that just make you shake your head.

Rod Midkiff

True Classic
How many times has something like this happened to you?
jumper cables year and model.JPG
 
"I have a Tesla and can't figure out where to attach my new jumper cables...…….."
 
Got this about 20 years ago.
Called a national chain and asked for piston rings for a '95 Saturn.
"Let me check". Then I hear her ask the next register, "Piston rings, is that part of the engine?" He answers "I think so, but I'm not sure".
Anyway, they actually got the rings for me so it all turned out good.
 
A lot of the old parts men are gone. Now days the young people that work in auto parts stores know little or nothing about cars and can only go by what the computer tells them.
The owner of the NAPA store that I frequent just retired and sold out to a younger guy that probably knows less than me and hired a new crew that are not much better.
The old owner was a wealth of information and knew what would substitute for what.
 
I had a surprisingly good experience, recently. I was in Chicago for business, and had a little time on my hands in the evening. I came across an Advance Auto on Manheim road, and stopped in. I needed to replace the socket of the fog light on my 2003 Ford Ranger. The clerk was a 20-something Hispanic fellow, with suitably skinned knuckles. He checked his computer, but couldn't find a listing. He thought that was odd because he knew they had many types of connectors like that. So he looked up what kind of bulb was specified for that location, grabbed a sample bulb, and looked at the connectors until he spied one that looked like a mate for it. I was very pleased at the extra effort he put out just to find me a such an inexpensive part.
 
I had a surprisingly good experience, recently. I was in Chicago for business, and had a little time on my hands in the evening. I came across an Advance Auto on Manheim road, and stopped in. I needed to replace the socket of the fog light on my 2003 Ford Ranger. The clerk was a 20-something Hispanic fellow, with suitably skinned knuckles. He checked his computer, but couldn't find a listing. He thought that was odd because he knew they had many types of connectors like that. So he looked up what kind of bulb was specified for that location, grabbed a sample bulb, and looked at the connectors until he spied one that looked like a mate for it. I was very pleased at the extra effort he put out just to find me a such an inexpensive part.

I have a few clerks around here like that, I look for them in the store and sometimes will even come back if they are not there. One in particular I even wrote the company about. (Autozone) I was surprised when I went in a few weeks later and he asked me if I said something because he got an email and a gift card from his manager. I asked how he knew it might be me. his rely was " I was told by my manager that home office has someone contact them about my excellent customer service with a costumer that had an old fiat x19". yeah. kinda a give away

Odie
 
One of my most prominent memories is not an auto parts store but close as it was a fairly large auto junk yard I frequented in the late 60's through the 70's.
The owners son always acted like he had just drank a couple pots of coffee and while he wasn't a bad looking guy he made quick moves and was always kind of bug eyed.
I mean this guy was jacked up but you could go in and ask about a part for a car and off the top of his head he could tell you exactly what part of the yard it was located in and if there were any parts that would work in it's place.
The one that sticks with me the most was when I was dropping an Old's engine in a 51 Ford.
The starter was on the left side as I remember and there was no clearance for everything to fit between the rails.
I went in to the yard explained what I was doing and is there anyway to put the starter on the right hand side where there was more room.
With out missing the beat this guy says you need a 48 Cadillac bell housing.
I asked if he had one and he said yeah and told me exactly where it was located.
The housing worked perfectly.
 
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