Went to Kragens to get a quart of oil. Just happened to pick up a bottle of synthetic 10W30. This is how the conversation went at the register...

Kragens Employee: Is that all?

Me: Yep

KE: You sure you're running synthetic in your car right now?
(I knew I was, but I felt like maybe there could be some humor involved here...)

Me: I'm not sure, why do you ask.

KE: Oh no man, if you put this in your car, that ****'ll start shakin' *puts hand up and makes shaking motion*, you gotta put the regular kind in there.

Me: *blank stare*....I'm pretty sure theres synthetic in my car. *Dying of laughter inside at this point*

KE: I sure hope so.

I walked out and had a laughing fit in my car. You're ******* kidding, right?

 

Sounds like the NAPA employee who told me my Miata had a McPherson strut suspension after I told him it was a '93. (over the phone) So I printed off one of the blueprint-type images of the Miata front suspension and brought it in (I needed to pick up some other parts anyway). He was pretty surprised.

 

At least Napa employees somewhat know what they're talking about. The Kragens I go to is usually full of people who know NOTHING about ANYTHING car related.

 

Since my usual parts man died a few years back, who had been in the business for nearly 40 years locally, I haven't found anybody at any of the local part stores that know what the **** they are talking about. I hate having to repeat myself about what I need, especially when they have a computer full of information. I have to give them numbers and explain to them what I need. It would be easier for me to just push them out of the way and find it on the computer for them. "Never mind, just go take a break or something, I'll ******* find it!"

 

I like how I can go to Vato Zone or Oreilly and tell them X part is for a "Miata" and they ask: Is that a "Mitsubishi"?

Time to start paying attention to what people say at the counter.

 

"That's a foreign car, right?"

 

Does it got a 350 in it? (In a deep, smoking for 50 years broken voice) *scratches ****

 

LOL..vato zone..my friend calls autozone that too because of all the mexicans working there

 

"I need a set of spark plugs, NGK BRK7Es. 4 of them."

"K, what car is that for?"

"...it doesn't matter."

"Well I can't look it up without the car information."

EVERY GOD DAMN TIME I TRY AND BUY PLUGS.

So once, I decided to screw with the guy.

"It's a 1990 Mazda Miata."

"1.6 liter or 1.8 liter?"

"It's a forged 1.9 that was originally from a Protege."

"...uhh"

"NGK BKR7E."

"...k"

 

thats the **** i deal with all the time here in KY man hell even when i get **** for my sbc or sbf they dont know what they are talking about most of the time.

 

I have a friend who has worked at all three of the chain parts stores in town (autozone, o'reillys, advance autoparts). He even made it up to assistant manager at the last one.

Doesn't know JACK CRAP about cars. I used to call up asking for nonsensical stuff to see how long it would take him to figure out I was screwing with him. "Radiator cap for a '67 Beetle" or "U-Joint for a 92 Cadillac Seville".

 

I get the same, this is why I bring in their own stocking number with me :P

 

I've had pretty good luck with asking for plugs by name and model number, though the 7s aren't usually in stock any of the places I've gone.

 

I went to buy a gallon of Rotalla Synthetic last night because I was a bit low. I grab the damn thing, pay for it, and go out to my car. After hating my oil cap for it's wonderful self-tightening capabilities, I get it off, tossa funnel in there and open the Rotella only to find that some assclown has done an oil change, put the old oil back in the container and returned it where some stupid Mexicant accepted the return and didn't check the damn jug to make sure it had the proper seal under the cap.....and put it back on the shelf.

Obviously they let me go grab the last gallon and it was sealed...but still....


Speaking of retards at the parts stores...

"I need to get a CEL scanned"

"What year is the car?"

"It's OBD-II"

"Well, what year is it?"

morons....

 

I've gotten the spark plug BS too. Lady couldn't find NGKs in their system even after giving her the make/model info. "I guess we can't order those sir." Jiminy Christmas, I could have gotten as much help from the 7-11 next door. I ended up ordering a set off ebay for $11 shipped and they arrived from CA in two days, not too shabby.

It was the same thing when I went to order some spring isolators. "What car is it for?" It doesn't fricken matter because they're not for a stock application! We were able to get those ordered when I gave her Energy's part number. Since Energy lists them by the pair and I needed 4, she enters a qty of 2 pairs (correctly, I watched her type it in) and of course when the shipment arrives there's just one pair. I should have seen that one coming. That one was probably Energy's fault, but damn. It took three trips to the store for a simple order.

Not having to deal with parts stores for that stuff is worth spending $50-60 on an OBDII scanner. Also, true story. There's this cute girl I work with who knows that I at least have a clue about working on cars, and hers is throwing a CEL. I'm going to plug my tool into her port later this afternoon.

 

can i watch?

 

I work in the parts business (dealership, and father owned his own shop since the 70s), so when I run into these people it just drives me nuts. One time in Chico, CA I had to do a trans fluid change on the wife's Bronco. So I went to Kragens to get a filter and some ATF.

Me: Hi I need a Motorcraft filter FT-114, or equivilant

KE: I can't cross that number to Wix what is the app.

Me: K, 1990 Bronco with a 5.8 liter, deep sump E4OD Auto

KE: is that a Ford?

Me: (thinking to myself: oh ****) yeah it's a Ford

KE: 5.0 liter?

Me: 5.8

KE: 4wd?

Me: yep

KE: Automatic or standard

Me: wtf? (I lost my cool for a moment) I asked for an automatic trans filter didn't I?

KE: oh yeah.

He then handed me the wix equivilant, got my fluid, and left quickly.

 

heres what i do:

go to advanceautoparts.com find out if my store carries said part. then i write down the stock number. I walk over to the store and ask for the part.

:P

 

It was awkward trying to hold the crappy blackberry camera while I was doing it, but since you asked here's a pic of my tool in action. (macro fail)
EDIT: Somewhere in there is a joke about injection system flow.

 

plus its often cheaper online, and if you print it off the website and bring it in they will give you the lower price

BTW... the BKR7E is no longer stocked under #6097 (discontinued). They are stocked under #4644 now. I didn't know this, and the guy at the counter couldn't be bothered to spend 2 seconds looking at the stock on his shelf for a "BKR7E" since that's not the part number they reference. i had to drive home, go online to NGK's site, get the new stocking number and go back. fkn people... he found it in about 10 seconds flat once i gave him the stocking number. A whole damn carton of them... with BKR7E right on the front.