On the way home from the GS Nats on Thursday, a guy pulls up beside me in a Mercury MK something and asks what motor is in my car. I told him a 455. He says, "Not a rocket 350?" I tried to explain that was an Olds motor but he wouldn't have it. Sometimes you have to roll the window up and let second gear speak for itself.
I was asked at a car show what engine I had in my car, I told the guy a 455 big block he said oh a Pontiac engine I said no it's a buick 455. He continued to say no Pontiac made the 455's. I said so did buick, he disagreed again so I said well since you know more about my car than I do please tell me more! The man then turned around and walked away.
If I had a dollar for every time my car was called something besides a buick, I would build a new racecar. I al.ost painted buick on the side if it when I younger
In their defense that question comes from the computer they use to look up the part. I agree that's a dumb question, but the computer won't look it up without that answer.
SBC in my Buick....in Australia. So most parts stores (ie the Pep Boys, O'Reilly's style out here) don't carry parts for my car. But occasionally I just want a small block chev part and some mid / late 60's Holdens (GM) run 327's and 350's. So when they start with the questions (I lost an alternator fan belt once). I get the year, make model questions. I explained HG Monaro 350 SBC, just give me a belt for that. He then asks, auto or manual trans. So I thought, OK I'll play along here. I said it's currently an auto but I'm changing it to manual, so save me coming back to swap em over, give me one of each. He literally bought me two of the exact same belts, same part number. When I pointed that out his response...well they might have been different you just got lucky. You cannot make this stuff up.
And, occasionally in the late model world the 2wd/4wd question matters. There’s a few years of Ford SUVs that have different versions of the same engine ($200+ for timing set vs. $400+, plus twice the labor, because it’s on both ends!). And there are customers who like to play ‘gotcha’, so the counter person asks all of them to CYA. Patrick
I still think about the 66 or 67 lemans I passed on with a i6 before I got my 65. One day I'll buy a Pontiac i6 and throw it in a hot rod. How do you like your motor, could you give me some feedback on it. And what transmission do they mount up to. Do they have a BOP pattern?. By the way guys this thread is hilarious.
This is why I go to the local CarQuest. Bunch of old school guys that look up most things in the book. Hot Rodders in their day as well. Only problem is not open on Sundays or late at night but I’ve got to work around that. So sometimes it’s next town over to Oriellys.
...ubiquitous software using simple top down decision tree. Imagine using lookup software based on interchange data. On bright side, you won't be interfacing with that counter person much longer...
... you really wanna mess up some young sales kid day at the parts store? Ask them to look up TURN SIGNAL FLUID FOR A MARK 4 LINCOLN -RIGHT SIDE. The answers are hysterical and historical!! ..ie: what year? make? 2 door or 4 door? FWD or RWD or 4WD? & on it goes. . .!
Radiator cap for a VW beetle was the stock joke for a new guy in the parts store. This is 40 years ago, and it was old then.
I always end up looking up part #'s and just giving them the #'s without telling them what car it's for. Been there, done that. They think my Buick has a Chevy 350 -_- -Side note, some places like AutoZone end up asking what vehicle it is for to apply the warranty to your account, they also seem to track which parts fit specific vehicle to just update the "part application list"
When I was building my 81 Camaro with a 454 I would pick between an 84 suburban with a 454, 81 Camaro with a 350 or a 70 Camaro with a 396 depending on what part I needed. So when I walked up to the counter and they asked what I was working on sometimes I would have to think about how I wanted to search a part. That's when they would make a joke and say did you forget what you were working on and I would explain and that's when they got quite. You can look up carb part numbers and find rebuild kits that way, depending on the abilities of the counter person. The thing that is driving me away from the parts stores is besides the wrong parts is it is starting to take longer to get parts. When they say it's going to be a week for a part I order it from summit racing.
Autozone are the worst.. Ok it's equal opportunity I understand but they hire young 2o year old girls that might have taken a car tech course here and there.. I went to rent a tool to take that little snap ring of my steering column that pushes the plate down on the spring for the steering wheel to lock.. She said the tool only works to put it on After hearing her saying i'm wrong for about 10 minutes I just ended up demanding it.. As i'm walking out she's laughing behind my back to her co worker about me being a idiot. A year later a different girl couldn't find me a rear wheel cylinder bleeder screw, well she did but it had maby 1/4 inch worth of threading. Took the manager to go up on the shelve to grab me a direct replacement.. He was "frustrated" with her I will say..
As someone on the other side of the counter. I get 20s somethings in that don't even know what year there car is, or what motor. Or the diesel weenie who comes in all high and mighty and asks, I need X part for my cummings. I ask what year? don't matter they were all the same just for a cummings. Or the customer comes in and drops a greasy part on the counter saying I need one of these. Then proceeds to get annoyed when you ask year, make, and model. You are expected to know every single part from every car ever made. Or a customer expects you to put in the spark plugs she just bought. Or you get the sob story, I'm homeless, out of work, moving to New York from Oregon. With 5 kids, 3 dogs and a cat in a civic. Yet they have the latest I-phone. saying can you help me on the price. But I do know your pain and have had it happen. Tim
I went to napa the other day and asked for a ac delco oil filter for my Chevy truck and they said they dont carry ac delco so I moon walked out of there. Is that the case with your napa too. I'm having better luck with orielys and pep boys. I only go to autozone for laughs, tool rentals and dump my oil off.
