Advance Auto Parts Idiot

[Mamooth]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbum

ac delco filters are no longer made in the usa, and have fallen in their quality control quite a bit. cut one open and you'll find what more resembles a coke can than a filter.

Sadly true. There was a time though when these filters were unreal compared to more expensive filters, they hung right in there.

[thirdgenbum]

when i worked for O'Reilly, my employment was classified as "part-time with benefits" which was only set in place because i was originally hired as "full-time with benefits" then asked to be switched to part time because of my school load. i was allocated 29 hours a week. the regular part time guys could have no more than 24 hours. i was being paid 9.10/hr and had consistently higher productivity rates than the full-timer ISS and As. Mangers, yet got paid less. these guys also came to me for advice more often than the other way around. it is a very frustrating position to be in.

[Mamooth]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbum

when i worked for O'Reilly, my employment was classified as "part-time with benefits" which was only set in place because i was originally hired as "full-time with benefits" then asked to be switched to part time because of my school load. i was allocated 29 hours a week. the regular part time guys could have no more than 24 hours. i was being paid 9.10/hr and had consistently higher productivity rates than the full-timer ISS and As. Mangers, yet got paid less. these guys also came to me for advice more often than the other way around. it is a very frustrating position to be in.

Even more frustrating is being a store manager and not being able to pay someone like you enough, or even offer the opportunity for increase, to the point you would stay.

I really kind of liked the day to day of parts, and if I could have even made half of what I make now I would seriously have considered staying instead of entering an engineering field. Alas... no.

[willhe64]

Found an old post of mine.
"The seal went in my steering box on my 1970 chev 4x4. I took it to my friends shop and Called the parts department. Told them what I had. Parts guy said not to worry, he thinks it is this one, but they only made 4 kinds ever for that box (Saginaw, in lots of vehicles besides chev) and they have all 4. So I pop the old seal out. They deliver one and it is the wrong one. I send the parts girl back with the one I took out. should be easy to match right.
The send me the next one (after 45 minutes) and it is not even close. I send it back reminding the parts girl they have my old one. She said she gave it to the guy.
In the meanwhile i get a work call. i have to borrow my friend who owns the shop's vehicle (he's my best friend and racing partner) and go do this call.
I get back to the shop 90 minutes later and the third seal is there. Wrong one.
I jump in my buddies Keep and roar over there. Madder than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Walk up to the parts guy and my seal is right there on the counter in front of him. Ask him to go and get the one seal type he has yet to send me. He brings it out, I hold it up to mine and it is a perfect match.
I went off on that guy for a good 5 minutes. Insulted his intelligence and ancestry in many, many creative ways. He was purple in the face. Looked like he wanted to hit me. But he had no leg to stand on. How hard is it to take my seal back to the box with 4 seals in it and find the one that looks like mine?

When I got back to my friends shop he phones the parts manager and told him that if he didn't fire that dude he will never order another part from them again. Apparently he's had his share of incidents with the same idiot."

[Angrybird 12]

You know why advance advertises life time guarantees on their brand parts? Because 50% of them will either not work out of the box or will fail within a year. If you are replacing any part that is hard to get to or takes a lot of time to replace do not get an advance part for it.
I have had two experiences like that, one on a ignition control module, and the other an Idle Air Control Valve...both were junk right out of the box and made me waste another 3 days troubleshooting before deciding those "NEW" parts were also bad. Replaced them with factory parts and fixed them both.

[bw26ss]

These kind of predicaments are why i started buying just about all of my car parts online, i hate it when i know what i want and need, but they try to sell me something else. I buy the k&n filter off of ebay for 12.99 with free shipping, the first one i bought was 22.00 plus tax at auto zone. The only reason I buy the k&n for all of my cars is i just have to have a 1 inch wrench for all of them, makes it easy.

[Jay_LHD3]

Originally Posted by Mamooth

I spent YEARS working at an AutoZone as a manager when I was in college and for a while after. You hear all kinds of crazy crap from the people we would hire. I spent so much time correcting them it was nuts.


You have to remember though, they do not pay SQUAT at O'reilleys, AutoZone, or Advance so the level of knowledge is much less. I was hiring people for minimum wage, max 20 hours a week (these were regional rules not mine) and I just couldn't fill spots with people who knew what they were doing.

My solution? Hot young girls. Even if they **** up no one cares and they always come back to see them, haha.


Even when hiring managers, the hourly cap was HARD set at 13.00 and hour. You aren't going to get ASE certified mechanics and such to work for you, ever, at that rate.

You of course will find the occasional awesome parts guy still, but most of the really really good ones have migrated to dealerships or service writer positions. There is NO MONEY in auto parts labor any more. It's sad, because that's how you get some complete moron telling you you will increase HP with an oil filter hahaah

Long story short: retail chain parts stores suck donkey beans. For everyone, employees and customers.

Now that is thinking outside the box !!

[willhe64]

Originally Posted by Jay_LHD3

Now that is thinking outside the box !!

Pun?

CLOSE ENOUGH!

[QUICKSS]

K&H? Pot meet Kettle

[Mamooth]

Originally Posted by willhe64

When I got back to my friends shop he phones the parts manager and told him that if he didn't fire that dude he will never order another part from them again."

[Mamooth]

Originally Posted by bw26ss

The only reason I buy the k&n for all of my cars is i just have to have a 1 inch wrench for all of them, makes it easy.

Those hex heads on them are SWEET!

[United_727]

They don't stock a PF-48 or equivelant? Please,we see a zillion of them.

[paultheman2007]

Originally Posted by PalmerGA

So I picked up some synthetic oil at Walmart (best price) today and stopped by Advance Auto Parts to get a filter. I told the guy what I had and after fumbling with the computer he said, "we don't have any for your car". I said "your kidding". Must have been his first day on the job. Another clerk walks up and goes through the search process again and his computer pulled up a long list filters and the following conversation occurs.

Clerk: "What kind do you want?"
Me: "I'd like a Wix, please"
Clerk: "We don't carry Wix"
Me: "What brands do you have?"
(He turns the screen toward me and starts naming them off)
I notice they are listed from most to least expensive.
Me: "I guess maybe a Bosch"
Clerk: (pointing to the K&H at the top of the list: "You know, you have a high performance car so you might as well get the most horsepower out of it. These K&H filters will give you a few more horsepower".
(The K&H filter was $16.99, the Bosch was about $8)
Me: "What?"
Clerk: "It's true. You can actually gain horsepower with a better filter"
Me: "Come on man. Don't bullshit me"
(The manager overhears me and comes over and asks if there is a problem)
Clerk (to manager): "I was just telling this gentleman that a better oil filter would give him extra horsepower"
Manager: "An Oil Filter?"
Me: "Air filter, maybe, but not an oil filter"
Manager: "That's right. No oil filter will give you extra horsepower. What brand did you want, sir?"
Me: "Well I wanted a Wix but I guess you don't carry them"
Manager: "No we don't. You would have to go to O'Reilley's for a Wix"
Me: "Then I guess I'll just do that. Thanks."
(Went down the street and got my Wix.)

Where do they get some of these "expert" parts clerks. Urrrrrrgh! No more Advance for me!

I work for advance auto parts and i do agree with you we do hire some people who are just flat out dumb. Some sales people just want to sale the best part and will make up anything to get the sale. I work there and i will not buy things like Motor oil from them prices are just stupid. Anyway some people love certain brands i prefer Mobil one oil filter myself.

since i worked there i meet some cool people and there are times where i want to shoot myself because some people who come in there dont even deserve a car.

Me: Whats you need sir?
SIR: ball joint
Me : for what vehicle
SIR: UMMM it is a 2003 chevy mustang
me: you mean Ford Mustang.
sir: no its a chevy mustang i know what the hell i drive.


turns out it was a chevy monte carlo he gave me a hard time people like that make my day just Peachy

[thirdgenbum]

I like it when people come in and ask for a part, I ask them what kind of car, and they respond with "i dunno, the white one outside"