Advance Auto Parts Closing 500 Stores

[DeltaV]

Cut throat business.

NAPA will survive.

I wish my local NAPA store had an entrance/exit that didn't require use of a pickup truck to avoid scraping the underside.

 

[1967coronet]

I have an Auto Zone less than a mile down the street. Convenient regardless of price. I started going to O Reilly's for Wix filters and ha=ve bought a lot from them. If I'm in the middle of something I usually check them first. Napa in town has gotten crazy expensive. I don't buy much there any more. We have Arnold Motor Supply that has stores in a dozen towns around here and a good machine shop if you need one. (but we have 2 good ones here locally)

Arnorld Motor was our main supplier when we had our shop.
Napa was second choice because of customer service.
Arnolds had great employees long term.
Napa , good quality for sure but they acted like they are doing you a favor to take your $$ lol.

 

[toolmanmike]

Arnorld Motor was our main supplier when we had our shop.
Napa was second choice because of customer service.
Arnolds had great employees long term.
Napa , good quality for sure but they acted like they are doing you a favor to take your $$ lol.

Exactly! I bought from IWI when I had my tool truck. Their Delco starters and alternators lasted longer than any brand I tried.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Around here it's NAPA and O'Reilly's with a small fleet of pick-up trucks and vans running around/between their respective warehouses and commercial customers (e.g., auto repair shops, etc).

I've always had the impression that a significant portion of NAPA's business was serving auto repair shops, not the general public for the most part. I could be very wrong of course.

The NAPA store in my town is right next to the Midas Muffler shop owned by a Mopar buddy who does 95% of the work on my cars. NAPA is the go to place for all the independent garages here. Across the street is a small independent family owned shop, which has survived by stocking high quality USA made parts it accumulates from inventories of other places that folded. Advance Auto is a short distance away. I use them for many items out of convenience, but they can't compete with Walmart on price, or the other places for oddball parts. Seems like a poor market position.

 

[DeltaV]

Hitting the little guys too.

• Announces Asset Optimization Program Targeting Reduction of 500 Corporate Stores, 200 Independently Owned Locations and Four Distribution Centers by Mid-2025

PRESS RELEASE
https://ir.advanceautoparts.com/inv...view-of-Operational-Productivity/default.aspx

 

[maxwedgechar]

I went to Advance last night to rent a cooling system pressure tester. $305 deposit!!!!!!!! I know its what the unit costs but.... That said they did have a new gas cap for the Max on the shelf! In a Carquest box! A friend owns a NAPA so I go to him whenever I can. he gives me the trade discount. He's also a Mopar guy so that helps!

 

[#41]

Cut throat business.

NAPA will survive.

I wish my local NAPA store had an entrance/exit that didn't require use of a pickup truck to avoid scraping the underside.

I agree.

Napa generally has the most qualified and knowledgeable people and higher quality parts. Most mechanics shops around here use Napa and pass on the rest. You pay more at Napa because you are paying for the people and better quality parts. I mentioned earlier that when I do shop local, I use one business and Napa is it.

All the rest of the chain auto parts stores hire employees that are about as qualified as your Burger King cashier, and I cannot count how many times I have returned "our best" or "lifetime warranty" starters, water pumps, alternators, etc. that failed in days or didn't even work out of the box. Auto repair shops can't afford to go around in circles with the wrong parts or do the job twice - they know where to get their parts.

 

[Cranky]

Saw that. How many parts stores do we need? There's like one on every corner here.

Have 3 that are within a mile from me with one being Advance.....but I usually end up at Hi-Lo.....I mean....O'Rielly or sumtin like that?

That's terrible!!!

Hardly nothing stood up to my X's driving when it came to brakes....until I bought a fully loaded 2000 Durango with trailer tow package. Only thing that killed it after 17 years was it couldn't stand up to a busted heater hose and she wouldn't stop either when the temp was pegged and the check engine light was on.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Hardly nothing stood up to my X's driving when it came to brakes....until I bought a fully loaded 2000 Durango with trailer tow package. Only thing that killed it after 17 years was it couldn't stand up to a busted heater hose and she wouldn't stop either when the temp was pegged and the check engine light was on.

My wife's ability to destroy mechanical equipment seems to be genetic, and has been a source of both humor and revenue for the Midas shop that I've been a customer of for decades. I've been able to keep her vehicles going long term by limiting the parts to NAPA or factory OEM.

 

[eldubb440]

All within 20 miles of me:

Advance Auto
Auto Zone
CarQuest
NAPA
O'Reilly's (two of them)
A generically named "Auto Store". I believe they used to be a NAPA store.


Of course, don't ask them if they operate a hot tank.

lol 20 miles? ............ there might be 10 of each in a 20 mile radius around here

 

[Don Frelier]

I have a Tacoma PU 3rd one), that at times has towed 5000lb concrete blocks, at 550,000+ miles it still has original rear brake shoes and drums, which is a real big surprise as original owner.
My dad taught me a good attentive driver only uses the brakes when you arrive.

The highest elevation in Florida is 345 ft.
If you lived in Ithaca NY you would have vastly different results.

 

[DeltaV]

lol 20 miles? ............ there might be 10 of each in a 20 mile radius around here

I live further out into the countryside. They are all within 8 miles of each another.

 

[j-c-c-62]

The highest elevation in Florida is 345 ft.
If you lived in Ithaca NY you would have vastly different results.

Understand I wasn't bragging. I suspect in Ithaca the frame would completely rust out way before my brakes ever wore out.
Slowing down for all those sightseeing snowbirds we have does take its toll on brakes though. 

 

[cr8crshr]

When I began working on cars back in my youth, it was always NAPA or a now-defunct chain, Western Auto. Midwest Chicago area store. Then it was OReillys when they bought out Advanced Auto in CA. But mostly ORiellys and of course the online one, Rock Auto. I also would patronize the stores like Summit but as noted before, those are online except here in Reno/Sparks, NV where there is their standalone store and distribution hub. Other than that, ORielly's would also give us vets and first responders, a 10% discount which helped a little, but even they are priced too damn high!!! Just down the street is an Autozone but I can't say I have ever been to it since moving here. Now days most of the work I need done on my vehicles is done by shops and such as I am no longer able to work on them as I once did. Buy the times are rapidly changin'!!! cr8crshr/Bill

 

[beanhead]

My 'local' Napa store is also a distribution center. 6.5 miles away which is nice even though it can get pretty busy in the store. Then when they find your part, you have to mill around for 5 minutes or so while it gets sent down the conveyor.
What's nice is they've always had what I needed in stock and will typically have several brands/price points to choose from.
Also, they're a big commercial supplier and being a hub *should* mean they aren't going anywhere....

 

[#41]

My 'local' Napa store is also a distribution center. 6.5 miles away which is nice even though it can get pretty busy in the store. Then when they find your part, you have to mill around for 5 minutes or so while it gets sent down the conveyor.
What's nice is they've always had what I needed in stock and will typically have several brands/price points to choose from.
Also, they're a big commercial supplier and being a hub *should* mean they aren't going anywhere....

I used to live just a couple miles from one too. Man, I miss that!

 

[Detective D]

The two towns I run to for parts have Advance, O'really? in one, and an Oreally? and a private owned NAPA in the other.
The town with the Advance and really's had decent employees at the really's. Crapshoot at advance, but they do make sure they have about everything on the shelf. Even weird stuff for older vehicles you wouldn't think, like stuff for my Ramcharger.
The NAPA in the other town was in a giant building and was basically THE place. The building was from 1890 and got condemned lol. So then we only had the alternative, but because they were the ONLY store in town, they had a solid business and had a couple nice guys in there. NAPA guys reopened downtown in a new location(too small but they make it work) and now really's is back to chumps with bad attitudes.
NAPA is where to go in my towns, because it is private owned and the owner works there 60 hours a week. He knows his stuff and makes a point to learn where stuff comes from and if it is good or not.

 

[Detective D]

Regarding brakes-
rotors last basically depending on where they were made.
Canada makes some decent rotors.
The factory parts on Chrylser are world sourced, like most things. Some stuff comes from Japan, some came from Europe. If I recall, the factory brakes on my '13 Charger came from Italy. I got 75k miles on them and only replaced because performance was starting to decline, and I live where there is winter and lots of white tails. They looked fine, but were worn- but evenly worn and not rusty. And not scored up. pads were down to maybe 30%.
China brakes are a total joke.

Never buy lifetime warranty anything. It is a scam where they bait you with prorated parts because they know you will come back for the warranty. F that noise. I tried it once with an alternator and it lasted 6k miles. The giant smiling lady behind the oreely's counter asked if I wanted to exchange at pro rate. I was supposed to pay 25% of a new one. I laughed in her face and told her I don;t want to pay 25% of a new one and do this work every 6k miles. And then informed her I would be driving to 3 towns over to buy a NAPA part. The smile vanished. "But what about your warranty? What are you going to do with the old one?" I told her it wasn't old I just bought it 5 months ago and left.

 

[Black_Sheep]

Does anybody still mic and cut rotors ?

The ones that do turn drums and rotors are outrageously priced. O’Reilly’s quoted $30 per rotor for turning. That’s a lot to pay to have an inexperienced kid mess them up. I found a real automotive machine shop that did them both for $30 and they were perfect. Sadly, he has since sold off his equipment and retired…

 

[toolmanmike]

The ones that do turn drums and rotors are outrageously priced. O’Reilly’s quoted $30 per rotor for turning. That’s a lot to pay to have an inexperienced kid mess them up. I found a real automotive machine shop that did them both for $30 and they were perfect. Sadly, he has since sold off his equipment and retired…

That's too bad. I would have kept the drum and rotor lathe and it would be a fun little part time "semi retired" job. May be 2 or 3 a week get's you $120 with not much work.