Ask to "Check the Box" at Autozone

[modernistsouth]

To this day , I still run into old auto repair customers who pleade with me, we miss you, we cant get any service, no one knows what there doing, what happened? . I tell them , they did it to themselves, Greedy, had to have the best price no matter what. Now they have price and no good info or service. I always said , its easy to sell on price, If you can keep yuor profit margins and sell on service youve done your job. As for me , the Auto Parts business did well for me and my family. End of Rant . Sorry

This happens in most every retail market in the US. I worked at an independent record store for years. Most of the employees there were major collectors and were full of knowledge. We all had our specialty, and collectively any question could be answered or any record could be found. We were paid enough to make a good living with benefits. Then, in the 90's, with the internet and the digital marketplace, it all changed.
But, like you're talking about, knowledge costs money and unfortunately no one wants to pay for it anymore. The expertise is on the buyer now, and that they can get that from the internet. In a round-a-bout way, we are all preventing genius car guys from making a living selling parts. Who needs to ask the local shop when you can go to a forum on the internet, figure out what you need, then order it online? I don't criticize the way things have become. It's just the way it is now.
There are, however, small independent shops out there that thrive. They cater to a niche market, and fortunately, there is enough of one to support them. That record store I worked at suffered through some lean years and has rebounded. They made the necessary adjustments. They sell online. They sell at swaps. They sell rare items. They mix it up in ways the big box stores or online stores can't do.
I'll drive a distance to support a small speed shop that sells rare parts and employs knowledgeable employees. At the same time, I order online too. I think if we make room for both, we can have both.

 

[trimmer]

All I can say is try, rockauto.com, rockauto.com, rockauto.com and you will save money repairing your car.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

My local speed/parts store recently closed up.The lease was up for renewal and the increase was insane!! I see more and more of this going on with more & more empty properties.Hard to turn a profit when the overhead is huge:icon_shaking:

 

[70rr-brian]

I boycotted autozone.

 

[mopwrd340]

I have bought alot from rock auto but there shipping can be right high at times so i check summit there prices are close to rock auto but only charge $10 to ship ,

I also have boycotted auto zone

 

[bee71]

The need to stock late model parts by most auto stores keeps decreasing even though the demand remains high. For them the market is in newer cars. Even Mopar Parts lists a classic car as 1985.

 

[Cranky]

All I can say is try, rockauto.com, rockauto.com, rockauto.com and you will save money repairing your car.

What pisses me off is most of the parts are from China....

My local speed/parts store recently closed up.The lease was up for renewal and the increase was insane!! I see more and more of this going on with more & more empty properties.Hard to turn a profit when the overhead is huge:icon_shaking:

That's what killed my nephew's shop. Also, so many customers price shop too and the competition is fierce because of it. He bought the bulk of his parts from local auto parts stores and did rely on them at times for their knowledge experience too but also used the net when he had to.

I miss the mom and pop auto parts houses but I also welcome the internet too. The net has also helped me to make money beyond my wildest dreams not with just buying and selling parts, but info on what to sell estate sale items for and trading the stock market too! I remember paying 100 bucks per trade using a full service stock broker before all of the online brokerages showed up.

 

[Budnicks]

I'm sure this has been covered or already said & yeah I agree with most all here, brick & mortar businesses have a really tough time competing in todays w-w-w. com internet market... Many sometimes just drop-ship, with no warehouse/storage cost, with little labor cost, to allow for rock-bottom pricing {some sell allot of junk, cheap foreign made/inferior lessor quality parts too, sometime you get what you pay for too, price shopping instead of buying quality made in the USA parts, paying a little more} then your overhead on a brick & motor business, will decrease your profit, enough to keep you from succeeding or profiting enough to justify staying in business... Just being able to keep liability insurance, SSDI, matching un-employment benefit contributions, even local, city, county, state & federal taxes, electric bill, gas bill, maintenance/upkeep costs, then all the employees payroll costs & now fed. govt. mandated employee heath-care & birth control & maternity benefits, for all ages, even if your not married, a woman or of reproduction age still, added to all that too... It's killing almost the mom & pop's, small brick & mortar type business, except a very select few niche specialty shops/stores/retail businesses, catering to a select few loyal customers... I try & make an effort support my local Debco/Napa Parts store here in Sonora when I can, basic stuff mostly, they really don't carry much at all in the way of performance parts, that's really my bulk of purchases... I'd rather put some performance replacement part, that make more power &/or efficiency, than a stock made in China part, most parts stores sell today, for the amount I drive, it's well worth the extra $$$$ spent... I shop @ Summit Racing, Mancini Racing, Jegs & Magnum Force Racing for allot of the rest...

 

[Photon440]

I agree that it's frustrating when the parts counter doesn't know what you want. Some places are still good around here though.

I used to do a lot of repairs for other people right in my yard. One time I went to a store called 'Bumper-to-Bumper' for a set of Chevy small block head gaskets. The kid fumbled through several books and catalogs before announcing that they didn't have them and couldn't get them. Really? There was a set in blister pac right behind his back on the wall. I walked out without telling him. That store is gone now.

On the other hand, I once walked into Mopac and asked for a set of Hooker headers for a 455HO in a LeMans. They guy didn't even have to get out his book, he knew the part number.

A local place called 'Alder Auto' has a few stores around the city. They're very helpful, got pictures of hotrods and stuff around the place and do some sponsoring. They always know what I'm talking about, and if they don't have it, they'll call the other stores, or their warehouse and get it in just a few hours. I support these guys whenever I can.

 

[scotts74birds]

I agree with all the above. I now do most of my purchases on the web. As of late, it is very difficult to find chain-stores that can even GET quality parts. Napa has to sell "chinesium" just to compete. I'm sorry to say the world has changed for us wrench-turners. For the average Joe, AZ is good enough. For me? I can still find Moog parts on-line for the price of their garbage. Unless I am broken-down on the side of the road, I buy most of my parts on Amazon.

 

[fanucme]

yes the problem is the parts ,
I ordered all my brake parts from RockAuto after going to check the local stores and their higher prices in white boxes and free dumb looks

I ordered Raybestos for supposedly better parts and the Master Cyllinder and brake hoses are made in China , the master cyllinder cover now looks wrong (reversed) and it doesn't really want to bleed that easily even with a vaccum pump at the bleeders.

at least the Raybestos pin type reman calipers are reman'ed in USA , mail order and send calipers back for a core is doubtful to happen also.