Dumb/strange stuff you've seen at an auto parts store

[Cranky]

Never 'officially' worked at an auto parts store but spent a lot of time in a local place helping out and just hanging out. One late afternoon, one of the guys had the stooopid plan of chilling down a bottle of coke using a can of freon and before anyone could run, he hit it and the dang thing exploded. There was 3 of us in one area talking and he just walked up and did it. We barely had time to turn our heads away from it. Yeah, he nearly got hung that day lol.

Another time some guy brought in a big block water pump asking for a replacement....but he brought in the whole mess...housing housing included and still had the pump bolted into it lol. One of the guys said, "I'll fix you right up" and the rest of us stayed quiet until he set the box down on the counter and open it up and pulled the pump out and then we all cracked up. The look on the customers face was priceless! He realized at that instance all the work he just did for nothing lol

 

[70rr-brian]

Well I went into an auto parts place in NKY. Just went in to match up some pan blots. Was at counter talking to the parts guy when BANG, CRASH, OMFG's insued. They had a turnkey Ford diesel motor on a stand. The stand collapsed. It was elevated about 4 feet off the ground on a pedestal before it collapsed. It bounced off that pedestal on the way down slid across the floor about 8 feet into a display which promptly fell. It went to the left where there was a big window....right through it.

I felt bad for them but couldn't help laughing.

 

[Cranky]

Dang! Your post made me laugh too! Lots of damage there and glad no one got hurt. That could have been a bad one....

 

[brandon64]

usually the only thing I find that is dumb at auto parts stores is the employees. Its painful to see the sign at the autozone that sais "now hiring, no experience necessary". When I go into an unfamiliar auto parts store I tell the person behind the counter I'm looking for a radiator for a 73 VW beetle, or spark plugs for a cummins. If they attempt to look the part up, I move on to someone else.

 

[696pack]

usually the only thing I find that is dumb at auto parts stores is the employees. Its painful to see the sign at the autozone that sais "now hiring, no experience necessary". When I go into an unfamiliar auto parts store I tell the person behind the counter I'm looking for a radiator for a 73 VW beetle, or spark plugs for a cummins. If they attempt to look the part up, I move on to someone else.

Yeah, if they can't find it in the computer you not going to have any luck unless you can get behind the counter and look in the old books that these young kids either can't read or WON'T.

I get so sick of telling them it doesn't matter if it is a Coronet 440, 500, etc. because the part I am asking for is the same for all models. They apparently can't go to the next step in the computer without the info.

They won't pay the money it takes to hire someone that has any REAL knowledge.

 

[iraqivet01]

One of the guy's at the shop was changing the filters on an Allison transmission, well it has two round mess filters that are snap onto an Aluminium cover.

Not paying attention, he placed it in the filter crusher. Cover and all.
Needless to say when it started making this loud crunching noise, he figured out really quick what he did and started running across the shop to try and stop it.

The look on his face was priceless as he opened the door to the crusher and all was left was a flattened filter and the cover in about dozen pieces.

It was so loud that the shop supervisor could hear it all the way in his office and came out asked "what the Heck was that?"

That is now commonly known as "The Hamric".

 

[DesertBilly]

usually the only thing I find that is dumb at auto parts stores is the employees. Its painful to see the sign at the autozone that sais "now hiring, no experience necessary". When I go into an unfamiliar auto parts store I tell the person behind the counter I'm looking for a radiator for a 73 VW beetle, or spark plugs for a cummins. If they attempt to look the part up, I move on to someone else.

I got a radiator for the vw and those hard to find cummins spark plugs lmfao :iamwithstupid:

 

[goose69]

I worked at 4 different auto parts chain stores around town during my early 20's (im about to turn 40 now) and I NEVER used a computer. I always used the books and could usually find the parts faster than the guys using the computers anyways. Frustrating when I return to these same parts stores and they can't find the parts I need because the stupid computer can't find it listed. I have asked to use their books and low and behold THERE IT IS!!!
I ended up getting out of that scene because I couldn't stand the sheer ignorance and stupidity of most of the general public. Now don't get me wrong, I applaud the people trying to do it on their own but some/most people should give up while they're ahead.....oh wait, they never were ahead in the first place! (maybe they were driving a chevy)

 

[greenmonsta79]

I worked at Western Auto Parts America when I was 17 years old up until Advance Auto parts bought them out (bout 4 years) anyway one of the best were the dumbass GM guy's that thought the 350 Chevy was God's gift to the automotive world! Best ever my manager was a woman (actually 3 other ladies worked there also) Anyway Carol was one of the guys, Some hardass comes in and throws a starter up on the counter and says "need a 350 Chevy starter" she says what year and model he then gets all mr. know-it-all on her he says "woman there all the same" LOL I about rolled on the floor cause he just woke the dragon!!! She then goes back and pulls 4 different 350 starters off the shelf then tells him to take his pick!!! LOL he just stood there with this priceless "ohhh ****" look!!! He then got all hardass and walked out cause he had been schooled by a gal! LOL

 

[Cranky]

I worked at Western Auto Parts America when I was 17 years old up until Advance Auto parts bought them out (bout 4 years) anyway one of the best were the dumbass GM guy's that thought the 350 Chevy was God's gift to the automotive world! Best ever my manager was a woman (actually 3 other ladies worked there also) Anyway Carol was one of the guys, Some hardass comes in and throws a starter up on the counter and says "need a 350 Chevy starter" she says what year and model he then gets all mr. know-it-all on her he says "woman there all the same" LOL I about rolled on the floor cause he just woke the dragon!!! She then goes back and pulls 4 different 350 starters off the shelf then tells him to take his pick!!! LOL he just stood there with this priceless "ohhh ****" look!!! He then got all hardass and walked out cause he had been schooled by a gal! LOL

Seen that happen more than a time or two!!

 

[goose69]

I like that 1! My good friend and his wife go into a local parts store and he tells her to go ask for her part cause it's her car (1970 chevelle) and he wants to see how she handles this type of situation. She does and the guy behind the counter brings her something totally different and says "this is what you really need, you obviously don't know much about cars". She in turn tells him every purpose of the part he brought out and tells him to get the one she asked for seeing how HIS wasn't going to fix her problem.
My friend chuckles and tells the parts guy he's been restoring these cars professionally for almost 20 years and she's been with him through all of it. The parts guy acted a bit sheepish but tipped his hat.

 

[67 B-body]

Agreed,,, The most common "DUMB" / STUPID" thing I find in a parts store is typicaly the employee's!
I put myself through college working as an assistant manager of a parts store, and most of the time, could walk back to the shelf and pull the part the customer needed without looking it up.
When I did look something up, it was always from a catalog. You cant cross referance on these new parts house computers, you cant go to the appendix and look up the dimensions of a U-Joint and come up with a part number that works for a guy! Exhaust components were the same way,,,, A guy comes in and says " I need a muffler 20" long with a 2 1/2" inlet in the center with 2 1/2" outlet on the side... You looked it up based on that criteria,,, Not the damn make and model!!!!!!
I was just in Autozone, and another man with his daughter asked an employee if they had any trickle chargers? This kid had not one damn clue, of what the hell a trickle charger was!!!!!! He says "we have battery chargers over here" He had to be schooled by this guy on what a "trickle" charger was and what it did!!!! It's just these kids and there complete lack of knowlege of cars! All they know is that the air filter box says 20hp gain by using this filter!!! As I clear my throat and mutter "Bull ****",, I tend to shake my head in dis-belief at these claims,,, And the kids believe it!!!! LOL!!!!!! They read the stickers of HP figures and buy all these things with there calculators out adding it all up to come up with "I have 600hp in my nissan 4 cyl"..... LOL........
I've had it with todays tuner car kids!!!!
I own one of those little tuner cars "Subaru 2.5 Turbo" and OK,,, It's peppy, but my Plymouth will wipe its ***! No way does it have the HP and TQ figures as advertised.... NO WAY!
I'm done ranting now!!!

 

[1badgtx]

I got a 72 toyota landcruiser,it,s got a pumped up chevy 350 in it...I always like telling the guy behind the counter that i need plugs for a 72 cruiser...They push their buttons on their computer and ask me is a 4 or 6 cylinder,,,I say it,s a eight...Sometines those bone heads are just so stupid...I usually go to my local napa...There is a girl their that knows her stuff...She will go out of her way to make sure I get the right part..If I got a tough one she always gets it right...
Petty Blue 67 gTx

 

[Deleted member 214]

Needed a new seal for the Tremec in my 70 Road Runner. This tranny was used in a Mustang Cobra year, so I went to a Ford dealer to get a new seal. First question was what make, model, and year car I had. I said it didn't matter, but before I could tell him it was a transplant he said he couldn't go ahead without the info on the car it was going in. I tried to tell him again, he cut me short and started getting pissy. I finally said my car was a 1970 Road Runner. He rolled his eyes and he pointed out the door to a Dodge dealer across the street. I told him the tranny was the same as in a 95 Cobra R. He said "well, why didn't you say so in the first place!"