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UPDATE - Car died an hour from home

Horseplay said:
I wouldn't blame their machines. As a way too broad and over generalizing statement (but pretty damn true), the counter help has been clueless for a very long time. I can't remember the last time they ever brought up the right part and I didn't end up going into the back to dig around to find what I really needed. NAPA used to be a tad better but went there this weekend to get a simple reducer bushing for installing a temp sending unit and not a one of the guys there had any idea what I was talking about. I had to conduct a mini training session at their own brass bin in the back to explain what a number of the items THEY SOLD were.
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Oh I definitely won't argue that most counter help now days is just about worthless. The local Autozone owner has a thing for young girls and stacks his counter accordingly. Nothing like taking in a starter or alternator and they look at you and ask what the part is?!? But back to the machines, I have not had much luck with any of the stores being able to successfully test anything. Similar to the OP, we lost fire on the fastback. Everyone pointed me to a bad TFI, so I took it into the store to be tested. Yep, tested OK. After several weeks of research and throwing parts at it I finally bought a new TFI and all was good!
 
At least you get young California girls, around my neck of the woods I get overweight slackers who are huffing and puffing before they can reach the end of an aisle or some young, tattooed ricer type who can tell you all there is to know about the latest no-go fast goodie for your Honda but has no clue about much else.
 
Both my sons work at parts stores part time while the are in college. One is at Auto Zone and the other is at Advance Auto.
While I could take offense at the generalist comments I don't because there is enough evidence that it's a fair assessment.
However, both my boys, even though they are young, know more about cars than most of the customers that come in the store.
A bit of the problem is as mentioned, stores usually hire young or inexperienced people and then only train them to use the computer software in the store.
My boys have learned enough that in many cases they can google stuff for a customer and then look up parts by part numbers rather than going thru the usual line of questioning to get to the part needed. The computer forces the silly questions and can't be skipped but if they know the part number they can skip all that.
Sadly one of my sons has a girlfriend who just got a job at a shoe store and makes more money than he does and he has been there two years now.
So I understand the company's idea is to keep cost down and based on my sons experiences the knowledgeable customer is pretty rare. Most come in and describe a problem with the car hoping the counter guys will diagnose the problem and suggest a part and in some cases want them to install the parts. Many customers don't even come in with enough info on the car to get the right parts anyway. Some send a wife or spouse that is even more clueless.
So while I understand the rant, there is another side to it.
My boys have developed a bit of a reputation in town and have a certain following because they half way know what they are doing. Both store managers constantly try to recruit the other son to come work for them.


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As a former parts jockey, I completely agree with most of the aforementioned generalizations. Used to be you could make a living selling parts, if you were good at it, but there isn't a lot of money in the industry anymore. I got my start at a Napa, where they fostered actual parts knowledge rather than simply being able to use a computer, and tried to retain the employees that knew what they were doing. But a lot of the corporate stores only care about numbers, and you can't easily see customer satisfaction or return business on paper, so few stores are willing to pay for it, or to pay for training for their employees.

98% of the people I've worked with or tried to get help from since have no idea what they're doing. They understand some basics about cars, but if you ask them for an illustrated parts book or to go find a specialty brass fitting, they're clueless. It doesn't fit into the "year/make/model" hole they're given to fill, so they don't know what to do. Even the testing equipment is built to accommodate this mentality. The old rotating electrical tester at the Napa I worked at could test anything. The newer units I've seen have limited wiring harnesses and require a part number, which requires make/model info, which pretty much eliminates the usability on farm and industrial equipment.

The staff at the O'Reilly's around the corner has gotten to the point of just letting me wander around in the back to go pull my own brass, fuel lines, parts books, etc. rather than trying to figure out what I want and where it is. They're nice enough, but if I asked them to go pull the 3/8" steel inline fuel filter I needed last week, they'd be running around in circles for days.
 
I too worked for a Napa, albeit over 30 years ago. That was before computers. We had a counter length set of parts books and you had to know your way around a car to be able to find the right part number.

Now I just look up the part number online and take it into the parts store. That way the counter dummies don't need to struggle to find the right part.
 
RockAuto for the win! For the most part, this is where I go these days for actual replacement parts needs. By far the broadest selection of parts/manufactures and if I can wait its only a day or two before the parts arrive. Seems i am needing something almost weekly now for my aging DD. If I have to look up the part number myself anyway I can go this route and avoid the frustration at the local places.
 
The staff at the O'Reilly's around the corner has gotten to the point of just letting me wander around in the back to go pull my own brass, fuel lines, parts books, etc. rather than trying to figure out what I want and where it is. They're nice enough, but if I asked them to go pull the 3/8" steel inline fuel filter I needed last week, they'd be running around in circles for days.
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that's what I was doing with the local Advance and how my middle son actually got the job there. They knew me and knew I had a some idea about what I was doing and when they posted a "now hiring" sign and I mentioned I had a high schooler looking for work they hired him even though he was technically too young. The manager doctored the application! Now my son's have become pretty proficient at helping customers and both stores recognize they aren't the typical young person
 
Dear Walter,
I hope you can help me here. The other day, I set off for work leaving my husband in the house watching the TV as usual. I hadn't driven more than a mile down the road, when the engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help. When I got home, I couldn't believe my eyes. He was in our bedroom with the neighbor's daughter. I am 32, my husband is 34, and the neighbor's daughter is 19. We have been married for ten years. When I confronted him, he broke down and admitted that they had been having an affair for the past six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him. He was let go from his job six months ago, and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever since I gave him the ultimatum, he has become increasingly distant. He won't go to counseling, and I'm afraid I can't get through to him anymore.
Can you please help?
Sincerely, Sheila
****************************

Dear Sheila:
A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking to see that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and hoses on the intake manifold, and also check all grounding wires. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the injectors.
I hope this helps...
Walter
 
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