Shy of Auto Zone

**mikem** · 02-23-2007, 07:08 PM

Last weekend I changed the water pump in our 98 Tahoe for the second time. Not bad as we have 220M miles on it and would like to keep it a few years longer. I purchased the pump, tensioner and belt at Union Auto and then when I got into the job, I bought the lower radiator hose and idler pulley from Auto Zone........neither fit........so I went to NAPA for proper parts late in the day. About two hours wasted and trips too. Just another lesson learned.

**GWAGON_99** · 02-24-2007, 12:58 AM

I live in Bedford, TX and the Autozone here has never led me astray. I have found other Autozones to be of questionable repute but I have personally had good luck with this one. I guess it is all about where you live. I will say that I have NEVER been to an Autozone that is as bad a a Pep Boys. I have never in my life seen so many employees assembled in a so called "Automotive" store as completely incompetent in the ways of cars(or anyhting for that matter) as they are. Everytime I go in there my only thought is that "Ya know I probably should have asked my wife's hair dresser my question...I probably would have gotten a more educated response"

note: If you work at Pep Boys I'm sorry, it may just be the one near me but they are giving you all an awful name and reputation.

**cafs** · 02-24-2007, 08:02 AM

Nope , its not just the Pepboys where you are .

the store plain ol stinks. unless you want a pair of fuzzy dice , you probably wont find it there anyway

**Steve** · 02-24-2007, 09:15 AM

It's all about the people who are working there and how well they are trained and how good morale is. I've been into pep boys before and for me it's more like a self-serve autoparts store that just happens to have a parts counter in the back.

Autozone on the other hand has recently re-done its stores in Texas, I'm not sure about other places, but they have cut the counter down into little cubes so that they're not "behind the wall" so to speak, more responsive, able to bring stuff to you and let you see it, etc. Now, that's all good, but they guy can still pull the wrong product or something that's slightly different that you'll never be able to know. That's why training and general automotive knowledge are so important in a place like that.

**TrailLeadr** · 02-24-2007, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by GWAGON_99

I live in Bedford, TX and the Autozone here has never led me astray. I have found other Autozones to be of questionable repute but I have personally had good luck with this one. I guess it is all about where you live. I will say that I have NEVER been to an Autozone that is as bad a a Pep Boys. I have never in my life seen so many employees assembled in a so called "Automotive" store as completely incompetent in the ways of cars(or anyhting for that matter) as they are. Everytime I go in there my only thought is that "Ya know I probably should have asked my wife's hair dresser my question...I probably would have gotten a more educated response"

note: If you work at Pep Boys I'm sorry, it may just be the one near me but they are giving you all an awful name and reputation.

I'd have to say that it probably a nationwide thing for Pepboys. I remember going in there to get parts for a tune up on a grand-am. I had never worked on this car before, so I wasn't aware that it doesn't have plug wires (it's a module with an ignition coil directly over each plug). When I asked about wires the parts guy told me that they were out of stock, and he could order them for me.

I'd hate to see what I would have paid for, if I had said, "yes, please order that".

I don't go to Pepboys anymore, unless it's a last resort.

**GWAGON_99** · 02-24-2007, 10:03 AM

I also have used them for a last resort. My favorite story is when the guy behind the parts counter couldn't find injectors because he was spelling it "Ingetors" and he tried three times before he turned the screen around and asked us (the customers) for help with his system.

**unplugged** · 02-24-2007, 10:17 AM

When I was much younger I worked in my dad's auto parts store and if I ever said to a customer "Go check over on isle 7" he would have slapped me upside the head. You also never told a customer on the phone "yeah we have that" unless you went and put your eyeballs on the part first.

The Autozone around the corner from my house is great for their "lifetime" parts. I buy it once and then get them replaced as needed. I don't have to have a receipt, because they have the info in their computers. My AZ has two guys that know what they are talking about because they are car nuts themselves. I buy from my local NAPA store for hardparts and those guys are knowledgeable too. They also have a machine shop. I especially like that I save 5% with my AAA card.

**Cableguy** · 02-24-2007, 10:18 AM

I'm glad to see the stores down there are the same cuz we have those problems up here too. Nothing gives me an epileptic cesare than trying to buy a car part in these stores. So I aggravate them by asking for a muffler bearing for an 81 Chevette or a giggle pin for the laugh half shaft. I nearly pee myself everytime. So next time you go in there buy a key chain and some window cleaner...I think your pretty safe to do that much

**Steve** · 02-24-2007, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by GWAGON_99

I also have used them for a last resort. My favorite story is when the guy behind the parts counter couldn't find injectors because he was spelling it "Ingetors" and he tried three times before he turned the screen around and asked us (the customers) for help with his system.

You're onto something there. Somtimes you want to laugh, sometimes you want to cry, sometimes you just want to grab the keyboard and start typing. Not everyone has to be a great speller, but if that's part of your job ... being able to type things in ... maybe we can get to voice acctivated spelling systems in the near future.

Anyhow, I was at a place once, made a purchase and tried to pay with a check using my ID. The woman typed in my ID and kept typing my DL number is as xxxxxx001xx (zero zero one) However, this was a Washingon state ID, just after I moved to Texas, they used Oh's (O) not Zeros (0) It was xxxxxxxOO1xx.

I kept telling her over and over that she needed to type the letter O, not the number Zero. Never got the concept that she was looking at an Oh, never typed it in and finally just took my check without running my ID through the system! I was there like 10 minutes trying to explain to her that it was an OH, not a ZERO! Never got the concept.

**LOW_07** · 02-24-2007, 11:49 PM

I used to work at autozone when I was fresh out of High School.
Same as there are dumb employees, there are dumb customers.

And look at it this way. If the the people that work at autoparts stores actually know stuff about automobiles. Then they will quit that place and work with cars while getting paid more. Which is what i did.