20 questions

BIG RUH · Feb 20, 2015

Stopped at the local O'Reilly's auto parts store to get a thermostat for the wife's car. I got a young lady who knew how to operate a computer, nothing about cars.
Told her I needed a thermostat for a 2002 Saturn SL single over head cam. First question, what make car, second year, third model, fourth 2 or 4 door, fifth single or dual overhead cam. Guess I gave her too much information at one time

Bob · Feb 20, 2015

I always add "and its BLUE (or red or green or whatever).

oldtanker · Feb 20, 2015

(quoted from post at 10:26:10 02/20/15) Stopped at the local O'Reilly's auto parts store to get a thermostat for the wife's car. I got a young lady who knew how to operate a computer, nothing about cars.
Told her I needed a thermostat for a 2002 Saturn SL single over head cam. First question, what make car, second year, third model, fourth 2 or 4 door, fifth single or dual overhead cam. Guess I gave her too much information at one time

It's common. The computer demands the info so she was just reading the screen.

I hate parts stores that hire people who know nothing about any vehicle except where to put in gas.

Rick

FBH44 · Feb 20, 2015

When I call my doctor's office I always say my name slowly, then my birth-date slowly "Eight - nineteen - forty-four" and she always asks "Date of birth??"

RandyB(MI) · Feb 20, 2015

We have two gals at our O' Reillys (one is mananger) and they are both car smarter than the guys that work there...not to mention more polite. Still go to Car Quest for my paint cuz they have PPG but everything else is O' Reilly. Wish they had PPG.

Stephen Newell · Feb 20, 2015

That's why when there is a power failure most stores will throw everybody out and lock the front door. Can't function without the computer.

rrlund · Feb 20, 2015

Hey,that worked when I needed a part for my quad. I said it's a blue one. Jeff said,"OK,I know which one you mean".

massey 333 · Feb 20, 2015

I know what you are saying about these clerks,but maybe in her defense,because that was a car that was never in our area plus I don't know of any dealers (50-75Mi.)ever for them.So maybe she never knew of them(SATURN).Same as going in and asking for parts for a MAXWELL or ESSEX today.

ditchwitch · Feb 20, 2015

The computers now days are made for even a dummy to find the part number. So if the clerk has been licking windows all his/her life and knows nothing about a car, if they can read the screen step by step they can find a part number. Now weather its the right part is a different story.

Goose · Feb 20, 2015

It's not unreasonable to be asked for the information in the order the computer asks for it. Also not unusual for a computer to request unexpected info.

I once asked for an alternator belt for a '71 Olds Cutlass. After establishing the year, model, engine, etc, the parts man asked if the car had a rear window defroster.

I asked, "what the heck does that have to do with the alternator belt?"

Turned out the cars with a rear window defroster had a smaller pulley on the alternator to spin the alternator faster at idle, hence a different length alternator belt. So, usually there's a good reason for various questions parts people ask.

And a gal that's Assistant Manager at our local O'Reilly's can put all the guys in the place to shame when it comes to technical knowledge about cars.

BigMarv1085 · Feb 20, 2015

I went into ORielys last also and told them I needed a starter solenoid for a MF 135 diesel tractor, he goes do you have a old one I can get a number off? the older parts man goes look for a chevy between 63 and 72 and it worked

old · Feb 20, 2015

The key thing in O'Reilly's is going to the right person or they know only what the computer tells them. So yes you told her to much info before she had the screen up so it went in one ear and out the other.
Son asked for some transmission fluid for a Suzuki sidekick with auto and a kid there gave him a qt of 80W-90 oil instead of ATF. Bad thing is I have told the son to ask for just a few people due o most not knowing much

gab · Feb 20, 2015

I don't see anything unusual with that, surprised she didn't need the vin number and a list of option codes, lot of times the same part changes during the year. It ain't like it used to be and I'm not even a parts man, she did her job.

gab · Feb 20, 2015

Forgot the example I was thinking of, the GM pickups have had the thermostat down on the rt. frt. corner of the engine for a quite a few years now. Did a thermostat on one, don't remember the year, that the same year, same 5.3 eng. could have different thermostats depending on the style housing used. One took a normal t-stat, the other took the whole housing, don't remember the price but it was a bunch.

ss55 · Feb 20, 2015

That's just the way things work now. When I don't want to answer all the questions one at a time, I write the pertinent information on a sheet of paper and hand the paper to the counter person. It saves time at the counter for both of us.

The new systems are setup to work online and automatically restock inventory from either a central warehouse or directly from the manufacturer.

RLA · Feb 20, 2015

The issue of looking up parts has changed.

Being I have worked for a new car dealer for 40+
years I can still look like a dummy behind the
parts counter when looking up the simplest part.
It's all because of the format procedure the
in house computer co has. You hafta follow
the process threw. With a Ford, if you would
give the last 8 characters of the Vin 1st
it's duck soup easy....Dodge's require 9 digits.
I think GM is 8 like Ford..

tomturkey · Feb 20, 2015

I shop prices by going to the O'Reilly web site and others. They require the step by step input to get to your part. And as others have said the vin, as some parts changed during the production year. I try not to be too critical of someone WORKING at the counter. No way anyone can know all the ins and outs of everymodel vehicle with all the bells and whistles they have now days. gobble

L.Fure · Feb 20, 2015

I worked in a auto parts store in the days before the computer. After you looked a part up in the catalog for the millionth time the numbers would start to stick in your head. I still remember the part numbers for a Delco alternator front and rear bearings.. Z99503 and MNJ471S. We sold a ton of them.

It was different if someone needed parts for a International pickup. 99% of the time you had to send the customer out to get the build sheet, which was pasted to the back of the glove box. AMC cars were just as bad, but they didn't have a build sheet for them. You either had to have the vin. number, or go out to the parking lot and look under the hood.

2underage · Feb 20, 2015

WE all had to learn sometime.

Mark - IN. · Feb 20, 2015

I know what you mean, but she could be sitting at home expecting a government guaranteed entitlement handout, but isn't...bless her heart. We all have to start somewhere and she's trying. It took me 55 years to become the on the job trained rocket scientist that I am now.

Mark

Wemedeeres · Feb 20, 2015

I went in to get a set of wiper blades one time for my pickup I told him it was an 03 GMC, the guy proceeded to ask if it was 4x4 and if it had A/C, I turned around and walked out.

Funtwohunt · Feb 20, 2015

I went to an oreileys couple months ago needing an oil filter. Oreileys carry Wix filters so I gave the guy the Wix Gold filter number. They are the black filters which are supposed to be a better filter than the white ones. Any way he brought me couple filters. I opened the box and they were white standard filter. I told him that is not what I wanted. He said it was. I told him the Gold filters are black not white. I asked him to give me the price of the white filter and it was 1.75 less per filter than what he was going to charge me for the two he just brought out. I then asked him to bring me out the cheaper filter. He then told me they the same filter, they just charge more if a customer asks for the better filter, even though they are unknowingly getting the shaft.I wonder how many people get the shaft when they are trusting the "Honest Employee &/or O Reileys policy.

Funtwohunt · Feb 20, 2015

He also advised me that it doesn't really matter if I wasn't going to buy them or not. He said he will sell them to the next person that needs them.

JD Seller · Feb 20, 2015

On the new computer parts systems you have to enter all the information and then they get to the screen to where they can chose the part you want. So don't be such a hot head when they are just doing what the "new" systems require for them to Look up your wiper blades.

There are literally hundreds of combinations of wiper blades. The day of just crabbing you some off the shelf is just about over if you want the correct ones.

H. DeBruhl · Feb 20, 2015

Here's one that really throws them for a loop around here.... Use the word tractor.. I use a generic Borg Warner on/off key switch on most of our tractors. EVERY time I go in I tell them the part number and then the 20 questions start. The notion that is for a tractor goes over their heads (we don't sell tractor parts). One guy had the nerve to tell me I didn't know what I needed and went to find the agricultural equipment book they have. I figured I would let this guy make himself out to be the fool and played along. 10 minutes later and not getting through his head that a Massey Harris was real, he finally shut up and typed in the part number! Guess what?? I was right, they do sell them...... Needless to say he wasn't around long. Some times you have to just shake your head and wonder.

L.Fure · Feb 21, 2015

(quoted from post at 03:15:34 02/21/15) I went in to get a set of wiper blades one time for my pickup I told him it was an 03 GMC, the guy proceeded to ask if it was 4x4 and if it had A/C, I turned around and walked out.

Did you get any wiper blades after that?

Leroy · Feb 21, 2015

The big thing here that everybody is missing. He gave her the make year and model and she did not pay any atention to what he had said or she would not have had him to repeat the information. If you cannot remember the make you are told for 5 seconds then something is wrong.

Wemedeeres · Feb 21, 2015

(quoted from post at 09:09:17 02/21/15)

(quoted from post at 03:15:34 02/21/15) I went in to get a set of wiper blades one time for my pickup I told him it was an 03 GMC, the guy proceeded to ask if it was 4x4 and if it had A/C, I turned around and walked out.

Click to expand...

Did you get any wiper blades after that?

I went across town to NAPA, walked in,told the guy what I needed, he walked out from behind the counter and over to the wiper blades grabbed two different sizes and asked where I was parked. We walked out to my pickup and he put the new set on for me. I asked him why he grabbed two different sizes and he said sometimes people prefer ones that are a couple inches shorter, he said the shorter ones hug the windshield better. We went back inside I payed him and was on my way!

Wemedeeres · Feb 21, 2015

(quoted from post at 22:21:37 02/20/15) On the new computer parts systems you have to enter all the information and then they get to the screen to where they can chose the part you want. So don't be such a hot head when they are just doing what the "new" systems require for them to Look up your wiper blades.

There are literally hundreds of combinations of wiper blades. The day of just crabbing you some off the shelf is just about over if you want the correct ones.

I guess saying I was a hot head would be going a little too far, I was so dumbfounded that they needed to know if my pickup was four wheel drive and had air conditioning that I didn't think my doing business there was necessary.

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