[dave]

Ok, I have to vent! I just went to my favorite locally owned / operated autoparts store (D&G Auto Parts and Machine Shop), and saw they are closing their business. It's really no surprise, just over a year ago Autozone open a store about 2 stop lights away from D&G. Well, it's not fair for me to pick on just Autozone, just over two years ago CSK (Checker, Schucks, Kargen) opened a store about 3 stop lights away from D&G. What I'm really going to miss, is the personal services that D&G offered. I mean, things like a heli-coil repair after closing time on Saturday evening so I can get my vehicle ready for the commute to work the next day. They would press on/off bearings, hot tank parts, surface flywheels, turn drums / rotors. They always found a way to get me going with what I needed.

They offered same day parts service, that Autozone and CSK could get "the next day". I'm really going to miss Mike and the rest of the guys at D&G.

Price is not alway the most important thing for me. It was nice doing business with a group parts people and machinist who had dirty finger nails like me.
dave

 

[3227]

what kind of auto parts did this store have? the past five years i have been managing a small napa store i have gotten calls from customers at ten at night and sundays etc. just part of the job. we get napa business from about forty to fifty miles away because the autozones and advances have ran lots of napa stores out of business. our business was up 5 percent this year. i was visiting my mom in the hospital sunday but another employee went in to work twice to get people going. sorry to hear your favorite place was closing. sounds like they were a lot like us. napa joe

 

[010]

bad part about it is , the autozoner hate you too. The store itself does not care if the customer comes back.

 

[2711]

"At autozone, we`ll sell you the cheapest part with a lifetime warrenty to save you, the consumer, money"!!

now- add in several trips back to the store to get a part that works from someone who usually has no knowelage of what their selling, much less cares....and you`ll see why most of us go far out of our way to pay more for the right part, the first time, that actually fits, AND works.(add in FMC here. Quality is job 1?)

I went through 5 alternators once...lifetime warrenty is great....gee, I could have bought a new one with the money I would have saved just in gas.

All I got was "it has a warrenty, what are you complaining about?"...emails to headquarters went unanswered...no time for Joe Average with complaints.

oh, the stories I could tell...but then again, cant we all.

NAPA...close, friendly, and smart.

 

[683]

That sucks Dave. My local NAPA which is twice as far away as a pep boys is the best. If they went out I wouldn't know what to do. They pressed in my new spring bushings for free, knowing I go there instead of pep boys for everything I need. They have a huge selection of Grade 8 bolts up past 1", get every part I need - even tested my alternator for me (free of course) and based upon the results refused to sell me a new one. (Still think I need more than 65 amps though).

My local NAPA is priceless to me. Good luck in finding a new home.

 

[1356]

At first I liked Autozone, the parts they were selling were cheap, and they worked. Then my time to work on my Vehicle became limited, and I went through 5 starters a few while the vehicle was sitting still, Then I didn't like Autozone, then I replaced my Starter relay and the dead starters stopped and I liked them again....Sorta...Just don't have the time to perpetually replace every part on my Rig forever.

So I've gotten to the point however I like Napa better. Autozone reminds me of the Walmart of Parts Stores, Cut any corner to save a buck, Screw quality... Don’t stock the parts that are necessary, just stock the parts that make Profit. Don’t' worry about hiring smart employees Just hire Cheap employees that can barely Read a computer Screen and get a part......

 

[RRich]

Watch their prices too - they practive "bait and switch".
Their sign said $1.99 for carb cleaner, just like their ads.
I grabbed several - maybe 8 or 9? I also got several other items too.
The bill seemed a little high, by about $15.
I made the guy go over the bill with me - they charged me $3.99 for each carb cleaner, and overcharged for something else.
I got the carb cleaner from a big display - the sign was on top advertising the price. It very tiny letters it said 12 oz., but the cans were all 16 oz.
No 12 oz. cans to be seen. The guy said they don't carry the 12 oz size.
So they advertise one thing, then charge you another.
I demanded all my money back on everything - they told me no - they don't return chemical items.

I wrote a letter to Weights and Measures - the enforcement agency on things like that.

 

[chdorsey]

I only trust the guys at Autozone if I am buying oil. Their advice is worthless and they don't know anything. I shop at Napa almost exclusively for parts and haven't had a bit of trouble yet. Knowledgeable, friendly, and the prices aren't that much more

.

Chris

 

[2359]

I don't shop at Autozone because the stores seem more geared towards the fast and the furious crowd with piles of neon glowing stuff everywhere. My favorite for generic parts is Advanced Auto. These guys are real helpful if not exactly loaded with knowledge. They let me hammer on their keys cross referencing stuff and they have the parts for me by 9:00 AM the following morning. They're never crowded - probably doomed just because it's convenient for me. One other reason I like shopping there - A mechanic buddy of mine checked on parts availabilty for me there once and told them that it was a cash sale under his business name. Somehow my name and address is set up in their computer to receive "special" pricing.

OT - While growing up, there was this Shell Service Station about 2 miles from my parents house. Just 2 bays and 2 mechanics but these guys would do anything and everything to get you running. They used to mount and balance tires for me for $5.00. Show me tips and tricks to get a car to pass inspection like the old wood puddy and oil trick to make chips in windshields disappear. Nowadays, you're hard-pressed to find a gas station that supplies air and that'll cost you 50 cents.

 

[GoldToyBox]

I can't say anything bad about Auto Zone ....... not all the Bugger Eaten Morons can work at Pep Boys.
I buy some stuff there on sale, but the service sucks. Just too slow and don't seem to care (uh, we don't have that or isn't a Commando a motorcycle?).
Napa store still open but I wonder for how much longer. The old fella that knew how to find anything retired and the fella in the machine shop that could fix anything retired too. Got a new Kragen, Walmart, & Auto Zone in town, just "progress" I guess.

 

[Caver Dave]

I like the local AA also. The one over by the old house was a fun place to go. I knew them by name and they knew me & Mossy. Once they realized I wasn't the "parts is parts" guy, I had my run of the place (as long as some corporate tie wasn't around)...I crossed/looked it up, I pulled the part (no more "opened boxes"

), I printed the ticket, and I carried it ALL (no more "oops! left it here on the counter") to counter to pay. I haven't got to know the folks at the store near the new place as well, but you can bet after a few more trips, they'll know me!

Your right about hiring mental midgets at most of the parts houses too. How can you know or recommend something when you have no clue where it goes, what it does, or how to see if it's bad/broken? The AAs (at least around here) have a more "mature" staff. Usually, retired wrenches or wrenches that are moonlighting and full of little tricks to help you out.

 

[Guest]

My old parts house was great. The owner had a Jeep or two so he kept parts for them. He ended up selling out to the local parts chain. Now they are competing with the Autozone's and O'rielly's. I try to stay with certain parts guys because they are so much easier to discuss projects and what I want to do. I keep track of where they are so I don't have to remember which vehicle I used to get the part that I'm replacing. I'll use Advance some. Mainly for the quick turn around on parts they don't have in stock but there is one guy there that has got used to looking past the blamed computer for my parts. He calls me "One piece at a time" when I walk in. And then usually says "What car are you gonna incorperate into that heep of yours today?"

 

[SteveInColorado]

I hate Autozone beyond words. They were the only thing close for a long time, and I got screwed on quality so many times that I started only buying parts from the nearest Napa 30 miles away. I bought "lifetime" brakes from Autozone because a guy I work with (Mr. more is better guy) told me what a great deal it was. 3 months later I was changing brakes again. Then 3 month after that, and 3 months after that, and ......
Finally a Napa opened here in town, so I bought all new brake stuff from them. 2 years, no brake work-hmmmmmm.....

I took apart 2 starters- one Napa, one Autozone, to see if I could piece together one good one. The Napa one had 2 sets of brushes, the Autozone 1 set. The Napa one had thicker wire for the windings and a larger armature. The Autozone one had a washer-type bearing where the Napa one had an actual roller bearing.

My motto is if it don't have a greasy counter made out of lumber, it ain't a parts store.

Steve.

 

[3585]

Vautozone is the worst.
Napa will always be mine.

 

[GRQster]

I sure wish a suit from NAPA would read this post. I would love to get some prizes from them for the Jeepster Jam!
My local NAPA takes great care of me, I even have a few beers

with them at our favorite watering hole but they just won't part with the goodies for the Jam.

 

[1168]

Ditto on all your comments, was looking for new plug wires for the 225 V6, Checker had some, didn't fit, wires too short, went to Autozone, was told
"We don't carry Jeep parts"!!! Would not even attempt to look up anything!! End of story-went to NAPA. Will NEVER go to another Autozone!!

 

[BRIANster]

I just saw Jessie from Monster Garage On an AutoZone comercial today. I wonder how much they paid him.

When I think of AutoZone and their warenties on bad parts it reminds me of the movie Tommy Boy..."I could take a crap in a box and mark it with a warrenty"

 

[dave]

I would like everyone here to know that Autozone is new to the Northwest part of the U.S. It's sad to see a locally owned business have to close it's doors due to competition from a national chain store. I like to save money and time just like most everyone else. The national chain stores have the advantage of large volume sales to edege out the competition in pricing. D&G auto parts is not the first, or more than likely, the last locally owned business closing it's doors to competition from a national chain. I think there is more to D&G closing than just the competition from Autozone or CSK.

I think that many people have stopped working on their own vehicles. 20 years ago, a tune up used several parts sometimes including a points & condenser kit and maybe a carburetor kit. Vehicle maintenance and repair is very different now, ABS, EFI, OBDII, and many other advances under the hood have changed what the do-it-yourself mechanic does under the hood. 20 years ago, it was not uncommon to see a car thats 10 years old get the motor overhauled with new rings and bearings. Cars now that are 10 years old routinely go 150,000 miles without a trace of blue smoke when starting.

I'll just come right out and say it again, the national chain stores just plain suck when it comes to customer service.
dave

 

[Timber]

I'm a little late with my .02 worth, but I just have to agree, I hate Autozone too!

Advance Auto isn't too bad, I sometimes have good luck with them.

NAPA is the "BEST", one of the things I like most about NAPA, is when I go in there, if there's six guys behind the counter, you can bet five of them know as much, or more than me, about what a Jeepster Commando is, and the general history about them.

If by chance I happen to stump them, they don't argue with me, they just usually refer me to the manager, which always knows exactly what I'm talking about, and can clear up the problem in no time!

This similar situation happen to me once at Autozone, and I thought I was going to have to explain to the manager, what a wheel is, and how it works!

I do have faith, surely good auto parts stores, with great service, will win out in the long run. If they don't I guess it's our own fault. In other words, I do believe most of the time, you get what you pay for.

 

[733]

My .02 cents,
There are not many mom and pop auto parts left around here. I've had to go to all the different auto parts to find the parts I need. I think the individual you are dealing with has a lot to do with it. I've had good and bad luck with all of them ie.. wrong engine from Napa, wrong brake lines from Advance etc... When I need some good advice, I just post my ?'s here.