PARTS MAN'S LAMENT

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This has been around forever, but in case you haven't seen it:

I work behind the counter of a parts and accessories store.
Sometimes I'm called a genius, sometimes I'm called lots more.
I'm just a simple parts man, but when a job goes sick.
The "experts" come to me and ask "What makes this [censored] thing tick ?"
I'm supposed to know the numbers of valves and bolts and gears;
on every product that been made for more than fourty years.
Mind reader and magician, and handyman as well.
I'm supposed to be Edison plus Alexander Bell.
But life would be a pleasure and I'd smile from ear to ear,
if people just would tell me the MODEL, MAKE AND YEAR!
 
Awsome!

lol.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
You are the parts guy. You are supposed to know. sheesh!! A good parts guy is hard to find.



Steve...my ford truck isn't running right. What should I do???
 
Originally Posted By: Troy_Built
Originally Posted By: Steve S
You are the parts guy. You are supposed to know. sheesh!! A good parts guy is hard to find.



Steve...my ford truck isn't running right. What should I do???



Ingition module, its always the ignition module, unless its the DPFE, then its always the DPFE.

Its funny when people come in and say they need parts for their ford truck, but wont say the year or model or engine. I usually default to a newer v10 or diesel until they figure out that yes I really need to know some info.
 
Yeah, my favorite is "they're all the same". As in, "Gimme a (fill in the blank) for a Chevy pickup." "What year is it?" "Oh, they're all the same."

At that point, I find the most oddball listing I can for some Chevy pickup. When they object..."well, they're all the same, right?"...
 
Originally Posted By: Troy_Built
Originally Posted By: Steve S
You are the parts guy. You are supposed to know. sheesh!! A good parts guy is hard to find.



Steve...my ford truck isn't running right. What should I do???

No codes or ck engine light ,,Cant fix it.
 
How about today when I went to a GM dealer and told them I need an oil filter for a 2001 GMC W4500 and I even had the entire VIN number and they just looked at me in confusion didn't even know what was going on.
 
Originally Posted By: silverrat
How about today when I went to a GM dealer and told them I need an oil filter for a 2001 GMC W4500 and I even had the entire VIN number and they just looked at me in confusion didn't even know what was going on.


Did they speak English? :)
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Originally Posted By: silverrat
How about today when I went to a GM dealer and told them I need an oil filter for a 2001 GMC W4500 and I even had the entire VIN number and they just looked at me in confusion didn't even know what was going on.


Did they speak English? :)


Fluently. He later laughed and said where do you want to get that from on a Friday afternoon.
 
Some of them don't have a brain, they just punch in part numbers.
I once went to the parts counter with a pretty generic Fuel Filter and asked
Me; "Do you have anything like this"
Him; "What year and model"
Me; "It's not the standard part, I just need a filter about this size"
Him; "I can't help unless I have a year and model, I have 500 filters back there"
Me; "I actually need it for a 53 Allard, but something this size will fit"
Him; Punching in '53 Allard' on his computer "We don't have one"
Me; "I know you won't have a listing, it never came with a Fuel filter, I just NEED something this size"
Him;"Well if it didn't come fitted with a filter, How in [censored] do you expect ME to find one"
Me; Giving up "I'll go see what Canadian Tire have"
Him; "well THEY won't have one"
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
This has been around forever, but in case you haven't seen it:

I work behind the counter of a parts and accessories store.
Sometimes I'm called a genius, sometimes I'm called lots more.
I'm just a simple parts man, but when a job goes sick.
The "experts" come to me and ask "What makes this [censored] thing tick ?"
I'm supposed to know the numbers of valves and bolts and gears;
on every product that been made for more than fourty years.
Mind reader and magician, and handyman as well.
I'm supposed to be Edison plus Alexander Bell.
But life would be a pleasure and I'd smile from ear to ear,
if people just would tell me the MODEL, MAKE AND YEAR!



AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH! I was a parts guy( aftermarket and dealer )for years and years and that is so true. Thanks for sharing. I never actually saw that before. Made my day!
34.gif
 
Originally Posted By: expat
Some of them don't have a brain, they just punch in part numbers.
I once went to the parts counter with a pretty generic Fuel Filter and asked
Me; "Do you have anything like this"
Him; "What year and model"
Me; "It's not the standard part, I just need a filter about this size"
Him; "I can't help unless I have a year and model, I have 500 filters back there"
Me; "I actually need it for a 53 Allard, but something this size will fit"
Him; Punching in '53 Allard' on his computer "We don't have one"
Me; "I know you won't have a listing, it never came with a Fuel filter, I just NEED something this size"
Him;"Well if it didn't come fitted with a filter, How in [censored] do you expect ME to find one"
Me; Giving up "I'll go see what Canadian Tire have"
Him; "well THEY won't have one"


That is a function of everything becoming computerized. Part's people don't know how to look anything up in a book anymore and god help you if the computers go down. They( aftermarket anyway )have things set up so they can hire morons and fools for minimum wage as long as they can use a computer. It is a shame really. I took a lot of pride in being a good parts guy when I was doing it.

Actually, many stores don't even have books anymore. Been that way now for a while. I actually went to AutoZone for some rotors and pads a few years back when I was helping a friend do his brakes on a Sunday( only places like AZ open ). Just so happened there was a power outage. The girl behind the counter told me she couldn't look the parts up because the computer was down. The weekend Manager no less was actually turning customers away and telling them to come back Monday.

I asked why couldn't they just look them up in the catalog then. They looked at me like HUH? They did have the book but I had to look it up for them. Don't even ask about what happened when I went to pay and the computer was still dead as was the register and calculator.
21.gif


The last place I worked parts was at a local Napa. I had been out of it for a while and then went back briefly on a temp job to grab some extra $$$. At that point they had gone over to everything being computerized but they did still have books. The asst manager was a tool! Had a very good customer call her and ask about a muffler and some standard pieces of pipes( elbows and such ). Like the fuel filter story above the customer told her by application wouldn't work as he wanted a muffler to the dimensions he gave and then some standard pieces of pipe for a project he was doing.

The "ASST MANAGER" told one of the best customers the store had if there was no application there was no way for her to get him the muffler. The guy knew me from another parts store in the area from years back so he called me( conveniently forgetting to tell me he got the run around earlier from my boss = THANKS LOADS! ). Took me all of 3 minutes to open the exhaust catalog, go to the back where they showed the dimensions for all of them and find the muffler he needed, and order it in for later that AM. We had the pipes in store.

When my boss found out "I" got reamed out. I didn't get it then and don't get it now? I go to parts stores, and even dealerships, these days and usually leave shaking my head thinking these guys wouldn't cut it when I was doing parts.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: expat

Him; "I can't help unless I have a year and model, I have 500 filters back there"


It's probably more like 20 and if he weren't lazy he could go match it up.
 
I hate dealing with some of the people at my Oreilly's, I needed a part for my caprice so the guy asks "what engine"?
I reply "5 litre".
He says "cant find anything for the 5 litre, you MUST have a 305".

Apparently he didn't understand that a 305 is a 5.0l.

I'll take napa any day of the week.
 
I can understand the frustration of not getting the info you need. I usually show up to the counter not only with the year, model, and engine, but also the old part and VIN. I often see parts referred to the VIN (8th digit?). Too often I've seen the computer spit out a number that gives a part that doesn't match the old part. It saves a trip.
 
When I used to work a parts counter, I had a sign next to my catalog rack that read:

"If you make me look through 750,000 pages of catalogs for a part that doesn't exist because you got the make, model or year wrong, I will unscrew your nose with an air wrench."
 
The problem is parts guys who exceed their limitations.
And they should often just keep their mouth shut, or say "I don't know!".
Bad advice and myths abound with parts guys, no doubt.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
The problem is parts guys who exceed their limitations.
And they should often just keep their mouth shut, or say "I don't know!".
Bad advice and myths abound with parts guys, no doubt.


The same thing happens at Home Depot and Lowe's every day.
 
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