Calling all car buffs...

[Cloud23465]

You know, if i may vent for a second... I started working at advance auto parts back in febuary. It's amazing how people react to things for cars. Car battries are NOT cheap. If you buy something cheap.... Wiper blades, oil, Brake pads, Ect. you get what you pay for. And people that work at auto parts store are NOT mechanics... I know that's hard to believe but, man... if you don't know what you need for your car... don't expect them to know either.

[jeriddian]

Good point, Cloud. I understood that point nicely when I went in to get some minor article at an O'Reilly's Auto Parts Store and was attended by this teenage girl who happened to be doing her nails before she rang up my purchase.

[TransWarpDrive]

Yeah; once I made the mistake of going to Pep Boys for replacement wiper blades for my '98 Bug. Their computer said the blades they had were the right ones for my car; however, on the New Beetle you only have to replace the rubber on those blades - the frame parts of the blades are made of metal, and are shaped to contour the rubber against the curvature of the windshield. That means pulling the old rubber off; cutting the new rubber to the proper length for each blade; putting the new stuff into the blade frames, and then reattaching the blade assemblies back to the wiper arms. I ended up taking the Pep Boys blades back for a refund, and telling them their database was faulty. From then on I bought replacements at the VW dealer.

[Beaglebub]

And people that work at auto parts store are NOT mechanics... I know that's hard to believe but, man... if you don't know what you need for your car... don't expect them to know either.

Well, that's odd......my dad worked at an auto parts store for 40 years, and he knew how to fix everything on vehicles imaginable. All the other guys working there were the same, and a few even worked as mechanics at different times.

Sounds like you people just went looking for help in the wrong frickin' place, that's all.

[Rob]

Around here, we used to have Murray's, but O'Reilly acquired its parent company a few years ago, and recently completed the brand transition on its stores. Still, they've managed to keep most of the Murray's employees, at least at the two stores I go to, and they're pretty knowledgeable.

[Cloud23465]

Well, that's odd......my dad worked at an auto parts store for 40 years, and he knew how to fix everything on vehicles imaginable. All the other guys working there were the same, and a few even worked as mechanics at different times.

Ok let me rephrase that... People working at auto parts stores don't get paid to be mechanics. Not even close. ASE certified mechanics have schooling, several years of hands on training, and thousand of dollars worth of specalised tools and equpment to work on cars. People working at auto parts stores don't have all that. I can work on my car but, that doesn't make me a mechanic.

Good point, Cloud. I understood that point nicely when I went in to get some minor article at an O'Reilly's Auto Parts Store and was attended by this teenage girl who happened to be doing her nails before she rang up my purchase.

Haha. don't let the ladies fool you though. My supervisor is a lady, pretty close to my age and she's our Commercial parts pro. My sister-in-law is as well at another store.

[TransWarpDrive]

Being able to fix cars is a major plus for working in an auto parts store; my younger brother is constantly working on his car (he's pretty good at it, too) and for a while he worked selling auto parts until the store went out of business a few years back.
Many times, though, auto parts stores - especially the big chains (nationwide or just regional) are only looking for sales personnel who are capable of looking stuff up on a computer, since that's how they all inventory their stock these days. So that's probably why jeriddian and Cloud encountered their respective "non-auto-savvy" store personnel recently.

[campy]

Seeing a lot of Fiat 500s here in Rome. They're cute.

Also lots of Citroens. I miss French cars.

EDIT: Today I saw an old (the model they discontinued in 1975) Fiat 500 parked next to a Smart for Two. The Smart veritably dwarfed the cinquecento. And the Fiat has a rear seat!

[TransWarpDrive]

Here's a neat article I just read about a VW Bug used by the police down south in a recent car chase:
Unusual sight: Volkswagen used in pursuit

Herbie would be so proud....
( - And so would Dr. Porsche!)

[Muzzlehatch]

Back in 1952 my father traded our 1933 Ford coupe in for a 1947 Studebaker Commander sedan (I was 5) and that made me a Stude man for the rest of my life (I didn't remember much about the Ford except that it had a rumble seat and Dad wouldn't allow me in it when the car was moving). Since then I've owned a '49 Commander Starlight Coupe and a '64 Commander V8 sedan. Don't have the money or space to indulge in the old car hobby at present, but I do plan to go to the Studebaker Driver's Club International Meet in Providence, RI this June.