Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

If you're buying car parts, know what the f#$%K you drive and want.

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    I completely agree that teaching first aid in schools on a mandatory basis is an excellent idea, and I'd like to add teaching sign language to the list as well.

    When it comes to vehicle maintenance, though, over here in the UK car modifications are less universal, and given how stringent the MOT test is we'd rather have professionals handle anything above changing your wiper blades/tyres/light bulbs. Even then, I end up paying someone to do it; the last time I had to change a bulb on my own I had to lay on my engine to reach the light unit (the oil stain never came out of my "doing messy stuff" clothes), and the last time I tried to change a wheel I wasn't physically strong enough to both lift the wheel and control it well enough to get it on the bolts.
    "It is traditional when asking for help or advice to listen to the answers you receive" - RealUnimportant

    Rev that Engine Louder, I Can't Hear How Small Your Dick Is - Jay 2K Winger

    The Darwin Awards The best site to visit to restore your faith in instant karma.

    Comment


    • #17
      This thread has timing, not only did I just go back into retail, specifically auto parts (delivery driver, not sure if that's better or worse than counter), but we just had someone who seemed to be surprised that there's more than one model by a manufacturer and that they use more than different parts.
      Seph
      Taur10
      "You're supposed to be the head of covert intelligence. Right now, I'm not seeing a hell of a lot of intelligence. Covert, overt, or otherwise!"-Lochley, B5, A View from the Gallery

      Comment


      • #18
        Quoth Javarod View Post
        This thread has timing, not only did I just go back into retail, specifically auto parts (delivery driver, not sure if that's better or worse than counter), but we just had someone who seemed to be surprised that there's more than one model by a manufacturer and that they use more than different parts.
        You get the shops who can only say
        "what's my price"

        They act like your spitting in their mothers face if you don't mark it down to cost then jacks it up to over 150% over retail.
        AkaiKitsune
        Sarcasm dear, sarcasm. I’m well aware that dealing with civilians in any capacity will skin your faith in humanity alive, then pickle anything that remains so as to watch it shrivel up into an immortal husk thus reminding you of how dead inside you now are.

        Comment


        • #19
          Quoth greek_jester View Post
          I completely agree that teaching first aid in schools on a mandatory basis is an excellent idea, and I'd like to add teaching sign language to the list as well.

          and the last time I tried to change a wheel I wasn't physically strong enough to both lift the wheel and control it well enough to get it on the bolts.
          First Aid would have been so handy. We did 2 lessons and didn't even learn how to do a bandage properly.

          I seriously lack muscles and strength, especially when crouched down. After laughing at me trying to lift the tyre back on, mum went and found several offcuts of timber. Those offcuts stay in the boot with the spare tire incase I get a flat again. (Mum & dad insisted I knew how to change the tyres on my car before I was allowed to drive on my own. I had to take them all off one by one and put them back on. I also had to know where the jack had to be placed and to secure my car so it would roll off the jack.)

          It might be worth getting a few offcuts of timber to help bring the tyres up to height without hurting yourself.

          Anything mechanical beyond filling up the windscreen washer or reading the km's, I leave to dad. I can tell him about weird noises or squeaking brake pads and he either fixes it or sends me to our mechanic/family friend.
          I'm not completely stupid. I can point and name some parts under the bonnet, but I have no idea how to fix or service them.

          The odd occasion I've had to buy parts, I make dad or brother in law write down exactly what it is from name to part number and I also write down my make/model/year of my car, just in case.
          A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read. - Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!

          Comment


          • #20
            Quoth Blue Ginger View Post
            I seriously lack muscles and strength, especially when crouched down. After laughing at me trying to lift the tyre back on, mum went and found several offcuts of timber. Those offcuts stay in the boot with the spare tire incase I get a flat again. (Mum & dad insisted I knew how to change the tyres on my car before I was allowed to drive on my own. I had to take them all off one by one and put them back on. I also had to know where the jack had to be placed and to secure my car so it would roll off the jack.)

            It might be worth getting a few offcuts of timber to help bring the tyres up to height without hurting yourself.
            Unfortunately I've started developing arthritis in my hands, so even getting the nuts off would be an issue now (certainly opening the screen wash bottle is starting to become one!) I have roadside assistance cover, so if worst comes to worst someone will come out to replace it for me. I'd rather let the professionals with their massive, made for lifting small lorry jacks do the job, rather than mess around with the tiny little jack that came with my spare wheel, anyway.
            "It is traditional when asking for help or advice to listen to the answers you receive" - RealUnimportant

            Rev that Engine Louder, I Can't Hear How Small Your Dick Is - Jay 2K Winger

            The Darwin Awards The best site to visit to restore your faith in instant karma.

            Comment


            • #21
              I've thankfully never had to really go for auto parts more complicated than new windshield wipers, but I'll keep this thread in mind in case I ever do.

              Re: the talk of what's-taught-in-schools-these-days, I agree there seems to be a lot of stuff that doesn't seem to apply in the modern world. Or at least, from what I remember of my education two decades ago. I feel like a lot of kids would benefit from mathematics if they minimized the quadratic equation stuff and emphasized instead math that can be applied to finances, y'know like "Here's how to balance a checkbook," and "this is how interest rates work."
              PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

              There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

              Comment


              • #22
                You do need to remember the issues on the other side of the counter. I am old. I am female. I am a motorhead.

                I have owned and maintained a 1979 Triumph Spitfire since it came off the boat. I KNOW what I need for my car. I KNOW that the battery listed in your book is different, but I don't want that battery. I want the battery I know fits. If you insist that I'm too female/old/stupid to know what battery I want, I will buy the wrong one you insist on, then pull the old, disabled, female card and insist that you carry it out and try to install it. I will also be very gracious about it when we have to go back into the store so you can do the return/exchange.

                Of course, I will have make, model, VIN, color and all other details available on request. Ask me, please! I just love to talk about my car and what a PITA it is.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Quoth Slave to the Phone View Post
                  I have owned and maintained a 1979 Triumph Spitfire since it came off the boat.
                  Ooh, nice!

                  Quoth Slave to the Phone View Post
                  I KNOW what I need for my car. I KNOW that the battery listed in your book is different, but I don't want that battery. I want the battery I know fits. If you insist that I'm too female/old/stupid to know what battery I want, I will buy the wrong one you insist on, then pull the old, disabled, female card and insist that you carry it out and try to install it. I will also be very gracious about it when we have to go back into the store so you can do the return/exchange.
                  I hope that you also purchase the battery you originally asked for, ask them to install it again, then casually mention just before you beg your leave that you have been maintaining the car since you bought it in 1979, and that you should know what you need by now.

                  Alternatively, just take the old battery in with you, and say "I want this one".
                  "It is traditional when asking for help or advice to listen to the answers you receive" - RealUnimportant

                  Rev that Engine Louder, I Can't Hear How Small Your Dick Is - Jay 2K Winger

                  The Darwin Awards The best site to visit to restore your faith in instant karma.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Quoth Dave in MD View Post
                    If your car is broken, take it to a MECHANIC, not the auto parts store.
                    I wish we would get rid of battery and alternator testing except for warranty claims. Code reads? Sure which one do you want to buy? Wait you want me to read the codes and then tell you what magical part, that only costs $5, will fix your POS you bought at auction or the car that you do not do maintenance on?

                    I like being able to pop in an auto parts store for a code read. Sure, I may not know what needs to be done to fix it, but it does at least give me an idea of what's going on when I take it in to the mechanic. And how urgent it is. O2 sensor out? Cool, that can wait a bit. I had a VW that went through those things like candy so when the check engine light came on, I wasn't particularly concerned if that's all it was. Oil pressure not right? That's a bit more concerning.



                    Quoth Slave to the Phone View Post
                    You do need to remember the issues on the other side of the counter. I am old. I am female. I am a motorhead.

                    I have owned and maintained a 1979 Triumph Spitfire since it came off the boat. I KNOW what I need for my car. I KNOW that the battery listed in your book is different, but I don't want that battery. I want the battery I know fits. If you insist that I'm too female/old/stupid to know what battery I want, I will buy the wrong one you insist on, then pull the old, disabled, female card and insist that you carry it out and try to install it. I will also be very gracious about it when we have to go back into the store so you can do the return/exchange.

                    I got a suuuuuper flat tire awhile back that happened taking Minion to school. Both my husband and one of the guys at the school swore up and down I should have a jack in my trunk to put on the spare tire. Now, I know I'm a dumb female, but I know what a jack is and that I didn't have one. We bought the car second hand, and I guess the jack didn't make it in the car when it was sold. The school guy used his and helped me get the spare on and I went on my way. And then once the repairs were done, I went and bought a jack.
                    I am no longer of capable of the emotion you humans call “compassion”. Though I can feign it in exchange for an hourly wage. (Gravekeeper)

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      What bothers me is when people want me to diagnose their car, not just get a code read.
                      Many people don't understand is that the codes are to help a mechanic diagnose a car. They don't say "replace this part".
                      I have been asked for a "bank 2 lean" sensor. It just shows that they not only don't understand what a rich or lean condition is they don't really know what a sensor is.
                      I love it when someone comes in and knows their car and what they want/need. If it is not busy I'll stand their and chat about their car or my cars past and present.
                      I love cars and working on them. I don't love dealing with people that really have no business doing anything but taking their car to a professional. Some people want to get free advise or diagnoses and then take their parts to a "lot mechanic" or "alley mechanic" to have them installed. Rather then seeing a professional mechanic to have the job done right.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Quoth Slave to the Phone View Post
                        You do need to remember the issues on the other side of the counter. I am old. I am female. I am a motorhead.

                        I have owned and maintained a 1979 Triumph Spitfire since it came off the boat. I KNOW what I need for my car. I KNOW that the battery listed in your book is different, but I don't want that battery. I want the battery I know fits. If you insist that I'm too female/old/stupid to know what battery I want, I will buy the wrong one you insist on, then pull the old, disabled, female card and insist that you carry it out and try to install it. I will also be very gracious about it when we have to go back into the store so you can do the return/exchange.

                        Of course, I will have make, model, VIN, color and all other details available on request. Ask me, please! I just love to talk about my car and what a PITA it is.
                        I will make recommendations based on the catalog, I don't know everything about every car. But if a customer is insistent, I will sell them whatever they want.
                        Just tell me why you don't want the battery that is listed and that will tell me that you know your car and I will be more than happy to install it for you.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Quoth Slave to the Phone View Post
                          I have owned and maintained a 1979 Triumph Spitfire since it came off the boat.
                          I think I love you! (And that despite the obvious streak of masochism shown by your choice of an emissions-strangled British car!)


                          Quoth jedimaster91 View Post
                          ... once the repairs were done, I went and bought a jack.
                          I tried to use the stock jack in my MINI one day due to a leaking tire. I said "try", because the jack is a bizarre little lever-thing that sagged and dug into the side skirt of the car when I tried it.

                          Got the tire dealt with (plugged by a shop right around the corner from where I parked), and went to a junkyard and picked up a scissors-jack like the ones from my old Hondas. If I'm not using my big Lincoln floor jack at home, at least I have an emergency jack I can be confident in using on the road.
                          “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.
                          One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
                          The other, of course, involves orcs." -- John Rogers

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            I do hate the newer stock offerings for jacks and THE FREAKIN SPARE. Those little donut spares aren't that much cheaper than a real tire for the vehicle, but multiplied by 100k units, it's a nice little round of bonuses for someone. That extra couple dollars isn't worth my irritation or risk when I need that damn thing. When I get a vehicle that has one of those donuts, I start shopping for a real tire/wheel to replace it. (And a jack upgrade, if needed)

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Quoth Buzzard View Post
                              When I get a vehicle that has one of those donuts, I start shopping for a real tire/wheel to replace it. (And a jack upgrade, if needed)
                              Unfortunately I don't have a choice, as the space for the "spare" simply doesn't have room for a proper wheel/tyre combo (too shallow) and I don't feel comfortable not having it properly secured in the space allocated.
                              "It is traditional when asking for help or advice to listen to the answers you receive" - RealUnimportant

                              Rev that Engine Louder, I Can't Hear How Small Your Dick Is - Jay 2K Winger

                              The Darwin Awards The best site to visit to restore your faith in instant karma.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                At least you got the donut. My 2016 Dodge, which DOES have space for a real spare, came with a odd device that can either dispense air or Fix-a-Flat.
                                "Crazy may always be open for business, but on the full moon, it has buy one get one free specials." - WishfulSpirit

                                "Sometimes customers remind me of zombies, but I'm pretty sure that zombies are smarter." - MelindaJoy77

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X