These Are Your Worst Auto Parts Store Experiences

Retail Photographer/Shutterstock

When a portion breaks connected your car retired of warranty, nan astir cost-effective measurement to hole it is to do it yourself, but astir of america can't fabricate parts ourselves. Earlier this week we asked our readers to share what their worst acquisition astatine an car parts shop was. Surprisingly, nan responses came from some sides of nan counter. Customers entered nan comments conception to aerial their grievances pinch parts shop labor and nan frustrating odysseys they went connected to bargain nan correct portion for their car. Parts shop workers would enactment quiet and vent astir shoppers who mightiness make their shifts acold much irritating than they had to be. Without further ado, present are your unspeakable tales from nan aisles of your section parts store:

M. Suhail/Getty Images

Actually happened conscionable nan different day. My artillery died earlier work, truthful called in, past went connected nan AutoZone app and ordered a battery, nan small kit for nan connectors, and a mini ratchet group to do nan job. Figured since I ordered earlier they opened it would beryllium fresh successful nary clip since everything was successful stock. Waited until noon, didn't perceive thing truthful called to check, nan feline tells maine they haven't pulled it yet but they'd telephone backmost successful an hr to corroborate everything. 3.5 hours later, still nothing, telephone back, conscionable for nan aforesaid feline to show maine they still haven't pulled it, and that nan ratchet group isn't successful stock..... Get a thrust to nan AutoZone to move successful my aged artillery and get my different stuff. Finally get backmost and instal nan artillery successful little than 15 minutes. I now cognize adjacent clip to conscionable get a thrust to nan AutoZone adjacent clip alternatively of trying to expedite thing pinch nan app.

Submitted by: cardawg

Mahmoud Suhail/Shutterstock

I was not emotion 100% and had tummy issues. I was astatine an Advanced Auto. I asked an subordinate if I could usage nan bathroom. I do my business and I commencement to consciousness better. I commencement to locomotion astir nan shop and get nan things I need.

Another subordinate I ne'er met gets successful my look astir utilizing nan bathroom. I explained nan situation. That was not bully enough. I said, "Do you want my business?" He said, "No." I remembered his sanction tag and I called firm arsenic soon arsenic I sewage home. They gave maine a bully coupon for my troubles.

I saved that coupon for astir six months. My wife's artillery went. I locomotion successful and asked nan personification checking maine retired does this feline still activity here? Unfortunately, they said yes. I ne'er went to that shop again.

Submitted by: Scott The Stagehand

refrina/Shutterstock

When I was 19 (30+ years ago), I stood successful a Pep Boys pinch a brace of neon greenish double wiper blades successful my hand, thought astir buying them for my 12-year-old, 140,000-mile Toyota. So my worst acquisition successful an car parts shop was that instant erstwhile I could person been that guy. But I put them backmost connected nan hook and walked out, truthful possibly that was really my champion moment.

Submitted by: BuddyS

M. Suhail/Getty Images

I was for illustration 13, and my dada and his friend were moving connected his activity truck. They needed a part, truthful he had maine spell get it for them. His English wasn't nan champion and he told maine he needed a "timer start". So I hopped connected my motorcycle and rode astir 15 minutes to nan AutoZone to get a timer commencement for a 1985 Chevy C10. I sewage location and asked for help, but nan feline astatine nan parts antagonistic had nary thought what I was asking for and my explanation of nan portion was of nary help. He was getting visibly annoyed. He yet said he can't thief maine and told maine to effort a different car store. As I was leaving, I was checking retired nan Euro taillights and different worker approached me. He was for illustration I deliberation this is what you're looking for, it's a thermostat. The portion looked for illustration what my dada needed, truthful I thanked nan feline and went to pay. The feline who checked maine retired was nan first guy, and he said to maine "You needed a thermostat this full time, huh? Maybe adjacent clip you travel in, study to speak English." It caught maine disconnected defender and didn't really deed maine till later. I conscionable retrieve thinking, "It's 2001, f**k that guy."

So my worst acquisition was besides my champion acquisition astatine an car shop since that different worker went retired of his measurement to help.

If you're retired location reference this, Hispanic AutoZone worker from Burien, WA from 2001, my 13-year-old aforesaid would for illustration to convey you for helping maine get my dad's activity motortruck backmost connected nan road.

And if nan different feline is reference this, my 13-year-old aforesaid wanted to show you this truthful much, "Go f**k yourself."

Submitted by: Minivanman3

Wikimedia Commons / Nick Ares

I worked for O'Reilly and AutoZone astatine different times for astir a decade combined. The worst acquisition was ever nan "Good Ole Boys" who needed a portion for a Chevy 350. The machine strategy does not person a class for "Chevy 350," truthful they would ever get very upset erstwhile you had to inquire what conveyance it was for. The reply was almost always, "It's a Chevy 350, they are each nan same!" Most of nan group connected this tract should cognize that while galore of nan components of nan Chevy 350s were nan same, galore others were not. Often, they would conscionable spout disconnected immoderate random car and random twelvemonth that had a 350 and inquire for nan portion from it. This would almost ever extremity up getting them nan incorrect part, and past they would blasted maine for it. These group were nan worst. All of them were shady character mechanics who thought they knew much than everyone successful nan store. Little did they cognize I was a GM-certified mechanic who only worked nan parts stores connected nan play for other cash.

Submitted by: Cody Yager

Wikimedia Commons / Greg Gjerdingen

I worked astatine Kragen (Part of Checker/Schuck's/Kragen that yet was bought by O'Reilly's). It was agrarian Northern California, and nan shop was frequented by upland rednecks and olds. One of nan olds decided to thrust his bustleback Seville done nan beforehand doors and effort to push 2 aisles of shelves into nan backmost room of nan store. He would person astir apt made it a through-and-through, but nan aisles pinned themselves against nan artillery racks down nan rear counter.

Nobody was wounded speech from nan driver – ambulance took him away, and we ne'er heard nan outcome. We sewage to return location a batch of free merchandise aft security instructed america to dispose of immoderate merchandise that deed nan level successful nan melee. He had nan throttle pinned for respective seconds, which near a burnout people connected nan level that inexpensive firm tried to buff out. The people was still visible a twelvemonth later erstwhile I left.

An speech – nan prices are retired of control. I needed an precocious radiator hose for my Ram past week. They wanted NINETY SEVEN DOLLARS. It was $53 from nan dealer.

Submitted by: Carey Mahoney

Wikimedia Commons / order_242

Mid-1990s, we had an '89 Subaru GL wagon 2WD. It collapsed down connected nan SWMBO* connected her measurement location aft work, erstwhile I get location nan serpentine loop had broken. We get it into an quiet parking batch wherever it tin beryllium overnight, adjacent time I spell to an car parts shop adjacent wherever I worked and they waste maine a belt. After work, I effort and effort to instal it, and it is conscionable excessively short. Next day, spell backmost to store, perceive "that's what nan storage has." Go to a different store, they waste maine one, it doesn't fresh either. It seems each these car parts stores utilized nan aforesaid warehouse, truthful I wasn't going to get nan correct loop from immoderate of them. The adjacent day, I spell to nan Subaru dealer, salary doubly nan value of nan car parts stores, it fits easy peasey.

*She Who Must Be Obeyed (pronounced swim-bo)

Submitted by: Evildad

Wikimedia Commons / Hugh Llewelyn

In nan early '80s, I owned a '66 Porsche 912 that needed immoderate assemblage repair and repainting. I had a friend whose dada owned a assemblage shop and he loaned maine a stall to do nan assemblage activity and agreed to do nan overgarment occupation for costs of labour if I originated nan paint. The overgarment colour was that modular acheronian non-metallic bluish that was truthful communal successful nan '60s. It was a elemental formula, truthful I took nan Porsche overgarment codification to a section parts shop that mixed overgarment for each nan assemblage shops astir municipality and they mixed nan paint. I spent a time removing exterior chrome, mirrors, lights, etc and masking everything off. They changeable nan overgarment early nan adjacent morning, and I get a telephone astatine work..."You request to travel look astatine this." I drove complete and location sat my car pinch an perfectly flawless overgarment job...That glowed a hideous, throbbing agleam bluish arsenic if location was a ray root pulsing nether nan paint. I had to put it together (It was my regular driver) and thrust it for a period earlier I could soil it down and re-paint it. The shop replaced nan overgarment pinch nan due color, but I ate nan clip and labor.

Submitted by: Terry McLeod

Jetcityimage/Getty Images

Never really had nightmare situations pinch immoderate car parts store. The worst acquisition was buying a reman Denso alternator for my truck. It went retired wrong a fewer months again erstwhile I was 30 minutes from home. It was astir 98 degrees pinch 80% humidity, but I had to minimize nan electrical load, truthful nary A/C successful sadistic postulation and nan astir stressful thrust of my life. I made it and RockAuto exchanged 1 for shipping costs only. The replacement cooked my battery. Both terminals coated successful corrosion and nan h2o capable plugs connected nan artillery had residue from nan hydrogen/acid/water evaporating. Denso has conscionable gone truthful southbound successful position of quality. The astir amusing car parts acquisition I had was erstwhile a feline astatine AutoZone seemed to person smoked immoderate weed and was singing emotion songs while helping customers. He kept asking his co-workers, "When did you past portion from nan fountain of love?" I had immoderate brake rotors machined location and they did a awesome job. Those were nan days earlier nan suit unopen that down astatine AutoZone.

Submitted by: Tex

BalkansCat/Shutterstock

My dada had a mechanic shop erstwhile I was younger and I'd thief retired moving cars and parts around. One day, 1 of nan mechanics asked maine to tally down and prime up brake pads for a Honda Accord he was moving connected and gave maine 1 of nan aged ones to lucifer it up. Went down to nan parts location we dealt with, which had a caller feline astatine nan commercialized desk. Give him nan car info, he hands maine backmost a group of pads. Match it pinch nan 1 I had, and it was wrong. The feline thinks that's weird, but grabs maine another. Same arsenic nan erstwhile one, wrong. About 30 minutes later, digging done boxes, he finds nan 1 that matches but it shows successful his strategy it's for a Camry. I make a snarky remark astir him not knowing what he was doing and return nan parts and caput back. Well, nan mechanic gave maine nan incorrect pads to lucifer it with; they were so for a Camry he had been moving connected before. Off I spell pinch my tail betwixt my legs to get nan very first group he pulled for me, and to person a akin snarky remark successful return. 20+ years later, nan feline is still a bully friend, truthful not nan worst communicative but still a classic.

Submitted by: ImInTheJeep!