A REAL parts house?
A couple-three years ago, the local Mom and Pop Auto Parts Store that I have been going to for years got bought out by NAPA when they retired.
They had been in business for over 30 years and I heard about them years before I ever actually went in there.
They were local legends in the repair industry around here.
Their daughter still manages the place.
Sometime last year I had to go up there for something stupid and when I pulled up in front of the place I saw a huge 10 yard dumpster sitting on the side of the building with stuff sticking out of it.
I was curious and had a bad feeling when I first saw it.
Sure enough, when I got up to it, it was completely full of all of their old books and even the metal stands they used to sit on in long rows.
I was heartbroken. The worst part was that when I went in to ask If I could dig through it and save some of it from destruction they said no, Corprorate wouldn’t let anyone touch any of it and it had to go.
Needless to say, most of the old guys that had been there for years got pushed out and replaced by young girls. There are still a couple of guys there that know what they are doing but for the most part, NAPA has gone Full SCMUCK’S.
The place is still far and away the best place around but it will be forever diminished because of the intentional destruction of all of that knowledge and the abilities to use it.
And they like to call that Progress?
There is another NAPA a few miles away that I used to go to but after 3 bad experiences with a Bull Dyke they had hired who finally refused to help me for no other reason that I called her out for NOT KNOWING HOW TO USE THE BOOKS THEY STILL HAD,
I told the manager that I would never darken their doorstep again.
So far I have made good on that.
I can’t tell you how much I miss the old Graybeards who knew what the fuck they were doing and knew the parts interchanges by heart.
Every time I get asked if my vehicle has air conditiong when all I want is fucking wiper blades, it kills my soul just a little bit more.
Word is that O’Reilly is looking to purchase NAPA. Can’t wait to see how much worse things get.
Miss the old parts houses. The old heads could take a stack of books, and find a good replacement part for just about anything you walked in with. Now, you get someone tapping on a computer, and as often as not, wind up with the wrong part. NAPA has been declining for years, but can usually still get parts for older vehicles, tractors etc. Time will tell, but it isn’t likely to be better.
I love O’rielly’s round here. They seem to be the only ones with competent people even though they rely on computers. Found out this last year the son who runs them now is married to a girl I knew but havent seen in 40+ years.
Napa sucks, their cheap chinesium seems to be just that.
Or if you need a wiper blade; and they ask for the engine size?!?!%^^&
But, but, but computers can do everything,,,,,,,,,,,,,,when they work
Had some of those at my last job, not as old but still usable. It’s how I became purchasing manager in a manufacturing business. Hundreds of different bearings in our machines. One was about a foot across. Last time I bought it, 15-20 years ago was $6K+ each. Wonder what that sucker cost these days.
Been over 10 years since I had to look at them. “I was tired of the bullshit” – Dad, about 1986. I never forgot that phrase