(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

OT - you want to complain about parts guys?

M

mkirsch

Well-known Member
All you whiners who complain that the guy behind the counter at your local Autozone, Advance, Oreilly's, etc. can't find you a part without a make, model, and year need to just shut up and be happy with how good you have it.

The slider pins on the right rear brake on my 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 siezed and burned up the inside brake pad. It was down to metal-on-metal.

I've changed these brakes 5 times over the last 11 years, and I've always had a problem getting the brake pad hardware kit from Advance/Autozone/NAPA. None of them have the right kit.

I've always been able to find something close enough at Autozone, but not this time. This time they gave me two different kits which weren't even close.

Ok, I'll go to the Chevy dealer and get the right part.

I walk in, and ask for a rear brake pad hardware kit for a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 2WD extended cab with 4.8L engine...

"Sorry sir, we can't look up the part for you without the VIN."

The VIN??? Seriously? You are a CHEVY dealer. You have a distinct advantage over the chain parts stores by only having to support ONE brand of vehicle! You can't just look up what the options are and let me visually verify it's what I need?

"No sir, we can't look up the part for you without the VIN."

The truck is up on jack stands at home, of course, so I had to go home and call in the VIN. Then I wait on the phone for 10 minutes while the lady who works the parts counter gets the "parts guy" to talk to me to see what I wanted.

Of course, they don't sell just the hardware kit. It only comes with the brake pads.
 
We're probably not too far away from where the dealer parts man will just become an order taker. He/she will electronically order the part from a central warehouse to be shipped to you - so the dealer doesn't have to have a parts inventory.

As you can imagine, there will be lots of room for error on such a system, so the customer will have to wait - and wait - and wait to get a correct part (if it is even available anymore).
 
RockAuto shows an assortment of brake parts and slider pins, each part having a photo beside it. They don't have it?
Considering all the different setups that GM has, their request for the VIN is valid.
 
I just checked Rock Auto. All the hardware kits they have are WRONG too!

Besides, I didn't have three days to wait for the UPS man to bring my part. I needed it LAST NIGHT. The truck was up on a jack stand with no right rear brake. Otherwise I can't drive to work this morning!
 
Need the last 6 numbers of the vin# to order large
truck parts from the dealers. Been that way for a
long time. Most of the time could just email them
and have the parts in a couple hours. Had some good
parts people over my years in truck repair and then
some that didn't last long.Thanks to the ones that
did a great job and made mine easier!
 
Remember the day when you could remove the brake line from the offending wheel, insert a small nail in the line and tighten it back on the wheel cylinder? Effectively shutting off that brake?

"Just to get by" of course, then I'd drive it like that for weeks before I fixed it right. I'm living proof that the Lord watches over fools and stupid people.
 

I was by my local I-H dealer and remembered I was going to check on a part for my I-H disk. I never did know the model no. I have had it and over the years have replaced about all the wear parts on it and got them from the dealer. I told one of the part guys I needed that little steel part on my old I-H disk. You know the one that flips over the cylinder pin on the front of your cylinder. I told him I may just try and make one but just thought I'd check. He said I got one and set it on the counter about a minute later.
I thought holy cow, it was exactly what I wanted. He said it was only 49 dollars. I balked for a minute and said what the heck, I guess that will make up for the 25 dollar part I brought a while back that I figured would be 100 bucks.
So I guess there are still parts people out there that know their stuff although I paid the price for his knowledge.
 
Used to be they could just send back a part if you ordered the wrong thing. Now the dealer is stuck with it unless it's defective. Ford is the same way. As irritating as it is you can't really blame the dealer for wanting the vin when their parent company is going to leave them holding the bag if it's wrong.
 
They are working on the tractors, combines, and planters putting in the order back to Deere, CNH, etc for you.

All the GPS and electronics, now they are working on 2-way communication with diagnostics.

I assume autos as well.

Of course we get to pay for the extra electronics, maintinence on the extra electronics, and then the whole point is for is to be locked into them as the supplier of inflated parts....

Sweet deal.

Paul
 
I can understand, A few year's back Chrysler Corp. had six different starters on one model of vehicle in the same model year. Go figure.
 
Was it just the brake parts, or do they need the VIN for anything at all? I've had at least two vehicles where they made changes mid year, and you needed the last few numbers on the VIN (+ the year, make, model) to get the right part when dealing with that system.

With something like carbs or transmissions, it's pretty normal to need a build number or exact numbers off of the offending parts.
 
Our local dealer has our vin no's in their system, because the vehicles have been in for service. They change oil, rotate tires and wash it for about what the oil and filter would cost me, it's a no-brainer!
 
Well, that makes sense to me... My dad has worked at a chevy dealer for 30 years, and I pretty well know the ropes.

First of all the BIGGEST concern here is the liability of selling a person the WRONG brake parts, and then you screwing something up and turning around and suing them...

Another thing we see all the time is someone comes in like you did, and says that they have a 05 2500 with the Votec, well then they have to go home and get the Vin, and when they com back and the parts guys look it up, you might actually have a 10 2500 with a Duramax...

And yet another thing is that a LOT of the time is that parts MAY look like exactly what you need, but they might just be ever so slightly off, and cause premature failure in the future...

I think all in all the person was just doing their job, and was probably doing there best to help keep YOU safe on the road.... Bryce
 
I needed the driver's side outside door handle for a particular Toyota a number of years ago.

For the very same year and model of car, there were four different choices for the driver's side outside door handle. Never did figure it out. Maybe the particular assembly plant?
 
Why is it INEXCUSABLE for an Autozone/Advance/Orelly's/NAPA/Carquest employee to ask for make/model/year, but when the Chevy dealer wants the stupid VIN too, that's perfectly OK?

I don't have the VIN memorized. Why would I?

There's no "ordering" involved. This is a normal wear part that they change in their own shop EVERY DAY. It was IN STOCK.

Since I don't have the VIN, why can't they:

1. Look up the part on their computer.
2. Pull the parts from the stockroom.
3. Let me visually inspect the parts to see if they are correct.

That would take 5 minutes. Instead, they make me drive home, look up the VIN, wait on hold for 20 minutes, talk to the lady for 1 minute, wait on hold for 10 more minutes, talk to the guy for 30 seconds, and drive all the way back to pick up the part.

Autozone had absolutely no issues doing that for me.
 
Hmm, so the whiners that buy from the chain stores should shut up and stop complaining so you can whine and complain about your dealer?
I do understand your frustration, but it's kinda funny you dogging whiners then proceed to whine about your Chevy dealer.
My question is why that truck goes through so many brakes? 5 sets in 11 years indicates something is not right.
Did NAPA have the hardware kit?
 
Well what is even worse is even when you give the vin and they still can not come up with the part that came out of it org. Case in point here , my buddy's 2001 Dodge3500 cummins diesel five speed 4x4 cab and chassie . The Original pressure plate that came out of that truck was a three finger Borg and Beck pressure plate . It was in there for a 150000 plus miles never slipped once , the center came out of the disc and threw springs everywhere . So he asked me if i would put a clutch in it , ain't noway i am working on someone else's truck , nope ain't happening bad enough when i have to work on my own . So he takes it to John Q high performance hot rod truck shop . They install Napa's best a diaphram . Charge him x amount . a week later he hooks to the stock trailer to haul four fat cows to the sale , first hill he walks wright thru that clutch. He calls me *(why??) , i tell him to take it back to John Q . So truck goes back and they stuff another clutch in it same thing . A week later we go to haul round bales , Clutch starts slipping with empty goose neck in forth gear . Take truck back once again and now they are telling him that it is HIS fault the clutches are going out and they will not stand behind it because it is SLIPPING . So he takes it to George and Geroge tells him that oh your making way tomuch power and you need XYZ brand clutch and that will solve the problem , after three XYZ clutches in as many weeks then they go with a super duty southbend and it walks thru a south bend clutch . Even the dealer with the vin can not come up with the clutch that this truck came with and we do not have the old PPA . The other thing here is that the OLD partsman are retired dead and gone same as the old mechanic's , what you have now is the video game age , yep they can punch buttons as long as you tell them what buttons to push , they don't know how to cross reference . They do not know that they only made somany bearing and somany seals and you can cross numbers same with spark plugs or points . Go into a newer big box parts store and ask one of the younger set for a set of point's or cond. and you get this BLANK stare . Go in and ask for a set of Autolite plugs by the number and ya get what does it fit and what year and model.It does not matter if it is the big box parts store on the main drag or the dealer 99% of the guys behind the counter JUST DON'T know so these places have to try and make it 100% idiot proof . And as far as using BOOKS there is a problem with that as they would have to read and understand .
 
If you want to complain about parts guys no problem just become one yourself ! It's a completely different world from the other side of the counter !
 
When I complain about these parts guys it is generally that they want to send me to TSC for tractor parts that I know for a fact they have or can order and that TSC doesn't carry.

I like the way my lawnmower place does it. If I need parts for my Lazer I have a card in my wallet which they scan. Tells them everything about the machine and getting parts is a snap after that.

Don't feel bad, I drive a 1976 Chevy C20 for six months of the year. Stopped at a gas station 2 years ago and when I tried to restart it...it was dead. Tired and dirty from working all day, I looked across the freeway and there was a Chevy dealership there. I called them and asked could someone look at the truck and help me out. Do you want to know what they told me?

Are you sure?

"No one here knows how to work on a truck that old."

Not ONE guy in the shop knew how to work on a Chevy V-8 from the 70's. I pushed the truck and the 18' trailer away from the pump and walked over to a restaurant and got some dinner. When I came back it started on it's own. The old girl still does that from time to time and I still fix it the same way.
 
I just installed the Case/IH app on my iphone. You put your model tractors in there, and serial numbers. . I can walk into local dealer and find a part with that app faster than he can with IH program in his computer.
 
Lemme see... they could take an educated GUESS on what parts you need for that particular vehicle (which often change more during one model year than you may realize) or run the VIN and get the exact, correct parts the first time.

Which scenario is the most efficient????

This changing of components during the model year is nothing new.

As an example, a neighbor bought a 1989 extended cab 1/2 ton brand new, and still has it.

Neither the aftermarket or the dealer can get the rear wheel seals right the first time. It uses a configuration that was apparently only used for a short time during that model year"s production run. (According to the dealership.)
 
the one place i can still walk up to the counter and set a part down and tell em i want one of these is carquest.
 
I ran a shop for years and whenever I needed parts from gm I would call up the parts counter tell them the last eight of the serial number and what part I wanted.
Funny thing was nine out of ten times the first question they would ask was what vehicle are you working on.
My usual response was if I tell you what I am working on you might guess and send me the wrong part.
They have a good system and most of the parts they sent were right the first time.
With the automotive parts supply chains it seemed some days half of what they sent was wrong, finally started looking up the parts myself and calling in with part numbers for them.
Finally they set my computer up with there system so I could look up what I needed, press a button and an hour later the parts were on my front counter, if they were wrong it was either boxed wrong or I screwed up.
 
Just wondering??don't you carry an insurance card for each vehicle you drive?? My cards all have vin# on them..
 
(quoted from post at 07:26:02 05/07/14) Just wondering??don't you carry an insurance card for each vehicle you drive?? My cards all have vin# on them..
Click to expand...

Yep, that's how I do it.
 
The odd thing about giving them the VIN, off your insurance card... you always get the right part. Without having to take the thing apart first. Sometimes not any more money than going to NAPA either.

Rod
 
As I said before on this subject..I bounced around until I found A guy that actually knows what he is talking about.. I go to him and that parts store esp. if I have questions.. If I know what I want I still like going there but could settle elsewhere. Prob like most on here Im 30 minutes either direction from big city parts place and small town parts place..which is hour round trip.. would much rather deal with small town place anyway..
 
Using the VIN number sounds like an excellent way to get the correct parts the first time, unless the vehicle has been modified. It may be inconvenient to bring the VIN, but it is better than getting the wrong parts. Thanks for the tip!

I tried to get the door key copied on an 1987 Firebird. The original key was so worn it no longer worked well, so no one could trace a copy that worked well either. I finally went to a dealer. They used the VIN# to look up the original profile and then cut two new keys without even looking at the worn original. The keys worked great. I had them make replacement ignition keys as well.
 
(quoted from post at 08:48:40 05/07/14) Using the VIN number sounds like an excellent way to get the correct parts the first time, unless the vehicle has been modified. It may be inconvenient to bring the VIN, but it is better than getting the wrong parts. Thanks for the tip!

I tried to get the door key copied on an 1987 Firebird. The original key was so worn it no longer worked well, so no one could trace a copy that worked well either. I finally went to a dealer. They used the VIN# to look up the original profile and then cut two new keys without even looking at the worn original. The keys worked great. I had them make replacement ignition keys as well.
Click to expand...




that;s what i had to do on my 87 jeep Cherokee, got 3 made so i wouldn't have to go there again.
 
The reason is real simple. When they enter your VIN, the computer will only show them the parts you vehicle was originally equipped with. CAT and HD truck dealers use this same system. It usually avoids the any confusion with either party. Not always, but usually.

You complain about the "idiots" at the chain stores asking for make and model, and still giving you the wrong parts, but when somebody comes up with a way to avoid this (most of the time), you gripe about that too!
 
(quoted from post at 07:32:58 05/07/14)
(quoted from post at 07:26:02 05/07/14) Just wondering??don't you carry an insurance card for each vehicle you drive?? My cards all have vin# on them..
Click to expand...

Yep, that's how I do it.
Click to expand...

Not in NY. You keep the insurance card with the vehicle. Says so right across the top of the card. "KEEP IN VEHICLE" or something to that effect.
 
The problem is things are not how they use to be.

I sell Ford parts & my electronic catalogs really
like the Vin number.. Without the Vin for
instance. 1989 F series pick up, customers needs
an axle seal. With the Vin I get one seal Number.
Without the Vin, I have to search threw 585 rear
axles, once I figure that out open a parts list
for rear hub & drum, then we compare the seals.
Almost everything in the Dealer market is SOOOO
much easier with the Vin.. And from My side of
the counter, it"s amazing how many folks don"t
know the year of their car/truck. If Car
companies would just leaves things the same it
would be easier too...
 
VIN may be needed for parts that came from different subcontractor at different times on the production line or different assembly line for the model. Worked parts counter for a Jeep dealer in 1970s when AMC had them. A CJ5 with a 232 could have a Delco/GM or a Motorcraft/Ford distributor depending on the number series in same year and there were 2 breaks, not just a simple midyear change. Brake parts on Wagoneer had serial number changes beside a complete different engine change mid year- with a few "Old" GM engines later in the model year instead of the AMC engines. Motorola alternators or Delco? look at serial/VIN number to get right related parts. The Chevy , Dodge and Fiat parts guys had some of same problems- subcontractors for some parts changed in mid year when the alternate supplier under cut price by 5 cents so for 4 months in a production year you had a different component- a Bosche wiper motor and links instead of Motorcraft/Ford, A GM bearing from Hyatt or Timken? And the vehicle made for the California market but sold in Chicago area or came from California- Pollution laws in California tighter, different than other states meant different engine bits and pieces, the California market model made on same assembly line but a certain block of VINs was made in one week of the production month for California market- and some of them got sent to other markets when popular model sold out at dealer for that market. CJ5s for California had exhuast Cats, other markets didn"t. Dealers parts books and computer data base usually have the build series parts specific to the numbers- after markets data base often don"t. And that is before the special orders- ever try to get right brakes for a 2004 "1/2 ton" C20 4x4 Chevy that was ordered with a camper/tow package? Front axle different make than rear axle, brakes different from "normal" 2x4 or 4x4. Final crossovers had Blazer and C30/C40 parts interchanges, 4 trips to parts stores. Makes the old VW Beetle pre 1970 pretty simple when question was Bosche or VW distributor? RN
 
Had some vandalism and siphoning on old 'Blue', my '77 Chebby 4X4. Cut the hose at the gas tank, went into the old dealers, the old bald guy in back asked, I showed him, said what's the chances you can get one of these.... he said wait here, came back in 2 minutes with the hose.
 
The parts business has changed a lot.

my dad sold Snapper lawn mowers for years. Up till
about 1992 there was only ONE belt for a 28"
rider.

Didnt matter if your mower was a 1968 or 1986 the
belt was still a 25-10749. We only had to stock
THREE belts. Then in 92 Snapper went crazy.They
came out with more models and kept changing them.
Some model years used three or four different
belts.
You looked up the parts by the series number.
They were changing so often they Snapper added
letters to the series. Now, there was a series 16,
series 16B all the way up to series 16ABE then
they came out with series 17 and start over

If the customer did not bring the series number.
They was NO WAY I was going to order the correct
belt. Snapper would not take returns. If I ordered
the wrong belt. I was stuck with it. I would Send
them back home to get the numbers and they get
mad!

We quit selling Snappers in 2001. I still at
least 30 belts in the cabinet. People come looking
for a belt I never have the correct one and I send
them to a snapper dealer to get their belt.

They are way more sizes and parts then there way
back when companies used a little common since and
reused part numbers on several models.

I can remember when Ford only had two different
starters,One or two oil filters. How many starters
and filters would you have to stock today just to
fit Fords?
 
I serviced Schwans trucks for about 25 years. The change to needing the VIN was a real time saver. If you buy three truck chassis every day all year long International, Ford, and especially GMC would let you pick and choose what parts you wanted on your truck.

When I first started working on those trucks it would be quite common to take the brakes off the truck and then go to get parts. Ordering parts by year and model number often did not work. Often I would be told that that model truck does not use those drums or shoes. I would have a class 5 truck but those parts are only used on class 4 or class 6. Many times the correct parts would then have to be ordered and since the truck would be needed before the new parts could be installed it was not unusual to put it back together with the old parts and then do the job again with the correct parts. I had an 89 GMC with a 454. The first time I went to get parts for it I was told GM did not put that engine in trucks that year. In 89 the medium duty trucks went to fuel injection so no mare carburetors. Since Schwans was converting all there trucks to propane their system need a carburetor throttle plate for a base for the LP mixer. GMCs solution was to provide them the 454 since they still made that engine with a carburetor. At least in the 90s the parts microfiche card started to have footnotes such as Note: Not used on trucks furnished to Ruan or Schwans. Use part number XXXXXXXX instead. Once the online parts system went live at least I could be assured that I was going to get the correct replacement part. It was also very convenient when it came to changes after production. Schwans would sometimes get GM to change things they were having problems with even though they did not make the changes to any other trucks they sold. Ordering by VIN got me the correct updated parts.
 
If you've done it before, and got parts that fit,
you should have kept the part numbers so it wouldn't
be hard to find the part.....
 
The other thing I do, if I fianally find the correct part, I go ahead and buy two or three more.
 
I have a small, local Mom and Pop auto parts store that I trade with. This past Saturday as I ordered new gaskets for my AC-B from them, I admired and complimented them about how they still have a counter filled with parts books to complete their computerized parts inventory, with more books in the back. And when it came to replacing the freeze plugs for the heads, they opened their Dorman drawers and said, "Let's match them up". Complain about the local small-box auto parts store or their staff? Never. As a matter of fact, I joked with about the big-box auto parts stores, some that you mentioned that if I had gone in and asked for those parts, I'm fairly confident that I might have been laughed at, putting it mildly, and would have had to drive over to the big city for that. My auto parts store isn't the cheapest, but I'm pretty confident that they are the most complete as far as having parts on hand, and most definately knowledge of their parts inventory and application. No one will ever hear me comlain about Barb, Tom, and crew. Never happen.

Mark
The local Bristol Auto Parts store
 
I used to be a parts manager at a Case-IH dealer that also sold trucks years ago, like back as late as about 1978.
If you know anything about IH trucks you better have the line set ticket for that truck. The truck could be built in for instance 1965, but set on a dealers lot until maybe even at late as the late 60"s. The registration was when it was sold, not when it was made.
About tractors: we had all kinds of notes inside the first few pages of the parts manual regarding which version. Example would be the tractors with a German diesel.
I imagine those days are gone now, everything is all electronic now. There is not a paper manual to be found, they pitched them all.
 
I only work on trucks and tractors, no cars or light duty.That right there is why I love working on International Trucks. Give the parts guy the last 8 digits of the serial number and if some bone head hasn't been there before you and changed something you will get the right part first time every time. I have never gotten the wrong parts on an International truck and I work on a lot of them.
 
Gurdo being a tractor dealer has it,s advantages.
At an expense of about 23 thousand. When the phone rings to parts ,a screen is displayed before the phone is answered showing your name and then what equipment you have purchased from us along with model and serial number. Makes parts pretty quick then if you send your wife in to get a belt that you got last year in about two key strokes we can have her going. Have a lot of customers with the same last name but only one with your phone number. More and more folks are using their cell a number of record. Thirty years ago Kubota had about 21 tractor models with a few different variants of each now we are servicing over 240 different models with countless variants.
Without a computer would be impossible and these guys on here still insist on parts books.. Just hard to get use to change. At 70+ years old it is hard for me but just a sigh of changing times.
 
(quoted from post at 19:47:48 05/07/14) If you've done it before, and got parts that fit,
you should have kept the part numbers so it wouldn't
be hard to find the part.....
Click to expand...

The second time around wasn't the problem. I could always go back to the old invoices to find out what i had replaced before.

I had three to five new trucks every year to figure out what parts where not standard. Even though the models may be the same for each year it did not necessarily mean that they kept the using same parts.
 
Believe me I understand WHY the VIN number can be useful.

That's not the point.

The dealer wouldn't even TRY without the VIN.

One of your "real" parts guys would have kept bringing out brake pad sets until we found the right one.

There are only three possibilities, and they're as different-looking as Moe, Larry, and Curly. It would have taken 5 minutes, vs. the hour I spent running back and forth and waiting on the phone.

Oh yes, and:

1. 5 sets of brakes in 11 years amounts to 30,000-35,000 miles per set, which is phenomenal performance out of rear disk brakes on a GM truck on salted winter roads.

2. I *DID* keep the old part number. Advance changed what they put in the bag!

2.5. I'm not going to buy extras because I won't be able to find them 2 years down the line, and they're wrong anyway.

3. The parts I got from Advance *NEVER* fit right but were close enough that they'd work by bending a small tab. I had no choice but to make them work because the truck was up on jack stands, and no way to get different parts until this year.
 
After reading all the posts here, I can't wait for a parts-man to start a post about how bad the customer can be and how some customers try to order parts without a VIN.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
2002 Dodge Ram brake repair problem
Replies
10
Views
779
Janicholson
Janicholson
K
need parts for IH 3500A w/ backhoe, unable to identify backhoe type/model
Replies
6
Views
278
Fritz Maurer
F
D
Question about painting a JD 44 plow
Replies
6
Views
873
crsutton81
crsutton81
V
new owner of a 620, will try to update this as we go.
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
3K
valiant8086
V
S
New to the Family
Replies
14
Views
5K
sweetskillsrk
S
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top