car parts

I thought that because every vehicle I own is old that that was the reason I couldn't get parts but I am realizing that new cars have just as hard of a time getting parts for.
What the hell is going in with parts and parts stores

No body wants to stock anything that will sit in inventory for long. (True of many industries today). Manufacturing has got to the point that even they will only keep what will ship in a short time frame and as a consequence, the same is going for producing raw materials and it's a big part of why all retail costs are going up, because shipments are smaller and cost more than normal in a good economy. That's why you go to the parts store and there are like 1 or 2 PCV valves for your car on the shelf at any given moment. They prefer that you buy online so they don't have to touch your order & keep just what they have to on the shelf (and then only things they sell alot of in any significant quantity). This has been happening in the construction industry for 6 years or so & everything else is catching up.

Well its pretty lousy and shows how things have changed and gotten worse in a "technologically advanced economy" its that much harder to do simple things

I agree. Stuff that is the same over dozens of cars is sometimes not available.Not even one on the shelf. We have a pretty good selection of parts store near here and they all have this problem.

It took me 3 hours to find a flywheel and I had to drive all over the valley finally found one in mesa

I never have a problem getting anything

-shrug-

Come work on the stuff I have to work on. It's 2011 and an 85 is considered a dinosaur. Go figure

74MonteCarlo wrote:I never have a problem getting anything

-shrug-

I always have !$%@$ problems, even stupid Chevrolet dealers look at you like, "what are you looking for?....that part number doesn't exist." Ordering online seems to be a better bet than any of the parts stores or dealers. The only GM restoration parts on their site for 77 Malibu's are carpet mats...THANKS ALOT GM! lol.

Other than body parts, I've not had much trouble finding stuff for the 77, or for my friends 71.

Junkyards around here, tend to be hit and miss, and mostly stocked with 90-up cars. I see a G3 in a yard, and I will tend to work it over looking for options and parts that I want/need.

Went to oriellys after I looked on their website for the part number for the clutch I wanted and to see if they had it in the store. Well I wrote the p/n down went to store and then they told me we don't carry that. Well after 15 minutes of telling them that I just went on their website and that's where I got the p/n somehow he magically found it in the computer. Now how does that make any sense

Thats because most auto parts stores hire people that know computers not cars!

Ghost Rider wrote:Thats because most auto parts stores hire people that know computers not cars!

Speaking as a former counterman... I agree now. Back in the '90s we had to learn the paper catalogs, as well as the computer catalogs. I got a reputation around town as a guy who could find just about anything for the most obscure cars. I also learned what interchanged with what. We had a guy with a Hummer H1 that I learned used Jeep Cherokee brakes, which were the same thing, pad materials and all. but Hummer wasn't in our computer, and the paper catalogs were incomplete, but one H1 guy told me that, and I passed the word along to other H1 owners whenever they called me for brake parts. Didn't matter that we had to order a lot of the random stuff for customers, the fact that I took the time to research it, they'd actually would order it.

Made my boss happy with increased sales.

I went to Autozone when doing my cylinder heads for spark plugs. Gave them 2 Champion numbers to cross reference and was told they did not stock them & that they were "racing" plugs and would be special order. Drove 3/4 of a mile down to the NAPA and they were able to find the plugs in an Autolite version and they were in stock at another location but they could get them in by day's end. OK, so that worked out good & I got my 8 plugs. I spun the top on one of the plugs by mistake when torking it so had to replace it. Out of stock at Napa so I said "what the heck" and went back to Autozone with the Autolite plug in hand...Guess what? They had them and I was able to get my one plug. I guess the person @ Autozone the 1st day was just being lazy or could have cared less. If I ever did that at my job, I think I'd be filing for unemployment. Good counter-people are getting harder to find, unfortunately. (In any industry.)

It's the whole principle and in my opinion its a big reason why our economy sucks

billy-ray wrote:It's the whole principle and in my opinion its a big reason why our economy sucks

Yup, no one wants to 'earn' their wage, they just want to be given it. Granted no one wants to do the crap jobs, but they are the most important ones, really. When I was a kid, if I wanted money, I'd drag the lawnmower out and go around cutting peoples grass. Dad's wallet was off limits, and I didn't get an allowance, so if I wanted something, I had to earn the money for it myself.

The best feeling in the world to me, is knowing I did a job well done, and getting recognition for it, wether monetarily or otherwise (preferably monetary) I'm 35 and my parents are 71 and 69, I guess I no longer fit the Generation X mold, since I have a strong work ethic.