My trip to pepboys

[kartracer55]

Ok, well they had a sale all week on CRC stuff (brakleen, Carb cleaner, and degreaser) 2 for 3$(picked up 4) at this store, and I go through alot of this stuff, so I said hey, why not....

Well big automotive stores like this tend to piss me off for some reason. Anyway, I went in, and started looking for the stuff. Brakleen was about halfway to the back of the store on the end of an isle, the crab cleaner was all the way in the back of the store by the oil and filters. I only found this after avbout 10 minutes of wandering the store aimlessly, as the cashier was of no help, and simply said "ask him" when i asked...

As I was wandering around like an idiot, I saw the scariest thing ever. It was an air compressor...

It has about as wide as an 80gallon tank, I mean it was HUGE but it was only like 3 ft tall... the proportioning on the thing was rediculous. As I looked at the welds, I realized even I could make a better weld. They wernt even straight going around the tank, some areas were glopy, and it didnt look like a continuous bead either, worst of all there were no equal spaces to these marks... just random stop and start marks. Id be surprised if it made it to 100psi..


Its amazing what some people will buy, I mean seriously. It doesnt take much to see that this thing was a little bomb. Pure junk, to the point of being dangerous, and the price as I recall was pretty high, you could have gotten a name brand compressor (sears) for maybe 50$ more and at least the welds would look decent. I also got a kick out of the toolsets. some guy was in their buying this 300pc tool set and 2 torque wrenches... hes freakin nuts! For what he paid for the tool set he could have gone to sears and gotten one only slightly smaller. Once again, this goes back to the who pays this much for chinese tools thread.


Just thought Id share. It cracks me up how ignorant people are when buying stuff... tv advertising apparantly does work

Jim

 

[Tim240Z]

I refuse to step foot ina Pep Boys. Worst possible parts store in existence!!
Tim

 

[stimpy]

do they still auto parts the last time I was in there it looked like a flea ... take that back i think theres more auto parts at a flea ...and when we ordered brake drums for the bosses sons truck they where made in china !!!! back they went , went over to napa and got some mexican ones ...

 

[chevy302dz]

Pepboys is a joke about the only thing I will buy there is oil chemicals and wax. Most of the tools are ****, though they still sell some US made stuff. Parts don't even waste your time. You would think that people that work on cars would know better but......

 

[REFLEXX]

But seriously, where would I get my LED underdash lights or my 90cc ATV or my 4" diameter exhaust tip or my electric scooter or my fake carbon fiber gas cap cover???


I would be lost.

 

[Rickster]

What!... my gas cap cover is FAKE carbon fiber?

 

[bmwpower]

I'm surprised you were able to buy any BrakeKleen. Everytime I go into PepBoys, they never have any. Then one day, I noticed one of the guys from the shop come inside the store and grab a can off the shelf and return to the shop. Apparently, the mechanics come into the store and take stuff off of the shelves when they need it. Over the course of a day, you can imagine how many cans they can go through. Whoever runs their ordering system should be shot. You would think they would keep a larger supply on the shelves to account for this or at least stock them more than once a week....pisses me off.

Why is it that I have to go to 3 different auto parts stores (PepBoys, Advanced Auto, Auto Zone) to get what I need?... That's a story for another day...

 

[kartracer55]

We dont have any advance auto's around here. Napa is usually tops for parts but I was on rt22 anyway (going to sears) and they had the stuff on sale. R&S Strauss is pretty good too. Autozone is another store that is a complete joke. The big stores are a good place to buy oil, it goes on sale often

Jim

 

[Rickster]

You guys need to find an old-school auto parts store. I'm lucky in that I have one about 10 mins away, B&F Auto Parts. There was one near where I work, but Gene's closed up. I think with more and more gas stations switching to gas & convenience stores the old-school parts places are drying up.

 

[Coach James]

We've got Auto Zone, Advance Auto, NAPA and Car Quest here. Advance and Auto Zone have "low" quality parts but good ones as well, I just have to ask specifically for them. Again, consumers want the cheapest possible even after the parts clerk explains why the more expensive part is better. The last several parts I bought at Auto Zone were Bosch.

The worst here for brainless help is Advance Auto. A few months ago, I took my brake drums in and asked them to measure them to see if they could be turned. The clerk said she didn't know how. I explained how and she said she didn't know how to use a caliper. I told her to let me have it and I would measure it myself. Then she couldn't find it and said I might want to wait until someone else could help me! And I've had men there "help" me that were just as clueless.

Neither Advance or Autozone had any brake shoes or pads better than "Wearever silver" so I called Car Quest. They had their own brand but when I asked the guy who made them he got mad and said "I have no idea but they're good!"

NAPA didn't have my size in stock but said they could order them and have them in 5 days. No thanks. I ended up driving to Rocket Auto Parts in another town as they stocked Bendix and Raybestos.

None of the parts stores here are anything to get excited about.

As for tools, NAPA is the only one that sells much USA made hand tools, but the prices are high. i.e $16.00 for a 3 inch 3/8 wobble extension.
Coach

 

[bmwpower]

Not surprising that so many people are having the same problems.

I think someone would have a home run if they opened a store that had everything we needed...and in stock. A one stop shop is what I'm looking for.

 

[eschoendorff]

We dont have any advance auto's around here. Napa is usually tops for parts but I was on rt22 anyway (going to sears) and they had the stuff on sale. R&S Strauss is pretty good too. Autozone is another store that is a complete joke. The big stores are a good place to buy oil, it goes on sale often

Jim

I'm lucky... a NAPA just opened 2 blocks from my house. The owners are the parents of a couple of former students. Ever try the NAPA brand brake cleaner/carb/TB cleaner? It's labeled "Mac's" or something... in a blue can. I like that stuff better than the CRC stuff and ever once in a while NAPA has a killer sale on the stuff. Also: do your shopping homework. NAPA has a better price on front wheel bearings (Japan) for my truck than Autozone (China) or Advance. NAPA's stuff is usually higher quality and higher priced. But not always! It pays to shop...

Hearing Jim's rant about the guy buying the tools reminds me (I may have told this story here before)...

The alternator in my wife's car died suddently while we were visiting her aunt for a Xmas party. We pulled the car over into a parking lot about a mile from her aunt's house, and called her parents to come rescue us. Well, across the street from her aunt's place was an Advance Auto. Her dad (a car guy and one who appreciates a quality tool) stopped there and bought a battery (to nurse the car back to the auto parts store) and a cheeeeep socket set ($5.99). When he showed up, he kinda laughed when he handed it to me... it was kind of a joke. Well, I used it, but not without puttingthe ratchet back together 3 or 4 times

I still have that socket set... it's sooo bad that it's funny. I think that next year for Xmas I'll wrap it up and give it back to my FIL just to see the look on his face...

 

[krooser]

My NAPA store is really great...we're 1/2 hour from the warehouse so I can get ALMOST anything in the late PM if I order by noon...some of my real old car stuff I get overnight via their truck.

My buddy is a sales rep for one of the competitors in town...good store but not as good as NAPA...they don't carry stuff for 70 year old cars.

One other store is real small but helpful...it's a Carquest, I believe. They are open late Sat. and four hours on Sunday...I use them when the others aren't open.

 

[kartracer55]

Lol Ed, was it branded "allied"?

Napa rubber stuff (hoses and belts) are all made by gates, which is top notch stuff. I am lucky though. one of my dads best friends whom he has known since WAYYYYYY before I was born is a mechanic, and he owns a shop. We can get almost all of our parts through him, and we usually get a pretty good deal on the stuff as well. He does all of the jobs My dad and I cant do or dont have the equipment to do (which are usually PITA jobs too) but he doesnt rip us off and hell tell you when you have a problem elsewhere. We buy alot of oil and filters (sells wix) from him. Hes more expensive than the big stores but were helpin keep him in buisness... know what I mean? Its a balancing act almost

Jim

 

[eschoendorff]

Lol Ed, was it branded "allied"?

Napa rubber stuff (hoses and belts) are all made by gates, which is top notch stuff. I am lucky though. one of my dads best friends whom he has known since WAYYYYYY before I was born is a mechanic, and he owns a shop. We can get almost all of our parts through him, and we usually get a pretty good deal on the stuff as well. He does all of the jobs My dad and I cant do or dont have the equipment to do (which are usually PITA jobs too) but he doesnt rip us off and hell tell you when you have a problem elsewhere. We buy alot of oil and filters (sells wix) from him. Hes more expensive than the big stores but were helpin keep him in buisness... know what I mean? Its a balancing act almost

Jim

It may have been. OMG the sockets looked like they were injection molded with pot metal! Some truly terrible tool shaped objects.

I know what you mean about suppoting the "little guy." The battery in my 93 vette is dead. I'll most likely go up to the NAPA and get a new one, even though it would probably be cheaper to get it from a larger auto parts chain. But then I'd have to drive all the way over there, etc...

 

[Fast Orange]

Pepboys-The Wal-Mart of auto parts
I've been in 1 pepboys in my life,couldn't find what I needed,couldn't get help to find what I needed, noticed that everything in the place was pure ****,and haven't ventured into one since. If I ever feel the need for a set of authentic made in China Yosemite Sam mudflaps or Barney the dinosaur seatcovers,I know that they have them.That will be my next trip to that chain.
Support your local independent parts store-even if it's a CarQuest franchise-you stand a much better chance of getting what you need,hopefully it will be of decent quality,and someone there will actually be able to find it for you.

George

 

[bmwpower]

Hey you guys! Guess what you can buy at PepBoys now? Motorscooters, dirt bikes, go karts, generators... you name it! It's not just for auto parts anymore.

WTF?!? What corporate genius made the decision to bring this **** into an already crappy store?

 

[cranker]

LoL, There is nothing that I love to hear more is people bad mouthing the big chain parts store. I have been in the buisness for about 15 yrs now and manage a parts wharehouse in n.e. Iowa. It is family owned not small by any means but not a giant either. All name brand stuff (wagner,delco,monroe,kyb,walker,a-1 cardone,airtex etc..) i have some cheap stuff also but the majority is name brand. If you are ever in the N.E. Iowa and need a part or are looking for something odd drop me a line I can ship it to you.

Thanks Tom

 

[Luckydevil]

cranker- Make a post in the classifieds if you want. I'm all about supporting family owned businesses over corporate stupidity these days.

 

[kartracer55]

Cranker, awesome to hear it. Im in NJ though, so I dont see myself doing buisness with ya, BUT I do, as I stated, Prefer to buy parts from local independent stores (supreme, J&B, norwood) and Napa as well.

Since this is in the tool section, What brand of tools do you sell? Just out of curiosity

Jim

 

[cranker]

Kart: I sell blackhawk.
I actually sell parts all over the world. We are a supplier for one of the online parts stores also.

LD: Thanks I may have to do that.
Just an FYI, I am not here trying to drum up buisness, I just love shops and eberthing that goes with them. If i can help someone in the process with a hard to find part or just make there life a little easier then that is just a bonus of belonging to such a cool site.

Thanks Tom

 

[kartracer55]

Selling an american made too... more places should take a lesson from you!

 

[krooser]

Manny, Moe and Jack....

 

[Thumper]

Prep Boys............I went in there once........found all kinds of stuff......stuff that I would never need or use in my lifetime. The counterhelp were mindless dweebs. Geeze I feel sorry for the folks that have no other place around. I have an O'Reilly right around the corner with old time counterhelp and If he ain't got it.......he will get it for me no questions asked. At least this one is small and have no room for mini scooters, energy drinks and popcorn machines.....

 

[Rory Bellows]

I know what you mean about suppoting the "little guy." The battery in my 93 vette is dead. I'll most likely go up to the NAPA and get a new one, even though it would probably be cheaper to get it from a larger auto parts chain. But then I'd have to drive all the way over there, etc...

Don't buy a battery from Napa! Napa has strange business policies regarding defective workmanship etc. Napa is nationwide but each store is an individual standing alone. My experience with Napa is bad regarding batteries. Bought one when I was on vacation and a few months later it was toast. Went to the local Napa for warranty and guess what? They could not warranty or even give me part of the pro rated warranty without getting permission from the original store to warranty it. The exact words were "give them a call but I doubt they will do it".

So if you need a battery (part) and it goes bad better hope your close to the exact store from where you bought it or you'll out of luck. A lot of what Napa sells comes fresh off the boat like the big chains except the big chains stand behind their warrantees with no or little questions asked. Napa is overrated for everything except seals.

 

[bmwpower]

Don't buy a battery from Napa! Napa has strange business policies regarding defective workmanship etc. Napa is nationwide but each store is an individual standing alone. My experience with Napa is bad regarding batteries. Bought one when I was on vacation and a few months later it was toast. Went to the local Napa for warranty and guess what? They could not warranty or even give me part of the pro rated warranty without getting permission from the original store to warranty it. The exact words were "give them a call but I doubt they will do it".

So if you need a battery (part) and it goes bad better hope your close to the exact store from where you bought it or you'll out of luck. A lot of what Napa sells comes fresh off the boat like the big chains except the big chains stand behind their warrantees with no or little questions asked. Napa is overrated for everything except seals.

Rory,
You should drop Napa corporate a line. My friend had a problem returning an unopened, unused part. He sent an email to NAPA and a couple of days later corporate had called his local NAPA to inform them my friend was going to return the part, no questions. Apparently, at least in the NAPA world, problems get resolved.

 

[evildky]

sorry to interupt the pepboys bash (yeah I know I don't shop there) but on a positive note, CRC Rocks, there really is a difference i their brake clean, I buy it by the case, everything I've tried from CRC has been excellent and they sponsor the GRM Challange, they even give out free samples

 

[kartracer55]

sorry to interupt the pepboys bash (yeah I know I don't shop there) but on a positive note, CRC Rocks, there really is a difference i their brake clean, I buy it by the case, everything I've tried from CRC has been excellent and they sponsor the GRM Challange, they even give out free samples

How much do you pay per can when you buy it by the case, and where do you get it?

There was a guy at englishtown selling it for 2$ a can at the swapmeet last fall, but Im almost through what I had bought

Jim

 

[iiibdsiil]

I remember on the shop account with one of the local auto parts stores at a shop I used to work at we paid $1.38 a bottle for CRC with no price difference on whether we bought one bottle or 10 cases. So, $0.62 markup is not bad. When I buy it now, I want to scream since I don't have a shop account.

 

[eschoendorff]

Don't buy a battery from Napa! Napa has strange business policies regarding defective workmanship etc. Napa is nationwide but each store is an individual standing alone. My experience with Napa is bad regarding batteries. Bought one when I was on vacation and a few months later it was toast. Went to the local Napa for warranty and guess what? They could not warranty or even give me part of the pro rated warranty without getting permission from the original store to warranty it. The exact words were "give them a call but I doubt they will do it".

So if you need a battery (part) and it goes bad better hope your close to the exact store from where you bought it or you'll out of luck. A lot of what Napa sells comes fresh off the boat like the big chains except the big chains stand behind their warrantees with no or little questions asked. Napa is overrated for everything except seals.

I live 2 blocks from NAPA, and I know the owners reasonably well. I'm gonna give it a shot. Everyone has a horror story about batteries, and they are all made by the same 3 manufacturers anyway, right?

Thanks for the heads-up, though. I will definitely be asking about the warranty before I make the purchase.

 

[...dave]

i don't know anybody who does their own work on older cars that has much of anything good to say about the big chain stores... but...
They can undercut the family-run stores on price with their buying power (Walmart style)
They have the "hot accessories" that kids want to buy (lights, gas cap covers, wings)
They offer services that bring in people who don't know much about cars (battery, starter, and alternator testing, installation of air cleaners, etc)

i agree that Pep Boys seems to be the worst... it's hard to believe how much **** they have that isn't even vaguely related to cars. Scooters and folding chairs and pavilions and toys... Meanwhile, the Advance Auto near my house has three signs outside advertising their cashews, and when you go inside, it's the first display you see. WTF is with that?

Fortunately, we have a phenomenal number of auto parts stores in our area, including some old-timers that have been around for decades and are rumored to have Model T parts on the shelves... Just bring a book if you go there on Saturday afternoon, because you'll never see so many grease-stained guys in one place in your life.

...dave

 

[motorheadjohn]

Yup, big cashews and licorice sign on our Aadvance too. WTF are they thinking?

[Randy Macho Man Savage]Snap into a Slim Jim![/Randy Macho Man Savage]

 

[Thumper]

Well sometimes it takes awhile to get intelligent help so you might as well snack out while ya waitin............LOL.

 

[evildky]

How much do you pay per can when you buy it by the case, and where do you get it?

There was a guy at englishtown selling it for 2$ a can at the swapmeet last fall, but Im almost through what I had bought

Jim

I pay 1.69 a can, not saving a fortune but a case lasts me 8-10 months so it saves on useless trips

 

[Steve_S]

Every car should have an Optima battery! If anyone needs a recommendation for a place to buy them, I have a really good one. Their prices are very good and the place is full of classic cars.

 

[ARAMP1]

Don't buy a battery from Napa! Napa has strange business policies regarding defective workmanship etc. Napa is nationwide but each store is an individual standing alone. My experience with Napa is bad regarding batteries. Bought one when I was on vacation and a few months later it was toast. Went to the local Napa for warranty and guess what? They could not warranty or even give me part of the pro rated warranty without getting permission from the original store to warranty it. The exact words were "give them a call but I doubt they will do it".

So if you need a battery (part) and it goes bad better hope your close to the exact store from where you bought it or you'll out of luck. A lot of what Napa sells comes fresh off the boat like the big chains except the big chains stand behind their warrantees with no or little questions asked. Napa is overrated for everything except seals.

I used to work at the local NAPA during the summers when I was in school. And, since each store is individually owned, it comes down to how much they want to do. I was proud to work at NAPA because it was THE place to go for anything from windshield wipers for your Caddy to a sediment bowl for your 1953 Massey Ferguson. If, in the off chance that we didn't have it, we could get it by the end of the day if you ordered before 1PM. The prices were very compeditive and the atmosphere was great. I loved working there and so did everyone else.

Now that I'm done with school and in the Air Force, I've been stationed in a few places and I always go to NAPA first, but I've found that they rarely are as good as the home town store.

BTW: That battery warrenty stuff is BS. If you buy a NAPA battery and it crapps out before the warrenty period, it is warrientied like any other battery at any other store. No reciept should be needed.

 

[l_bilyk]

Don't buy a battery from Napa! Napa has strange business policies regarding defective workmanship etc. Napa is nationwide but each store is an individual standing alone. My experience with Napa is bad regarding batteries. Bought one when I was on vacation and a few months later it was toast. Went to the local Napa for warranty and guess what? They could not warranty or even give me part of the pro rated warranty without getting permission from the original store to warranty it. The exact words were "give them a call but I doubt they will do it".

So if you need a battery (part) and it goes bad better hope your close to the exact store from where you bought it or you'll out of luck. A lot of what Napa sells comes fresh off the boat like the big chains except the big chains stand behind their warrantees with no or little questions asked. Napa is overrated for everything except seals.

When that happens it's usually a discrepency corporate and privately owned stores. Usually a corporate store will not hassle you about warranty on anything from another store. Private stores like to do their own thing sometimes.

 

[stimpy]

gotta give my bud jeff a plug!

I known my Napa stores manager from when I used to deliver the parts they forgot to put on the master supply truck from georgia to the local D.C. or large inventory items like aircompressors , the store I go to is company owned store ( not a franchise ) he has gotten some strange stuff for me over the years ( like a rebuild kit for a updraft carter for a fordson ) he cuts me a break as I work part time for a shop and gives me the store discount price ( suprised him with my business license one day and found out about my discount then) the quality of the parts is better than the others ,we call autozone "war zone" as the place is in a real bad part of town and has been in several Turf wars , pep dorks is a flea market , murrys is a joke , and advance is so far behind the times , and carquest the local dealer has a attitude due to my one friends brother is a corp manager for them . eschoendorff the MAc chemical line is made for them by Ashland Chemicals ( real good stuff) and its funny that CRC is cheaper and in supply at my napa .. the only thing I miss is Jeff doesn't have any cashews..... , maybe I should mention that to him .

 

[mark_w]

I have had good luck with NAPA. The one I dealt with growing up let me pull the drums off my pickup in his parking lot once to see if they needed turned. He wasn't really happy about it, but we had bought a bunch of brake parts there.