Whats the point of AutoZone?

I swear this place has let me down every single time I have ever gone in for anything related to a car. Does matter the make or model they dont have the part. So i figured today I would break my steak

I wanted to get a clay bar, because I have notice like pin dot things of rest. And also just to see how it works and if it would do anything for my white paint. Go in there expecting to find something, or atleast a kit with it... Nope.

So being disappointed I wanted to ask if they stocked it just in case they sold out. Because I would think that this product isnt sold that often to keeping a short supply may be common.

Go up to speak to the 1 and only person in the place that I can see and asked him. He said hes never heard of a clay bar, or anything to do with clay and detailing. He said that supposedly someone played a jokle on me when i insisted that I wasnt joking with him. Then when trying to get him to belive he told me to go to a craft store because thats the only place I would find it.

Now im not the guru of car detailing but even i know about this stuff. lol Well needless to say, again I wonder what the point of an AutoZone is


BTW i was laughing so hard when i left, that I could barely breath. But after much of checking around with the local auto places here, no type of clay bar is anywhere near me You would think with 7 auto shops in the area 1 would carry it. Oh well, all except AutoZone knew what i was talking about, they just didnt carry it

 

[Rick]

i happen to like autozone. theres gotta be at least 4 in a 10 mile radius of my house, and one of em usually has what i need.

And you like having to go to 4 to find one part??

That's my luck with those places... They don't even stock enough Mobil 1 gear lube to do a complete fluid change on our Ram. I had to go to two stores to get what I needed. The second shop had the same amount on hand as the first.

I sure wish the old mom and pop auto parts stores were still around. I worked at one back in Illinois that was around since the days of the first cars. That place was a gold mine of goodies. The body shop next door used to work on horse drawn carriages before the days of the automobile

 

[gundrum]

Well, lets see so much to work with here.

First you get what you pay for......I buy a $20 lifetime guarenteed water pump expecting to replace it. On the other hand I buy a $120 from ford it better last 5 or 6 years.

As far as brakes go.........I am a bendix man.......I have used them for as long as I can remember. I can get bendix from auto zone....they have to be ordered and come in over night.....The last time I checked they were $80 for pads verse AZ silver $30 lifetime guarenteed. Since I am gonna ruin them with mud, rocks and water anyhow I get the $30 ones and not worry bout it. The brake rotors are all made in china....Just put a pair on the wifes voyager for $26 bucks each, the Bendix rotors were $100. The total cost of the front brakes as $80 bucks and less than an hours labor.

You want to talk cheap parts............Lets talk unions and a fair and decent wage. I know factory workers making too much money and I also know others that dont make enough. I buy american when I can but I cannot afford similar quality parts for 4X the price.

 

[410Fortune]

my local Autozone actually has a few decent guys working there that know their stuff.
There are some things you buy at Autozone and some things I would NEVER buy from Autozone.

I usually check the part online at Autozone.com before heading to the store.

Autozone is what it is, like a flea market of auto parts, some o0f the stuff they sell isa HUGE bargain, some of it isnt worth the paper its printed on....

 

[Creager]

I like AutoZone for two reasons...

One my Girlfriends neighbor works there. So I can get a 10% discount.

Two, it’s the only place in town that stocks Timken bearings. Other than that they are the definition of crap.

I bought two calipers from them an ill while back, turns out one of them was cast wrong, and wouldn’t hold pressure. I returned it to Advanced, paid the extra 10 bucks and fixed that problem quick.

I also bought some rotors from them at the same time, after i installed them i went to tighten the lug nuts down and one of the lug stud came un-pressed from the damn rotor!

I like napa, but they are the MOST expensive for everything. Most of the time they are the SLOWEST too. Advanced, pep boys, Autozone, they all get me in and out in a acceptable amount of time. Napa on the other hand, ill be waiting for an HOUR to get anything.

 

[monkeypothrower]

Yea the autozone and the advance down here are alright. Their are abuot 3 of each in a 10 mile radius. This morning i called looking for exhaust gaskets. He tells me he doesnt have any but without asking looked it up at the other stores. Or tells me i can order overnight. They are usually pretty good. And the parts when i need to rent them. But the gasket thing, so i go down and get the gasket. Of course they have it but the guys that helps me ( no offense at all.) was a little slow. He knew exactly what i was talking about and the only reason he messed up is and gave me a 5.0 is because the two last digits were different. I guess it just depends on who you hire. But around here their are atleast two girl that work at each store, and only 1 of them know what they are talking about. The other i just what to ask, "why the hell are you here, cause you not even cute enough to look at", cause everytime i ask question, they always have to get a guy to answer it. Just my peanuts. -TJ

 

[Jason94sport]

All these auto chain stores generally suck. I do think it also depends on the area.
These store where I live are real bad. Most only cater to ricer's. The staff are min wage kids that know nothing about car parts(except that NOS & neon lights are cool) & only tell you what the computer tells them. They are not helpfull at all. The only things I get in these places are general items like wiper blades, bulbs, cleaning products, ect. For parts I go through a dealer(with a discount) or Ebay.
You really have to know your car, parts, & what fits to shop in these auto stores by me.

 

[Flounder]

Generally, I would have to agree that AutoZones leave much to be desired. I, too, received the blank silent stare when I asked where the clar bars were located (this occurred at least one summer ago; they used to carry Meguiar's clay kit, but I think they discontinued it). AutoZone is closest to my house, and is a lot more convenient than driving twice and three times the distance for some items. However, when it comes to "knowledgable sales staff," the local AutoZone lacks severely. You have to know what you want, if they carry it, and where it is located. Let the checking-out process to the "trained professionals."

 

[Creager]

Yeah i get that blank stare when i went in to Autozone once asking for Crush sleeves.

Napa knew exaclty what i was talking about, and had them sitting out on the sales floor. Great, i loved it.

 

[compdoc777]

Generally, I would have to agree that AutoZones leave much to be desired. I, too, received the blank silent stare when I asked where the clar bars were located (this occurred at least one summer ago; they used to carry Meguiar's clay kit, but I think they discontinued it). AutoZone is closest to my house, and is a lot more convenient than driving twice and three times the distance for some items. However, when it comes to "knowledgable sales staff," the local AutoZone lacks severely. You have to know what you want, if they carry it, and where it is located. Let the checking-out process to the "trained professionals."

I've got autozone on speed dial. I'll call them first then if I can't get a good answer I'll call another location get the part number then call the close location back and ask for that part number. If they have it I'll go.

 

[TJM623]

I like autozone, The one by me had 3 different clay bar kits when I got mine. Everyone knew what I was talking about, now silverstar fog lights...different story the guy looked at me like I was nuts when I told him they make aftermarket foglights. I walk 2 ft. away and pick them up show him them and he's like no no these are O.E.M. foglights *sigh*

 

[Redrig]

If you havent already, check advanced auto parts. The one here has it. Its really worth getting.

 

[Lt.Jim]

Hey Redrig if your talking about the one over in Hanover maybe I've just been there when they were out. I've never been able to get clay from there. I do agree they are much better then the Auto Zone in south Hanover. As a matter of fact my wife and son got me gift cards from that advanced auto for my birthday

 

[old mechanic]

Here we have auto parts stores everywhere. There are about 15 in a 5 mile radiuis from me. I have never really had a problem with any of them. I guess because of the competition they all stay on the ball. I found Pep Boys has the shortest lasting parts. But if you want a ElChepo motor scotter or motorcycle they have them. You can buy a off road 125cc for $999. The Autozones around are great but from what I have read here they aren't to good in some other areas of the country.
I tend to buy NEW parts because I tend to keep my investments for a long time.

 

[cgmiller83]

I work for Advance Auto Parts and I know what a clay bar is. In fact, the clay bar we have is made by Mother's. Take that Auto Zone.

 

[msmith65]

The point of AutoZone is kind of like the point of making Arkansas and Oklahoma separate states: They each have the other to make fun of.

 

[Texan01]

I used to work at Chief Auto and Pep Boys, when I first worked at Chief's I was a know-nothing body, after a few months I knew the store like the back of my hand. Went to Pep Boys and developed a few clients because I would take the time to look stuff up, and could tell them where it was and how long it would be. or who would have it in town that day.

The Twilightzone by my house is usually staffed with idiots, and would say "we don't have it" or "can't get it" even when it's a front seal for a small block Chevy. I only go in there to get something that I KNOW they will have. O'Riley's is usually really good, Pep Boys is still decent, P&R Auto (independent joint) is always excellent, Napa is almost always good.

 

[drstein]

We have Kragen's (Checkers), Pep Boys, Napa Auto Parts, and Vato Zone.

Auto Zone is the only place that carries Seafoam around here. And I got a cool "#3" sticker there, so I guess they're good for something.

 

[mynameisaric]

i was looking for scratch removing wax at my autozone and decided for $11 a bottle, my scratches look pretty good, but...... i did see Mothers Clay Bar. so ha..... my autozone is better than your autozone.

 

[rlcrafts]

We have AutoZone, Advance and Pep Boys near us, the AutoZone tends to very helpful, I'm not sure where Pep Boys found their employees, but they shouldn't go back there for more and Advance doesn't get my business anymore because of their women don't know jack about cars attitude. Granted most don't, but there are some of us who actually enjoy working on their vehicles I work in a fabric store part time and there are some women who shouldn't work in there either! LOL

 

[Spdrcer34]

....it's been said before......and I'll repeat it......

....IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHO THEY HIRE......

Since I started working on cars when I was 13 (`66 Dodge Dart GT!) I got a quick lesson on who to buy from, and who to talk to....

We used to have a 'locally owned and operated' Auto Parts Store/Machine shop. They were BY FAR the best in the area. They were part of the 'CarQuest' network of parts dealers, and they ended up getting sold to another parts network, 'Part Plus'. Well when that happened they hired a bunch of lame 20-somethings (I'm 26 now, I can say that) that didn't know much......the machine shop went pretty much unchanged, but there prices sure went up!

As for the OTHER stores in question, AutoZone, Checker/Schucks/Kragen/Advanced Auto (they're all the same), NAPA, and PepBoys.......I've had bad experiences in ALL of them......none really that much worse than the others.....

As for the 'chicks in auto parts and hardware stores' comment, I'm not even gonna try to defend that, but I will tell you one thing........hey guy, your ingnorance is showing.

Ryan