I just made a "quick run" to Autozone to grab TBI gasket kit after doing the free AFPR mod on my 350TBI engine swap that I was hoping to get started tonight..not! Got there at 8:10 with the part number in hand left at 8:45. The middle eastern gentleman who was helping me was no help at all. I told him what I wanted and gave him the part number, he refused to take my part number. He then brought me the head, intake, exhaust and rear dif cover gaskets for my car...no clue why. He brought each one out individually and asked if that was it. Then he brought me a set of head gaskets for the 3.1l V6. I was laughing to keep from crying. I asked to speak to someone else. The younger kid there took my part number and compared it to the part number that the other guy had but didn't look for and ran back to get it. Of course he couldn't find it either. He then got the manager in on it, who also couldn't find it. An off the clock employee that I recognized walked in and they recruited him to help look, again couldn't find it. It wasn't until the walk-in off the clock employee's WIFE(I am not being sexist I am merely noting that it wasn't an employee), not even an employee said maybe its by the carb rebuild kits that those jokers found it. Then they were laughing about it saying that even the manager couldn't find it and were smacking each other with my gaskets. Has anyone ever gotten great service from this particular store? I have a million reasons to avoid every person at that store but I always end up there cause they are close, affordable, and they have the rewards program.

WOW! that's pretty bad

That is bad. That is why you need to reaseach what you need a head of time, good thing you did the same.

Damn that rewards program.... luckily the people at my local Autozone are willing to except my help when they are having problems with a part for my car, but Im in there almost every week so they know me by name since its the only parts store I go to because of the rewards . Sorry to hear about the BS run around, I stopped going to Murrays for just that reason, incompetence is very frustating, but do you want for an $8 an hour employee who is worried about what club there going to tonight.

thats terrible to hear
Autozone, in my opinion is bad for service. Several weeks ago, I had to help dave (novakdk) get a alternator from autozone in lombard...The alternator wasn't even a year old! Anywho they didn't trust our word that the alternator was shot so they had to bench tested...turns out we were right...bad! NO sh*t sherlock!

Another situation is that i once was looking for a plastic 5/8th coolant tee...i told the counter person i'm in need of one and he didn't understand what i was talking about. I mean how much more descriptive that you have to be. After showing him my old part he was like oh that its a pipe, to his terminology...
Anywho people that work there are just fools.

That's why i go to CJC auto parts in lombard...they got great service, accepted returns when need be, and they deliver...wouldn't go anywhere else like pep boys or autozone...

I would assume that is common practice. That is to check it before they hand over a new one if it is under warranty.

Best thing you can do is to call any local store, get the phone # for the regional office and ask to speak the the district manager. They should track him down and have him call you. They cant fix what they dont know about. Calling anywhere else will take anywhere else will just slow the response down, since your complaint will be forwarded to the DM anyway. Unfortunately the labor pool is not what it used to be. When I got out of high school, most guys had worked on a car. Now the average experience with cars is changing the exhaust tip on your Honda.

The few decent guys from the plano store went over to the yorkville store when it opened, I usually go to the carquest off 34 or the napa on 47 just past down town yorkville.
Yeh the one year old hondazone alternator was a big fail, wonder if they will test my lifetime warranty clutch out when it goes bad?

Carquest seems like they have a new line of employees too. I miss the old man with chewing in the cigar and the tall red-headed guys.

I had a civic a while back and I threw a lifetime warranty autozone clutch in, broke it in as described on instructions and it started slipping less than a few weeks later and I went to complain and they said the clutch was rated for *stock* applications and my intake and every other mod that was on that car voided it (bought the car modded btw).

the place in sandwich wasnt too bad (cant recall the name)the few times I stopped in, not sure how they usually are? Thought red was still their?

Isn't the carquest in plano? I recently had a part I needed for my POS DD Sable and they listed 2 part numbers and each had the description of "For Use on 3.0l Engine Only" and they were the same price, with no pictures. So I asked him to order one of them and he said that he couldn't do that unless I knew which one I needed because they don't want to be stuck with shipping some part back if it is wrong.

My dad is a mechanic for the city of Aurora and they have a Napa in-house and I get a decent discount but I am reprehensive to buy most things from them especially electronics because Echlin parts and I have never gotten along well.

i would personally recommend your local midas manager because he can get napa and c/q parts delivered on a cash ticket for cost. and provide the parts savings to fellow thirdgeners.

oh yeah that's the yorkville midas.

as far as this goes guys sorry for ur bad experience at autozone. i work at the one in chicago ridge. i have a third gen and a 4th gen. the test is simply we have to put a print out of whats actually wrong with it and the bench tester does that so they can replace it when they reman it. as for the t there just stupid at the one by you i guess.