Parts Houses

[64BEL]

Sorry to beat this dead horse some more, but I need to vent to those who understand.

I serviced our camper's wheel bearings today. 4 wheels worth. I was one wheel seal short. So, I figured I'd go to one of the local parts houses. I should have known. I usually buy the seals at Fleet Farm. They have all anyone would ever want just hanging on hooks in the aisles. They're labeled by spindle size. Mine are 1 3/8". It takes me 5 seconds to pluck them off the hook at Fleet Farm. Well, Fleet Farm is 30 miles away, but there are three chain parts houses 5 minutes from me.

Store 1. Nope, can't look them up using 1 3/8" as a guide. I have one of the old ones to compare to. She tries to help, but she just can't find me one that works without a part number or some other data the computer could compute. I picked one that I thought was a match and buy it. I buzz home, figuring I'll have this done in a short and be in the shower within 10 minutes. Nope, the new seal was just a hair too big and ended up mangled by me trying to make it fit. Ugh.

Back to town and store 2. Sort of a repeat of store 1 with the computer. But this one is the kicker and makes the story. I take it in and the guy has 10,000 options on his computer. I show him my old one. He asks, "what happened to this"? I tell him it's one of the ones I removed, so it comes out mangled on one edge after prying it out with channel locks. He looks at me all puzzled. "Why did you take it out?", he asks. I look at him all puzzled and reply, "I'm packing the bearings. You can't get the inner bearing out with the seal in there".
Holy Crap.

On to store 3, and he knows what I need but doesn't have it. Crap. I decided to just cut my losses. I'm 5 minutes closer to Fleet Farm already, so I just keep driving the rest of the 20 minutes to get what I need. I was in the store for about 10 minutes, but only because I had to stand in the checkout line for 8. I bought spares to have on hand for the next time.

This turned into about a 2 hour ordeal by the time I dinked around with 4 stores. It's my own fault for not having enough to begin with, but this is awful disheartening when you think of where we may be in 5-10 more years.

 

[hoover]

I worked at a local parts place when I was going to machinist dummy school.
We had a book that you could look up by size. Never did figure out how to navigate the computer to find them by size.
Not many places have the old books now, or anybody old enough to use them.
I usually bring a part # with me on anything th as t is not going to be easy

 

[tonysrt]

When I replace a part with a correct part I write that # in the book I keep in each car were I record all the services I perform, oil changes tire, rotation and brakes. It's hard to remember what you did and when since I have 5 cars.

 

[mopwrd340]

You can go to a store that sells heavy truck parts and find them they still use catalogs ,

 

[steve from staten island]

Years back we had a auto parts store that was a icon here. It had to be in business 50 years easy. They supplied bulk oil, made hi pressure hydraulic hoses, did anything and everything related to automotive and trucks, also at one time had a full automotive machine shop. Eventually they closed. One time i needed a race and a bearing. It actually was for a motorcycle but it had a part number on it. The owner who started the business was now a elderly man well into his eighties. The counterman gave him the bearing, the old man grunted something and i had my new bearing in ten minutes. Try that today at any chain parts store.

 

[PRND21]

We’re pretty lucky around here. The local Napa is staffed by guys over 40, a couple of them race. Very few parts that they can’t find, if they can’t get it, they know where you can. Hell of a contrast to the local Autozone and O’Reillys.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Why oh why did you not just go to the store you knew had it in the first place? 70 minutes later job would have been done.

 

[rlem1977]

Unfortunately this is the major bitch with camper, trailer, and RV manufacturers. They buy a supply of a certain part. Use it until that part dries up or they get a better deal somewhere else. Then they change to a different supplier. Same model of camper, trailer, or RV can have different parts.

 

[Darter6]

Yester year, people were proud of their work. Today, It's just a job. The only thing cared about is,"When do I get paid ? " and "When is my day off ?"

 

[69 GTX]

I never go to the parts store without a caliper or micrometer, that way I know I got the right one! Parts store help is just a bunch of kids anymore. They have no knowledge and can only look up numbers. I had a guy back in the 80's that worked at NAPA in town. He could usually tell from the greasy part you brought in what it was, the correct part, and even a part that'd work to get you by. Those days are gone forever!

 

[YY1]

We had a big mom and pop dedicated trailer supply and shop.

They worked on 40 ft citrus trailers.

I used to get oddball stuff like left hand lug nuts and U bolts there.

Now that building is a brewery!

 

[69Bee]

All seals (unless Chinese) will have a part number on the seal lip. You have to get out the Magoo glasses, but it is there. Most seals are National, BCA, Timkin, and a few others I can't think of. I replace seals and bearings a lot by size and part number. Seems most bearing stores want to go by size, and not part number though. Try a place called "Bearing Belt & Chain" to get a part number narrowed down, then call around locally...

One trick I learned was to remove the outer bearing, put the nut back on (and washer if it goes past the outer race), pull hard on the rotor, and presto, it pulls the inner bearing and seal without damage.

 

[64BEL]

Why oh why did you not just go to the store you knew had it in the first place? 70 minutes later job would have been done.

See Post #1.

 

[64BEL]

[QUOTE="64BEL, post: 910962430, member: 2991 He asks, "what happened to this"? I tell him it's one of the ones I removed, so it comes out mangled on one edge after prying it out with channel locks. He looks at me all puzzled. "Why did you take it out?", he asks. I look at him all puzzled and reply, "I'm packing the bearings. You can't get the inner bearing out with the seal in there".
[/QUOTE]

This was the main point of my long-winded post. The fact that the guy at the counter didn't have a basic understanding of the job I was doing. Not that everyone has to know all about everything. They were all nice, well intentioned people. But I was a just little bit stunned that he didn't understand how the old seal didn't come out undamaged.

 

[64BEL]

I usually bring a part # with me on anything th as t is not going to be easy

I had a part number, but they weren't able to cross reference the brand.

 

[64BEL]

We’re pretty lucky around here. The local Napa is staffed by guys over 40, a couple of them race. Very few parts that they can’t find, if they can’t get it, they know where you can. Hell of a contrast to the local Autozone and O’Reillys.

Our Napa has an older guy (maybe even about my age) but you have to be lucky enough to be there when he's working.

 

[mopar 3 B]

See Post #1.

Post #1 in irrelevant if the thought of going some where that may have the part is more important than where the part is. After wasting more time at two parts warehouses than it would have taken go to the known source of the part.
Makes no sense to me to waste the time.

 

[64BEL]

I've gotten the seals at the first place in the past, that's why I was crazy enough to think I could save myself an hour of driving by going there first.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Our Napa has an older guy (maybe even about my age) but you have to be lucky enough to be there when he's working.

Had a guy at my local NAPA if he wasn't there wouldn't deal with the other guys unless I needed a part right away. Asked if my guy was there over the phone "he doesn't work here anymore", crap. Couple of months later I was in a near by town and stopped at the NAPA store and there's my guy, now I go there.

 

[1967coronet]

Went to napa for a 3/8 pipe plug fitting for my new eddy intake, I wanted a allen or torx head one to fit flush.
Counter guy is set on selling me a 1/2" one, says that's what size the hole is. we go back and forth, since I don't have the manifold with me for show and tell hr. I try to explain the diff between pipe thread size and bolt size without much luck.
in the end he says I will sell you a 3/8 but it going to be wrong. Then says he has to order it in ????.
I give up and go to the lumber yard and get one with a square head.