what the %$@*# bad parts

[akloyale]

Well just recently I replaced the passenger side front axle and it turned out the brand new one from NAPA was bad. So I decided to take a day for the old suby and replace the radiator that it needed also. Called NAPA and had them deliver a rad to the local store from the warehouse. I showed up at the store after borrowing a car and found that the genius on the phone had ordered me an air filter instead of a radiator:confused: I had to drive 30 min to the warehouse so I could get the rad before they closed. Finally got home and did the work. I just got it all back together; new cv joint and radiator in after walking to the hardware store with the radiator because the stock screws don't fit the new rad. anyway finished, everything filled with coolant, then went to put the rad cap on and found the overflow outlet was bent and doesn't allow the cap to sit in the opening. So now I have to take it all out and borrow another car to drive to NAPA and get another rad. I am so pissed with NAPA, but they are the only good (relatively speaking) parts store in town that carries stuff for my car. Sorry just needed to vent. I'm gonna try to get a refund for the radiator because they wasted my time by selling me two bad parts. Wish me luck

[The Dude Abides]

Ok first of all stop relax and welcome aboard.

 

Time and time again on this websight people have had problems with certain brands of cvaxels for subarus. They dont remanufacture them right so heres where you get your new axels next time.

 

GCK Axels from amazon.com

 

http://www.ccrengines.com/mwe/ they remanufacture bad suby axels buy hand.

 

As far as the radiator same thing. Order something from subaru people. About the same as a napa and they definately are less likely to screw something up.

 

Good Luck in the Future Doings with your Vehicle.

 

Ben

[GeneralDisorder]

So bend it back if it's in the way. You don't even need an overflow - EA81's never had them in the first place. As long as the system is tight and operating correctly, you won't lose any coolant.

 

GD

[screwbaru2]

I'd stop dealing with NAPA!!

[GeneralDisorder]

I'd stop dealing with NAPA!!

 

Yeah, they suck, they are expensive, and they don't give decent discounts till you spend a LOT of money with them in a regular basis. I work for a large machinery company and we can't get any breaks with Napa.

 

Do your business with discount dealerships, or from online vendors.

 

GD

[Durania]

Yeah, they suck, they are expensive, and they don't give decent discounts till you spend a LOT of money with them in a regular basis. I work for a large machinery company and we can't get any breaks with Napa.

 

Do your business with discount dealerships, or from online vendors.

 

GD

...and consider buying a backup vehicle. I drive my 83 BRAT everyday but when something breaks, thats why I have a 91 Legacy.

 

So bend it back if it's in the way. You don't even need an overflow - EA81's never had them in the first place. As long as the system is tight and operating correctly, you won't lose any coolant.

 

GD

 

Looks like he drives an EA82.

[Numbchux]

another vote for never buying from napa. too many times have napa parts left me on the side of the road.

[misledxcracker]

another vote for never buying from napa. too many times have napa parts left me on the side of the road.

 

+1,000,000

 

Especially their transmission modulators, axles, and PCV valves....

[akloyale]

thanks for the heads up on the other bad parts. Problem is shipping to alaska is way expensive and NAPA gives me almost 20% off b/c I am a student. which is why I even buy from them in the first place (cheap) I avoid shucks which is even worse.

 

we're basically scewed up here for shipping anything

[Gloyale]

Yeah, they suck, they are expensive, and they don't give decent discounts till you spend a LOT of money with them in a regular basis.

 

 

AAA members get 10%. I how my card every single time I go in for anything.

 

 

 

"That'll be $.10 cents for this nut."

 

"oh actually I'm a AAA member"

 

"Very good sir, .09 cents it is"

[GeneralDisorder]

AAA members get 10%. I how my card every single time I go in for anything.

 

Yeah - they will do a *little* for large groups like that, but they offer their discounts based on how much you spend with them rather than your potential buying power. My company has over 200 employees across 4 states - not to mention the company's buying power itself. They won't do anything for us.

 

Their parts are crap anyway - the only place that's worse is Shucks. I would rather go to Autozone - at least their crappy parts are cheap.

 

GD

[Gloyale]

Their parts are crap anyway - the only place that's worse is Shucks. I would rather go to Autozone - at least their crappy parts are cheap.

 

GD

 

 

The trade off, at least in my town, i the competence of the employees.

 

The NAPA here is a hub store. It' been here for years and years, and alot of the employees have been there that whole time. Lot's of very knowledgable, skilled good ole boys.

 

Autozone on the other hand has a handful of Burger King rejects younger than most of my Subarus. they don't know **t about cars, especially old ones. And they can't find s**t unless it's in there computer by year and make.

 

I'll stick to NAPA, at least they are professional. If I have an Issue with there parts, they take care of it. And usually they can offer me a substitute though a different source.

[Rxbubaru]

The famous saying for NAPA: never any parts avaible, but here at my shop we are a napa certified dealer so we gotta deal with some of their screw ups sometimes but the service is decent.

[xoomer]

I'm probably gonna get flamed but--- my xt6 waterpump at napa was only 19.00 for there lifetime warranty-- I love working for a dealership as big as mine- (3rd largest honda dealer in the country) our shop has 52 lifts- I can pretty much walk into any Other Dealership and get 30% below list- and napa and carquest charge me like 10% over cost-

 

I used to work at schucks- And am currently still "employed by schucks" (on a leave of absence apparently) so i get the employee 20% but I do agree that schucks employees are not the smartest and Autozone-- its pretty bad when a shucks employee knows the Z-net system better than the Employee that works there. Autozone tends to reward Customer service Skills over knowledge- they pay people better that don't know nothing about cars but have good customer Service skills- Believe me I learned the hard way-

[3eyedwagon]

Just for reference; every Napa is individually owned, and operated. I know this as a former NAPA employee.

 

Each owner and/or manager decides what brand of parts to get from the distributors. Therefor, they can sell cheap crappy parts, middle of the road parts, really good expensive parts, or any combination of these. They can stock, and sell multiple brands of pretty much any automotive part you can imagine, so if the NAPA near you sells only super expensive high end parts, or total junk at reasonable prices; that's because the owner/operator has decided to do so. NAPA acts as a distributor to these stores, something the owners pay dearly for.

 

The most logical choice for our stores was to stock the mid-line parts (unless sales history dictated otherwise), and be ready to order the cheaper, or more expensive stuff if the customer liked. Something that can be done in a rapid manner, thanks to the NAPA distribution system. If you come to my area, NAPA, and Carquest rule the roost, and rightfully so. For the most part, the employees at these stores have been there a long time, know the products (what's good and what isn't), and can find almost anything you could ever imagine. I once located bearings capable of 36,000 rpm to repair rollers in the catapult launch track system of The USS Theodore Roosevelt for the US Navy because The Department of Defense had them on a 6 month back order. I found them. It took me a week, but I found them.

As for discounts; we gave discounts to people with accounts based on their sales history, and that's the way I believe it should work. I'm not going to give anyone here a discount because they have the ability to buy alot! That makes no sense. If I went to Subaru, and said: I have the ability to buy 100 STIs, and I may someday do so, so you should give me a discount on this 1. I would hope they would laugh me out the door.

 

If you have a problem with your local parts house, it's because of the management of your local parts house. If you demand high quality parts you are going to pay the price, and if you buy cheap crap, guess what; it isn't going to work that well. And that doesn't really matter where you buy it.

[idosubaru]

i'm wondering if NAPA has finally updated their computers so that ordering a 6 cylinder XT6 disty cap actually gets you a cap with 6 ignition plugs instead of 4. like others, i haven't really gone back since due to prices being consistently higher. if i want quality or dont mind the additional expense i go with subaru.

[desertsubaru]

I'm lucky because my local Auto zone has ASE managers behind the desk. I payed $14 for a radiator cap at NAPA and Auto zone had the same brand for $8. Next time I need one I will just grab it from Harry's u pull in Hazleton. They always have a nice selection of EA 82s and EJs there. I couldn't be happier with the 58 k engine I got and I just Installed the like new two front mechanical Adjustable struts and the two rear yesterday. So thats what a smooth ride feels like. I have the front up 1 inch and the rear up on the second notch and it sits higher then when I had the old adjustables up all the way. I guess my springs were really shot. I can never find good axles at Harry's, the boots are always ripped.

[GeneralDisorder]

As for discounts; we gave discounts to people with accounts based on their sales history, and that's the way I believe it should work. I'm not going to give anyone here a discount because they have the ability to buy alot! That makes no sense. If I went to Subaru, and said: I have the ability to buy 100 STIs, and I may someday do so, so you should give me a discount on this 1. I would hope they would laugh me out the door.

 

That depends on if you want to use the discount as a reward, or as an incentive. As a reward all it does is keep customers - as an incentive it brings in new ones. The proper way to do it is to give half each way. Half as an incentive to begin sourcing parts through them, and the other half incrementally as they buy more and more. This gives the best of both worlds.

 

GD

[azsubaru]

A bit off-subject, but speaking of Shucks, CSK Auto (Checker, Shucks, Kragen, and Murray) is being bought by O'Reilly Automotive. O'Reilly says they will change the stores to match O'Reilly's.

 

I don't know about O'Reilly, but they can't be any worse than CSK.

[xoomer]

Edit-- I stand corrected-- Damn I got to go into work more often

[Numbchux]

A bit off-subject, but speaking of Shucks, CSK Auto (Checker, Shucks, Kragen, and Murray) is being bought by O'Reilly Automotive. O'Reilly says they will change the stores to match O'Reilly's.

 

I don't know about O'Reilly, but they can't be any worse than CSK.

 

hmmm....interesting. I love O'Reilly's. Around here, anyway, they've got the best employees of any parts store.

[3eyedwagon]

That depends on if you want to use the discount as a reward, or as an incentive. As a reward all it does is keep customers - as an incentive it brings in new ones. The proper way to do it is to give half each way. Half as an incentive to begin sourcing parts through them, and the other half incrementally as they buy more and more. This gives the best of both worlds.

GD

 

Yeah. I can see your point there. The only problem we had with that system was the large companies that show up in the area, and demand a discount because they are so large, IE lots of purchasing power. They usually ended up buying a very small quantity, and a sale usually consisted of 3 times the leg work of any of the rest of our customers. So in many cases; we had put in more work for a smaller profit. Many of the larger companies (especially their employees) acted like they should be babysitted rather than perform their own jobs, and that we should have been greatful they were throwing some scraps our way. In the end they were more of a PIA than it was ever worth.