@q(*^!@w(*&!@# you napa!

[TC]

Around here, the only stores that come close to having competent help is NAPA. All the rest are "McParts" stores.

I miss the days when we had several independent parts stores with folks that knew what the hell I was talking about.

CarQuest came in here and bought up all those type of stores, very little of the mom and pop parts stores left. Even though there is Penny Pincher Auto Parts that sells parts dirt cheap, and I mean dirt cheap like 1/2 the price of Checker and AutoZone. But then they've been around ever since I was a kid, so they are pretty much a staple here........

[Mater]

never had an issue with the local napa here but it's not a chained napa it's a small auto parts store with a machine shop they just bought the licensing to sell napa products and use the name but other then that there pretty much run by them selfs

i have never had an issue returning itiems even after openiong them up. and they have helped me on many ocations with my weird multi year frieken vehicles (like my 1974 chevy 1/2 ton that was on a 80 3/4 ton GMC frame with a 700-R4 from a 86 and the engine from a crossfire injection corvette and 12 bolt rear)

and not to mention my frienkenn olds they where the ones that did the machine work on it and helped me find chevy rods and pistons that fit lol

[yellomalibu]

If you think, for one minute, that you won't get defective Chinese parts from Summit or Jegg's, you're in for a rude awakening. I could tell you stories about things that came from Summit. Sure, they'll send you a replacement, but it's just so much more inconvenient to get parts through the mail when there's a parts store in town.


Try this: Call the Napa, and politely ask them to order you another rebuild kit - the last one was packaged wrong.

When you go to pick up the new one, bring back the other one with all the parts it came with. You may or may not have to show them the wrong parts... If you are polite and if the manager isn't a total douche, he'll exchange them and defect the bad one out.
If you go in spewing anger and attitude, they probably won't be very receptive to your plight.

[SpiderGearsMan]

do what I end up doing ...reuse stuff lol

[Caveman Tony]

There are only three parts stores left in my hometown, which has grown to 60,000 people. More people, less doing their own work, wonder why.

These three stores are pretty good, as they are the only local parts suppliers for all the local mechanics. The Napa guys are closest to me, and they are the busiest store... also they know what the hell a SBC is, they don't need to ask me what year, make/model, liter, front wheel drive or rear, 2 wheel drive or four, eye color, hair color, shoe size, prefer boobs or legs?

The Advance store hires the high school kids, but at least they try hard. They don't act clueless, and they have a good attitude.

[JRoberts]

There are three or four NAPA stores around here. One is better than the others, but none are as bad as most of the other chain parts stores. Unfortunately like everyplace else the independent parts stores are gone the way of independent hardware, music and grocery stores. The NAPA I go to most often is the one where the older folks are not afraid to step away from the computer and check out the old parts books with the yellow pages. Now if you guys think it is tough to explain to a young kid what stuff for your SBC with a carb, try getting them to look up stuff for a Studebaker with a Studebaker V8, that wasn't available in the vehicle you have it in. "What's it for?"
"A Studebaker."
"Studebaker did."
"but what company made Studebakers, is it German?"
Well I guess you get the idea........

[SuperBuickGuy]

NAPA is fine when they have the part, but I have plenty of horror stories when they don't. They order it, then get it in wrong and won't refund your money for the shipping because they had to special order it.... they do put the cuss in customer service.

[Beagle]

Around here, the only stores that come close to having competent help is NAPA. All the rest are "McParts" stores.

I miss the days when we had several independent parts stores with folks that knew what the hell I was talking about.

ditto. My O'reilly store guy is pretty good, but he's getting close to retirement age.

Todd may be dealing with a dirt bag owner NAPA - they're not all bad. It doesn't matter what the store sign says if the manager is an unscrupulous crook.

[Thumpin455]

Its three stores in two different states that have given me the wrong or were missing stuff, and the one in Hastings Nebraska giving me the jacked up timing chain. The Napa in Charleston SC didnt know what a TH400 rebuild kit was, I found that to be quite humorous actually. One big problem I have with most parts stores is the people not knowing that a 400 Pontiac is entirely different than a 350/400 chevy. Nothing interchanges on those two engines, yet I still get people bringing me chevy gaskets or ordering parts for the chevy when they dont have them in stock. So when I find a shop that knows the difference I tend to go back. That is CarQuest around here. Usually I order from Summit or Jegs when it is gaskets and shit like that, because its cheaper and I can get victor or felpro in three days, about the same time it takes to order it from a shop here.

I have gotten the wrong stuff from Summit and Jegs, and even had broken parts from Summit. Back in 1989 while stationed in Germany, Summit and I had a year long game of parts tag. I needed an 11" 26 spline clutch disc, they sent me a 10.5" 26 spline clutch. I sent it back, and each direction took two months mind you and there was no internet and we couldnt call a 1-800 number from Europe back then either. two months later I got an 11" 10 spline from them. Sent it back and wrote on the receipt with a sharpie, 11" 26 spline and they still got it wrong. So I sent it back, asked for a refund and got the one I needed first try from Jegs. So its not like they are immune, but they have treated me right when they screwed up.

The owner of this NAPA might not be a dirtbag like the one in Hastings Ne. What irks the hell out of me is the 30+ mile round trip I need to show them what was wrong with it. Going into town is usually two hours of my day shot to hell, plus the gas/fuel to get there. So do I make two trips four days apart with a transmission filleted on my bench preventing me from doing body work or building carbs? One trip to show them and one trip to hopefully pick up a kit with the right stuff in it four or five days later? Being Wed it would be next freakin week, probably Tuesday. Its easier to just not deal with them again, I gave them one more chance and they screwed it up again.

I found something else wrong with this kit when I went back out again. One of the clutch packs had .076" steels which required .109" steels. That would be damn hard to check while its packaged in shrink wrap. Lucky for me I did the 4L60E in my 98 Formula back in 09. The seals and clutches that came out of it were in very good shape, it just had a broken front pump. So digging through the box of parts I saved from that one I came up with what I needed for this one. The problem with this trans was a cut seal in the overrun clutch, whoever rebuilt it before me messed up BIG, with two chunks of seal missing. I could have put the rest of it back together like it was and it would work, but since I am in there we might as well replace stuff. So I had to go with used parts anyway to get the clearances right on the clutch packs, especially since the guy before me missed the difference in steel thickness. There is more to building one of these than replacing seals and friction discs. Luckily for me I didnt need a different thickness selective washer, I would have to call my bud in Charleston for that. I should have gotten the parts from him again, he owns a trans shop, and he got into transmissions after watching me rebuild a Th400 in his dads driveway. That kid knows his stuff, school and experience were not lost on him.

[Stich496]

maybe write an e mail to napa, instead of here.. highly doubt they won't help you.. but if you are going back in the store like a raving loon. no you're gonna get no where..
again.. NAPA didn't box that kit.. it's a reboxed kit.. you're pissed at the wrong people..
napa you can look up the parts on line. so why you always getting the wrong stuff..??
sounds like that napa is either sick of you. or doesn't care. unlikely as it's a family owned shop..
good luck..
funny thing is, the same vendor that boxed up your kit, might also box up the b&m kit you'd buy at summit.
are you sure the steels being thinner wasn't so you could add one friction and steel to the pack??
the kit isn't infront of me,
maybe you need to go to pebboys