On my way to the local cruise night tonight. Turned a corner, looked down at the dash, and saw red. Lights, that was. Temp gauge was pegged. Shut the engine off, and cruised into a lot. Got the lid open, and saw smoke. Also saw the belt was off. Gone. Completely missing!
Called a buddy, and we went to the local Auto Zone. Told the counter guy (about 20 years old) I needed a belt for a Fiero. He said 'What? Never heard of a Fiero. What's that?" Fortunately, he was able to type it into the computer, and we managed to make the sale.
Has the Fiero gone from the landscape of America so soon?
Right when I walk into my local O'reillys, the first thing the guy at the counter that I normally always deal with says, "will this be a part for the fiero, or a part for the regal?" (3800sc)
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01:49 AM
topher_time Member
Posts: 3231 From: Bailey's Harbor, for now. Registered: Sep 2005
You'll have to give the young counter guys a break. If he was 20, the Fiero was out of production 3 years before he was conceived. He probably doesn't know about a De Soto, Packard, Datsun or Corvair. Soon Oldsmobile, Plymouth and Pontiac will be a distant memory.
LOL I stopped in at Advance just to buy one of those folding window shades. When I got up to the counter, the guy was looking out the window at my car, which was right outside. He asked me what kind of car it is.
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08:55 AM
ShadowHawk Member
Posts: 376 From: Broward County, Florida Registered: May 2011
The guy who runs my local napa has 3 Fieros so I guess I'm pretty lucky. Kid at work who is 19 had never heard of them before. Another guy at work who is my age (late 20's) had heard of them but thought it was a front engine front wheel drive.
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11:25 AM
fierosound Member
Posts: 15145 From: Calgary, Canada Registered: Nov 1999
The guy who runs my local napa has 3 Fieros so I guess I'm pretty lucky. Kid at work who is 19 had never heard of them before. Another guy at work who is my age (late 20's) had heard of them but thought it was a front engine front wheel drive.
I've had people standing at the back of the car LOOKING at the engine bay and they asked "Is this front-wheel-drive?"
I love these threads.. People make fun of a 20 a year old because they don't know what a Fiero is.. But never consider the fact that THIS 20 year old probably knows more about the Fiero than they do
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12:59 PM
Pete Matos Member
Posts: 2291 From: Port St. Lucie, Florida Registered: Jan 2010
All I want to know is what kind of a douchebag did they hire to work at an auto parts store that does not know what a Pontiac Fiero is??? That is just wrong.... I think anyone who works at an auto parts store should at least have a working knowledge of cars and years even the obscure ones. The guys at my Local O'reilleys auto parts store know what it is but the problem there is that they are all mustang nutjobs and rib me about the car every time I go in there... I think they honestly like it but they are car guys and gotta shoot the one liners all the time. At least they got fast mustangs so they at least know their way around an engine.... Now the Advance Auto here, well, that's another story.... Altho they do have a hot chick that works there and she actually knows more about the Fiero and cars in general than the rest of the pinheads in there.... Gotta love a fine chick that knows more than you do about cars... peace
Pete
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01:06 PM
ShadowHawk Member
Posts: 376 From: Broward County, Florida Registered: May 2011
You'll have to give the young counter guys a break. If he was 20, the Fiero was out of production 3 years before he was conceived. He probably doesn't know about a De Soto, Packard, Datsun or Corvair. Soon Oldsmobile, Plymouth and Pontiac will be a distant memory.
Hey! I'm almost 19, and I own a Fiero! I also know every car make you listed. But I agree, its a bad stereotype that for the most part is true.
Originally posted by Pete Matos: All I want to know is what kind of a douchebag did they hire to work at an auto parts store that does not know what a Pontiac Fiero is??? That is just wrong....
I'm sorry, but assumptions like this are just wrong. There's no need to act like this. Expecting someone working at a public parts store to know every year, make, and model of every car ever made, is just ridiculous. Anyone with that much knowledge about said cars, is probably working in a much better place, making a lot more money; like managing the service department at a Porsche dealer or something. Or working in a different field making a lot more money, because they're probably interested in learning about a lot more than just cars. Would you say the same thing if you were working at a parts store, and someone came in asking to get a part for a car you don't know about? It's like expecting the kids working at an Apple store to know what a floppy disk is.
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02:01 PM
bnevets27 Member
Posts: 264 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2007
Well I should sure hope that a kid working at apple knows what a floppy disk is, but then again its apple. As for parts guys, more often then not the young ones don't know much. Its because its not a car guy type job most of the time. The places that hire young guys are just hiring someone that needs a job and not based on any credentials or interests. Now that might just be around here. I'm mostly but not excursively talking about canadian tire. Now when I walk into a NAPA here and there is an older guy behind the counter, more often then not they know their stuff. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy that wasn't born yet when his fiero was produced.
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02:31 PM
PFF
System Bot
Pete Matos Member
Posts: 2291 From: Port St. Lucie, Florida Registered: Jan 2010
I'm sorry, but assumptions like this are just wrong. There's no need to act like this. Expecting someone working at a public parts store to know every year, make, and model of every car ever made, is just ridiculous. Anyone with that much knowledge about said cars, is probably working in a much better place, making a lot more money; like managing the service department at a Porsche dealer or something. Or working in a different field making a lot more money, because they're probably interested in learning about a lot more than just cars. Would you say the same thing if you were working at a parts store, and someone came in asking to get a part for a car you don't know about? It's like expecting the kids working at an Apple store to know what a floppy disk is.
Act like what?? So you do not think someone working at a Parts store should know what the car is they are looking up parts for? I wholeheartedly disagree with you man... I wish I had a dime for every time I went into a parts store and the guy behind the counter did not know the most basic stuff about cars... It really is frustrating and I do not apologise for my comment. If you are running a parts store and are going to hire someone to help customers find parts and get advice about their cars I would think that knowing at least the type and year of cars asked about would be the LEAST they should know about it. I really do not understand how you think that is some kinda big deal...?? I sure as hell would hope that someone managing the parts dept at a porsche dealer as you said should know every model and year of Porsche don't you?? How can you expect someone who works at a parts store to be able to function without the basic knowledge necessary. I would hope that these people would know more than that as in the typical engine and tranny that went in most of the cars. If I were running a parts store I sure as hell would want the person I hired to be well versed in this information. OF course I do not expect ANYONE to know everything but I cannot stand when you go in there and it is obvious they do not have a clue about the most basic stuff.... They should not be working there or if they do they should be under the supervision of someone who does know this stuff until they learn. I mean hell most of the stores now have computer systems that store most of this parts information and the guys do not even need to know most of that. I laugh when you ask a specific question about a part and if they cannot find it in the computer they get all frustrated... So yeah man I DO think they should know this I don't care what they get paid.... peace
Well I should sure hope that a kid working at apple knows what a floppy disk is, but then again its apple. As for parts guys, more often then not the young ones don't know much. Its because its not a car guy type job most of the time. The places that hire young guys are just hiring someone that needs a job and not based on any credentials or interests. Now that might just be around here. I'm mostly but not excursively talking about canadian tire. Now when I walk into a NAPA here and there is an older guy behind the counter, more often then not they know their stuff. Keep in mind this is coming from a guy that wasn't born yet when his fiero was produced.
NAPA is a bit different. They are a parts supplier, so they tend to hire more knowledgeable people. But AutoZone, Advance, etc… are all just retail stores. Would you expect the person working in the clothing department at K-Mart to know about every type of material and how to sew and hem? It's high turnover employment. The management staff will stay there much longer, and be more knowledgeable about such things. And Apple hasn't sold a computer with a floppy drive for probably at least 10 years now. Why would everyone working at the Apple store know what it is? The "Genius Bar" guy, sure. But the kids selling you iPods and iPhones, definitely not.
Originally posted by Pete Matos: Act like what?? So you do not think someone working at a Parts store should know what the car is they are looking up parts for? I wholeheartedly disagree with you man... I wish I had a dime for every time I went into a parts store and the guy behind the counter did not know the most basic stuff about cars...
Act like a douchebag by saying "All I want to know is what kind of douchebag did they hire … that doesn't know what a Pontiac Fiero is???" is how you shouldn't act. Just because someone doesn't know what a Fiero is, doesn't make them a douchebag. That sort of attitude will only turn people off to the cars. If someone doesn't know what a Fiero is, and you are passionate about the Fiero, you should take the opportunity to educate them and pique their interest in the cars, not act like you are somehow superior because that person doesn't know what your car is.
There is a huge difference between knowing every make, model, and years of production, than there is to knowing basic stuff. I don't think it should matter what make/model/year it is to the person. All they have to do is put the information in the computer. Knowing over a hundred years worth of cars, when they were produced, and all the minute details about each car, is an unreasonable expectation. No single person on the planet knows all that. I guarantee that you don't etiher. If you're expecting the kid at the parts store to know more about your own car than you do, then you should probably just hire him to do the work too.
Knowing that a Pontiac Fiero does in fact exist in the world is not "basic knowledge" either. Understanding that people modify their cars, and that they don't have everything in the world for every car, and it's not always in stock, types of drivetrain layouts, tranmissions, and engines, is "basic knowledge." Making unreasonable expectations of them because you think your car is special, doesn't make them the bad guys.
Curious what you do for a living. Do you know everything about everything relating to what you do? I bet not.
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04:23 PM
Pete Matos Member
Posts: 2291 From: Port St. Lucie, Florida Registered: Jan 2010
Act like a douchebag by saying "All I want to know is what kind of douchebag did they hire … that doesn't know what a Pontiac Fiero is???" is how you shouldn't act. Just because someone doesn't know what a Fiero is, doesn't make them a douchebag. That sort of attitude will only turn people off to the cars. If someone doesn't know what a Fiero is, and you are passionate about the Fiero, you should take the opportunity to educate them and pique their interest in the cars, not act like you are somehow superior because that person doesn't know what your car is.
There is a huge difference between knowing every make, model, and years of production, than there is to knowing basic stuff. I don't think it should matter what make/model/year it is to the person. All they have to do is put the information in the computer. Knowing over a hundred years worth of cars, when they were produced, and all the minute details about each car, is an unreasonable expectation. No single person on the planet knows all that. I guarantee that you don't etiher. If you're expecting the kid at the parts store to know more about your own car than you do, then you should probably just hire him to do the work too.
Knowing that a Pontiac Fiero does in fact exist in the world is not "basic knowledge" either. Understanding that people modify their cars, and that they don't have everything in the world for every car, and it's not always in stock, types of drivetrain layouts, tranmissions, and engines, is "basic knowledge." Making unreasonable expectations of them because you think your car is special, doesn't make them the bad guys.
Curious what you do for a living. Do you know everything about everything relating to what you do? I bet not.
Ya know Dobey, I have read a lot of your posts and it sure seems like you are the type of guy to argue about anything. You got your chance to call me a douchebag, I hope you enjoyed it.... As I said I DO expect the guy behind the counter to know the basics of cars and models and I would like to think that they should know more than that IE which engines/transmissions were typically available in them for most of the typical cars at least. I figured someone like you would take offense to my lighthearted comment of the person who hired him being a douchebag... Sorry to bother you with that but you will just have to get over it. The Napa IS a parts supplier but it is also a store just like the others and I would expect no less of them. If you are putting someone in front of buying customers and they are gonna hit you with all sorts of questions about cars from every level then you bet that person better have some idea what the hell he is talking about. Again I said in my previous post that I do not expect anyone to know everything but a lot of these guys don't know the basics of the cars and it gets very frustrating especially over the phone to try to get accurate information about parts and common issues.
Here's a for instance... My daughter just recently bought a used Nissan Frontier Pickup. She drove it for awhile and one day it just plain quit on her. She had a " Friend" try to fix it and it still is not running so I told her to bring it over and let dad have a crack at it. I called up about some parts and stuff for the truck to see what it might cost to get it running again and asked a simple question that I did not expect the guy to know the answer to. I asked him if he had any experience with the 3.3 v6 in this truck and he said he did. I asked him then if he had any idea how to set the static timing of the truck IE do you need to remove some electrical plug or cheat some connector to disable the electronic advance. He said he did not which I did not expect him to either but then he said something I could not believe... He said he had NEVER set the timing on anything.... I asked him how then did he come to know anything about the 3.3 v6 in the truck as he said he did and he had no response... I said well it doesn't matter and politely asked if anyone else there had any idea and the other guy tried to look it up in the computer and only found instructions on replacing the timing belt. I only asked this question because the Nissan Service Dept is closed today and I was hoping someone might have an idea about it by chance. It is my experience that some of the guys who work in parts stores are also shadetree mechanics a lot. However, This is precisely the kind of thing I am talking about here... ANYONE who works in these stores and is allowed to answer the phone should have at least a basic knowledge of cars and their systems... It is basically a pre-requisite if you ask me... How are you supposed to help people who have questions about parts and service on their car if you do not know your basic stuff? I do not understand how anyone could disagree with this....
In answer to your question I am a professional woodworker and build gorgeous cabinetry and entryway doors as well as all sorts of other high end wood products. I will not say I know everything about what I do but I am usually the guy the people I work with ask questions to if that helps you.... I also do not usually interface with the customer directly as I am mostly talking with designers and architects about specific details and the Salespeople we pay to interface with the customers DO know what they are talking about... these people we deal with would NOT put up with anything less... believe me.
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04:50 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
He's 20. The "newest" Fiero is 23. When you were 20, did you know every car that stopped production 3 years before you were born?
There's too many cars for even a knowledgeable person to keep track of. That's why whenever I order parts I always tell them "1988 Pontiac Fiero V6" They don't need to know what it is when they can punch that into the computer. If you just tell them it's a Fiero, don't assume they know it's a Pontiac and they'll still need to know what year and what engine it has.
I'd also imagine blank stares if I tried to order parts for a "Lark" or "N600" without telling them anything else.
I go to Autozone all the time, most employees there know basic knowledge of cars and the products they offer, however, I managed to stump them on a really basic part, I asked for a Tach filter, and NO ONE in the entire store knew what it was or that it even existed. This includes the district manager who just happened to be at that store at the time of my visit. She said in the 8 years she has been a district manager she has never had someone ask for a tach filter. Now I understand they haven't put those in cars for many years I'm guessing but this is ridiculous. The employees and managers there weren't all young either. Makes no sense.
I get young people saying Nice car all the time even though my car looks ragged lol guess what the next thing they ask is??? What is it? lol. Also I also get the wow these cars are still on the road? from older people lol I reciently tried to get a circuit board for my wiper motor and its no longer being made by aftermarket sigh. Auto wrecker only oh well in 4 years my cars a antique and plates are super cheap!
Originally posted by mattwa: I go to Autozone all the time, most employees there know basic knowledge of cars and the products they offer, however, I managed to stump them on a really basic part, I asked for a Tach filter, and NO ONE in the entire store knew what it was or that it even existed. This includes the district manager who just happened to be at that store at the time of my visit. She said in the 8 years she has been a district manager she has never had someone ask for a tach filter. Now I understand they haven't put those in cars for many years I'm guessing but this is ridiculous. The employees and managers there weren't all young either. Makes no sense.
It's not that basic of a part. And they didn't put them on that many cars. So it really does make perfect sense. It is not a common part on most cars, that AutoZone would sell. This is a big reason why Rodney Dickman and The Fiero Store, and every now and then, a few others, sell them. They tend to sell out of production replacements, or re-engineered versions of some parts that present common problems in the Fiero world. They do sell some common parts as well, but very few.
Ya know Dobey, I have read a lot of your posts and it sure seems like you are the type of guy to argue about anything. You got your chance to call me a douchebag, I hope you enjoyed it.... As I said I DO expect the guy behind the counter to know the basics of cars and models and I would like to think that they should know more than that IE which engines/transmissions were typically available in them for most of the typical cars at least. I figured someone like you would take offense to my lighthearted comment of the person who hired him being a douchebag... Sorry to bother you with that but you will just have to get over it. The Napa IS a parts supplier but it is also a store just like the others and I would expect no less of them. If you are putting someone in front of buying customers and they are gonna hit you with all sorts of questions about cars from every level then you bet that person better have some idea what the hell he is talking about. Again I said in my previous post that I do not expect anyone to know everything but a lot of these guys don't know the basics of the cars and it gets very frustrating especially over the phone to try to get accurate information about parts and common issues.
Here's a for instance... My daughter just recently bought a used Nissan Frontier Pickup. She drove it for awhile and one day it just plain quit on her. She had a " Friend" try to fix it and it still is not running so I told her to bring it over and let dad have a crack at it. I called up about some parts and stuff for the truck to see what it might cost to get it running again and asked a simple question that I did not expect the guy to know the answer to. I asked him if he had any experience with the 3.3 v6 in this truck and he said he did. I asked him then if he had any idea how to set the static timing of the truck IE do you need to remove some electrical plug or cheat some connector to disable the electronic advance. He said he did not which I did not expect him to either but then he said something I could not believe... He said he had NEVER set the timing on anything.... I asked him how then did he come to know anything about the 3.3 v6 in the truck as he said he did and he had no response... I said well it doesn't matter and politely asked if anyone else there had any idea and the other guy tried to look it up in the computer and only found instructions on replacing the timing belt. I only asked this question because the Nissan Service Dept is closed today and I was hoping someone might have an idea about it by chance. It is my experience that some of the guys who work in parts stores are also shadetree mechanics a lot. However, This is precisely the kind of thing I am talking about here... ANYONE who works in these stores and is allowed to answer the phone should have at least a basic knowledge of cars and their systems... It is basically a pre-requisite if you ask me... How are you supposed to help people who have questions about parts and service on their car if you do not know your basic stuff? I do not understand how anyone could disagree with this....
In answer to your question I am a professional woodworker and build gorgeous cabinetry and entryway doors as well as all sorts of other high end wood products. I will not say I know everything about what I do but I am usually the guy the people I work with ask questions to if that helps you.... I also do not usually interface with the customer directly as I am mostly talking with designers and architects about specific details and the Salespeople we pay to interface with the customers DO know what they are talking about... these people we deal with would NOT put up with anything less... believe me.
I'm not arguing. And I'm not even defending the people behind the counter at the parts stores. Some of them are in fact, idiots. And I don't tend to argue. I tend to state facts or ideas. If I wanted to argue, I would start out my post with "I wonder what kind of douchebag…" like you did.
And I'm not offended by your comment. I think you're just narrow minded and quick to insult and be defensive. Let me give you something to read, on that subject: http://absentofi.org/2011/0...gnment-with-reality/
My point is merely that you are being hasty to judge, and expecting way too much. For instance, with the example about your daughter's truck. You asked if he had any experience with the 3.3 V6 in the Nissan. It's a very vague and pointed question. For all you know, he had a Nissan pickup and changed the plugs and wires, and oil in it, once. That is experience, even if it's not the level of experience you wanted. Even if some of the people at parts stores do their own tune-ups and such, expecting a random guy in a random parts store to know how to set the timing on a random engine with an electronic ignition system of such complexity, is a bit much. Sure, maybe he might have known the answer to your question, but you shouldn't get upset because he, nor anyone else there, didn't know. There are millions of different engines in the world today. Expecting random guy at a parts store to know how to set the timing on all of them is just silly.
And regarding that you do woodworking for a living, would you call up Home Depot or Lowes, and expect to have the person on the other end know how to route a bevel around a 38 degree corner on a piece of cherry, just because they also sell wood and routers there? Probably not. So why should the guy who can sell you a timing light and a timing belt, know how to set the timing on the engine in your car? Knowing basic stuff about parts is one thing. Knowing complex answers about service is something completely different. Why didn't you call a mechanic and ask him how to set the timing? Parts guy's job isn't to repair your car or tell you how to fix it, it's to sell you parts. And mechanic's job isn't to tell you how to fix your car, it's to fix it for you. The only person you should be upset with is yourself, for looking in the wrong places for the information you wanted.
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06:14 PM
Pete Matos Member
Posts: 2291 From: Port St. Lucie, Florida Registered: Jan 2010
Dobey.... that is about the answer I would expect from you... Just basically ignore everything I said in these posts and make generalizations and ARGUE for the sake of Arguing... I'm done and in the future I will know better than to try to converse with you on anything.. have a nice weekend man. Peace
LOL. Dude. You were the one making generalizations. All I did was comment on how your generalization was wrong, and innappropriate, with an offputting attitude. You proceeded to be defensive and argue about it, and my further replies only commented on your statements, without generalizing anything. If you had read the link I pasted, you'll see how it talks about generalizing to distort one's view. It is something I try to avoid doing, though I admit I have made generalized statements before. Everyone has, as nobody is perfect. I am not "arguing for the sake of arguing" with you. Hell, I'm not even arguing. All I did was say that you were wrong, and the attitude in your comment only serves to alienate others from the Fiero community, rather than to bring them in; and I tried to clarify that using your own examples even.
But clearly your expectations of others is way too high.
i am too but some of these young bucks just dont know enuff
Enough? They dont know ANYTHING... I spotted one with his hat on sideways at Advance auto 3 weeks ago spouting off how his stock Civic Si has 500 hp from the factory and how the aluminum siding wing on the back gives him a LOT more grip at launch. They would rather spout trash than actually learn. you mention calculator and math and they look at you like you are insane..
There are exceptions.. When I was 16 I had rebuilt my second car engine in my dad's garage, It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for... I unfortunately had friends that would call out the loudmouths and use me as their other racer... Having a Mercury Capri Coupe that had a turbo attached to the 5 liter in it (debaged and a single exhaust pipe) destroyed absolutely everything I came up against off the line.... The car was running mid 13's in 1985 before the turbo was installed.... a great father son project :-)
I just wish more kids had the desire to learn and do cars instead of stick vent stickers on , add underglow neon and stupid wings. A lot of us old farts would teach it if they would listen.
The young guns that ask questions and look like they are actually interested in learning the right way instead of the quick way, They get all of my respect.
The other problem is auto parts stores dont pay anything at all. You will not get automotive experts behind the counters at what they pay.
Originally posted by timgray: The other problem is auto parts stores dont pay anything at all. You will not get automotive experts behind the counters at what they pay.
More to the point, they won't even hire them; because they're all over-qualified, and think they will want a ridiculous amount of money. Even during the rough times when they are just trying to earn a few dollars to pay rent. And the managerial staff are afraid they might get their jobs taken away by someone who knows more than they do.
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07:44 PM
fieroguy123 Member
Posts: 1523 From: Indianapolis Registered: Sep 2009
I probably shouldn't pipe up, but I'm a few beers in and figured what the hell.
I'm with Pete on this one and I have a short story to share.
I looked at moving to another town recently and inquired about an evening management position at their local autozone. After applying I was called in for an interview and I went. Couple days later I got called back in and the manager told me he couldn't hire me because I had too much experience, I was too knowledgable, and that their investment in me would be too much of a risk because other parts stores could offer me more money to come to work for THEM instead. "So you only hire underqualified people then?" His answer was that they have to if they wanna keep any employees for more than a month.
[This message has been edited by fieroguy123 (edited 05-28-2011).]
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07:52 PM
Pete Matos Member
Posts: 2291 From: Port St. Lucie, Florida Registered: Jan 2010
Man how ridiculous is that.... I really do not wish to play with Dobey any more on this but I stand by the statement I made that ANYONE working at an auto parts store and answering the phones/dealing directly with the public should know the basics of automotive systems and also should know models and years of cars pretty well... It just makes sense.. peace
Pete
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07:56 PM
Pappy Member
Posts: 842 From: Land of Confusion Registered: Apr 2010
Ahh yes - I remember when I was a teenager and worked in an auto parts store We didn't have, well computers, much less a floppy disk
On the counter we had 1 manual cash resister and 3 sets of books
People were more tolerant and forgiving back then I reckon. We had to know those books and the books were HUGE. I imaging it looked very intimidating from the other side of the counter, all the customer could see was your head peering over a very large set of books.
That's kinda what I want tho - A ride that's one off, not main stream - One that makes people look twice and ask hey what in the hell was that?
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08:12 PM
Khw Member
Posts: 11139 From: South Weber, UT. U.S.A. Registered: Jun 2008
ANYONE who works in these stores and is allowed to answer the phone should have at least a basic knowledge of cars and their systems... It is basically a pre-requisite if you ask me... How are you supposed to help people who have questions about parts and service on their car if you do not know your basic stuff? I do not understand how anyone could disagree with this....
I worked at Radio Shack for 5 years when they actually still had a decent sized electronics parts inventory. If someone had come in and asked me how to wire up a 555 timer so he could use a LED to mimic a car alarm in his car, I would not have been able to tell him. I could show him the 555 timers location and the book we sold that had a diagram in it to build the circuit but to actually tell him pin 5 to a 100k resistor and in 8 to a 29uf capacitor with pins 2 and 1 being your power input, pin 7 takes the neg side og the LED... No. What your doing is confusing one thing for another. An Auto Parts store is just that a PARTS store, not a service knowledge database. There are hundreds of vehicles that have been produced over many years and to expect the guy behind the counter to be able to tell me what I should set the timing to on my 1965 Pontiac Tempest with the High Ouput 326 cubic inch V8? Come on, really?
[This message has been edited by Khw (edited 05-28-2011).]
I bet more kids working at auto parts stores know more basic stuff about parts and cars, than people working at McDonald's know about raising livestock.
I worked at Radio Shack for 5 years when they actually still had a decent sized electronics parts inventory. If someone had come in and asked me how to wire up a 555 timer so he could use a LED to mimic a car alarm in his car, I would not have been able to tell him. I could show him the 555 timers location and the book we sold that had a diagram in it to build the circuit but to actually tell him pin 5 to a 100k resistor and in 8 to a 29uf capacitor with pins 2 and 1 being your power input, pin 7 takes the neg side og the LED... No. What your doing is confusing one thing for another. An Auto Parts store is just that a PARTS store, not a service knowledge database. There are hundreds of vehicles that have been produced over many years and to expect the guy behind the counter to be able to tell me what I should set the timing to on my 1965 Pontiac Tempest with the High Ouput 326 cubic inch V8? Come on, really?
Amongst other not so common parts 
