Auto parts stores no more.

[srtthis]

I don't even bother with oil at the parts store anymore. They started selling the big jugs in 5 LITER sizes instead of 5 QUARTS, so every damn time I'd change my oil, I'd have a little more than 1/4 quart extra that I'd just throw away. I've never owned a car that required more than 5 quarts, and even if I did, I'd buy a 5 quart jug and a 1 quart bottle(s). 5 liters of oil in the USA is useless.

On top of that, half the parts stores don't stock Motorcraft filters. Wal Mart does, so against my better intentions I buy all my oil change stuff at Wally world. They carry 5 QUART jugs of all the good oil brands, too.

they sell mobil cheaper there also

 

[Boosted92LX]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=does+motor+oil+have+a+shelf+life

 

[Bullitt347]

The oil itself never breaks down, hell it's been the ground for millions of years, it is the additives that are put in the oil that break down. That is why they can recycle used oil, the base oil never wears out, just gets dirty and the additives go away.

 

[NIKwoaC]

The oil itself never breaks down, hell it's been the ground for millions of years, it is the additives that are put in the oil that break down. That is why they can recycle used oil, the base oil never wears out, just gets dirty and the additives go away.

Well, right. And once those additives are gone or consumed, it won't properly lubricate your engine.

 

[N8Dogg98]

*yawn* I'm not worried about my half used jug of oil going bad in the 6-12 months it sits on the shelf.

 

[RangerJoe]

Yea, parts stores around here have gotten so bad that I'm in the practice of finding the part number online and going into the store and saying "I need part number XXXXX". I don't even give them a chance to screw up anymore, because Lord knows if it isn't a brake rotor or an air filter, they have no idea what you're talking about.

This is how I buy most my stuff now. I can also compare store prices to internet & shipping costs of online places. It makes it much easier to get in and out without having to return stuff over and over. FYI, I rented a bearing removal tool, from Autozone, to take the old bearings off of my 31 spline unit the other night. I broke that piece of crap pretty quickly. It bent the threaded shaft and the claws started to chip away at the edges. Ended up using a cut off wheel to weaken the bearings before pulling. Oh well, guess I own that tool now!

 

[txstang84]

i use to work at pepboys... it pissed me off a lot because we never carried anything people needed other then brakes and oil filters. and even when i needed something i couldnt even order it

but i do have a buddy who owns a napa up north and he's been able to get everything ive needed

That's funny you mention that...I thought Pep Boys was supposed to carry "everything but fuel"...wasn't that what they use to say? I had plenty of experiences with the one here in Abilene that usually left me frustrated, but if you wanted to detail your car, they had every product under the sun for that. OTOH, O'Reilly's and AZ are usually good places for me to go. The only reason I rarely go to NAPA is simply due to lack of time. They're usually not open when I need a part.

 

[srtthis]

That's funny you mention that...I thought Pep Boys was supposed to carry "everything but fuel"...wasn't that what they use to say? I had plenty of experiences with the one here in Abilene that usually left me frustrated, but if you wanted to detail your car, they had every product under the sun for that. OTOH, O'Reilly's and AZ are usually good places for me to go. The only reason I rarely go to NAPA is simply due to lack of time. They're usually not open when I need a part.

i could have gotten a scooter faster then i could get in plugs for my lightning, and they were just off the shelf NGK TR6's

 

[nine3cobra]

i have not been able to get even basic mechanical parts for my car. The other day i needed some bolts and some high pressure fuel line and distributor/tfi. Advance, Autozone, and O'rileys didn't have any parts and most would take 2-3 weeks to come in and cost 2x more then getting the stuff myself online. NAPA had a distributor and tfi which the distributor shaft ended up seizing after being installed for a week to the point where the distributor would not hold time and eventually sheered the roll pin on the gear which is when i found it. (they would not warrenty saying it was an electrical part because of the p.i.p even though it was an obvious mechanical failure.) I still need the fuel line and i have made due with bolts from lowes. its kind of rediculous i have to run all over the place to get half ass stuff to fix my car. Anyways... i feel better now

 

[Gearbanger 101]

*yawn* I'm not worried about my half used jug of oil going bad in the 6-12 months it sits on the shelf.

Pftttt. My F150 ends up going through that half liter of oil left in the jug within that oil change period anyway.

I buy that long life 20,000km stuff from Mobile 1. I'm always adding "just a little oil" to the engine at about the half way point to top up what I've burnt off. So that little bit left over in the jug comes in handy.

I do however make sure to change the filter at least twice per oil change.

 

[LarsD]

i have not been able to get even basic mechanical parts for my car. The other day i needed some bolts and some high pressure fuel line and distributor/tfi. Advance, Autozone, and O'rileys didn't have any parts and most would take 2-3 weeks to come in and cost 2x more then getting the stuff myself online. NAPA had a distributor and tfi which the distributor shaft ended up seizing after being installed for a week to the point where the distributor would not hold time and eventually sheered the roll pin on the gear which is when i found it. (they would not warrenty saying it was an electrical part because of the p.i.p even though it was an obvious mechanical failure.) I still need the fuel line and i have made due with bolts from lowes. its kind of rediculous i have to run all over the place to get half ass stuff to fix my car. Anyways... i feel better now

I had almost the exact same experience with an Orly's dizzy, ended up taking it back and got my money back. Might not have been able to do that if the guys behind the counter didn't know me from years of me coming in there to buy stuff. They knew I didn't mess it up b/c I'm not a hack (well, not totally ). Ordered a Performance Distributors dizzy, its a nice looking piece, we'll see how it works out.