Common Confusion

94GTizzy · Feb 27, 2016

It should be common knowledge for auto parts stores to know what egr gasket fits the 94 gt but about half the stores are confused and really don't know. Its been over 20 years and they still don't know. Where is the common knowledge that people in the auto parts business are suppose to possess? Why is there so much confusion over something so simple? Is common confusion all it takes to run a auto parts business? The gasket on the left fits the 94 but about half the stores advertise the one on the right. One popular manufacturer advertises the size of the gasket as 8 x 7 , lol, smh. I know people make mistakes but this is ridiculous and its making the noobs look bad. Is this the way all auto parts are sold? Is there really this much confusion in the auto parts industry? Is there a auto parts store out there that is not so blatant with their mistakes?
http://tinypic.com/r/2v7vyaq/9

CarMichael Angelo · Feb 27, 2016

94GTizzy said:
It should be common knowledge for auto parts stores to know what egr gasket fits the 94 gt but about half the stores are confused and really don't know. Its been over 20 years and they still don't know. Where is the common knowledge that people in the auto parts business are suppose to possess? Why is there so much confusion over something so simple? Is common confusion all it takes to run a auto parts business? The gasket on the left fits the 94 but about half the stores advertise the one on the right. One popular manufacturer advertises the size of the gasket as 8 x 7 , lol, smh. I know people make mistakes but this is ridiculous and its making the noobs look bad. Is this the way all auto parts are sold? Is there really this much confusion in the auto parts industry? Is there a auto parts store out there that is not so blatant with their mistakes?
http://tinypic.com/r/2v7vyaq/9

I think that your expectations are waay beyond reality. Why would you assume that a counter parts salesman would know anything more about your car than they would a 93 Nissan? It's not like there aren't a bagillion other car parts besides an egr gasket for a 94 GT.

I'll tell you this.

I've worked in an auto parts store before. ( a really long time ago), and as recently as 2011 ( for three whole days) And I certainly am familiar with ford. But I don't know what an egr gasket for your engine looks like either.
Ive had quite a few ford cars over the last 40 years, but I've never owned an injected 5.0 ( on purpose). They pay a counter parts sales person 10 bucks an hour, which may, or may not be minimum wage in a few months.

What more could you possibly expect from a guy that would make as much selling toilets at Home Depot, or wearing a blue smock at your local Walmart?

94GTizzy · Feb 27, 2016

I'm not talking about the beloved minimum wage counter parts salesman, I know its not their fault, I'm talking about the business owners who should have a clue about what they're selling. If the owners are going to advertise the wrong part they might as well be selling bananas for gaskets.

CarMichael Angelo · Feb 27, 2016

94GTizzy said:
I'm not talking about the beloved minimum wage counter parts salesman, I know its not their fault, I'm talking about the business owners who should have a clue about what they're selling. If the owners are going to advertise the wrong part they might as well be selling bananas for gaskets.

The "Owners" of Advance/NAPA/AutoZone/Oreillys/Pep Boys only need to know whether they are going to lunch in the Bahamas, or Bermuda.

skyline247 · Feb 27, 2016

No auto parts business owner is going to know what every part on every car looks like. That's why there are computers to tell them what to look for. If you were talking about about a store that only specializes in Ford mustangs, then maybe your argument is warranted. Otherwise, they have to stock parts for tons of makes and models and I bet it's near impossible to know everything. On top of that, 1994 was over 20 years ago. Parts on cars that old aren't common knowledge for everyone.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

jrichker · Feb 27, 2016

The average parts person is a kid just out of high school who may or may not work on cars as a hobby or as a sideline. There is a lot of turnover in the workforce simply because it is mostly an entry level job. They do it for a while and then go on to do something they like better or pays better. I have seen some female parts sales persons that were better than their male counterparts simply because the had good memories for details and good computer skills.

The parts lookup catalogs are all computer powered and driven by consumer demand. The higher the sales for a particular part, the more likely that it will be stocked and there will be a correct picture of it. You can bet that each of the major auto parts stores are connected to their home office via internet. They will get updates on a nightly basis to keep up with products and prices.

Adieu · Feb 27, 2016

I'm a FORD MASTER CERTIFIED parts person for a Ford dealership, and I still couldn't tell you what it looks like.

Why?

Because I almost never see anything that old. My day is spent looking up stuff for cars built in the last 5 years or so.

LILCBRA · Feb 27, 2016

Why do you think even an owner of a small mom and pop parts store should know this? How many different models of car are on the road today? Now, how many different engineering changes or new model introductions have there been since how long ago? How many individual parts are there for all of these different variables? If you can answer these questions, you might have a leg to stand on. You're better off, in every case of a parts store visit, to take the old part with you if possible. Not only can you compare everything when they bring the new part out, they can have a visual aid when they see it before going back to look. IMO, this one's kinda on you.....

mikestang63 · Feb 27, 2016

I went into Home Depot last week and ran into Bernie Marcus. Can you believe he didn't know the difference between a -4AN to 1/2" and -6AN to 1/2" NPT fitting? I was so pissed I walked out.

Gearbanger 101 · Feb 27, 2016

94GTizzy said:
It should be common knowledge for auto parts stores to know what egr gasket fits the 94 gt but about half the stores are confused and really don't know. Its been over 20 years and they still don't know.

I think it's hilarious that you're getting your panties in a wad because a parts store couldn't pull a nonspecific part number out of thin air, for near 25 year old car, with an obsolete engine that hasn't been in production since 2001.

You have to realize that most of the guys working behind parts counters today werent even out of diapers (if born at all) when your car was in production. How can you realistically expect them to posses a vast infalable knowledge of it, just right off the cuff like that?

First it's PCV screens, now EGR gaskets.....I've got to say dude, for a new guy you certainly come up with some of the weirdest reasons to creat threads I've seen in a long time?

94GTizzy · Feb 27, 2016

I'll get my panties out of a wad when you get your head out of your ass, where did I blame the employee?

mikestang63 · Feb 27, 2016

Davedacarpainter · Feb 27, 2016

mikestang63 said:

Yep, this will be fun...

LILCBRA · Feb 27, 2016

Sounds like this isn't the hobby for you by the tone of this thread and the PCV screen thread. Just take your car to a mechanic who knows what they're doing and enjoy your great running ride. There's no shame in it, people do that all the time. Those of us who have frequented different part stores for different things know the drill and generally do as I suggested earlier if/when possible. We don't rant on about a parts clerk who messes up or doesn't give us the right part, we figure it out and move on. It's happened to us all at one point or another. There's no sense in getting "your panties in a wad" over this as frustrating as getting the wrong part can be, it does nothing but raise your blood pressure and everyone else's eyebrows. It's time to get over it and move on.....

Adieu · Feb 27, 2016

94GTizzy said:
I'll get my panties out of a wad when you get your head out of your ass, where did I blame the employee?

Right here:

94GTizzy said:
It should be common knowledge for auto parts stores to know what egr gasket fits the 94 gt but about half the stores are confused and really don't know. Its been over 20 years and they still don't know. Where is the common knowledge that people in the auto parts business are suppose to possess? Why is there so much confusion over something so simple? Is common confusion all it takes to run a auto parts business? The gasket on the left fits the 94 but about half the stores advertise the one on the right. One popular manufacturer advertises the size of the gasket as 8 x 7 , lol, smh. I know people make mistakes but this is ridiculous and its making the noobs look bad. Is this the way all auto parts are sold? Is there really this much confusion in the auto parts industry? Is there a auto parts store out there that is not so blatant with their mistakes?
http://tinypic.com/r/2v7vyaq/9

You know what?

Get over it.

The auto parts industry, including at the OEM level, has a metric -ton of catalog errors. Hell, Suzuki and GM's parts catalogs are just a massive error in themselves.

I've been in parts or a technician all but two years of my entire adult life. I've sold parts for Autozone, Advance Auto, Ford, Hyundai, GM, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, and worked as a tech at dealerships for Mazda, Kia, Suzuki, Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/Ram/Fiat, and Hyundai. As I mentioned before, I'm a Master Certified Ford parts counterperson. I'm also an ASE certified counterperson, with multiple vendor certifications from Remy, Dayco, Fel-Pro, and so on, hold a Silver-level Hyundai parts manager certification (Hyundai goes to Gold in everything but parts, or it'd be Gold), and I'm VW certified as a parts specialist. Suffice it to say I'm an expert in the field of auto parts.

I've seen a parts catalog say that a truck that left Ft. Wayne Truck and Bus plant had 20" wheels when I'm staring at it on the lot, fresh off the transport with 17" wheels on it.

I've seen EVERY aftermarket parts catalog erroneously list the engine mounts for a V8 Mustang II as being the same as the 2.3 and 2.8 (they're not). I'm actually the one that got THAT entry fixed for Advance and Autozone by sending them pictures of the mounts themselves.

Just this past week, I got a body shop order for a 2014 Mustang MCA edition that included the stripe. If I left the VIN filter on, the catalog indicated the older, 2011-2012 MCA stripe, if I turned it OFF, it added the 2013-2014 stripe to the menu.

Don't get me started on what it took to find the right bumper cover for a 2003 Suzuki Aerio in Suzuki's cluster- of a catalog this week.

So seriously, quit whining about your EGR gasket that fits a 22 year old car, that was only made in that configuration for 2 years, that is in the configuration that fewer were sold of, and either hit the web and find the correct part number, ask a Ford dealership parts guy for the right number (hey, I know one of those!), or buy a roll of gasket material trace the pattern you need, and cut it out with a razor blade.

Or maybe... Just maybe...

Next time, post a thread more along the lines of "Does anyone know where I might find the correct EGR gasket for my car? I've tried several of the parts stores, and none of them seem to have the right one."

People would receive that quite a bit more positively.

You also might not want to tell a moderator on the forum to pull their head out of their ass. You see, Gearbanger there isn't your normal Canadian, he's not going to say "Oh, sorreh aboot that eh, didn't mean to get you all worked up aboot it." He'll just ban you. The rest of us will point and laugh.

Gearbanger 101 · Feb 28, 2016

74stang2togo said:
You also might not want to tell a moderator on the forum to pull their head out of their ass. You see, Gearbanger there isn't your normal Canadian, he's not going to say "Oh, sorreh aboot that eh, didn't mean to get you all worked up aboot it." He'll just ban you. The rest of us will point and laugh.

Well, now I can't ban him....your depiction of me has me laughing too hard.

CarMichael Angelo · Feb 28, 2016

Has three mods ever contributed to the same thread? I'm thinking historical event here.

Gearbanger 101 · Feb 28, 2016

madmike1157 said:
Has three mods ever contributed to the same thread? I'm thinking historical event here.

Everyone loves to watch a train wreck in slow motion Mike.

mikestang63 · Feb 28, 2016

madmike1157 said:
Has three mods ever contributed to the same thread? I'm thinking historical event here.

Not to my knowledge.

Oh and it's "Have" not "Has" ya newb.

CarMichael Angelo · Feb 28, 2016

mikestang63 said:
Not to my knowledge

Oh and it's "Have" not "Has" ya newb.

Take advantage of the equally historical event wherein I use a word wrong.

Two epics in one thread....What are the odds?

Common Confusion

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