Ricerzone

[motoman]

So the other day i was in autozone with a friend to get a new pcv valve for his car. And was looking around and that is like the best place for a ricer to go. What do you guys think?

[chris556452]

I know what ya mean, except we call it the vatozone here in San Antonio. It seems they only stock parts that are "chrome" plated and use double stick tape to install. Everything else is "special order". I stick to Advance and Napa...

[MAG58]

I'd completely agree. In my town Autozone is the only place that sells sound reactive lights that stick on the inside of your car. Hmm...

 

My current favorite is Advance, followed (tie) between o'reilleys, Pep-boys, and napa.

[FlatBlack]

I went to Advanced today and dealt with two of the most incompetent people I've met.

 

It took them FIFTEEN Minutes to tell me they couldn't get NGK BPR7ES Spark plugs. I was the only person in the store.

 

I drove across the street to O'Reilly's, I walked in, picked up a can of Brake Parts Cleaner, put it on the counter, and asked for BPR7ES, and was out of the store in 3 minutes. There were 4 other customers at the front of the store being helped as well.

 

AutoZone never has Z parts in stock, O'Reilly's usually has L6 Intake and Exhaust gaskets IN STOCK.

 

I prefer O'Rielly's.

[DeleriousZ]

I drove across the street to O'Reilly's, I walked in, picked up a can of Brake Parts Cleaner, put it on the counter, and asked for BPR7ES, and was out of the store in 3 minutes. There were 4 other customers at the front of the store being helped as well.

 

Apparently NGK is using a new part number system or something, according to the last parts store I went to. Perhaps that's why they had such trouble looking it up lol.

[thrustnut]

Hey flatblack, when I lived in Georgia if I wanted NGK's they where special order (everywhere!). Unless you had a pickem'up truck, Camero or Mustang you where SOL. Last time I went to AutoZone I bought some diff fluid for the Wife's truck and asked the guy at the counter if he had an offroad kit for a Carter or Edelbrock AFB carb. The guy told me he had no idea what that was, but he could maby special order it. I went by Baxter's on the way home and they had them on the shelf.

[sticky280zx]

Oreilleys gets the nod for me for many reasons....Vatozone doesnt carry crap for z's, including the ngk plugs. Oreilleys carrys the plugs (most of the time in stock) and can get anything i want (thats at the hub or different store) in HOURS if told by 330 its there by 5 and anything after they can have it the next morning instead of it taking days like autozone. Which ofcourse really helps when youre like me any either daily the car (weekend projects 1 at a time) or something breaks/needs replacing/SUPRISE boom,clank,kaput, oh shizz no brakes...etc happens as your driving.

[FlatBlack]

Hey flatblack, when I lived in Georgia if I wanted NGK's they where special order (everywhere!).

 

Does Georgia not have O'Really's?

[MAG58]

Does Georgia not have O'Really's?

My town does but they don't have it.

 

I've asked for NGK's so many times at advance, they usually stock a few now.

[skib]

I found a "honda performance" book in autozone one day, and it had all the douchebag ricer gimics in it down to painting the break drums bright yellow literally all the little things the ricer kids do that you just facepalm is in that book. I found the source! maybe if we burn all the books theyl go extinct.

[thrustnut]

We had an O'Riley's in Valdosta, Ga. It opened right before I moved from there (about two years ago) and was also my choice for parts. They are not immune to idiots however. I have an 03 Grand Am GT with a 3400 engine. I noticed one oil change that my forward valve cover was full of creamy foam and I was getting a tapping noise on engine start until it warmed up a little. I looked around on line and found that one of the biggest complaints with that engine was that they used crappy seals on the intake manifold which at about 50,000 miles (I was right there) would start to fail and let water into the heads. I talked to a couple buddies who where Pontiac freaks about this and they confirmed the issue. So, next stop O'Riley's where the guy behind the counter (had a 02 Grand Am SE with a big ricer wing, graffix kit, big rims with tiny tires and a NOS kit) came out and told me that it was my head gaskets, that I should tear the engine down and rebuild the top end. I left....came back the next day and talked to someone else who told me that Mr. Gasket actually made a "fix it" kit for my exact problem. I replaced the seals and 50,000 miles later still no problem. On a side note I called the kid with the SE out twice on ricer badges. The first time was at the drag strip, he had Cobra badges on the front quarter panels. He told me he raced a Cobra and won, when he did he told the guy he wanted the badges. The second time was in the Wal-Mart parking lot with my Wife. He had GTR badges on the front. I told him I didn't know Pontiac made a Grand Am GTR, he tried to tell me it was a limited edition car. I asked him what the differences where, and he had to go...go figure. I thought that was just a Nissan thing, oh well. Not talking bad about O'Riley's, I did like them, that guy was just a ricer dork.

Edited September 28, 2009 by thrustnut
spelling

[jc052685]

^^^ Yup. Have a 2000 grand am gt. 180,000 miles as of today!!!. I do the intake gaskets every 60,000 miles. Did not know about the fix though. I will do that next time. I will tell you though, for not being a jap car the reliability is crazy!!! Only did one tranny service @ 60k miles never again, Just did the alternator, still has ice cold ac, keep gas in it and change the oil. Car never gives me any problems. Just got back from a 700 mile road trip this weekend pulling about 1800lbs of trailer lol.

 

On topic though, I never shop at Vatozone.

[thrustnut]

Thanks for the reassurance that the car will last. I am almost paid off on it and it's my last car I owe on, and don't want more payments for a LOOOONG time. Check out the fix it kit, the gaskets are not the plastic with rubber inset that shrinks and allows it to leak. I think mine are metal with a rubberized coating. I believe the kit was actually called a "fix it" kit by fel-pro

[280zx 2by2]

My town does but they don't have it.

 

I've asked for NGK's so many times at advance, they usually stock a few now.

no we have orileys, we just dont have checkers or something like that...

[Avernier]

I love advanced, i know all the guys, i walk around the back of the store and look at everything I want, they rent me tools, and I get a pretty fat discount alot of the time. they also special order parts i have no intention of buying so I can compare to parts I AM buying. like brake rotors off of like 6 different cars so i can find the right one.

[MAG58]

I love advanced, i know all the guys, i walk around the back of the store and look at everything I want, they rent me tools, and I get a pretty fat discount alot of the time. they also special order parts i have no intention of buying so I can compare to parts I AM buying. like brake rotors off of like 6 different cars so i can find the right one.

 

That's exactly how my advanced works. It's pretty nice having friends in that business.

[19762802+2]

My mom told me a few weeks ago about my great grandpa Hengemuehle. Apparently my Grandpa was one of the brothers that started Napa. The reason we aren't in the business is because he got in an argument on how they were running it and sold his share of the business. Thanks grandpa haha. But I doubt I my immediate family would have gotten any money or anything but it still would have been cool. Even still my grandpa was a pretty cool guy, he renewed his motorcycle license at 75, punched a horse that bite him and knocked it out haha, and cut the tip of his nose of with a chainsaw on accident.

[motoman]

Yah i don't really like to go to ricerzone. There is one right by my house so i just go there if i need something like fuel lines. Other then that i got to O's.