NAPA Changed all Part numbers?

R Q

R Q

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Charlotte
Like many old and modified rigs we may have parts that aren't stock to the vehicle anymore. I have many so I keep receipts and files of each major build or change so I can reference parts later on. My current motor mounts came from NAPA and I really liked the style and quality so I wrote the part numbers on them with silver sharpie many years ago so I could order new ones if ever needed. I called NAPA today because they weren't coming up online and I got a girl who was "honey' this and "honey" that but I gave her the old part number and she said it was an old number (it was 9 years ago I got these) and she said that number was no longer useful and she couldn't cross reference it. IF that's the case, why in the heck would they not leave some kind of reference to the old numbers?
I can probably walk into Indian Trail NAPA and the guys should be able to help me, they're pretty sharp there but these counter people who can only click on the computer need a class on thumbing through pages of a real parts book and learn how to help people!
Part number was 642-1127 and its a Chevy Engine mount for a S10 or 1/2 ton truck with a 4.3, probably around 1998.
 
R Q said:
Like many old and modified rigs we may have parts that aren't stock to the vehicle anymore. I have many so I keep receipts and files of each major build or change so I can reference parts later on. My current motor mounts came from NAPA and I really liked the style and quality so I wrote the part numbers on them with silver sharpie many years ago so I could order new ones if ever needed. I called NAPA today because they weren't coming up online and I got a girl who was "honey' this and "honey" that but I gave her the old part number and she said it was an old number (it was 9 years ago I got these) and she said that number was no longer useful and she couldn't cross reference it. IF that's the case, why in the heck would they not leave some kind of reference to the old numbers?
I can probably walk into Indian Trail NAPA and the guys should be able to help me, they're pretty sharp there but these counter people who can only click on the computer need a class on thumbing through pages of a real parts book and learn how to help people!
Part number was 642-1127 and its a Chevy Engine mount for a S10 or 1/2 ton truck with a 4.3, probably around 1998.
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How much do you expect for $14/hr?
No parts counter guy is there because it’s a dream job.

Not to mentioned they probably have 150-200,000 part numbers…why would they remember yours?

The parts books aren’t made anymore. They aren’t even printed. You just log in. If it isn’t in the computer you are SOL….

I don’t like it- but I manage 4 parts guys who get dog cussed daily for this…
 
Ron said:
How much do you expect for $14/hr?
No parts counter guy is there because it’s a dream job.

Not to mentioned they probably have 150-200,000 part numbers…why would they remember yours?

The parts books aren’t made anymore. They aren’t even printed. You just log in. If it isn’t in the computer you are SOL….

I don’t like it- but I manage 4 parts guys who get dog cussed daily for this…
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I didn't cuss anyone and I didn't expect them to remember my part number, just be able to look up a once good part number.
 
Tried getting the brake shoes for the AMC 20, rear with 10" drums, from Advance, one time. I ordered them on-line to get the discount, then went to the store to grab them. They were wrong. Young parts guy looked them up & ordered a set from another store. They were wrong. Older parts guy was there & heard us talking. He said let me grab the Book. He came up with a Very Well used parts book. Pulled the number & they had them sitting On The Self! I know what you mean! But then again, I worked for a year at a {mostly} phone parts center, for golf courses. 98% of the guys, ordered their parts by number. I just entered it into their invoice & it printed everything out. I Did notice, many parts numbers had been changed; sometimes 3 or more times. But the computer program, showed each updated number & the New number. Numbers going back 20-30 years or more! Only thing we could figure, was every time the factory changed Vendors, they issued a new part number. Seems to me it shows what companies Can do, If, they care about their Customers & Sales.
 
Ron said:
How much do you expect for $14/hr?
No parts counter guy is there because it’s a dream job.

Not to mentioned they probably have 150-200,000 part numbers…why would they remember yours?

The parts books aren’t made anymore. They aren’t even printed. You just log in. If it isn’t in the computer you are SOL….

I don’t like it- but I manage 4 parts guys who get dog cussed daily for this…
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the issue isn’t the parts person. The title of the thread says NAPA changed all their part numbers. Not, stupid parts person doesn’t know 200k part numbers.

NAPA is a big enough company that they should have foreseen this and had a data base of cross referenced numbers is the problem. Now they’ve left their employees in a bad position. I would find it highly unlikely that they didn’t have a spreadsheet of numbers to work from. But I guess there is potential for that and maybe the reasoning behind the change in numbers.
 
Call me crazy but it would be detrimental to their own business to not be able to cross reference part numbers. Stuff will sit on the shelf unsold forever if people cannot find it. Someone is not training people well enough to know how to look this stuff up. This is one you take to corporate customer service.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
Call me crazy but it would be detrimental to their own business to not be able to cross reference part numbers. Stuff will sit on the shelf unsold forever if people cannot find it. Someone is not training people well enough to know how to look this stuff up. This is one you take to corporate customer service.
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I agree. I actually had a good conversation with the girl on the phone and even joked that "somebody in corporate NAPA is justifying their existence making unnecessary changes!". She tried to help with starting over to search for the part and some came up but not this exact mount and it's the one I wanted because of the way it's built.
 
Any chance you wrote down the part number wrong?
 
I was heavily devoted to NAPA, driving the extra 10 miles there (vs. the closer AA) for a number of reasons (it's locally & privately owned and the quality appears to be a bit better)...
BUT, after the 12th time of ordering what the computer said was "THE part" and having to return it... said fawk it and went back to AA! Their computerized "idiots guide to parts" includes pictures, dimensions, 3 price ranges... and 99% of the time they have it on the shelf or can get it a day quicker!
 
skyhighZJ said:
Was it for a 2wd or 4wd?



Sorry, I just couldn’t resist…..:flipoff2:
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Damnit....scrolled thru to specifically post this and you beat me to it 😡


🤣
 
CasterTroy said:
Damnit....scrolled thru to specifically post this and you beat me to it 😡


🤣
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IMG_4811.gif
 
With the Samurai I only went to NAPA because they still had separate parts for different part numbers ….. even if there were major similarities.
Belts are a good example. There is about a 3/4 inch difference between the fan and a/c belt (OBA). The last time I bought belts there ….. same size and markings on the belts for both part numbers.
Buh-bye NAPA, hello to the new O’reilly’s in Walnut Cove.
 
Lizooki said:
With the Samurai I only went to NAPA because they still had separate parts for different part numbers ….. even if there were major similarities.
Belts are a good example. There is about a 3/4 inch difference between the fan and a/c belt (OBA). The last time I bought belts there ….. same size and markings on the belts for both part numbers.
Buh-bye NAPA, hello to the new O’reilly’s in Walnut Cove.
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O’Reilly is the only company with some customer service left. They will run to a warehouse for me for a 30c lug nut. Napa wouldn’t go to theirs for a 10k engine. And it’s closer. They just don’t care
 
Noel said:
O’Reilly is the only company with some customer service left. They will run to a warehouse for me for a 30c lug nut. Napa wouldn’t go to theirs for a 10k engine. And it’s closer. They just don’t care
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O'Reillys has bailed me out a couple of times when others didnt have what I needed or was an obscure part
 
O'Reilly's has bailed me out many times. The last time was heading to Windrock when I needed a pair of exhaust donut gaskets for the motorhome at 5pm and that day. I went to multiple parts stores, some said they could have them the next day, some couldn't get them but O'Reilly's said they could get them also for the next day OR I could make the 20 minute trip to Knoxville to pick them up at the warehouse. When I said I would go get them, they called ahead to make sure they actually had them.

My local Reidsville store either has in stock or will get what I need within a day, NAPA, Advance or Auto Zone almost never has what I need. I just don't go to anyone else if I need something quickly. If I can wait, it's Rock Auto.
 
R Q said:
No. The girl said that they closed out all part numbers 6-8 years ago with no cross reference for them. I can't imagine that but ok.
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Serious question.
How long is reasonable to retain this information?
Usually when there is a system change of this nature they have cross referencing for some limited time until all the stock has changed over, then rip off the band-aid and purge the old info.
You bought yours 9 years ago. Soudns like they changed it a year later.

Lets say they kept both systems for 5 years. That seems pretty reasonable to me. We're now past that. Should yo uexpect this to go on indefinitely? What is they change again?
 
RatLabGuy said:
Serious question.
How long is reasonable to retain this information?
Usually when there is a system change of this nature they have cross referencing for some limited time until all the stock has changed over, then rip off the band-aid and purge the old info.
You bought yours 9 years ago. Soudns like they changed it a year later.

Lets say they kept both systems for 5 years. That seems pretty reasonable to me. We're now past that. Should yo uexpect this to go on indefinitely? What is they change again?
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Disagree completely. They are creating new part numbers, and when you are selling items for vehicles that are 50+ years old, then the old part number should be retained for reference and searchable both in store and online. The data exists. They didn't just magically come up with a new design. It's the same part number being relabeled, so they had to based it on something, and that information should be retained for future reference. It takes up less space in their system to have a million old part numbers in the description than the code and linkages and tracking for one stupid pop up ad.
 
nah.
Those million part number have to be individually coded/entered.

Someone somewhere made a business decision that the lost revenue wasnt worth the investment.

Stated simply but harshly - they dont care about your business enough to pursue it in this instance.

I saw a stat once than something like 85% of all parts sales are for vehicle less than 15 years old.

Truth be told all the parts stores would rather sell wax, oil and wd-40 and not even offer parts. They only have parts to get you in the store.
Same way Gas station wouldnt sell gas at all if they could still sell you beer, cigs and sodas
 
Ron said:
Stated simply but harshly - they dont care about your business enough to pursue it in this instance.
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Correct
 
RatLabGuy said:
Serious question.
How long is reasonable to retain this information?
Usually when there is a system change of this nature they have cross referencing for some limited time until all the stock has changed over, then rip off the band-aid and purge the old info.
You bought yours 9 years ago. Soudns like they changed it a year later.

Lets say they kept both systems for 5 years. That seems pretty reasonable to me. We're now past that. Should yo uexpect this to go on indefinitely? What is they change again?
Click to expand...
Given the nature of what the system is for, I'd say they should keep the cross reference ability indefinitely.
 
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