I too have spent my time behind the parts counter at NAPA. It's sad to say, but the number one rule in retail is The Customer is an Idiot and Must Be Told What They Want. Often folks will come in with only a vague idea what is wrong with the car by symptoms only and no clue what the real problem causing the situation is. By going through the process of asking for year, make, model, etc, the parts person can start mentally going through a checklist of potential trouble areas and whittle down the list.
The engine isn't running smoothly. It's erractic. Ah, so it could be electrical, air filter, fuel, timing, etc. So you ask what year/make/model/engine it has. It's a 1988 Chev pickup with a 350. Okay, with that info alone, I can eliminate several things. It's not carburated (TBI in 1988), and it has electronic ignition (1975). That means it's not going to be ignition likely. It *could* be, but highly unlikely. The ECU mounted inside the distributor usually completely fails at once but not only partially. Cool. It could be fuel or timing though. Let's ask other seemingly inane questions. The problem occurred after a recent trip cross country. Hmm. Fuel filter? Air filter? Dirty gas? Timing jumped? Anyways, it's a process you use to lead the customer through a series of questions to get the information you need so you don't have to keep asking the same questions time and time again, especially if you find there mid-year production changes. We all know Triumphs didn't change that much from year to year, but it's not a make that folks look up that often compared to Toyota or Honda so they may not know that except by experience. -Vegaman Dan -Napa Auto Parts / Gosney Motor Parts / Store #109 -- ********************************************************************* * * * Flinthoof Ponypal * * Vegaman Dan * * * * http://jarmac.picarefy.com Ponypics! * * http://jarmac.picarefy.com/spitfire 1968 Triumph Spitfire * * http://jarmac.picarefy.com/roomies Roomies! online comic strip * * * ********************************************************************* /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.
