Advance Auto to CLOSE 700 stores.

[Lane66Monza]

As with anything is the good ol' USA, service is a regional thing. Around here, the closer to the metro Savannah area, the worse the service and facility.

At my age (and that is a factor in store evaluations,too) dealing with lack of service and untrained counter people makes me give up on going back to stores faster than anything else. Computers can find the items I need. Then it is up to me to find the store and location I decide to buy from. Doing this main bathroom remodel, I can assure you that 90% of needed 86 items (so far) were found on the web. 75% of the items were purchased/delivered through the online purchases (web stores). About 15% were store pick ups. None were ebay ourchases. Ebay is no longer a web seller I use after losing money due to non-delivery of 2 items and their money back was not applicable since"Package was delived by USPS". Their loss for not refunding $70, as I have spent over $5k since they screwed me with the no refund. Any way, about 9 (10%) of the remodel items were remembered items, when I was already at Lowes or Home Depot and I said I needed the item. Ah, the value of an Excel spreadsheet when doing major projects to keep track of the project's items identified and those acquired, then used.

One more thing about local stores. We have 3 different Lowes, I can go to that are within 30 miles of my house. Savannah (32 miles) service poor. Pooler (22 miles) service fair. Rincon (26 miles) service good). Even inside the stores, the employees in the different departments make the difference which store to go back to for additional items when needed. Pooler & Savannah building supplies, very poor service; Rincon, very good service. Just to get lumber loaded, I will go to Rincon to get needed lumber, instead of waiting 20-40 minutes for assistance in the other 2.

[joelsplace]

I haven't been in my local Napa in years. The biggest jerks work there. I had them argue with me about a brass brake hose adapter they sold me. It only had one thread of engagement and they told me that was fine. Refused to refund. They also ordered me a starter drive for a Corvair. It came in and was clearly wrong. They said "too bad that's what you ordered". I left the part there and my credit card company took care of the refund. I went in later to get something and they tried to charge me for the brake fittings. The fittings were even items they stock. I said good luck with that and have never been back. I really tried to make local buying work.

[vairchet]

Around here, Tractor Supply is best. They may not be a true hardware store, but they're close. What they don't have in stock, they'll order it online for you. Items ordered normally show up within two - three days. Great bunch of people. On the other hand, the actual hardware store in the center of town that's been around for decades sucks hind tit. Untrained, know-it-all jerks that are firm in the belief that all customers are dumb as rocks. I have a tendency to avoid that place.

[erco]

Wow, just saw this in my local paper:

Advance Auto Parts closing all 94 Southern California stores

A shame. They just took over my local Pep Boys store near me about 2 years ago, really nice people and store makeover. I was one of their first customers, they learned how to use their alternator test machine on my Corvair alternator.

OTOH a new AutoZone opened near me since Advance came to town. Hopefully they fare better. O'Reillys is also nearby, plus several NAPA stores.

[66vairguy]

The old Pep Boys was unique because it sold a lot of low priced car/truck items like lubricants, waxes, decals, additives,etc. that you could not find at other parts stores. Their stores were big with lots of floor space. Then the new owners decided to dump the low priced stuff. I walked in one day to get a bottle of polish and NOTHING. Just a big counter with lots of shelves with parts. They basically just stocked higher priced repair parts.

The smaller streamline places like O'Rielly and Autozone with less real estate to pay rent on took over. Pep Boys folded, then Advance Auto took over some Pep Boys stores and now they are closing. Pep Boys still has automotive service centers going, amazing as they had a horrid reputation, but they are profitable!!!!!

The other thing now is places like Autozone no longer stock name brand parts. You get THEIR brand and usually from the cheapest source.

Seems the "good ol days" were really good.

[RexJohnson]

I was told by my local Advance Auto store that pretty much the whole western part of the company is closing.

[sethracer]

All San Jose stores are closing - I do wonder about the Pep Boys co-located.

[erco]

I heard that all the Advance locations were purchased by Clark's Corvair Parts.

[erco]

I stopped by my local store today. Everything is 10-30% off, they will remain open through March. Employees had no idea of the closures, in fact they heard about it after it was publicly announced. At least they are getting some severance pay. The adjoining Pep Boys service center says they will remain open, I was happy to hear. They provide great tire service and wheel alignment.

[erco]

I stopped by my local store here in LA (I'm far from the fires, hopefully 66vairguy is too) and was about to buy a Diehard battery for 50% off. Just before scanning my CC, asked about where to go for warranty replacement since all the AAs are closing. "No warranty" came the reply so I didn't buy it. He says back on the east coast there may be somewhere to go but not west of the Pecos.

Bummer that a long-running, quality name like Diehard is gone. Craftsman tools are hanging on but mostly China-made now, I hear the lifetime warranty remains even though the quality is slipping.

[Wittsend]

My AA store had a Diehard "Starting" battery 800 CCA /1000 CCA for $67. That is slightly less than the Walmart 585 CCA 1 year battery. I took the risk. While the Diehard is technically a Marine battery I don't see it being an issue with my old cars. ALL my cars run a 24F (including my Corvair wagon - up front). Apparently marine batteries never come (close out sale - or not) with a warranty (none stated on the battery) at AA though the receipt says 1 year, but..., yea..., where???

Some of the marine batteries they had on the shelf were nearly two years old dated back to Spring 2023. Mine was somewhere in 2024. We desulphated it, gave it a good charge and the SOH came in at I believe 88%.

[erco]

We desulphated it

How ya doo dat? Then do you source battery acid locally?

[caraholic4life]

..... Craftsman tools are hanging on but mostly China-made now, I hear the lifetime warranty remains even though the quality is slipping.

Locally in my experience (local to me at least), the retail stores that offer Craftsman Tools will not honor the "Lifetime Warranty" unless it is an item they actually stock, and proof of purchase from that location can be provided.

Since many people these days do not bother to save receipts, these policies effectively prevent most warranty exchanges.

The up side for the retailer is that they do not need to deal with a larger volume of exchanged merchandise while still advertising the "Lifetime Warranty" that is not often exercised.

[Brizo]

There is an AZ close to me but I always look up what i want on they're web site and hand them the part number. In some cases if there are multiple choices, I can pick a name brand rather than go with the first part they would find. Your best bet around here if want good parts for an older car is NAPA. They have a better selection and quality of "on the shelf" items too. The best place I've found for chemicals lately ( oil, brake cleaner, octane booster, sprays, etc.) is at Menards. Many items are dollars cheaper than the FLAPS for the same brands.

[Frank DuVal]

The drive to a Menards for me outweighs the savings! So Wallyworld is my chemical place! Oil too. Waay cheaper than the FLAPS. Hmm, should we now use NCAPS? National Chain Auto Parts Store? Or NFNCAPS Not Friendly National Chain Auto Parts Store.

[Dennis66]

I pretty much stick with Autozone as there is one not far from my house and one I pass by on my way to work (and one of my work vendors) I also like the 20.00 credit for each 5x of spending 20.00 or more. I usually use that for waxes and cleaners, brake clean (which I use a lot of) or paints (rarely).
I will use wallyworld for occasional chemical purchases, but even though it's closest, I rarely go there.
I pass an Advance on my way to work, but very rarely buy from them. The NAPA near me is also a "last chance" stop.